anyone taking IB diploma? Options

[LittleLulu]

about two months ago, i had an epiphany ( i know i spelled that wrong but w/e) about my education.

....MY SCHOOL ONLY OFFERS AP IN GRADE 12!!!!!!! how AWFUL** is that?!?

and the only things they have it in is Studio arts, and..english lit. Chem, Phys, and Bio, for the past few years have not opened class due to the lack of enrollment.

Hence i decided to transferr to a different highschool next year. Going for Richmond High because they offer IB ( International Baccalaureate), which is probably the best thing i can do if i want to go to University in the U.S. ( i live in Canada).

im feeling so depressed and scared..and just generally bummed out from all the research i've done on college admissions...

[innovation]

I transferred to an IB school my sophomore year, and this is what my high school schedule looks like:

Sophomore Year
Sociology (semester course)
Psychology (semester course)
Pre-IB English 10
Pre-IB French 3
AP US Government
IB Chemistry I SL
IB Math Methods I SL

Junior Year (this year)
IB English I HL
IB French I HL
IB History of the Americas HL
AP Calculus BC
IB Physics I SL
IB World Religions SL
Theory of Knowledge

My schedule next year will be:
IB English II HL
IB French II HL
IB Mathematics II HL
IB 20th Century Topics HL
IB Chemistry II SL
IB Economics SL
IB Philosophy SL

Basically, most IB courses are two-year courses, and you have the choice between Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL). More prestigious colleges offer credit for HL only, but keep in mind that HL courses are two-year courses. So instead of taking AP Language and AP Literature exams, you would just take the IB English Higher Level exam, and you would get the same amount of credit.

The IB diploma programme limits students to four HL courses, but keep in mind that these are 2-year courses. However, don't think that SL courses aren't challenging--they're still a lot of work, much more work than any "honors" course. Most of them are of AP-caliber, but often, colleges do not recognize this. A lot of my friends are taking AP courses after their IB SL courses (IB Psychology, IB Economics, etc.) so that they can get college credit.

Also, if you do the diploma programme, colleges will give you full marks on course selection during the admissions process, so you don't have to worry about that anymore. Just focus on getting good grades and getting involved in extracurricular activities.

As far as the acronym thingies go...

I haven't chosen a topic for my extended essay yet, but I'm probably going to do something on globalization and cultural geography. I need to narrow that down about 100 times.. hehh.

Internal assessments are cool in some courses and horrible in others. For example, math portfolios. 10-page essay about a mathematical solution? Not fun. Not even for the people who like math. But for my World Religions IA, I'm writing an essay about women's rights in Islamic Saudi Arabia, which is very interesting to me. I get to interview religious leaders and everything. Same with TOK. TOK topics are always philosophical, so they're fun to think and write about.

As far as CAS goes, most of the people within the IB program would've fulfilled their hours anyway. Writing up reports for CAS can get sort of annoying, especially when you volunteered for a gift-wrapping fundraiser or something. Very difficult to write a whole page about your experience! But for more meaningful activities, such as campaigning, you get to reflect on your extracurriculars, which is useful for college applications, since there is often a section on applications that asks you to talk about your most meaningful extracurricular activity.

Personally, I think that extracurricular activities are crucial. You NEED something to delve into during high school. And it's absolutely necessary for college apps, too. Since perfect GPAs, course schedules, and test scores are guaranteed for most applicants to prestigious colleges, you definitely need something to make yourself stand out. And being well-rounded just doesn't cut it. The President of National Honor Society was rejected by Princeton this year. Why? Because he was good at everything and didn't excel at anything.

I love the IB program because it focuses on developing your skills--particularly public speaking and analysis. It gives you a lot of opportunity to explore your own intellectual curiosities, through IAs, the EE, and CAS. I'll admit that the IB program is a bit better for humanities/social science-oriented people than math/science-oriented people, but it's really a great program, no matter what your concentration is.