PDA

View Full Version : International Baccalaureate



spongypants23
May 26th, 2009, 06:47 AM
Is anyone else here a candidate, or ex-candidate of the the International Baccalaureate program? I'm mainly thinking of the Diploma Programme, but the other levels are also acceptable! Maybe you're a teacher or even an IB coordinator.

What courses are you/have you taken, and at what level? CAS activities?

I'm currently in the middle of the thing with:

Psychology HL
Mathematics SL (Methods)
English A2 HL
Swedish A1 SL
Economics SL
Physics HL
(And Theory of Knowledge, of course.)
Extended Essay subject: Psychology! (Yay!)

Creativity: Model United Nations
Action: I go to the gym
Service: KGCP Project. Student organization at school which donates money to charity organizations.



For those unfamiliar with this program... It's got a Wikipedia article. ;)

Warpnow
May 26th, 2009, 07:39 AM
My High School was IB, but I didn't graduate from it.

I just stopped going and went to college. I'll get my Economics degree after 14 more college classes, who needs a high school diploma anyway?

Kareeser
May 27th, 2009, 12:04 AM
I know quite a few people in the IB program. It's intense, and many people drop out, but with a suitably run program, you can excel and do very well in the future.

A friend of mine earned several university credits in her last year of high school, and is well on her way to med school, three years after graduating high school.

Amazing work ethic. Amazing program.

kk0sse54
May 27th, 2009, 12:23 AM
I'm entering my last year of IB. Will be taking next year

Bio - HL
English - HL
AP European History - HL
AP Calc - SL
French - SL
IB Music - SL
TOK (I F'ing absolutely hate this class)

Then I get one other elective but it's not releated to IB, wish I could take Swedish instead of something like French but alas I think I'm the only one in my school who speaks it :p

Oh and my extended essay will be on something music related

mips
May 27th, 2009, 12:44 AM
Never heard of it. Sounds like a fancy name for finishing high school.

Pogeymanz
May 27th, 2009, 02:32 AM
I got my IB diploma 3 years ago. Here were my classes/scores:

Physics HL - 5
English A HL - 5
Psychology HL - 5
Spanish B SL - 5
Math SL (Methods) - 7
Euro History SL - 4
Extended Essay in Physics

I would have taken Math HL, but our teacher was notoriously bad/lazy. And our school made us take History. Boo.

Pretty mediocre, no? My AP scores were much more impressive, I promise.

I loved TOK. Our teacher was nuts, but I think it was mostly to try to confuse us and make us understand that there is always room to doubt yourself.

Now I just finished my junior year of college and I'm double-majoring in Physics and Math. To be completely honest, the IB curriculum is intense, but the math and physics curricula are WAY off target. The Math Methods exam doesn't have any calculus at all. It's all trig and crap. And the Physics curriculum doesn't have any calculus either... WTF? It built the key concepts very nicely, but how many problems can you really solve without calculus?

Warpnow
May 27th, 2009, 02:46 AM
Never heard of it. Sounds like a fancy name for finishing high school.

An IB diploma is worth alot more than a normal high school diploma.

I know at least some colleges prioritize and take IB before they look at normal diplomas.

.Maleficus.
May 27th, 2009, 02:52 AM
We do AP at my school, most of which my classes next year will be. The other high school in our city (have an East and West, I go to West) does IB though. Next year I'll be taking:

AP Calculus
AP Statistics
AP European History
AP Literature
AP Spanish (Spanish 5)
Advanced Composition (our equivalent to an AP writing course)
Regular Pyschology (part of our History requirement)
Regular Earth Science (already took Physics and Chemistry)

Should be a good year.

Polygon
May 27th, 2009, 05:24 AM
just like the AP and SAT/ACT tests, once you actually get into college, no one really cares about them. I assume its the same here.

Pogeymanz
May 27th, 2009, 06:01 AM
It isn't so much about a paper and some points. It's about being more prepared for college. Most of my friends are still saying that college is a joke for them compared to IB.

AP classes just don't prepare you. Sure, it's nice to get out of some credits, but it doesn't prepare you the same way.

spongypants23
May 27th, 2009, 07:32 AM
[...]
Extended Essay in Physics

[...]

I loved TOK. Our teacher was nuts, but I think it was mostly to try to confuse us and make us understand that there is always room to doubt yourself.

[...]

To be completely honest, the IB curriculum is intense, but the math and physics curricula are WAY off target. The Math Methods exam doesn't have any calculus at all. It's all trig and crap. And the Physics curriculum doesn't have any calculus either... WTF? It built the key concepts very nicely, but how many problems can you really solve without calculus?

EE in Physics!? You're mad!

At least I'm not the only one who likes TOK. Yay for crazy whackjob teachers who really know how to make the class fun by telling stories and being completely and utterly random.

Have to agree with you on the Physics and Math thing. They don't match up at all. Vectors were the first thing we did in Physics, nearly the last thing we did in Math this year. Wouldn't it make more sense to have the math stuff in Math class first? Ah well.

Don't ask me why I capitalized the subjects.

fwojciec
May 27th, 2009, 08:11 AM
I still remember my first TOK essay topic: "Do our senses err?"

It got me interested in philosophy and I ended up studying philosophy-related things in college, and later also in graduate school.

The IB diploma allowed me to go to a prestigious university in the US on a scholarship -- which was a huge deal for a kid from Poland. So it can definitely be a good thing.

mips
May 27th, 2009, 10:04 PM
An IB diploma is worth alot more than a normal high school diploma.

I know at least some colleges prioritize and take IB before they look at normal diplomas.

I actually went and read up on it to find out more.

Where I am from an IB carries no more weight than getting a "high school diploma" as you would call it. It will not advantage you getting into university. For the IB universities actually have stricter rules regarding the subjects you take (you have to go through more hassle to get you qualification recognised through a standards body). None of the IB subjects will get you any university credits whatsoever. In fact people that do an IB are actually at a disadvantage as they have to do an extra year compared to people with normal schooling.

I honestly believe the levels of education are dropping (here as well) but maybe I'm just an old fart ;)

neoaddict
May 31st, 2009, 06:40 PM
Some Canadian universities allow you to transfer your IB credits to first-year university credits. It might depend on whether or not the class was HL (higher level) or SL (standard level).

The IB Diploma Programme in high school is two years. It starts in your junior year and finishes in your senior year. Thus, you don't have an extra year of school.

My school has an adjustment factor for IB classes, which gives us a 5-10% 'bonus' on our marks. As far as I know, the universities in my province accept this adjusted mark rather than our 'real' marks. You may want to ask your school if they have an adjustment factor, and see if your local university will accept the adjusted mark.

Edit: You may also want to have more than just 1 CAS activity/category. Also, it might be a good idea to ask your IB coordinator to see if you have to do a CAS project which incorporates all three strands of CAS. Don't forget that you have to get your hours signed and reflect on what you have done.

spongypants23
May 31st, 2009, 06:55 PM
Edit: You may also want to have more than just 1 CAS activity/category. Also, it might be a good idea to ask your IB coordinator to see if you have to do a CAS project which incorporates all three strands of CAS. Don't forget that you have to get your hours signed and reflect on what you have done.

Big time. As my first year quickly is coming to an end, I realize that I seriously need more Creativity and Action hours. :frown: