For those unaware, IB stands for International Baccalaureate. For those who have taken the program, is it worth it? The infamous IB Triangle. According to Wikipedia, the UK holds some rather contradictory academic opinion concerning the International Baccalaureate: Can any natives of the country and/or anyone else propose as to why this is? I don’t understand the logic therein. On the one hand, I want to take IB b/c it offers strong preparation toward college life, but on the other hand few universities seem to recognize IB credits & that along with the difficulty of the program has almost dissuaded me from pursuing it…
Well, at all the uni's I've looked at they offer requirements on the IB. What course are you looking to study? I am sorry, I don't know much about the IB but A levels are what's most commonly used here. Just looking at random courses it says things like 38 points or more" but I have no idea if that's high or not (that was for chemical engineering though which equivalent A level requirements is AAA which is very high).
Pre-veterinary studies. The maximum number of points is 45. Students need to achieve a minimum of 24 points in order to receive the IB diploma. Now, I'm not currently enrolled in the program but I imagine achieving 38 points would require a deal with the devil or something along those lines. Thanks for the feedback!
Well I suppose Veterinary will be quite high but just from a google search this was the first that came up: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ugstudy/courses/biosciences/pre-veterinary-certificate.aspx Which is 30-32 points or ABB-BBB which is more reasonable. I would say that is about the same but I have no idea how hard the course is, it's all good and well someone saying it's very hard but different people find different things difficult. If there is anyway you can look at exams/coursework or however they grade you to see if you feel its hard. Do you have any other options for what qualifications to get if you don't do the IB?
My reluctance to enroll in the program is weighted more so in concerns regarding academic credits and the lack thereof, than the relative difficulty of the course load. If it were merely a matter of workload, I could probably manage. But it's more than that; the payoff to the amount of effort you invest therein is ridiculously disproportionate. IB students are held to far higher standards, and you might brush this off if I don't give you an example so here you go. I couldn't believe it when I read it either, but here's the IB vs AP pre-vet prerequisites for Edinburgh University: They require IB students score a seven in at least two courses, versus 4 for AP students. That's equivalent to 95~100% versus 80~90%. That is a very large gap when you consider the amount of extracurricular activities, e.g. CAS hours + extended essays and lab reports that the IB Program entails-- none of which are recognized by and/or matter to (English) universities. Also relevant is the fact that AP classes are treated as separate courses, i.e. you can couple the required three AP courses with easy regular classes. And you would be regarded in the same light as an IB student with six IB classes whom was never presented with the option. And the bar would be lowered for you. That's unfair.
I have no idea, I was hoping someone from the UK more informed than I might be able to fill me in (it's really screwed up). I can take AP courses, but I think it's a mighty shame I'd have to miss out on the IB Program simply because of university credits. I would have savored the challenge. Not to the extent that I'd be willing to risk it all on 766 grades, but anyways.
I wish I could help you further but I have no idea in all honesty, I've never had to look at the IB program- someone else on this site may know more than I do. It would be quite a large risk and I am all for risks until it comes to a decision that determines the rest of your life (or a large portion of it xD sorry that sounded dramatic)
Well, I'm currently in the IB program, and I plan to go to Uni in the US. I know that most colleges will accept IB credit, allowing you to skip at least one year in the States. However, there are some Unis in the US that don't accept the credit. My only advice to you is to talk to people who have taken the course, and to visit this site to do that.
