Why parents should look for schools with IB

Parents, if you haven’t noticed the trends by now, it’s time to wake up and smell the college admissions rates: getting into a good college is getting harder and the average student debt is growing higher. One of the best ways you can help your kid have a successful future is to help him/her have the most opportunities possible in high school and college.

For parents who are looking to move, or debating between multiple high schools, here’s just one thing to think about. Even though the AP (Advanced Placement) systems is the most popular way to maximize school in the US, you should really look out for the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum, and if you have the option, take the IB school hands down.

What is AP and IB?

AP is a system developed out of several universities in the US out of the 1950s that allows high school students to take examinations to show their knowledge of college level material and obtain college credit for it. APs are actually just a series of exams with corresponding curriculum. While it is recommended that a student take a class that covers the curriculum before taking the exam, it is not required.

IB on the other hand was developed out of Europe in the late 1960s as a full curriculum that covers many aspects of study. IB only recently started growing in America but since then has had a much bigger influence on the American educational system. Unlike AP, which is A La Carte, IB requires that students take 6 courses from 6 specified disciplines (including 1 elective space). IB courses last 2 years long, twice as long as most AP classes, and covers more topics and more depth than AP courses. IB offers courses at Higher Level or Standard Level.  In addition to the courses and the tests, which can also give students college credit, IB also has a variety of other requirements that make IB a full curriculum.

Why is IB better?

IB as a curriculum is much more in depth and develops a full mind compared to AP. Though, it is worth noting that since IB doesn’t actually start until the junior year of high school, you can take AP classes freshmen and sophomore year and then switch to IB halfway through. but, if you have to choose, here’s why you should stick with IB:

• The curriculum is better and forces you to challenge yourself
  While AP Does offer curriculum that is comparable to a college level course, IB goes more in depth and as such is a bit nicer for students looking to learn. Just looking at two comparable courses, AP Calculus BC and IB Math Higher Level, it’s quite obvious that the plethora of additional topics like Discrete Mathematics and other topics. Plus, because IB courses are spread out over two years, students get the chance to actually learn rather than just cram information. Plus the curriculum is flexible and let’s you take challenging classes in areas you are interested in.
• Theory of Knowledge gives you critical thinking skills
  The idea of studying knowledge itself is clearly an idea coming out of some of the higher level of academia, and dramatically helps students reflect not only on what they learned, but how they learn. It makes students understand on a deeper level what is happening in school and the world around them.  
• You participate in extracurriculars
  Creativity, Action, Service. Three words that together form the requirement of CAS. In order to obtain the IB diploma CAS requires that students participate frequently in extracurricular activities and therefore makes students become more than just studying machines.
• The research essay
  The Extended Essay, a 4,000 word research essay, rounds out the IB curriculum forcing students to write a quality paper about with what they have been researching or some general connection across multiple areas. Plus the flexibility of topics allows the students to explore and create their first work product relating to the field that they would like to study in college. This allows them to get ahead of their peers and even have a trick up their sleeve when it comes to getting research positions.

Summary: No matter what your student winds up scoring, or where he/she goes, a serious dedication to the IB system will help students become better learners who are not only more likely to receive scholarships and get into top-notch schools, but are also more likely to become happy in life with a good solid foundation to build upon. 

About the author: 

Quinn Winters works for an education startup in San Francisco that provides online tutoring for high school and college students at a cheap price. 

Image credit:  ell brown on Flickr