Dropping Out?

[Vicdashit]

I am really concerned about my marks with IB, right now i am sitting at an 85 overall average for 4 subjects,

and i know that it is only going to get worse when i get to gr12. And if i am in normal academic classes, i prolly be hitting the higher 90s for my average (most people who dropped out of ib are getting those marks)

so i am wondering... is IB really worth it? do uni actually look at the 85 and say, "hmm, that's not bad for ib"

[Zeph]

In MY case IB isn´t worth it since I´m entering a mexican public uni which don´t care if you´re IB or not. I guess it depends on which uni you would like to enter and if in your country people actually know what IB is. Here in Mexico it barely started about 8 years ago, and almost nobody knows about it..making it worthless.

[moneyfaery]

so i am wondering... is IB really worth it? do uni actually look at the 85 and say, "hmm, that's not bad for ib"

Depends on what country you're living in. But 85 vs 98... I'd take the 98.

[Vicdashit]

yea atm, i am living in canada so i'm not too sure whether or not the unis here care about ib

[moneyfaery]

yea atm, i am living in canada so i'm not too sure whether or not the unis here care about ib

Ontario? I've heard they prefer an IB 85 to an academic 85, however, I don't know how much truth there is in this.

[ivy12003]

I'm in Ontario, Canada as well. I would say that IB definitely doesn't hurt having, especially since you're already like... half way there already. And 85 isn't that bad for IB either; but it depends on what you would get in the regular program. If it's a 90ish, I would stick with IB, but if it's 95+ I might reconsider. Some universities in Canada do recognize IB students (University of Alberta, McGill especially) and others offer transfer credits (University of Toronto, etc.). But IB definitely gives you the work ethic and skills you need for university. So many students come back and they comment on how easy uni was having completed IB. In the end tho, it's your decision.

[__inthemaking]

I graduated from IB in Ontario.

I can tell you right now that they don't care about IB (at least Ontario unis don't). BUT, on the other hand, my high school translates all our regular marks to the IB scale afterwards. For example, I had a 96 in bio SL prior to exams, got a 7 on the exam, and then I got translated to a 100%.

After translation, all my marks looked rather impressive to the unis. Plus I got to get university creds for my HL subjects.

And for comparison, I had a 95% average in terms of regular school and a 99.2% average after IB.

Edited December 2, 2008 by __inthemaking

[hk213]

I graduated from IB in Ontario.

I can tell you right now that they don't care about IB (at least Ontario unis don't). BUT, on the other hand, my high school translates all our regular marks to the IB scale afterwards. For example, I had a 96 in bio SL prior to exams, got a 7 on the exam, and then I got translated to a 100%.

After translation, all my marks looked rather impressive to the unis. Plus I got to get university creds for my HL subjects.

And for comparison, I had a 95% average in terms of regular school and a 99.2% average after IB.

just out of curiosity, the unis will not be able to look at your translated marks since IB results are in late contrast to the uni applications deadline in march.

So bascially, don't they just look at your predicted marks and decided, not the translated????

[__inthemaking]

just out of curiosity, the unis will not be able to look at your translated marks since IB results are in late contrast to the uni applications deadline in march.

So bascially, don't they just look at your predicted marks and decided, not the translated????

You're right, that is true, but I'm always impressed by my translated marks because I know I never would've gotten such high marks without IB, heh. But it can actually help still help even afterwards. I'm a May 2008 graduate, and in the year before mine (so May 2007), there was one guy who had 39 predicted and average regular scores (probably between 85-90%). He didn't get accepted into the program of his top choice because the minimum admission average was 90%. However, he aced all his IB exams and ended up with 44 points overall..and he had 99.3% as his translated average. The program ended up accepting him in July after all.

The deadline for the OUAC application is early February, I believe, and at that time, the unis will only see your grade 11 and first semester grade 12 marks. Then your predicteds also get sent in March.

Edited December 3, 2008 by __inthemaking

[quixoticnarcotic]

Yeah, I've been thinking of doing the same thing - I'm in IB2 in Ontario, Canada. Of course, since I have finished my EE, History IA, English Oral exams, and ToK essay, it seems a tad pointless.

[ivy12003]

just out of curiosity, the unis will not be able to look at your translated marks since IB results are in late contrast to the uni applications deadline in march.

So bascially, don't they just look at your predicted marks and decided, not the translated????

They judge your acceptance on the predicted marks, but most scholarships are based on the actual marks. The IB coordinator at my school has told us of numerous cases where the marks went up and the scholarship was increased from like $4000 to $8000, etc. There are also cases where universities may defer your acceptance, but if you end up with the appropriate marks afterwards, your coordinator can call the university and they will offer you a spot.

[Topperbuddy]

so it's kind of like a conditional scholarship, you get it with the predicted grades but it can get adjusted? Cause I've heard that there are big gaps between predicted & actual grades for some. Think about it, 1 grading wrong in each subjects could mean 33 instead of 39 - pretty big diff!

[moneyfaery]

They judge your acceptance on the predicted marks, but most scholarships are based on the actual marks. The IB coordinator at my school has told us of numerous cases where the marks went up and the scholarship was increased from like $4000 to $8000, etc. There are also cases where universities may defer your acceptance, but if you end up with the appropriate marks afterwards, your coordinator can call the university and they will offer you a spot.

$8k per year? Or over a few years... $_$

[Aether]

In MY case IB isn´t worth it since I´m entering a mexican public uni which don´t care if you´re IB or not. I guess it depends on which uni you would like to enter and if in your country people actually know what IB is. Here in Mexico it barely started about 8 years ago, and almost nobody knows about it..making it worthless.

Wooow!!! I know exactly what you are going through!! It is all happening to me too. Since I want to study medicine the only option in Mexico that takes into account IB is the Tec de Monterrey, which is sooo expensive. Yet, look at the bright side, you have already gained abilities and habits that normally take a lifetime to gain. I know our work resembles that of slavery, but now that I am about to finish High School I think I made the right choice, and I wouldn't take it back for the world. When I think of all the memories, and anecdotes, I see that IB can also be fun!!

[robertomx]

Wooow!!! I know exactly what you are going through!! It is all happening to me too. Since I want to study medicine the only option in Mexico that takes into account IB is the Tec de Monterrey, which is sooo expensive. Yet, look at the bright side, you have already gained abilities and habits that normally take a lifetime to gain. I know our work resembles that of slavery, but now that I am about to finish High School I think I made the right choice, and I wouldn't take it back for the world. When I think of all the memories, and anecdotes, I see that IB can also be fun!!

Hahahah yeah, Tec de Monterrey takes it into account because they offer it in high school, otherwise i'm sure they wouldnt. I did consider dropping out, but then again, Im not that much of a quitter, so I decided to stick to it. You know, what doesnt kill you just makes you stronger; that actually applies to IB.