I Really Dont Know...

[Sorry...What?]

do colleges care if you go to a public or private school?

i need some proof that universities would rather have IBers than normal honors students. or does it not matter?

side topic: i cant think of a CAS project. i was gonna intern for the city newspaper, but the project has to be sustainable for 18 months(this is ridiculous since some IB schools don't even have the project, just the 150 hours)

please your opinions/suggestions/ANYTHING is welcomed and greatly appreciated. thanks

Edited September 23, 2012 by Sorry...What?

[Arrowhead]

There is no proof that Unis want IB students more. American Unis don't care for the IB outside of the Ivies and even there it is limited. Some Unis list the IB as an extra curricular. What Unis do appreciate is your academic vigour and the level of difficulty of your classes. So if you apply to a Uni with all IB classes and explain to them how these are the toughest classes offered at your school and you've done well with them, then it's great.

Okay, think of the following opinion as tough love: people are rude. You can go back to your private school and feel happy and safe ensconced in your bubble, but your dream school is NYU, do you have any idea what kind of people inhabit the likes of New York City? It's not exactly Breakfast at Tiffany's and dinners on the Upper East Side. If that is your main concern with your new school, you really need to develop a thicker skin, you will need it. The average New Yorker isn't from Pleasantville, Pennsylvania either.

Also, why work so hard for NYU? I'm not trying to be mean here, but NYU is really easy to get into or so I thought when I applied. They don't exactly have exceptionally high standards like the Ivies and so long as you're smart and write a decent application essay, you should be golden.

Hope things work out for you.

Arrowhead.

[Sorry...What?]

thanks for taking the time to respond, Arrowhead.

but I just wanted to clarify some things

• I don't care about how nice/rude people are at school. I just wanted to provide a full view of the schools.
  
• I am not that naive as to think that everyone in life is going to be nice to me. that really isn't the reason I'm doubting my decision.
  
• NYU is definitely not an Ivy, but its still pretty selective. I'm going to apply to some Ivies, but I need to know if IB is worthwhile.
  

Does it make a difference whether I am in IB or not?

that's what I want to know.

Thanks again.

[dessskris]

if I were you I'd move back to that old school... why?

1. your tone suggests that you fancy your old school more than your new school

2. it sounds like heaven

3. I just hate the IB, it's a ridiculous programme

what do you do in the old school? AP? afaik it's still acceptable, no? so you can just move back there...

I actually wanted to reply but am not sure so I didn't, but I think it's worth sharing since noone else pointed this out. to go to an American uni you'll need to take SATs anyway, and this is one of the factors that determine whether you'll get in. I've heard that American unis don't have minimum IB points requirement but they have SAT marks requirement*. I think if you have to take SAT in the end, it shouldn't matter what qualification you're taking. what matters is whether the syllabus content helps you with SAT.

I'm not applying to the US so I have a very limited knowledge on that, but as far as I'm concerned:

US unis like students with tonnes of extra curriculars. CAS definitely helps here.

what you learn in IB helps you with SAT so there's not so much extra you'll have to study*.

you can get credits for your HL and SL subjects,* meaning you can skip a few classes at uni later because you've learnt it in IB

*need clarification please

again I'm not applying to US so I'm not very knowledgeable on the requirements etc so I hope anyone can confirm what I've said. I think IB will benefit you, but if you don't like it, well why don't you just go to the place you like? I wouldn't waste 2 years of high school in such a dreadful place if I were you.

[Peanut Butter Jelly]

IB will only help if you can truly handle the work load. US universities would rather see a nice high UW GPA and High SATs. Low SATs to HIGH W and LOW UW GPA won't help you get in.

[Amandurrs]

If I were you, I'd go back to your old school that you really liked because honestly, its not worth it putting yourself through two years of IB at a school that you don't even like going to. IB IB is hard enough without having to be annoyed by a bunch of losers all the time. Obviously, there are going to be a group of losers at every school you go to but the way you described the Valley School makes it sound like you like it a lot better. I don't think doing IB would make such a big difference for getting into NYU anyway because if you're taking the hardest classes at your school, admissions would be happy with that. Maybe you could also try taking some extra classes at a local community college to show NYU that you're really dedicated to learning and you can handle harder classes too, if your school only offers honors.

Basically what I'm trying to say is go with what school you love best because if you do, you're going to thrive and IB won't matter in the long haul. Best of luck making a choice!

[Arrowhead]

IB won't make any difference no matter which US Uni you apply to. Your SAT scores are undeniably important, but they are losing value with time. Your SATs are like a minimum requirement, if you don't hit that all-important minimum score (2200 for Ivies in general), you're in trouble no matter how brilliant your IB scores. You don't get any credit or importance whatsoever for your SL subjects, if you get an IB grade 5 or above in your HL subjects, then they would make a difference in giving you some credit. I know of someone who got to skip a year's worth of credit for Social Studies and half-semester's for English at NYU because of her 6s IB English, History, and Psychology HL. So if that is an attractive enough quality for you, then the IB is worth it.

What does make a huge difference to US Unis is your involvement in extra curricular activities as one of the OPs pointed out. CAS would help in that regard. However, if you're the kind of person who is applying to top Unis, CAS or no CAS, you would involve yourself in extra curricular activities regardless. CAS merely makes it mandatory but if your aim is high anyway, then it's mandatory for you whether dictated by the IB or not. So that point is rather irrelevant.

Yes the IB can be an absurdly difficult high school programme and there are often times you wonder why you have to bother with something this rigourous when it's not even given it's due at Uni; but the IB does help you practically when at Uni. For all those people hating on the IB, be aware it prepared you like no other for the sheer level of academia at Uni. I used to complain if i ever stayed up until midnight because of homework or assignments, at University, I don't get more than 4-5 hours of sleep on average because my workload is vast. The IB syllabus is laughable in comparison to anything you study at University, it's nothing more than a stepping stone (a steep step, but step nonetheless) that equips you with some necessary skills that your non-IB peers take some time to develop upon entering University education.

So there's your answer plain and simple, the IB doesn't make you special in the eyes of Universities in the US, it does give you valuable skills which make you suffer less in comparison to non-IBers in the beginning, but that advantage (or edge) is eroded over time (relatively quickly if you're at a top Uni where everybody is by default brilliant for getting in).

[Guest]

Definitely the older school. Having supportive teachers is really good. Especially when it comes to IB. As said above, it matters how hard you work. IB is tough, and YOU have to make the effort.

A friend of mine is applying to Columbia and the average IB grade there is 40 and NYU's is about 38.

What about the SAT's? Most schools offer SAT/ACT classes. Check with those two schools as well. SAT scores are pretty important to colleges.

Another factor you should consider is the extracurriculars the school has to offer.

[vickylebreton]

Please! i really need some help with my HI, i'm in my third IB-semester, i have to finish it on december the first and i don't know what to do! my topic is actually the consequences of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. but i can't find any information about it! any books? ( by the way, i'm doing it in German!)