Dropping IB

[Tyler1]

I was just called in by the principal to talk about my grades. My semester 1 reports shows that I achieved total points of 31 excluding bonus points, and semester 2 it dropped to 26 points. He recommended that I consider dropping my IB and just get into college with a regular diploma. Im thinking of going to school in Canada. What do you guys think? My teachers think that I can regain my points in the beginning of 12th grade and I think so too and I would hate to be the only one not taking IB while all my friends are.

[kw0573]

You should identify reasons that prevent you from getting higher grades, and how your teachers think you can regain these points back. In this summer, you should talk to people from Japan applying/applied to Canada (such as alumni, for example). The decision to leave IB really is on case-by-case basis and it should be made with others who know you and your academics. 

[azara]

It really depends on the reasons that you're not achieving what you want to be.  Keep in mind that (in my school at least) it's pretty normal to see grades drop in subjects as time progresses, and then start to pick back up again throughout year 12.  Anyway, there are a couple of reasons you could be doing worse than you hoped:

1) the work is very challenging and you are having difficulty comprehending it
In this case, you have two options.  The first is to work harder, seek extra help, do extra questions, etc etc.  Find the best method of understanding information that you can.  The second is to drop IB and go on to what I assume would be the standard Japanese exams.  I imagine, though can't confirm, that normal Japanese final exams are at least relatively rigorous, so would be perfectly acceptable to apply to Canada.  This would be best found out by asking knowledgeable people in Japan.

2) you're having difficulty managing your time because there is a lot of work
You can read up on how to organise your time or even go and see somebody to help you, if you're that way inclined.  Being more conscious of what's important to do well in, and what's not, can increase your grades more than you might think! No need to drop here.

3) you haven't quite got your priorities right and aren't working as hard as you should be
I doubt this is true, since you are concerned about your grades, but if it is, the solution to this one is obvious.  You can either put more effort into school, or you can do the Japanese exams (which probably still require you to be school-focused anyway).  Like I said, I doubt this is true for you.

And of course, it could be none of the above.  Principals don't tend to know each individual student particularly well, so he probably just saw you have under-average grades and gave the standard advice to drop IB.  If you think you can improve, AND you're really willing to commit to put in the effort, staying in IB could certainly be the better option.  Perhaps research bonuses/IB-to-Canada marking conversions, which could be extremely favourable.  What you think is a bad mark may actually be quite acceptable to universities.  That is definitely the case here in Australia, although again, I don't know about Canada.

Good luck with whatever you decide

[VeronicaG]

As a Canadian student I can tell you that even a low score can get you into university here. It's mostly because the Canadian curriculum in general is much easier than IB, so IB grads have skills that 'normal' Canadian kids don't (like writing labs and research papers). I'd recommend staying in IB since Canadian universities know a lot about IB and this could help you stand out. Aim for over a 30 if you can. That should get you into most places over here. Also some universities care about extra-curriculars so make sure to try as many as you can. 

P.S. even with a low score you can get acceptances here. A guy in my class got into one of the top Canadian schools with a 28 and I know an engineer who got into the best Canadian engineering school with a 26. There is hope!

[PJDK]

Watch out that the school is not pushing you to do this to keep their averages up.  It has to be the right decision for you, not the school.  If you feel this is the reason fight back!