Full or Partial IB

[DianaM]

This year I have to choose between partial and full IB and honestly it’s a struggle. So here is my dilemma:

I can choose full IB and have a total of 6 courses

1. Math SL

2. ELA HL

3. Chemistry HL

4. Biology SL

5. Spanish Ab Initio

6. World History HL

 

or I can choose partial and take 4 IB courses

1.Chemistry HL

2.World History HL

3. Biology SL

4. ELA HL

 

For my school if you’re in partial IB you have to choose a balanced courseload — meaning you have to take equal number of humanties courses as your math and science courses.

I need to take Chemistry and Biology 

I can’t change my HL/SL

My school also does not allow dropping any IB courses.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do??

 

P.S. My middle school marks are all in the high 90s. I do not have anything under a 96%

[AndresLopez]

First of all, you have to think about if you need the IB Diploma for any future purposes. For example, if you want to apply to a UK university, you should do the full IB Diploma. So, if you are going to university/college after graduating school, you have to check if the universities you are interested in require you to take the full IB Diploma. If you do not need it for the future, then there is no "real need" to do it.

You also have to think about how taking either option affects your GPA, grades or ability to graduate. Do the option that is more likely to give you better results. 

Another thing is that, although you'd only be taking 4 subjects instead of 6, you would still be taking your 3 HLs, which will give you the biggest workload. Doing an extra 2 SLs will not be a significant increase in work compared to what you would already be doing if you take the partial IB. Yes, doing partial IB is less work, but you are still going to have quite a bit to do. It might be worth to just do the full IB and get a full official diploma. Your middle school marks say you are pretty sound academically, so I don't think the IB would be hell for you. It is a hard course, but you don't have to be a genius to complete the full IB, and you seem like a good student (based on your grades).

It's ultimately up to you. It's always better to have the full diploma than separate certificates, but if you find no real use in having the IB diploma, then there is not much point. It is ultimately down to how much effort you want to make during your last 2 years and what your goals are.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please ask.

[DianaM]

14 hours ago, AndresLopez said:

First of all, you have to think about if you need the IB Diploma for any future purposes. For example, if you want to apply to a UK university, you should do the full IB Diploma. So, if you are going to university/college after graduating school, you have to check if the universities you are interested in require you to take the full IB Diploma. If you do not need it for the future, then there is no "real need" to do it.

Yeah I have two big university’s in mind. One is in Canada (where I’m from) and one is in the UK.

I wanna take IB to be more competitive and I would like to take full IB but I’m just so scared that it’s actually as hard as everyone says and that my marks will drop.

Is this the case?

[AndresLopez]

9 hours ago, DianaM said:

Yeah I have two big university’s in mind. One is in Canada (where I’m from) and one is in the UK.

I wanna take IB to be more competitive and I would like to take full IB but I’m just so scared that it’s actually as hard as everyone says and that my marks will drop.

Is this the case?

For your UK uni, I strongly recommend you take the full IB. As you say, it will also make you more competitive. Don't be scared of the IB. It's not easy, but it's not impossible. You need to work hard. A lot of people tend to exaggerate on the difficulty of the IB, and to be honest, when you are doing the IB it does seem like it's impossible at times. But when you look back, you realise it was worth it.

As an IB alumni, I can assure you the full IB is great preparation for university. From what I've seen at my university, people who did the IB are more prepared and are better at time management and organising themselves than people who didn't take it. The whole point of your last two years of school is to prepare yourself for university, even if it means doing a bit more work than other people.

I had similar grades to yours before the IB, and I scored 41 points in my Diploma. You might do better, you might do worse, but if someone who gets high 90s in middle school can't cope with the IB, then nobody can. So don't worry, you are more than prepared. Don't be scared, just be ready to work hard and accept that you won't always know everything. 

P.S. don't be shocked if you start getting 70% or less in tests. IB boundaries work differently i.e. getting 70% in a test may equal a 7 or a 6 depending on the subject.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck!