![]() If you take 6, 7, 8 courses and exams and on up in anticipation of the colleges giving more respect to those applicants who take the most AP or IB exams, you will be wrong. Three is fine, particularly if the scores are good. The answer, based on conversations with many admissions offices of the most selective colleges, is three to five. Many parents were interested in how many AP or IB courses and exams their children should take. If you have taken 5 IB exams but not done the full diploma, you are still going to be regarded an identical, at least in that dimension, to the student who has taken 5 AP exams. Here are the important ways in which they are the same: College admissions officers love both fervently and equally. That was pretty much the extent of my argument on choosing between AP and IB. The failure to emphasize writing in that way is a scandal. Let me put this next sentence also in all capitals: IN THE UNITED STATES, ONLY THE IB PROGRAM AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS CONSISTENTLY REQUIRE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TO WRITE MAJOR RESEARCH PAPERS. Most of the former IB students I know say the extended essay was the most satisfying and challenging thing they did in high school, and prepared them well for college research. (Usually about half of AP exam questions are essays graded by human beings, but a good grade on that section can get the student a final top grade of 5 on the exam even if he misses most of the multiple choice questions.)Ī student who goes for the IB diploma, which requires the equivalent of six two-year courses, must also write a 4,000 word extended essay, often a research paper on some topic. Students must answer in essay form and their answers graded by human beings. The IB exams, unlike AP, rarely have multiple choice questions. The principal reason is that it has significantly more emphasis on writing than AP. HOWEVER, and I capitalize that word for a reason, if your student is an 11th or 12th grader and you are choosing between AP and IB, in my mind IB is the better program. The IB programs for younger children-the Primary Years Program and the Middle Years Program-are smart and engaging, but do not provide much acceleration beyond their grade levels. Unless you want to promote your child to those grades right away, you won’t be allowed into IB. (I took them at age 52, as a reporter covering AP, to give myself some insights and some street cred.) IB is rooted in a system for 11th and 12th graders. Anyone can sign up to take the exams in May. My most important point was that for families needing the maximum flexibility, AP was much better than IB. Much of the discussion centered around parents who were concerned about students who were working far above grade level and trying to figure out how to keep them engaged without being forced to enroll them in college at age 12. The most important point is that IB and AP courses are only as good as their teachers, so check with parents of children older than yours on the quality of instruction, then select whichever program works best for you.The student should put a lot of effort into only a few activities, no more than two. Be careful NOT to fill the activities box with several different enterprises. Families taking 12 APs may not have enough time to show the passionate extracurricular involvement in activities that many colleges seek.It is fine to take six or more courses and exams if the student enjoys them, but it will do nothing to improve his/her chances of getting into a top university. How many AP or IB courses and exams should students take? Based on conversations with admissions offices at the most selective colleges, three to five is the target number. ![]() What do college admissions officers prefer? They love both “fervently and equally”.If your student is an 11th or 12th grader and you are choosing between AP and IB, Mathews feels IB is the better program.Seeking flexibility? Advanced Placement (AP) courses may be the better option.In 2011, Jay Mathews, the noted Washington Post education columnist, led a Davidson seminar comparing goodness of fit between Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes for gifted students. Comparing Goodness of Fit for Gifted Students: AP vs IB
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