Ten years ago on this blogging program, a student compared the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs that are available here in Canada. Ten years later, I’m going to give you a more current update on the two.
If you’re in Grade 9 or even Grade 8, and you’re considering taking a more rigorous courseload in highschool, this is for you.
Personally, I struggled a lot choosing between the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and the Advanced Placement (AP) Program. At first, I was set on the IB program because it seemed so prestigous and it sounded like a fancier line on a university application. All of my middle school friends also chose to take IB. However, when I looked into my own personal learning styles and my future goals, I found that the AP program suited my needs a little better.
I don’t regret my choice one bit, and I’m still in touch with those friends who took IB instead. They’re loving their choice as well. Both programs are excellent, and the ultimate difference lies in which program suits you best.
After doing some thorough research on both programs and having now experienced half my highschool career, I’d like to share some advice that will help you decide.
Without further ado, here are some major questions you can ask yourself to make the decision a little easier.
1. Where Might I Go to Post-Secondary?
Yes, it’s too early to decide absolutely for sure where you’d like to go, or even if you want to go to post-secondary, if you’re in late middle school. But this is one of the primary differences between the programs.
IB is an international standard of academic achievement (“international” in the name!). It’s more recognized across other countries for its academic rigor and holds quite a lot of prestige internationally.
AP is a program developed by the American College Board, and it’s primarily recognized in North America. It’s also quite known for its academic rigor, and most Ivy League applicants have at least a few AP courses under their belts.
If you’re looking to study outside of North America, IB may make you more competitive than AP. However, both programs are valued similarly within North America.
2. Am I Willing to Be a Jack of All Trades?
Both AP and IB allow you to choose which courses you’d like to take to a higher level. However, the consequences of doing so are different.
In Advanced Placement, the different AP courses are completely separate. Post-secondaries consider each AP grade independently from other grades. This way, you gain full recognition for each AP course you choose to take. You are also able to give more attention to the subjects that you like more. For example, if you’re great at math, but not so confident in social studies, taking the AP exam for math will still be fully recognized by universities, regardless of whether or not you took AP World History.
In the International Baccalaureate program, it’s easier for students to get penalized for only taking partial IB. In order to get your IB diploma, you must take a minimum of 5 IB courses each year in addition to a second language course. That means that you’ll likely have to take an accelerated course that you don’t like or that you aren’t good at.
While there’s definitely perks to taking partial IB, you ultimately won’t get the IB diploma unless you take full IB. And without the diploma, many institutions may not give full credits or recognize your work as an IB student. This can feel incredibly frustrating after putting in all of the extra work.
3. How Do I Handle Pressure?
The last major difference between IB and AP programs is that the pressure for the IB program stretches throughout the full year that you take those IB courses.
In IB, you are consistently assessed against the IB standards on IB material. Tests, quizzes, and assignments over the entire semester count for the same marks as the regular marks that regular students are getting. It’s very much possible that if you do poorly in the IB program, your grades will be significantly lower than someone who is taking regular courses, even after the standard grade boost. This is the same grade that will be recorded on your transcript that you show to universities.
In AP, you gradually learn the material over the year. However, assessments on AP material do not count toward your regular grade that’s shown on your transcript. The only time your AP knowledge is officially assessed is during a single AP exam for each subject in the early spring. This one exam will determine your entire AP mark.
It’s worth noting that you can choose not to disclose an AP exam mark to post-secondaries, but you cannot change the grade on your transcript.
If you are able to handle consistent pressure well and don’t like having a single exam that your accelerated learning is assessed on, then IB may be better for you. If risking your transcript is too much and you’d rather have the option to take a high-pressure exam at the end of the year, then AP might be better.
TL;DR
At the end of the day, AP and IB are both prestigious programs that will help you learn and grow as a person. But if you’re struggling to decide, you might want to ask yourself these 3 questions:
- Where do I want to go to post-secondary?
- Am I willing to invest my time and efforts into maintaining all my subjects, or would I rather have the option to focus on a few?
- Does long-term, constant evaluation or short-term high pressure improve my performance more?
These questions will help you understand your goals and your current learning style better.
Good luck, and have fun!