By Steven H., Teen Portal Staff Writer
Among the many decisions high school students must make as they strive to impress their future college choices is whether to take Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) classes. According to news reports, the pressure to get into a good college is causing a surge of Northern Virginia high school students to take these advanced courses.
But should you enroll in one program over the other, and how do you know which type of advanced class to take? Both offer college-level courses, many of which sound the same. As a student who has taken both AP and IB courses in several subjects, perhaps I can help. Here are the differences I’ve found to be the most important:
The AP program consists of a wide variety of single-year classes that are taught at a purportedly college level, and each course ends with an AP test; if you score high enough on the test, you can earn college credit for the course.
The IB program takes a holistic approach, offering a complete program that combines a schedule of mostly IB classes in six diffuse subject areas. In addition, those who wish to get an IB diploma also must take a “Theory of Knowledge” class; complete 150 hours of activities or community service; and write a 4,000-word essay during their senior year. The IB program offers certificates in each class individually for students who do not wish to complete the entire program.
AP exams (for college credit) combine multiple choice and essay sections, or problem-based responses for math and science. For IB courses, exams include a combination of written work and oral presentations (even for math and science courses).
The IB program tends to focus on a depth of knowledge in a limited subject area, while the AP program focuses on a breadth of knowledge. For example, an IB history class might cover just Soviet Era communism or Crime and Punishment for an extended period of time – the same amount of time that it might take an AP class might to cover the much broader topics of Russian Literature or 20th Century America.
The eponymous IB program is indeed international, and consequently an IB diploma could be accepted at colleges all over the world. The AP program, on the other hand, is much more prevalent in the United States, where more colleges are likely to accept your AP credit.
In Arlington, the AP program is available at all high schools, while the IB program is currently offered only at Washington-Lee High School.
I hope this list helps but if you are feeling even more confused, don’t worry. In the end, the quality of the course will not be decided by which program it belongs to, but by the quality of the teacher.
