Will IB be viewed better than AP at my school?Answered
I am taking three AP classes right now and I plan to finish high school with about eight or nine (possibly ten) AP courses. I am also taking dual enrollment and honors classes. IB and AP are offered at my school, however there are vastly more AP courses than IB. Our school offers six IB courses: IB Literature HL, IB Biology HL, IB History of the Americas HL, IB Anthropology SL, IB Math Applications SL, and IB Art SL. I believe my school offers most of the AP courses that CollegeBoard has available. I plan on majoring in finance, accounting, mathematics, etc.
Will taking AP instead of IB courses be viewed worse given my school’s situation? Also, AP students cannot take IB classes, but IB students can take AP classes, if that makes any sense.
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2 answers
Colleges are able to see the balance of AP's and IB's offered at your school, so you won't be penalized for classes you can't take. As a general rule, it's nice to have a balance of AP's and IB's, since they demonstrate different kinds of thinking abilities. However, due to your schools 'AP students can't take IB' rule, I would say that you went on the right path. AP's are generally viewed as more valuable, especially if you do well on the exams. Another benefit is that AP's can be translated into college credits (ie, being able to skip intro-level classes). So, no, your AP path probably won't be viewed as worse. Plus, the only IB class offered that may apply to your goal of finance/accounting is Math Applications, and if you're taking anything math-related as an AP, then you should be set. Between AP, dual enrollment, and honors, you have a strong profile already. Best of luck!
Hi @Iloveaccounting! Wow, you seem to be very busy between all of your AP, dual enrollment, and honors classes - very impressive!
Just like @ava_041 said, you will not be penalized for what you could not take if it wasn't an option for you, especially since the 'AP students cannot take IB classes' rule exists. Colleges will be made aware of this rule by the counselors at your school. The nice thing about AP classes is that you are more likely to get college credit, so that'll definitely help if you are trying to graduate college early or make room for other higher level classes. If your goal is to major in finance, accounting, or math, just make sure to take a good variety of math-based AP classes (AP calc, AP stats) and you'll be competitive.
Good luck!!
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