IB Diploma Programme
Sophomore year comes with many challenges as you are still learning the ins and outs of high school and learning to break free of that new freshman feeling. You also are expected to make decisions that will determine the course of the rest of your high school experiences. For me, that decision was choosing between doing the International Baccalaureate’s Career Programme or Diploma Programme. Both pathways have high rigor, your success in either is solely dependent on your work ethic when it comes to school work.
I chose to take on the diploma programme because I felt as though it best fit with my schedule and the path I was already on as a sophomore. Many students unknowingly decide to be an IB student from middle school when the desire to take enhanced, advanced, accelerated level classes ultimately leaves not as many options for classes to continue that rigor at MHS. Since our school offers more IB courses compared to AP courses, it makes students who are unsure want to do IB. In the IBDP program, there are extra requirements than only taking the courses; you must take all of the exams required for the course while also doing an additional internal assessment for each course. These assessments can be in the form of 1500-word papers or an oral spoken assessment to test your knowledge. In addition to this IBDP students are required to take three higher-level IB courses and write a 4000-word paper on a topic of their choice called the extended essay. Students meet with their selected adviser to discuss their topic and receive guidence on the essay. These requirements are what make IBDP so challenging therefore increasing the weight it had on our GPA, and colleges love to see it.
But still after knowing all these requirements, why choose IBDP over IBCP? Well, to me IBDP is better preparation for what college will be like as all of these tasks are required. In IBCP there are similar requirements; however, you do not need to take the exam for every IB class you are taking. The amount of classwork prepares you for college as it allows you to build your independent writing skills while also learning how to balance essay alignment with other content assignments. It gets you used to the amount of academic writing required in college classes. IBDP also broadened your global perspective as done through the required Theory of Knowledge course. This class is taken in the second semester of junior year and the first semester of senior year. It allows you to explore why we know what we know and how to find the truth. It prepares you for life after high school and exemplifies how to get knowledge through different subjects like math, science, history, and art. It provides a globalized outlook on how to decipher knowledge and engagement globally.
Lastly, IBDP allows you to become more engaged with your community. Other requirements needed to get the IBDP diploma are Creativity, Activity, and Service hours. Also known as CAS, this allows students to explore ways to engage with their community and how to give back to those around them. IBDP not only prepares students to be academically successful but also prepares them to contribute effectively to society.
Ultimately, the decision between IBDP and IBCP is up to personal preference and looking at how you want to continue your high school education, but if you are looking for academic depth, university preparation, and focus on community involvement, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is the stronger choice.