At Good Counsel, many college level courses are offered to prepare students for the rigors of higher education. These classes are called Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes. Although they share many similarities, they have key differences that may sway students towards either program.
The IB is the leader in international education, helping students develop critical thinking, research, and social skills to make a difference and thrive in a rapidly changing world. The IB is more appealing to students who are looking to attend college internationally, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a benefit for domestic college applications. In fact, IB classes are meant to help students develop critical thinking skills to help them succeed when they go to college. In class, teachers assign internal assessments that can vary based on the subject students currently take. Additionally, students in IB classes also have to take external assessments that the IB distributes. At the end of the year, students must take their class exam, which determines if they can receive college credit and, if they are a diploma student, earn the IB High School Diploma. The exam is valued at a total of 7 marks. To earn credit for this exam, students must achieve a minimum score of 4 marks.
Designed to integrate IB classes with the exclusive IB core, the IB Diploma Program is offered at Good Counsel.. Instead of taking a combination of IB and college preparatory classes, GC students can enroll in the IB Diploma program, which is a two-year rigorous program reserved for Juniors and Seniors. Members of the program must take at least seven IB subject classes. These classes include: language, literature, arts, science, history, math, and Theory of Knowledge. Additionally, IB diploma students must write the Extended Essay, which is a 4000-word research paper of a topic of their choice. Just like students in IB classes, they must take the exam at the end of the year to earn the IB diploma. In total, they need to earn at least 24 points/marks to receive the diploma. Although the diploma program is arguably more challenging than the standard GC curriculum, it’s worth the commitment because it prepares students for college better than any other course offered in high school.
On the other hand, Good Counsel offers Advanced Placement classes (AP) that prepare students for college as well. Taking AP classes helps students build the skills and confidence needed for college and career success. According to the College Board, 85% of colleges report that AP experience helps students stand out in admissions. These classes are more appealing to people looking to accept the challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum without the requirements of the IB program. Unlike the IB Diploma program, students are not required to take 7 IB level classes. This gives them more flexibility in their schedule to choose courses that interest them. Just like IB classes, AP students have to take an AP exam in May–which is valued at 5 points–to receive college credit. A student must get a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam to receive college credit, but the specific score required can vary by college and subject. AP classes place a much bigger emphasis on the content provided. Whereas IB classes place a higher emphasis on critical thinking skills and analytical skills through essays and projects.
At Good Counsel, Mr. Michael Curtin is the AP/IB coordinator who oversees each class’ curriculum. When asked which one is better for students, Mr. Curtin says, “Students need to consider their interests, from academics to extracurriculars to their lives separate from school. Some courses are only offered as AP or as IB classes, so if a student wants to take one or more of those, that might influence their decision. Ultimately, students should educate themselves as much as possible about all their options and then choose the path that best fits their current situation.” Mr. Curtin believes that one program is not necessarily better than another and that it all depends on the student’s preference. Many students think that some colleges value one program more than the other; however, Mr. Curtin debunks that theory, saying, “The question of which is preferred has no clear answer–it really depends, school to school and area to area.” When asked what advice he would give freshmen and sophomores who are thinking about either the AP or IB program, Mr. Curtin advises students to, “Educate yourself! Look into what the programs actually are, what they allow, what they require, what the experience is like being in the program, and also what they don’t offer. There is no one right choice, so make sure you understand the program you are choosing and how that can fit into the other details of your life.” In school, there are a lot of misconceptions of who students have to be to take these classes; however, Mr. Curtin believes that there isn’t an “ideal student” that finds success in either program. He believes that there is no right or wrong answer to which is better; it all depends on the student’s preference and what their interests are in school and outside of it.
Mr. Curtin’s perspective clarifies facts about each program, but ultimately, it is the student’s perspective in each program that can help others choose which one is best for them. Junior Laini Malmstrom ‘27 chose the IB program over just taking AP classes because she wanted to build a better community with her classmates and take Theory of Knowledge, a class about students becoming more thoughtful and having students question their beliefs, which is only reserved for IB diploma students. Another junior in the IB program, Carlos Afaro ‘27, says that the reason he chose the IB program was that his brother took the program as well and recommended it for him. When asked about their biggest challenges with the IB program, Laini says, “The biggest challenge with IB is probably balance. IB students are taking at least 6 AP/IB classes, which all have substantial work and studying. Not one class alone is unmanageable, but all the work together can feel overwhelming.” Likewise, Alfaro’s biggest challenge is the number of assessments and tests given in each course. Although it is a challenge to overcome, Malmstrom is always motivated to master new concepts and push herself to do her best in every class she takes. Despite the number of tests given, Alfaro enjoys learning new things in his classes and looks forward to learning new skills that he can use for college. Highlight the fact that the program is challenging but is worth it in the end because it teaches them skills they will use later on in their lives.
On the other hand, AP students Chase Spahr ‘27 and Amanda Dow ‘27, were asked why they chose to focus on AP rather than applying for the IB program. Spahr chose AP because “The AP route was a lot more straightforward and gave me more flexibility. There was a wide range of classes for all courses, like history and science, which allowed me to venture into my interests.” Dow chose AP over IB because she believed the learning style was best suited for her, and she had specific AP classes that she wanted to take that the IB did not offer such as environmental science, and European history. When asked about the biggest challenge they have had when taking AP classes, Dow says, “balancing the workload with sports such as field hockey.” Although it is a challenge for them, they believe that it will teach them the importance of time management and how useful it will be in college. Amanda enjoys being challenged and pushing herself so that at the end of the day, she can feel accomplished at what she has done. For Chase, the thing he says he enjoys most about taking AP classes is, “Being able to work with different people is what I enjoy most. Whether it be a chemistry lab, a religion project, or a psychology station activity, interacting with others is the most fun. I would say I’m very extroverted, so the opportunity to work with others is the best part.” The answers given by Spahr and Dow highlight the flexibility that AP classes offer. Unlike the IB Diploma Program, they enjoy the fact that they could handpick their courses and control their stress levels with the amount of work.
In the end, there are many differences between the IB Diploma Program and AP classes; the choice that students make all depends on what they value in their academics. Some value flexibility and favor the AP route, while others value being challenged and want to learn how to deal with the workload, so they might choose the IB route. While each program has its strengths and weaknesses, neither is inherently better than the other. The choice depends on what the student wants to do in the future.