Does IB Prepare You for College? (What You Should Know)

February 20, 2023

does ib prepare you for college

The International Baccalaureate developed the IBDP program to help high school students to develop into knowledgeable people who can create a better and peaceful world through respect and intercultural understanding. But does IB prepare you for college? 

The IB diploma program can prepare you for college by giving you college-style classes, research paper, and workload in a way other curriculums simply can’t. With this respect, teachers and students alike treat IB as a program for students who want to succeed in the college of their choice.

The IB program can be a tough one for slow learners and smart students alike.

But if you put in the hard work and stay committed to the program, you stand the chance to become well prepared for college and the challenges that life will present to you in the future. 

Get Help With Your IB Task

IB can is a challenging program that requires you to complete a series of assignments if you wish to earn a diploma after a two-year period.

Fortunately, the program allows you to do a series of consultation if you believe doing so will help you do well in your assignments.

Today you can take advantage of our IB assignment help and get any of the four assignments completed on time. You may need help with the essays, assessments, exhibition, or all, and we want to assure you that we’re here to help. 

In What Ways Does IB Prepare You for College?

Here are reasons why institutions of higher learning have a liking for students who have been through the IB program and earned a diploma:

1. IB is a Globally Recognized Education Framework

Global issues demand global answers, and IB’s dedication to help its students achieve a brighter future requires a mix of local and national identity, with a stance of an international attitude.

Students in the program get to understand the nature of the world from a variety of cultural viewpoints, while also acquiring a new language that enables them to communicate with people from other backgrounds.

The Diploma Program seeks to develop students into globally aware individuals who understand their shared humanity and shared stewards of the world by facilitating students' research, action, and reflection across the curriculum on locally and internationally relevant topics.

Furthermore, IB has a global recognition, and it’s currently available in 95 countries in the world. As such, graduates can pursue further education anywhere in the globe.

2. IB Graduates Have Direct CAS Experience 

The program’s requirement for creativity, action, and service (CAS) promotes experiential learning or the acquisition of information by direct experience. This might be everything from building new homes in Africa to starting a local newspaper.

The CAS project idea is a unique concept that provides IB learners with a global perspective and the motivation to plan their own activities. The completion of CAS hours differentiates IB alumni throughout the university admission process.

3. IB is an Education Framework with Breadth and Depth

IB students have to study six subjects, and that means they don’t have to narrow down their choices during their senior years of high school and may keep their university or college options open.

Students enrolled in the IB Diploma Program study three courses at the Higher Level, receiving 240 teaching hours in each.

Additionally, students have to study a second language to increase their academic excellence at both the high school and the university level.

4. IB Nurture Learners Who’re More Prepared to Handle University

Each Diploma Program graduate will have completed an Extended Essay, which is a 4,000-word, independent assignment that demands intensive research and superior organizational skills.

By researching and writing the Extended Essay, IB students meet or exceed standards for critical thinking and research skills required for college preparation in the United States of America.

Some admission officers may even ask student to submit their Extended Essays during admissions interviews. In such a case, the committee will go through the essays and evaluate the students’ analytical abilities. 

5. The IB Program Encourages Critical Thinking

Students learn to delve beyond the facts: to study sources, connect related subjects, and cast doubt on established wisdom.

Inquisitiveness and interpretation are two of the IB's core cognitive properties, particularly in analytical writing.

By the time an IB student graduates with a diploma, they will have recognized the ability to reflect and criticize more effectively.

6. IB Students are Good Time Managers

All of that intense, independent study develops critical organizing skills that become even more critical when an IB student progress to university.

In other words, effective study habits prepare students to succeed in higher education.

Apparently, by the time an IB student graduates, they will have developed a time management skills on their own.

They’ll be able to carve out time for schoolwork and avoid socializing with their friends when they should be studying.

7. IB Teaches You How to Study

IB's approach to teaching and testing is unique in that it creates a critical mindset in students to enable them to study more effectively.

In IB, nothing focuses on memory. The framework focuses on comprehension.

IB pushes you to study in such a way that you can retain what you learn for a long time.

That’s unlike having to memorize knowledge for an exam and then erasing everything from your brain as soon as you write your final answer to a test question.

The IB program concludes with a month-long examination session during which students go through an assessment for two years' worth of work for each topic.

The examinations will ask you to explain why something occurred, not how it did. You will need to explain the rationale and significance of each occurrence in a novel, rather than merely providing a recap.

As such, the IB education framework goes far beyond simple regurgitation.  

8. IB Prepares You for the Academic Rigor in College

Not only are IB's teaching and assessment methodologies unique, but the subject taught are extremely difficult.

For example, students who take the IB Biology course study every minuscule detail of every bodily function.

Those in IB English classes not only read novels but also study the authors' lives and the history of the genre in English class. And those who take IB Math courses learn calculus inside out.

IB students who have subpar marks in high school transform into straight-A students in college.

That’s because they have been through an education framework that’s far much harder than the Advanced Placement program.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Does the IB Program Prepare You for?

The IB program helps you to become an academically strong, socially conscious, and emotionally aware individual.

Since the subjects taught in the program requires a higher level of critical thinking, IB students tend to think more critically and perform well academically compared to students in other curriculums.

2. Is It Easier for IB Students to Get to College?

You won’t necessarily get preference in college over a student who hasn’t studied IB. Still, your IB education may indicate that you’re a stronger candidate who might be worthy for a certain college.

In some cases, completing the IB diploma course just might increase your chances of admission.

3. Does IB Help You Get Into University?

Some universities and institution of higher learning tend to admit IB students at a higher rate than they do admit the non-IB counterparts.

Conclusion

IB doesn’t exactly take you to college, but it can prepare you for higher learning in a way Advanced Placement (AP) simply can’t. 

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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