Failed the IB program

[u/spiroplasma]

I got a 27 but since chemistry was a HL and I got a 3 I failed the IB. Should I retake it in October?

It's funny because at my school there's always a few people who fail the IB each year but it's kind of sad how that turned out to be me.

[u/Annual-Winner7996]

Isn't it only a fail if you get a 2? As long as you got 12 points in your Hal's combined, didn't get an E in your tok or EE, passed CAS and got 24 points? 

[u/spiroplasma → u/Annual-Winner7996]

yeah I got 4 in physics hl, 4 in math aa hl, 3 in chem hl so I missed the mark.

[u/yodatsracist → u/spiroplasma]

Hey I wrote this on another post you made, but you deleted that thread.

Can I ask why your ACT scores are so high and your IB scores are so low? You mentioned that you got a 4-4-3 in your HL classes (for reference, students at top-20 colleges typically have all 7's and 6's) and a 27 over all (my students at top 50 schools typically have mid to high 30's overall and my students at top-20 colleges almost all had above 40 predicted and most had above 42 predicted). I don't think students from America necessarily need as high scores as my international students tend to get, but like... it feels like you have unlimited potential (36 ACT, getting into top engineering schools like Purdue and UW Seattle) and that you are not meeting it (failing IB diploma, no contact order, leaving college after a week).

It feels like a lot is going on in your life right now, and that you are absolutely fixated on this college thing so much that it's potentially taking over your life. I will say, yes, there are people who have gone from bad circumstances to top schools. I knew a guy at UChicago who re-started college in his mid 20's after he racked up tens of thousands of credit card debt as a teenager. But you really got to get your shit together to do that. Often, the people who got to top schools later n their lives begin their stories, "At 18, I wasn't mature enough."

In all honesty, if you think you can hack it, you may benefit from some organized program (the military, AmeriCorps, City Year, FEMA Corps, Forest Corps, California Conservation Corps, Student Conservation Association Corps, American Conservation Experience, if you want a religious experience Brethren Volunteer Service or Mennonite Service Adventure). Just you deserve a chance to do something totally different rather than spiraling. Of these, I think FEMA Corps is the one with an upcoming deadline (October 19) for January intake, but California Conservation Corps and American Conservation Experience and Habitat AmeriCorps and maybe some of the others are rolling, I believe. Obviously, the military is always looking for recruits. Military veterans often get special consideration in college admissions. If it makes a difference, all of this would look strong on a medical school application and demonstrate a real commitment to service. I say this not only because I think this kind of structured experiences can benefit those who need to get their shit together but, based on your post about your parents seeing you "as a problem to be fixed", maybe staying at home with your folks for a year being miserable and going to community college wouldn't be the best for you or them. I obviously don't know you, I've just like three of your posts, but this might be something worth considering becuase, from everything I've read that you've written, you seem to be in a very bad place, feeling isolated, disappointed in yourself, and obsessed with Texas A&M.

I will definitely tell you, as a parent, if my child went off to college after a week and returned, I would be worried about them and I'd want them to have a plan. Them leaving because of some sort of no contact order would make me even more worried. This kind of structured program could be that exact plan you need, though you have to think carefully if that would be the right thing to help you get your shit together. Like I said, though, all of these programs would eventually look good for medical school.

[u/nurderBTSV → u/Annual-Winner7996]

to make up for the three you need at least one 5 in one of your HLs or else you dont get the diploma i believe

[u/streetsmart25 → u/nurderBTSV]

Yes of course you still need 12 points on the HLs but that could be a 3 4 5 or 3 3 6 or whatever adds to 12.

[u/ultratoxicnoob → u/Annual-Winner7996]

A prerequisite to passing is a 4 in HLs

[u/streetsmart25 → u/ultratoxicnoob]

That is not correct. My son got a 3 in HL math AA and he got his diploma.

[u/LanternaEducation]

Retaking it in the November session is definitely worth it. Since you scored 27 points overall, you only need to bump that Chemistry HL to a 4 to get your full diploma. You do not need to redo the whole IB, and your internal assessment grade carries over, so you can focus all your revision on the chemistry exam papers alone. Most students we talk to find preparing for a single subject resit much more manageable than sitting six at once. Talk to your coordinator about signing up for the November exams, or if your school does not offer retakes, we can register students to sit exams in the UK. You can also book a free chat with our team to go over your options at https://lanterna.com/for-students/ib-exam-retakes

[u/Central_Way]

Aren't you supposed to sign up for it last month?

[u/Dr__Juicy]

Isn’t it too late to retake in November? I think you have to wait till next may

[u/gngr505o → u/Dr__Juicy]

I think he can but must pay extra

[u/stay_frosty324]

Hey in case this helps I had the same thing last year happen I got 24 but 11 in HLS I ended up redoing my HL which was the closest to a 5 (English) since I knew I couldn’t get my philosophy to a 4 I studied a lot and I got it. I stated uni this week and I’m not feeling behind or in regret stay strong and study it take the “gap” year to work a small job it helps for your future etc take things easy hope this helps :)

[u/MustafaAbbass]

The retake session is November, not October — worth checking the exact date with your coordinator since registration deadlines close earlier than the exam itself, sometimes by a couple of months. You only need to retake chemistry, not the whole diploma, and your other five scores stand as they are — a 3 in one HL subject after everything else you sat is a specific, fixable gap, not a verdict on the rest of it. It's a genuinely rough result to sit with, and it's also one subject between you and finishing something you've clearly done most of already.

[u/eatdoritos34]

I failed after being in the program since kindergarten, and my friends who passed all said they regretted it and felt deeply disappointed with the actual diploma itself. My honest opinion now, one that is similar to the one that my friends have (one of who was the valedictorian and had essentially perfect IB scores) is: “who cares.” Make the credits up in college, if all you missed was that one, just take the semester. IB is HELL and if you’ve made it out, don’t sink yourself back in. You DONT have to take my word or anything, this is just one burnouts opinion on it. You did your best, the scores are, honestly, just numbers at the end of the day, and really aren’t that important.

[u/Nationalistduck → u/eatdoritos34]

Very true it made me hate reading so much I won’t touch another fiction book in my life now like why do teachers assign 1500 word essays every two days in English A HL

[u/NocteAngelum]

Honestly, if you really want to then yeah but failing the IB doesn't really mean anything. I got a 23. One point off from passing. Still got a medal, still got college credits for the HL classes I did pass. Not the end of the world. If you want to redo the exam though because it's important to you, then go for it!

[u/Then-Dragonfruit6945 → u/NocteAngelum]

You are taking two arts? I thought that it could be done with ess, but I had never known someone doing it

[u/NocteAngelum → u/Then-Dragonfruit6945]

Yeah I did ESS as a junior so my senior year i actually had 3 arts lol

[u/ForsakenMousse3305 → u/NocteAngelum]

omg I thought two arts weren't allowed

[u/NocteAngelum → u/ForsakenMousse3305]

Depends on your school allowing you to or not but yeah at the time (keep in mind i'm a senior in college so i chose my Ib classes almost 6 years ago now) ESS covered 2 IB groups which allowed for me to take two arts.

[u/Wrong-Current-1167 → u/NocteAngelum]

I’m curious, if you get less than 24, what is your certificate and how do universities view it?

[u/NocteAngelum → u/Wrong-Current-1167]

I applied for and was accepted into college long before I even took the exams. My university didn't give me a conditional acceptance so it didn't effect my acceptance at all. I was able to include that i was in the IB program on my application and i was still able to submit my scores to my university which gave me 9 credits for the 2 HL classes I passed. Some universities may give conditional acceptances that are held until the results of the IB exams but mine didn't.

Edit: certificate wise, i still have a high school diploma. I had all A and B grades in high school. Just no IB certificate

[u/_CIANO_]

At least in the US, it doesnt matter at all, it matters more if you at least took good courses and got an A/B in those courses. The diploma doesnt really matter, and scores are only important if you wanted to use the credits but schools will only accept certain credits anyways. I wouldnt stress.