The endless round of university applications can be a frustrating, nail-biting experience for all college-bound high school students. Foreign Service children who complete their secondary education overseas face added burdens. Their parents' peripatetic wanderings often mean education as varied as the countries in which they have lived. When it comes time to gather high school transcripts and plunk down application fees - often from half a world away - FS children can't be sure that their international education will meet the admissions standards of universities worldwide.

Since the mid-1970s, however, students in secondary schools both abroad and in the United States have had the option of completing high school with a standardized, internationally-recognized diploma, the International Baccalaureate. The IB degree, which is awarded in addition to a regular high school diploma, is based on a curriculum developed by the International Baccalaureate Organization, an educational foundation with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The IBO conducts standardized testing and scoring of all IB students each May. Now offered in 816 public and private high schools in 99 countries, the IB program is a rigorous schedule of courses that students take during their last two years of high school. More than one-third of IB programs are located in the United States, where the number of students in the program has tripled in the last 10 years.

To qualify for an IB degree, students must complete at least one class from each of six subject areas - including courses in the student's first and second languages, sociology, mathematics, the arts and several electives - plus a two-year philosophy course entitled "Theory of Knowledge," that incorporates different academic disciplines. There is even a requirement for extracurricular activities and community service. Finally, all IB students write 4,000-word essays based on original research. This final component, say IB degree proponents, is particularly useful in giving students a leg up in preparing for demanding university-level research and writing.

"It helps prepare you for college work because when you are taking the higher level classes, it's like being in a college class," said Johanna Priep, a junior at the Washington International School in Washington, D.C. Priep, who has lived in the Dominican Republic and Aruba, plans to attend college in the Netherlands.

Not only does the IB program prepare students for college work, it may also help some students get into college. For example, educational standards and college admissions requirements are more rigorous in many countries than in the United States. Length of study required for a high school diploma also differs. Many European ministries of education require 13 years of education, while in the United States the standard is 12 years. As a result, European universities regard American diplomas as less-than-desirable and will often require a year or more of additional study before students with standard U.S. high school diplomas can be admitted to universities. Completion of the IB program can fill this gap, because the IBO has negotiated agreements recognizing the degree with more than 70 ministries of education in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Another advantage offered by the IB program is that scores in its language tests can often be substituted for those required by foreign universities.

"It [the IB program] is a way to get me to England, not a way to learn more about the world" said Nicolas Graham, a junior at the Washington International School. "They [English universities] say they accept a regular high school diploma, but if they see it is from the United States, you can't get into any of the good colleges."

Still, IB graduates shouldn't assume that their degree automatically guarantees admission to a foreign university. Students must also meet university-specific requirements. For example, although the IB fulfills general entry requirements for universities in the United Kingdom, admission to a specific university will depend on that university's requirements and the individual student's success within the IB program. Sweden, for another example, has special entrance requirements for schools of engineering and medicine. The IBO provides information on these university-specific requirements.

Many educators say the IB degree is best suited to students who plan on attending university abroad. "The major drawback of the IB is that students who put in all the extra work for the diploma run the risk that it will not be recognized by universities in the U.S.," said Lori Dec, the American Foreign Service Association's scholarship program coordinator. Some U.S. universities grant generous academic credit to students who do well on IB tests, but others don't recognize the degree at all.

Rhian O'Rourke, an IB graduate who now attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts, said she received very little credit for the extra work she did for her IB degree. "The admissions office was not sympathetic at all," she said.

Advanced Placement Programs, which were developed by and for U.S. educational institutions, may be better suited for students seeking academic credit at U.S. universities. "The IB degree doesn't make much sense for American students because Advanced Placement is better known in the states," said Tanya Goldman, an IB graduate of the American Embassy School in New Delhi who received an AFSA scholarship to study at Stanford University.

For students who want an IB program, but who also want the recognition that AP programs bring, there is a compromise: Most IB courses prepare students for AP examinations.

For many students and parents, the whole point of the IB program is the education it provides, not its application to college credit. "It made high school worth it," said Rhian O'Rourke, who attended secondary school in Cairo. "A lot of people graduate wondering what they did in high school. With the IB you come out with something special."

Sydnee Tyson, who until recently was the education and youth officer in the Family Liaison Office at the Department of State, agrees. She and her husband moved from Annandale to Falls Church, Va. so that their daughter, Jessica, could work toward an IB degree at George Mason, a public high school. "Unlike the AP, the IB is an integrated program. I wanted an education that would show my daughter at an early age how to think about things," she said. Tyson said that by taking both IB and traditional classes her daughter has the best of both educational worlds. She adds: "I've seen her come alive. She never liked science before, but now she is taking higher level science and doing well."

Advocates also point out that the IB program is especially well suited for global nomads and third culture kids, because it helps them create a shared identity with a worldwide community of other IB students. Because the IB curriculum is the same from Dublin to Delhi, it also enables students to preserve their own language and culture and gives them something predictable to hang on to amid constant moves and disruptions.

"The IB is a good idea for children of parents working in the Foreign Service," said student Nicolas Graham. "Most international schools have the IB, which creates continuity and a common curriculum."

The IB high school program is now so successful that the IBO recently inaugurated a new program for students from ages 11 to 16 called the "Middle Years Program" and another for students as young as three years of age called the "Primary Years Program." These new programs might create an added constituency for the diploma program, but neither is a prerequisite for it.

The bottom line for enrolling in an IB program, though, may be that it offers quality education. "The more rigorous the program, the better prepared a student will be for college," said Lori Dec. "A challenging program like the IB can only benefit students, even if universities don't recognize its merits."

For further information, contact:
the International Baccalaureate Organization, 200 Madison Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, New York 10016. Telephone: (212) 696-4464; Fax: (212) 889-9242; E-mail: help@ibo.org; Web site: www.ibo.org.