Suncoast Community High School

I graduated from Suncoast in 2011 with an IB/MSE diploma. To this day, I regret buying into the hype. Everyone there does until senior year and it’s too late. Only a few kids thrive at Suncoast. So here are my thoughts.
MSE and CS are the only magnet programs that are worth it at Suncoast. They are strictly for focused students who would want to go into science or engineering. If you are going to insist that your child be in one of these because you believe “STEM jobs are the only jobs that exist anymore” then maybe have them enroll and try MSE for freshman and sophomore year. If they aren't passionate by that point, TRANSFER!!!
The other programs at Suncoast, especially IB, are not worth the time and effort. Don't believe the hype. IB is worse than AP (MSE/CS) when it comes to getting college credit. Google it. A lot of colleges do not offer credit for IB when they do for AP. In cases where both programs get you credit, AP is still better in preparing you. Trust me. Moreover, IB has odd standards of grading, much of which are focused on format. All those hours of learning that you think your child is spending on their IB homework are really hours spent making sure that it conforms to IB’s vague rubrics. Colleges like Stanford, Harvard , yale etc.. do not have a preference for IB students. UF seems to but that’s another story.
It’s true that IB does offer some benefits. You become very good at writing papers, Spanish, and soft subjects like psychology. Theory of Knowledge is a great class. But you could easily get all of these benefits from AP classes or your own self study. IB’s benefits do not outweigh the cons. TRUST ME!
If I had to go to Suncoast again, I would simply do MSE. But that’s only if I had to go to Suncoast again.
The main problem is that the student culture is way too academic. Most kids spend all of their time doing homework and become mindless over achieving robots who only care about grades. They are great at passing tests but do not develop the “soft” people skills necessary for the real world. Many become severely depressed and joke about their lack of sleep and social lives. It’s not a healthy place.
If you are a SMART student, you have a far greater chance of going to a good university if you go to your regular high school. You will have less competition to be in the top of your class. At Suncoast, you will be going against loads of kids who dual-enroll at community colleges over the summer to boost their GPA and rank. It is CUTTHROAT. The good colleges do not recognize this and will still only accept about 5-10 kids from Suncoast each year. This is despite the fact that a top 60 student at Suncoast would easily be in the top 10 at their home school.
By going elsewhere, you will have more time for extracurricular things and life experiences that you need for college essays. You will actually be able to study for your SAT’s which is far more important than doing ridiculous IB internal assessments. You will be able to have a social life and do some normal teenage things and not regret wasting your youth at a school that overworks you.
Dreyfoos is a great alternative to Suncoast. I had a lot of friends who went there who loved it. I wish I had too.

Challenging curriculum. Amazing students. Dedicated and professional teachers.