Math AA HL for Biochemistry / Natural Sciences in Oxbridge?

Hi everyone! I will be studying the IB curriculum starting next academic year. My current chosen SL and HL combinations are as follows:
HL: English B, Math AA, Bio, Chem
SL: Chinese A Lang & Lit, Geog
I intend to study Biochemistry at Oxford or (Bio) Natural Sciences at Cambridge (if I have the necessary grades haha). I heard that Math AA HL is an extremely stressful and academically challenging subject, so I'm thinking of dropping Math AA to SL to reduce my burden. However, I remain hesitant in doing so as I've heard that both degrees require mathematical rigour. I'm not a math whizz but my math grades are decent up to now. Should I drop Math AA to SL or remain it for HL?

hi! is there a reason for why you're doing 4 HLs? i understand why you're taking maths, bio & chem at HL, but why english B? the other 3 subjects are already challenging (but necessary for your degree), so i think english B will only increase the burden on you.

now, for HL maths AA, i don't think it is as horrible as people make it out to be. it is hard, but as long as you put in the required work continuously, im sure you'll do fine. even if you find it impossible to combine with your other HLs (which is understandable), you could always switch to SL in the first semester of your first year.

also, have you considered other courses at oxbridge? you say you're not a math wizz, so would it not be a better idea to choose a degree that does not require HL maths?

lmk if you have any questions!

sorry for the late reply!
Firstly, it seems that you don't really know about IB, but thanks anyway for your feedback! English B HL in IB is easier than any English A Lang & Lit / Lit courses (even at SL!). I chose English B rather than English A to minimize my workload and academic burden - English B is a pure language course emphasising the understanding and application of the language rather than being analytical, hence being much much easier!
Secondly, yes, I'm not a math whizz or very interested in math as mentioned, but I have received decent grades in math since I was young. I think I am capable of finishing the hard MAA HL course and achieving optimal grades. Nevertheless, I think only Natural Sciences / Medicine suits me among other courses offered by Cambridge (won't really consider Med as it's extremely costly for international students like me!). Anyways, thanks for your genuine opinion on my decision!

hello, im an international student currently in my last semester of the IB (may 2023) and take german B at HL (predicted a 7), so i am aware of the fact that taking a language B at HL is a lot more simple than for example taking a language A at SL. i myself chose to take HL german B for exactly this reason; i knew it would be easy for me to receive the highest possible grade. i was just commenting on the fact that taking 4 HLs is quite a challenge, even if one of the 4 is easy. it seemed to me that HL english B was quite unnecessary in comparison to your other chosen HLs, especially when you yourself said that you were worried about the potential burden HL maths AA would put on you. thus, if it ever came to it, you could always drop english B, since it does not really make your application more competitive due to the simplicity of the subject / the unrelated aspect to your degree. feel free to ignore my advice, however

funnily enough, all people i know who have received offers from oxbridge (for very competitive courses) take 3 HLs, while the people who have been rejected took 4. either way, i applaud you on your willingness to take on a challenge, and i hope all goes well for you! good luck

Hi everyone! I will be studying the IB curriculum starting next academic year. My current chosen SL and HL combinations are as follows:
HL: English B, Math AA, Bio, Chem
SL: Chinese A Lang & Lit, Geog
I intend to study Biochemistry at Oxford or (Bio) Natural Sciences at Cambridge (if I have the necessary grades haha). I heard that Math AA HL is an extremely stressful and academically challenging subject, so I'm thinking of dropping Math AA to SL to reduce my burden. However, I remain hesitant in doing so as I've heard that both degrees require mathematical rigour. I'm not a math whizz but my math grades are decent up to now. Should I drop Math AA to SL or remain it for HL?

Hi! I’m currently a first-year Law student at the University of Cambridge. However, a lot of my closest friends are currently doing the natural sciences tripos. Unfortunately, everyone of the did either maths & further maths A-level or Maths AA HL. Therefore, if you really want to have a good chance of getting into Cambridge or oxf*rd you’re going to need to keep maths AA at HL.

I hope this helps, but feel free to pm me with any other questions

Hello, sorry this is really late but what about AI HL? x