IB Math SL or Studies??
Hi, I am doing IB next year and I have selected SL. However, now I am having massive doubts, just having done GCSE Maths exams and I am considering switching to Studies. Please advise me!!
I am not naturally gifted at maths but I get decent marks- in most GCSE past papers I get a percentage in the high 70's which is normally a high A. I have struggled this year because we had an awful teacher who was ill most of the time so lots of cover teachers too.
I wanted to do SL because I wanted to challenge myself and I would be a better candidate for universities in the US. I also want to keep open the option of maybe studying physics at university and I assume that would require at least SL?Now I am not sure which I am better suited to, so please help me with your experience and wisdom!!!
I am not naturally gifted at maths but I get decent marks- in most GCSE past papers I get a percentage in the high 70's which is normally a high A. I have struggled this year because we had an awful teacher who was ill most of the time so lots of cover teachers too.
I wanted to do SL because I wanted to challenge myself and I would be a better candidate for universities in the US. I also want to keep open the option of maybe studying physics at university and I assume that would require at least SL?Now I am not sure which I am better suited to, so please help me with your experience and wisdom!!!
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Original post by lizzielau
Hi, I am doing IB next year and I have selected SL. However, now I am having massive doubts, just having done GCSE Maths exams and I am considering switching to Studies. Please advise me!!
I am not naturally gifted at maths but I get decent marks- in most GCSE past papers I get a percentage in the high 70's which is normally a high A. I have struggled this year because we had an awful teacher who was ill most of the time so lots of cover teachers too.
I wanted to do SL because I wanted to challenge myself and I would be a better candidate for universities in the US. I also want to keep open the option of maybe studying physics at university and I assume that would require at least SL?Now I am not sure which I am better suited to, so please help me with your experience and wisdom!!!
I am not naturally gifted at maths but I get decent marks- in most GCSE past papers I get a percentage in the high 70's which is normally a high A. I have struggled this year because we had an awful teacher who was ill most of the time so lots of cover teachers too.
I wanted to do SL because I wanted to challenge myself and I would be a better candidate for universities in the US. I also want to keep open the option of maybe studying physics at university and I assume that would require at least SL?Now I am not sure which I am better suited to, so please help me with your experience and wisdom!!!
STUDIES, STUDIES.
There is NO point in doing SL.
Unis don't give a **** unless it's accounting or whatever. I did SL; got 90% raw mark in my GCSE. The exam was ridiculous this year and has put my chance of meeting my university in peril. Yet, had I done Studies, I wouldn't be in this position. There is no point of doing the harder course. Focus on the overall grade you need.
Also, most Physics courses want HL Maths, or at least those that I have seen. I'm not sure that doing SL keeps that door as open as you seem to think. What I would advise, is to do a Maths A Level on the side if you want to do Physics. Studies is pretty much the same as iGCSE Maths (I have been told by a friend who did the iGCSE).
It depends on what you're doing for university, i agree with ILovePancakes
I take Math Studies now, and it's mostly IGCSE stuff + learning how to use a calculator (you have calculator for all your exams: I use it even for things like 7+8 just because you have so much time in the exam, and I want to be absolutely certain of accuracy). I spend around 3 hours in Studies class each week and around the same amount of time for homework. That's all I needed to get level 6/7s - it's fairly striaghtforward.
In my IGCSE I got a B for Maths.
I take Math Studies now, and it's mostly IGCSE stuff + learning how to use a calculator (you have calculator for all your exams: I use it even for things like 7+8 just because you have so much time in the exam, and I want to be absolutely certain of accuracy). I spend around 3 hours in Studies class each week and around the same amount of time for homework. That's all I needed to get level 6/7s - it's fairly striaghtforward.
In my IGCSE I got a B for Maths.
If you want to major in liberal arts, do studies. If not, DO NOT TAKE MATHS STUDIES. Seriously, nobody wants or cares about maths studies. I took maths studies, and it limited my university degree options greatly. You'll either end up in art, business, or at best, law. All the other options will be gone. That said, I did apply for engineering and got accepted, weirdly enough, even with maths studies, but I would've had to take a foundation year. I ended up doing commerce though. In my school, students who couldn't get a C in IGCSE took maths studies. Otherwise, they went for SL. There is no point in doing SL if you want to major in something non-mathematical, but if your course is mildly mathematical, then SL might be a good option.
First of all, having done both GCSE Maths and IB Maths myself, I must say an A at GCSE is often not a good indicator of how you will perform in IB Maths. Unless you have done GCSE Additional Maths, the jump between GCSE (regular) Maths and IB Maths SL is too large to reliably extrapolate your performance.
Secondly, I really must reiterate the fact that Maths Studies will greatly restrict your studies in Physics. There isn't enough calculus in Studies to sufficiently prepare you for the rigour of Physics, and I'd imagine it'd be fairly difficult for you to apply for any Physics degree (certainly in the UK) with just Maths Studies.
With the US, it's an entirely different story. Any IB subject that is not taken at HL is, in my opinion, virtually worthless as they will not get you any credit. What will demonstrate your abilities to US universities is the overall merit of your IB Diploma, rather than the fact that you took IB Maths SL to "challenge yourself." If you are serious about demonstrating your mathematical competence, consider Maths HL or AP Calc or equivalent (but i'm guessing this wasn't your intention).
So, in brief, if you are applying for US unis, the choice between Maths Studies and SL will not matter so much since they do not earn you any credit, and you can still apply as undecided and decide to major in Physics later on in your academic career.
If you are applying for UK unis, then Maths SL will certainly be held in higher esteem than Studies, but will not guarantee acceptance to Physics courses at top unis.
Secondly, I really must reiterate the fact that Maths Studies will greatly restrict your studies in Physics. There isn't enough calculus in Studies to sufficiently prepare you for the rigour of Physics, and I'd imagine it'd be fairly difficult for you to apply for any Physics degree (certainly in the UK) with just Maths Studies.
With the US, it's an entirely different story. Any IB subject that is not taken at HL is, in my opinion, virtually worthless as they will not get you any credit. What will demonstrate your abilities to US universities is the overall merit of your IB Diploma, rather than the fact that you took IB Maths SL to "challenge yourself." If you are serious about demonstrating your mathematical competence, consider Maths HL or AP Calc or equivalent (but i'm guessing this wasn't your intention).
So, in brief, if you are applying for US unis, the choice between Maths Studies and SL will not matter so much since they do not earn you any credit, and you can still apply as undecided and decide to major in Physics later on in your academic career.
If you are applying for UK unis, then Maths SL will certainly be held in higher esteem than Studies, but will not guarantee acceptance to Physics courses at top unis.
Original post by lizzielau
Hi, I am doing IB next year and I have selected SL. However, now I am having massive doubts, just having done GCSE Maths exams and I am considering switching to Studies. Please advise me!!
I am not naturally gifted at maths but I get decent marks- in most GCSE past papers I get a percentage in the high 70's which is normally a high A. I have struggled this year because we had an awful teacher who was ill most of the time so lots of cover teachers too.
I wanted to do SL because I wanted to challenge myself and I would be a better candidate for universities in the US. I also want to keep open the option of maybe studying physics at university and I assume that would require at least SL?Now I am not sure which I am better suited to, so please help me with your experience and wisdom!!!
I am not naturally gifted at maths but I get decent marks- in most GCSE past papers I get a percentage in the high 70's which is normally a high A. I have struggled this year because we had an awful teacher who was ill most of the time so lots of cover teachers too.
I wanted to do SL because I wanted to challenge myself and I would be a better candidate for universities in the US. I also want to keep open the option of maybe studying physics at university and I assume that would require at least SL?Now I am not sure which I am better suited to, so please help me with your experience and wisdom!!!
Hiya,
I got given a **** deal with maths to be honest, my last school screwed me over with my exams for maths which really took away any confidence I had in myself relevant to the subject so I started questioning whether taking maths SL would be better than studies. I opted for studies, but I seriously regret it! Not that its an awful course, but if you arent sure opt for SL because you can always drop down to studies, where as going up can be harder. I feel that I would have been performing better if I had taken maths SL simply because it would have been a challenge from day one where as maths studies wasnt so I slacked off in the beginning and got lost. I now have to spend my summer re teaching myself the course and its a serious confidence knocker again.
But I really recommend you start in Standard Level and drop down if you REALLY cant cope!
Best of Luck!
Unless you really need SL for university, go with studies. Everyone who chose SL in my school is really struggling, even the people who are super clever. Meanwhile, I'm coasting along in studies and it's an easy way to boost my overall score and have an easier work load next year. The IB will challenge you enough, there is no need to make things harder on yourself!
Original post by ponta6024
Hey guys. I am really considering which course should I take. I wan't to do anthropology or geography in Uni. Do you think taking math studies will narrow down my choice of the subjects?
You could do sl then drop to studies
Original post by ppjk
You could do sl then drop to studies
Thanks for the reply.
I'm doing SL right now and I am finding quite hard. (I'm year 12) And today my teacher told to class if we wan't to move the course this will be our last chance. The offer to move studies or to SL from HL will be closed after the winter holiday which will be in two weeks.
Since I am ESL student and not really good at English I wanted to achieve good mark on math and compensate my weak point... but I'm not really confident anymore with math either. I got bad mark on recent test :/
I am trying to take appointment with the university counselor in my school. I can't really decide this alone...
Is there anyone who actually got into geography or archaeology courses in university by taking math studies?
Original post by ponta6024
Thanks for the reply.
I'm doing SL right now and I am finding quite hard. (I'm year 12) And today my teacher told to class if we wan't to move the course this will be our last chance. The offer to move studies or to SL from HL will be closed after the winter holiday which will be in two weeks.
Since I am ESL student and not really good at English I wanted to achieve good mark on math and compensate my weak point... but I'm not really confident anymore with math either. I got bad mark on recent test :/
I am trying to take appointment with the university counselor in my school. I can't really decide this alone...
Is there anyone who actually got into geography or archaeology courses in university by taking math studies?
I'm doing SL right now and I am finding quite hard. (I'm year 12) And today my teacher told to class if we wan't to move the course this will be our last chance. The offer to move studies or to SL from HL will be closed after the winter holiday which will be in two weeks.
Since I am ESL student and not really good at English I wanted to achieve good mark on math and compensate my weak point... but I'm not really confident anymore with math either. I got bad mark on recent test :/
I am trying to take appointment with the university counselor in my school. I can't really decide this alone...
Is there anyone who actually got into geography or archaeology courses in university by taking math studies?
I know people who have; at good unis too. Do maths studies. SL is the biggest waste of effort to exist.
some unis straight-up asks for Maths SL and you can't apply with Math Studies. That being said, Math SL is still not worth the pain.
Thanks guys.
>IFoundWonderland
Thank you I think I will drop to the studies.
However what >Agnes Grey is what I am most afraid of... Uni might not accept me because of doing math studies. Even though I apply to the course that not relate to the math.
>nullhill
So far I'm not really considering to get into the math related course. But the fact that your friend got into economics in uni makes me a lot confident. Ty.
>IFoundWonderland
Thank you I think I will drop to the studies.
However what >Agnes Grey is what I am most afraid of... Uni might not accept me because of doing math studies. Even though I apply to the course that not relate to the math.
>nullhill
So far I'm not really considering to get into the math related course. But the fact that your friend got into economics in uni makes me a lot confident. Ty.
Ultimately university offers are based on how high you score in your predictions, so it would be wise to give yourself the best possible chance to maximise your score. If you want to take a humanities course at uni, then take math studies as you stand a better chance of getting a 6/7. I was in SL for a month and I was getting 5s in the revision material on coursework we were supposed to have learnt last year. Since dropping to Studies, the workload has dropped off and I ended up getting a predicted 7. Don't worry about not being challenged by IB if you don't take Math Studies, because the diploma is difficult enough as it is so why make it harder on yourself?
best of luck.
best of luck.
Hey actually you can't drop from standard to studies because they're such different courses, I've asked 
I'd suggest looking at what the units you're looking at want. Some specifically ask for maths standard not studies, but if you're unsure email admissions. I did that and found that three of the units I want to go to actually don't accept maths studies! So before you make decisions check out what's required at university level. There's no point doing standard if you only need studies, but also you don't want to limit yourself.
I'd suggest looking at what the units you're looking at want. Some specifically ask for maths standard not studies, but if you're unsure email admissions. I did that and found that three of the units I want to go to actually don't accept maths studies! So before you make decisions check out what's required at university level. There's no point doing standard if you only need studies, but also you don't want to limit yourself.
Original post by ponta6024
Thanks guys.
>IFoundWonderland
Thank you I think I will drop to the studies.
However what >Agnes Grey is what I am most afraid of... Uni might not accept me because of doing math studies. Even though I apply to the course that not relate to the math.
>nullhill
So far I'm not really considering to get into the math related course. But the fact that your friend got into economics in uni makes me a lot confident. Ty.
>IFoundWonderland
Thank you I think I will drop to the studies.
However what >Agnes Grey is what I am most afraid of... Uni might not accept me because of doing math studies. Even though I apply to the course that not relate to the math.
>nullhill
So far I'm not really considering to get into the math related course. But the fact that your friend got into economics in uni makes me a lot confident. Ty.
Hey I know I'm a bit late but unis do not care if you do studies if you're not applying for a directly related course like physics, chem, maths, econ etc. I even started in maths hl (biigg mistake) then realised I wanted to pursue humanities in uni and trust me studies is so much easier than SL. I have offers from UCL, Kings and Nottingham currently for geography having done maths studies. Oxford sometimes even prefers people who have done studies since the statistics involved is more relevant for maths in geography whereas you don't really do statistics in maths sl. My friend even got an interview for Oxford medicine with maths studies so honestly its chill
actually, i looked at some unis such as Edinburgh (I'm applying for English) and they still ask for math SL specifically. of course, this is only some unis.
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