Hi everyone,
I am going to start my junior year of high school this coming fall (2017), and I have a choice to take either IB Calculus or AP Statistics. I am pursuing a full IB curriculum, however, my counselor has told me that both count towards the IB diploma. I have a good work ethic (or so I like to think) and I’m willing to work hard, but I really want to get an A. I can’t get any lower than that by my personal standards. So my question is, is it necessary to take IB Calculus to make it look good on college applications and do you think that Calculus or AP Stats will be harder for me?
I am thinking about going into medicine or business later on, but I’m still not sure.
Is “IB Calculus” IB Math HL?
If so, then it is likely to be seen as substantially more rigorous than AP statistics, and is more likely to give you subject credit and advanced placement in college.
What math have you completed already, and what are your various math options going forward?
Thank you for your response!
At my school, IB Calculus is not the same thing as IB Math HL. There’s a separate course for that that is offered in senior year. As of now, I am not planning to take that, since I have extra science courses that I’m taking.
I skipped sixth grade math, therefore I took Algebra 2 Honors in my freshman year and pre-Calculus my sophomore year.
A major concern that I haven’t mentioned is that the teacher may not be very helpful; if so, is the coursework so rigorous and/or difficult that I won’t be able to understand it mostly by myself?
Thank you!
IB programs typically have the following math options:
- IB math HL: covers what is typically first year single variable college calculus, plus perhaps some other topics
- IB math SL: covers precalculus with an introduction to calculus; some high schools top it up to cover AP calculus AB as well, since IB math SL by itself is not usually given advanced placement in college
- IB math studies SL: covers a selection of math topics at an overview level for students who will not need to take additional math in college
Which one is your school’s “IB calculus”, and which IB (or AP) exams are students supposed to take at the end of it?
In any case, since you are two grade levels ahead in math, that presumes that you are a top student in math, so you should not be afraid of continuing in the most rigorous available math courses (e.g. IB math HL or AP calculus BC).
At out school, IB SL was the equivalent of AP Calculus AB. HL was well beyond that. Putting aside “what colleges want”, I think you will find yourself better prepared for college math snd/or anything that requires it if you take calculus. At most selective colleges, most of the students taking calculus will have taken it in high school.
You may also be able to place out of a math requirement with it. It sounds like it is the logical next step in the progression for you. If you are worried about it, make a point of finding resources as soon as the class starts. I understand that you want an A, but your world will become extremely small very fast if you avoid things which may be a challenge.
@gardenstategal Thanks for your advice!
@ucbalumnus I will have to check with my counselor for that, but thank you for your advice; I will most likely continue at the most rigorous level!