I am a senior doing the full IB diploma, and I take IB Math HL 2 at the moment. If you’re considering doing an IB Math course, at least do IB Math SL. Math Studies is the class that people take so they can get an “easy A”, and you’ll find that it won’t really prepare you for college-level math. SL Math will mostly cover Calculus 1, and HL Math will cover Calculus 1 and 2, so by the time you enter college you’ll be familiar with the concepts that you’ll learn.
Since you said that you’re currently taking Algebra 2 HN, I would recommend taking IB Math SL 1, as that’s the typical route IB students take. I wouldn’t recommend taking IB Math HL 1 without taking Precalculus (HN or regular) just because it’ll be a more difficult transition for you, but I have classmates who have managed to do so.
At my school, to do HL math you have to do calc ab as a sophmore, so that’s out laithebae, so your recomendation is to take IB math SL1 over studies in order to better prepare for college math?
Yes, definitely! Trust me, everyone I know who has taken Math Studies have only done so because they aren’t good at math or just want to take it easy and not take a challenging math class. Even if you aren’t planning on pursuing a math-related career, it will definitely prepare you for college math because you will be familiar with the material
Currently an IB student myself and honestly IB has been one heck of an experience. Yes there are a few sleepless nights, and at times you’ll feel extremely overwelmed whether its because of EE, TOK, Paper 1 and 2s, Written tasks, IAs, and FOAs. In the end you feel like you have really benefited over the last two years of highschool.
Everyone says your GPA goes down but it was the exact opposite for me. I performed so much better during my IB years than 9th and 10th grade. Jumped from 3.5 to 3.9 simply because IB isnt a joke. Theres no slacking, and the sense of work and the intensity of your surrounding makes you work harder. If your up to the task; it’ll be fine. If your not used to it, you’ll eventually adapt. Its IB afterall, its gets to the best of us
@Liveitlight oh, don’t leave them in the dark! EE is the Extended Essay, an independent 10-15 page research project which is part of the full Diploma requirements. On the one hand, a great experience in defining and conducting original mentored research, great preparation for college work. On the other hand, no matter how many interim deadlines your teacher sets, an excruciating opportunity for procrastination and self-torture, particularly come winter-spring of senior year. The straw that nearly breaks the camel’s back in terms of completing Diploma requirements – my Diploma student appreciates and enjoys his classes, has no problem with CAS hours, but struggles to find enough hours in the day to make any progress on his EE.
For background I’m an engineering student at a top 20 university who graduated with an IB diploma two years ago.
You should take IB if you:
want a program that’ll prepare you for the rigors of college and teach you time management. The sheer amount of work that goes into obtaining an IB diploma helps you get a feel for what your schedule will be like in college. The type of work may not be the same, but the amount is comparable. Additionally the writing, presenting, and critical thinking skills you learn in IB are very useful in college. Finally some of the classes (specifically History HL) prepare you well for the format of college classes (in class essay exams, seminars, etc).
have diverse interests. The IB requires you to “specialize” in 3-4 classes from different subject areas. Students who are only interested in one subject find this difficult.
have decent writing and presenting silks or are willing to learn how to write and present. IB isn’t just worksheets and problem sets. There are a lot of presentations and essays in various subjects (especially English HL). These skills also help a lot in college.
have diverse extracurricular interests. The IB mandates that you spend 50 hours doing community service, 50 hours in an athletic activity, and 50 hours in a creative activity (this is known as CAS). If you’re not inclined to spend the time, you’ll be miserable. It’s worth noting that the activities you do for CAS can go on your college app.
are interested in research. The IB requires that you complete a 4,000 word extended essay in a subject that you’re interested in. This is a legitimate research paper and can be published - or it should be if done correctly. Additionally many IAs (internal assessment) are research based. This isn’t restricted to science either, Math, Econ, and History IAs are research and analysis based.
Don’t take IB if you:
want lots of college credit. Some universities give credit simply for completing the IB diploma, but often times that’s “empty credit” (doesn’t exempt you from pre-reqs or gen eds). Most schools only give you “usable credit” for 5-6+ on HL exams of which you can take a maximum of 4. AP students (at least high achieving ones) can take 12+ AP tests which gives them a lot more usable credit.
are only interested in one subject. IB forces you to take a lot of diverse classes which you may not want to do if you’re only really interested in one subject. You would be better served taking AP, DE, and college classes to pursue that subject instead of spending countless hours on subjects you hate/don’t care about.
hate writing. Writing in a huge part of the IB as mentioned above.
On the math debate, take SL if there is any chance of you ever taking or using math again.
Sorry, I know what the extended essay is, it simply hadnt occured to me that is what EE stands for, none of my friends in IB ever referred to it by that accronym.
My school transitioned from AP to IB a couple of years ago, and now I’m a full IB Diploma candidate. Overall, I like the program.
Regarding IB Math: HL Math is, without a doubt, my most demanding class. There’s a lot of material to cover, the notation and problems can seem weird, and the topics are quite advanced. For my school at least, HL math is a “double HL.” SL math is notably easier but still rigorous. In my opinion, this is the class most people should take. If you are exceptionally good at math, take Furthers. If you’re good at math/might major in math/want a very advanced math background, take HL. If you like math but don’t want to spend tons of time on it, then take SL. A couple of kids in my school are taking Studies, and even they wish they were taking SL at times.
Regarding Diploma vs. No Diploma: Get the diploma. I don’t understand why someone would accumulate a bunch of certificates when he/she could be getting the full diploma with relatively limited more work.
Many of the above posters pointed out the positives (and negatives) of the IB. I would add that the Extended Essay is a great opportunity to not only prepare yourself for college, but also to showcase an academic interest. If executed properly, the EE can be a published piece of work, go way beyond the classroom level, allow you to connect with professors, etc. To a smaller extent, the Internal Assessments can be used effectively as well. For example, for mathematics, I investigated the math behind the golf swing.
