IB Math Studies vs IB Math SL?

Pre-College Issues International Baccalaureate (IB)
1

Is it worth taking Math Studies so I can get an easy A, as well as having more focus/time on the subjects I need more effort on? Or should I carry the same load?
My current grade in maths is an 87. My UW GPA so far is a 3.5. I have a B in math, history, and spanish.
I plan on majoring in the comp/sci/eng areas so it may be beneficial for me to take IB Math SL.

However if colleges would rather see me have a higher GPA. Then it is worth it, right? Especially since the IB program gets harder every year. It would be beneficial to take a class I would not have to stress over? I don’t even think UCs or other colleges would care about the IB vs AP program anyways, it’s the raw GPA that matters, as well as the high SAT scores.
I also don’t know if I’ll do well with the new teachers next year. So should I take the safe bet on Math Studies?

My dream college is UCB! It’s a tough competition applying. A UW GPA of 3.5 is not acceptable in this case. Especially if I want to be top 10% of the class.

2

btw on that Berkeley note… I’m applying [may reconsider] Berkeley EECS. Which I know admissions would be a huge pain in the ass. Just sayin’
I appreciate all answers.

3

Your target majors are going to need a minimum of math SL PLUS some math AP (prob BC calc and sats) to make you competitive in the top end eng schools like UCB IMO. Your peers are going to be coming in with HL math/ABC calc or more. I assume you are looking at HL physics at least one other HL science, it would be counter intuitive to do math studies.

4

Definitely SL, I don’t know about UCB, but many schools won’t even accept studies for such a major. The gap between studies and standard is HUGE. Standard is a difficult course (currently enrolled) and you will have to work, nut it is definitely doable. The level of knowledge gained from SL is useful for science oriented majors.