<p>Which is better for college apps..
Honors precalc or IB Math Studies SL? </p>
<p>I'm torn. I feel like a precalc class is better because I feel that colleges might expect it.</p>
<p>However, IB Math Studies SL would be weighted +10 at my school and I feel like I might do better in it.</p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p>IB Math Studies SL appears to be an overview of math topics (a little bit of functions, trignometry, statistics, and differential calculus) for students who will not take much or any additional math in college. It seems odd to give weighting to an IB SL course (as opposed to an IB HL course).</p>
<p>If your high school’s precalculus course is any good, it may be a better preparation for calculus and later math in college, which you will need if you major in any science, any engineering, economics, or business.</p>
<p>I was mistaken, it’s actually +5 points for IB SL courses.</p>
<p>Would a college generally want to see one or the other, though?</p>
<p>It really depends if you are going to be a junior or a senior.
If you’re going to be a junior I would recommend taking precalculus first then taking something harder, like IB Math Methods SL
If you’re going to be a senior take IB Math Studies SL. You won’t get your IB Diploma without it…or you’ll get the weighted grade if you don’t care about your IB Diploma.
In terms of difficulty/impressiveness
Math Studies < PreCaalculus < Math Methods < AP Calculus AB < AP Calculus BC < IB Math HL</p>
<p>IB math studies will not prepare you for ap calc like honors precalc will. You will suffer senior year like I am due to IB math</p>
<p>I would take Math SL over Precalc, but Precalc over Math Studies SL. Math Studies is the IB version of those General Math/Consumer Math courses they have for the slow kids.</p>
<p>It depends on what you intend to major in and whether you’re good at math or not. In addition, colleges prefer you to complete the full IB diploma (especially to being one course short.) Do you have 3 SL’s and 3 HL’s already? How’s the rest of your schedule? Do you plan on taking calculus before graduation or in college? What do you intend to do in college?
If you intend on majoring in the Humanities, you’re fine with Math studies.
If you intend on doing social science or business, precalc is a good idea, or stats. You could take Math Studies next year and Stats senior year, or precalc then stats.
If you intend on majoring in STEM, however, you need Honors Precalc.</p>
<p>NavalTraditions: I disagree with your characterization of Maths Studies, as someone who took it, found it quite interesting &useful, and did very well afterwards. 
In addition, it doesn’t prevent one from taking Gen Ed math or statistics in college (and doing well) as it’s very much in the same spirit, at least at top liberal arts schools.
Math Studies is the class for non-future-science majors who would rather do something else than math/science. You can have three superb HL classes outside of math/science without being considered “a slow kid” - English A, Foreign Language HL, History, Philosophy, Art would all be perfectly fine HL subjects, with science&math at SL level - and it’d still be a better curriculum than many high school programs. Honestly I don’t think there’s any “general” level class in the IB program.</p>
<p>Well yeah, it’s the <em>IB</em> version, so of course it’s intellectually challenging and stimulating. :-p (Okay, that comparison was kind of dumb).</p>
<p>I agree that completing the full IB diploma would be the best move, so if Math Studies is necessary for that, that would be the thing to do. But if OP already has enough SL courses OR isn’t going for the diploma anyway, I still think precalc would be the more prudent choice.</p>
<p>If the OP needs another SL course to complete the full IB diploma, shouldn’t there also be the option of taking IB Math SL instead of IB Math Studies SL if the OP intends to continue to more advanced math in college?</p>
<p>Yes, it all hinges on what OP wants to do next (and how sure s/he is of it).
Math Studies is enough if OP only intends to take one general education in math/quantitative skills (those only require algebra and some geometry) and is not detrimental for Statistics. However it’s not sufficient for any degree that requires precalculus or calculus.
If OP does the full IB diploma, Math studies won’t matter as long as the three HL’s are 5+ and coherent with his/her college plans.
If OP is NOT doing the full IB diploma and just cherry picking classes, then Precalc is better (unless OP is reasonably sure s/he would get a C or less in Precalcand thus doesn’t belong there.)</p>
<p>I’m not in the ib diploma program. At my school, you can take any IB course just like you can take any AP course. I think I need to learn more about IB because I didn’t even know there was an IB math! (Not math studies). I’m currently a junior. I am in algebra 2 because my school requires it since I was in algebra 1 freshman year. </p>
<p>I might just take honors precalc next year and not complicate things since I’m planning on doing something finance or business related.</p>
<p>If you’re planning on doing finance/business, then it’s either IB Math SL or Pre-Calc indeed.</p>