Hi, I am currently a junior who, because of our school’s bad choices, will be able to take Math HL but ONLINE. I have heard from other students how hard it was for them to pass the class itself, and since we will be doing it online, I feel it would be considerably harder? Should I take Math HL or stick to SL??? Also, the online program is a two year commitment.
Thank you for your input
Hi! I will be taking IB Math SL in combination with AP Calculus AB in the same year. I don’t have answers about IB Math HL but I thought my suffering would make you feel better.
Also, I’m not sure if it’s just my school, but the first year of IB Math HL is actually just IB Math SL. If it’s like that in your school, then you should be fine. I’ve gone over the IB Math SL textbook, and it’s almost exactly like Pre-Calculus, with a couple of Calculus concepts thrown in (derivatives, integrals, some graphing stuff). If you were strong in Pre-Calculus, you’ll be fine this year.
By the way, if you’re in IB Diploma, you should totally PM me (if not, PM me anyways). We can suffer through this school year together (I’m going to be a junior, too).
I took IB Math HL in my school and absolutely loved it. I had a fantastic teacher and he made the course feel so easy. However, I’d point out that the only reason why I did so well in my exam was because I had one-on-one help with my teacher and I could go to him at pretty much any time of the day to get help. Now, taking the course online, I do not know how it will work but if you are like me and need help readily available, you should think deeply about it because it makes the class much harder. Also, if your math aptitude is not too high, you should also consider that before choosing to take the class online.
And, as @cliffnotes mentioned, it might just be his school that the first year of HL was like SL. In my school and most of the other IB schools around me, the curricula vastly varies. Like how HL and SL would answer the same first few questions for a humanity class and then HL would have an additional question, that is not the case at all in Math HL and SL. The papers are different right from the start.
Are you considering Math as a college major? If not, I’d stick with SL because math concepts are more difficult to learn online. You should be taking your HL classes in things you may be majoring in if you have any idea at this point. Good luck to you, its a tough two years but I will say that my daughter was very prepared for college from the IB program.
Unless you’re planning on doing engineering/math/etc. I would skip Math HL. It’s a lot of hard work and somewhat useless for anyone who’s not majoring in something related to math.
Thanks, I appreciate it @tkg1999
@NEPatsGirl , I dont want to major in Math, but I am planning on going into medical school but studying Physical/Chemical Engineering for undergrad.
i agree. if you are not going to go into engineering or anything that requires a heavy math base, don’t do hl. I am currently in HL (not online) and its…challenging (to put it nicely). Besides, online classes already have a bad rep for being harder. Not to mention that math is really a subject where you need a teacher to physically show you mathematical processes and answer questions.
Stick to SL for the sake of both your sanity and GPA.
@futureauteur Thanks, it is too late for SL, I have chosen the HL path at my school, thanks for the input, and good luck! 
How about for computer science? Would colleges (especially top ones) look down on you for taking SL instead of HL?
US colleges or overseas?
US Colleges @VickiSoCal
Honestly most of them don’t seem to care about the difference between hl and sl except when it comes to granting credit. Both are weighted in GPA calculations the same.
I came too late since you already picked HL but anyways…
I am an average student when it comes to math. I took math HL and it was really difficult for me because the class went on really quickly and materials in the exams were totally different from what the teacher taught in class. Literally to be good in math HL, I would have to do a lot of self study but I slacked off. So, I ended up getting really bad grade and drop the class to math SL after a semester. It was such a relief because math SL is totally A LOT easier!
I’m in HL and I think it’d be really rough to take online. I’m shocked that first hear HL is the same as SL at some schools. At my school, first year SL is just pre-calc and the first topic we do in HL (calculus) is the last topic that SL does senior year, but theirs is much more simple.