IB Survival: HL or SL Mathematics?

IB Survival: HL or SL Mathematics? IB Math studies The Mathematical Studies SL course “is designed to build confidence and encourage an appreciation of mathematics in students” who do not expect mathematics to be a major component of their university studies. Its curriculum consists of the following topics: ● Number and algebra ● Sets, logic, and probability ● Functions ● Geometry and trigonometry ● Statistics ● Introductory differential calculus ● Financial mathematics IB Math Standard Mathematics SL is primarily intended for students who “expect to need a sound mathematical background as they prepare for future studies in subjects such as chemistry, economics, psychology and business administration,”and its curriculum is a proper subset of the Mathematics HL curriculum. Topics from the following areas form the common “Core curriculum” for both courses: ● Algebra ● Functions and equations ● Circular functions and trigonometry ● Vectors ● Statistics and probability ● Calculus IB Math HL Mathematics HL is primarily intended for students “with a good background in mathematics who are competent in a range of analytical and technical skills,” and who anticipate that mathematics will be “a major component of their university studies, either as a subject in its own right or within courses such as physics, engineering and technology.” Therefore HL students study the Core topics in greater depth for a minimum of 190 instructional hours and study at least one of the following optional topics (“Options”), for a minimum of 40 additional instructional hours: ● Further statistics and probability ● Sets, relations, and groups ● Series and differential equations ● Discrete mathematics Which one should you take? When considering which level you should take, you should take note of the following factors: ● Career aspirations and requirements ● Interest in Mathematics ● General aptitude in mathematics. Career Aspirations and Requirements If you’re applying to the United Kingdom or many other countries, there is often general subject requirement , and many quantitative programs, (E.g. Economics, Engineering, Computer science, Mathematics, Physics, Technology) require students to have taken HL Math. Many also stipulate a minimum score, often something like a 6-7. If you want to study something such as Geography, Biology , Biochemistry, something that has an element of mathematics, but nowhere as significant as courses such as Engineering, the choice between HL and SL is unlikely to significantly alter you chances of admission. HL Mathematics will definitely offer a boost to your admissions (again, provided you score reasonably well), but SL Mathematics is perfectly acceptable, provided you score a 6-7. However, I wouldn’t recommend math studies if you want to study something that is science related. Not only may it look not so impressive in the eyes of an admission office, but the depth Math studies goes into will unlikely prepare you sufficiently. If you’re going into a field such as Law, English Literature, where mathematics is literally negligible, then taking Math Studies may work in your favor. The reasons are quite self-explanatory. A subject such as Law will put much more emphasize on your qualitative skills than quantitative – the same applies for a course in English Literature, or French, or Latin, or Ancient History. Examples of university requirements: Most of LSE’s quantitative programs have a minimum requirement of 7 in HL Mathematics. Whilst this may seem scary, it does make a bit of sense. These top universities often have 15 applicants for 1 place, they must find set a boundary which to best differentiate applicants in. Additionally, this minimum requirement also involves a degree of personal consideration. If you can’t even get a 6-7 in the HL course, you’re going to struggle quite badly in an intense British/Asian university course, where you dive immediately into the course, so a VERY strong background in mathematics is almost a prerequisite. In the US, universities are often more lenient, since they tend to practice a ‘liberal arts’ approach to academics, so students are allowed to try a bit of everything and then discover what they enjoy best. Therefore, taking SL Math for a course such as economics may not be NEARLY as disastrous as if you applied to the UK. However, if you still aspire to some quantitative course such as Economics or Engineering, HL maths should definitely be seriously considered. For example, universities have a list of factors when judging applicants, one being “Course rigor”, or how difficult your courseload is. If you’re applying to MIT to study Chemical Engineering, SL Math may take your course rigor into question, and thus may put you at a disadvantage. ● Common misconception A common misconception is that if you want to go to Medical School, you must take HL maths. That’s not true. HL Mathematics will definitely not hurt and if you score reasonably well, it can only help, but most medical schools (especially those in Britain), will require you to take IB HL (or equivalent) Chemistry and ONE of either HL Biology , Physics or Mathematics. Interest in Mathematics I’ll presume you’re not a mathematics prodigy who can whizz through HL Mathematics as if it’s a joke (I’ve actually met someone like that before..). For IB HL Mathematics, you cannot only be “good” at maths, you have to actually “like” mathematics, you have to enjoy doing maths. Why?Well, firstly because most likely your reference point of “good” is obtained from your current GCSE/O-level studies which you’ve been constantly acing without any prior preparation. I’m sorry to say, if you find GCSE mathematics easy, and you expect to HL mathematics to be the same, 99/100 times, you’re going to be wrong, and you’re going to find out in some very painful way . GCSE and IB mathematics are two completely different things. Many teachers emphasize this VERY clearly. There are people who go into GCSE getting an A* and end up getting a 2 in HL maths. Even the difficulty of SL is noticeably more difficult than GCSE. Therefore, to tackle IB HL and to do reasonably well not only requires already developed ability, but also sustained interest to continue to pursue the subject even further. You’re going to have to be willing to sacrifice quite a bit of your time doing reviews, studying, whilst many of your standard friends chill in the next door party room. Last minute studying for HL is impossible, don’t even attempt it. Persistence is the key here. If you’re the type who hates math, and you don’t envision a future career in anything quantitative, Math studies might work in your favor. ‘Difficulty’ is a very subjective term, but from what I’ve heard, the difficulty of studies somewhat compares to that of IGCSE level, maybe slightly more difficult due to the introduction of slightly more advanced topics (E.g. calculus, mathematical finance, logic). This is great because someone who is already quite strong mathematically can take life a bit more easy and secure a high grade in one subject. Additionally, for the weaker students math studies gives the student another 2 years to further build on the concepts one may not have fully familiarized him/herself with in the 2 year IGCSE course. General aptitude in mathematics. Career options and interest is all very important, but general aptitude is definitely a factor to consider. If you’re a C student in mathematics, taking HL mathematics immediately may, to put it bluntly, “kill you”. Here are some guidelines of which “possible” IB math course you should select based upon your I/GCSE Predicted Results A* – HL Mathematics A/B – SL Mathematics < B – SL Math Studies Obviously, the first two bullet points will to some extent drive your decisions. If you want to be a lawyer and you don’t really like math, and you’re getting an A/A*, you might still tend towards the studies route, even if the chart above shows that you should be trying something like SL or HL. Our school suggests the minimum cut-off for HL mathematics to be – A/A*. However, based on past-experience, the people who achieved an “A” have all dropped to SL. Sorry to be blunt and critical, but if you’re not achieving an A* at GCSE level, if you don’t improve significantly in a very short period of time, you’re going to struggle with HL math.