selmslampard Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Today I had my first day at IB, and I'm really excited for the two upcoming years, but I'm so uncertain when it comes to choosing if I should do Mathematics SL or HL. All the teachers tell me not to do HL, and they basically told me I'm going to get a bad grade. If I do HL I'm going to have internet courses, becuase I'm the only one taking it from my class. I want to become a lawyer and I know I basically could have Math Studies, but I really like mathematics, and I got an A the first and second semester last year. I'm really having a hard time with this decision. And I also wanted to ask if getting a 7 in Mathematics HL is achievable? Because everybody talks about it like sacrificing your soul is a part of the curriculum. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barca12345 Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 You got an A for IGCSE math ? or what? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
selmslampard Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 You got an A for IGCSE math ? or what?I got an A from the hardest math course in the Norwegian school system, although not very hard. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luleline Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 Maths Hl is hard and even when you are good at it to get a 7 you would have to put a lot of time into it, when to be a lawyer it is not obligatory. You will be far better off doing extra work for history than maths. So i say do not take maths hl, but maybe an opinion from a more experienced ib student would be more convincing. Good luck with your school year Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
selmslampard Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 (edited) Maths Hl is hard and even when you are good at it to get a 7 you would have to put a lot of time into it, when to be a lawyer it is not obligatory. You will be far better off doing extra work for history than maths. So i say do not take maths hl, but maybe an opinion from a more experienced ib student would be more convincing. Good luck with your school year Thank you for your advice, I will definitely take this into consideration! I actually don't have history but I have Physics HL, Business & Management SL, Psychology SL and Norwegian & English HL. And thank you! Edited August 18, 2014 by selmslampard Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luleline Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 (edited) History is one of the best subjects to take when you want to study law(or that is what i was told) but any essay writing based subject is just fine, so working on English(B i presume) and psychology is a good idea Edited August 18, 2014 by Luleline 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barca12345 Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 (edited) I currently take HL IB math and it is definitely very hard. You need regular revisions and you may still not get a 7. I currently barely have a 6. But definitely the hardest course in the IB diploma. Edited August 18, 2014 by barca12345 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
selmslampard Posted August 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 History is one of the best subjects to take when you want to study law(or that is what i was told) but any essay writing based subject is just fine, so working on English(B i presume) and psychology is a good idea I know it is, but my school doesn't offer it unfortunately since nobody wanted to have it but me. It's actually my favorite subject. And I have English A Language and Litterature. I currently take HL IB math and it is definitely very hard. You need regular revisions and you may still not get a 7. I currently barely have a 6. But definitely the hardest course in the IB diploma. I'm planning to spend at least six hours doing maths every weekend, I don't know if this is enough, but I'm willing to sacrifice a lot to have a good mark in HL plus of course the revision during the rest of the week. Wow, 6 is really good though! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sceptyczka Posted August 18, 2014 Report Share Posted August 18, 2014 (edited) Well, if you're taking Physics HL then choosing at least Math SL (not choosing Math Studies) would be beneficial. From what I have heard people who take Math Studies tend to perform worse in Physics HL because they lack manipulation skills (they don't calculate as fast as Math SL or Math HL students because they're accustomed to using TI-84 while calculating). So if you're already taking Physics HL then choosing Math Studies wouldn't be a good idea even if you want to be a lawyer and don't need any math for your future career. Especially considering that you actually like mathematics and are pretty good at it. Why not challenge yourself within a subject you enjoy? Whether you should take Math SL or Math HL is another question. To be honest, I wouldn't recommend choosing Math HL even if you like math. As long as you don't need it for your future career it's probably not worth the time you will spend on it. Math HL is a very time-consuming subject. From what I have heard (I'm not taking Math HL so it's not my personal experience but you may treat it as a warning) people who are taking Math HL have to study it approx. 3-4 hours every day. It is definitely possible to get a 7 in Math HL. Approximately 7% of students score a 7 in Math HL every year. Some of them are on IBSurvival and they aren't all future engineering or science students what means that you don't have to be sciency-minded to score a 7 in Math HL. You just have to work hard. However, it may be not such a great idea to devote so much time to practice math while you could spend this time on something more useful to your future degree (like e.g. debating). Furthermore, IB is already a challenging programme so there is no need to choose difficult subjects when not neccessary. In my opinion choosing Math HL is only beneficial if you either have a strong passion for Math or need it for your future career. Otherwise it's better to choose Studies or SL. I would recommend you to choose human sciences or literature at HL if you want to be a lawyer (so in your case 3 out of: Norwegian, English, Psychology and Business & Management). They will prepare you better for your future degree and if you perform well in them then it would also mean that a law degree would suit you. If you really want to take Math HL and Physics HL then I recommend you to take 4 HLs (Math, Physics, a human science and possibly a Language A HL as it will teach you essay writing and may be required by some universities for a law degree). If you take initially 4 HLs then you will be able to drop one of them and you will probably remain more satisfied with your subject choices afterwards (as you have tried all 4 subjects and have made a decision based on your personal experience). Furthermore, you won't be so scared to choose Math HL as you can always drop it. It's a win-win situation. Just make sure that your school actually accepts droping a subject in the middle of the school year. Mine does not, unfortunately. Hope that helped! Good luck with your school year. Edited August 18, 2014 by Sceptyczka 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbasel97 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 I am currently a math hL student and its not too bad, its bad but not to bad. I would advise you to take HL especially if you love math but the fact that you would be taking an internet course is really discouraging. Because of that fact only take SL and get your diploma Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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