nevis Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Hi! I've been wondering for some time now, for the past few months I suppose, if Studies would be more beneficial to me. I've had 2 math mocks now: I got 3 from the first one (Statistics) and now 2 from Calculus. When I attended junior high and pre-IB, I felt that I was at least mediocre. I got 7s and 8s from tests (on the IB scale, that'd transfer to 4s and 5s). Suddenly, on my first IB-year I've become real bad at math. I know how to solve the exercises during the class - even the exam style questions - but somehow I don't know how to solve the exercises we have in our mocks My current subjects areHL BioHL ChemHL PsychSL FinnishSL EnglishSL Math and I'm still unsure about my future options. I know for sure that I don't want to study chemistry, so would Studies be such a bad choice? I've been thinking about studying neuro science, psychology or pharmacy in uni. My psych teacher said that I would do just fine with Studies, but I've heard some contradictory info. At least most of the people here tell that you can't get to most of unis with studies and you should choose it as a last resort Any advice is much needed! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosalina Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Math Studies is for students who don't need a math background. I don't see math being a major part of psychology so I'd think you'll be fine. I also suggest going to various university sites and checking out the pre-requisites you need. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maha Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 I was in the same situation last year, and I even had a 3 in one of the tests. But I talked to my math teacher, and he said that I will improve, and that happened. I am predicted 6 !!if you do not need math sl, math studies needs less work, so it can be a good idea so you can get better grade. But check if you need math sl or not. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevis Posted May 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 I was in the same situation last year, and I even had a 3 in one of the tests. But I talked to my math teacher, and he said that I will improve, and that happened. I am predicted 6 !!if you do not need math sl, math studies needs less work, so it can be a good idea so you can get better grade. But check if you need math sl or not. I've heard too much horror stories about students getting great predicted grades but scoring 2 or 3 grades lower in their finals don't want that happen to me. I've looked up the requirements for the majors I'd like to apply to and most unis say nothing about math requirements at all, just that the total point score must be 32 or so and "must show a good perfomance on two sciences"... idk what that means I also have a plan B, staying in Finland. You can get into universities by just scoring well on the entrance exams. I have to have a gap year anyways, so I have the time to study the material for the entrance exams. Do universities appreciate SL Math 3 or Studies 6 more? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynxarin Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 I was in the same situation last year, and I even had a 3 in one of the tests. But I talked to my math teacher, and he said that I will improve, and that happened. I am predicted 6 !!if you do not need math sl, math studies needs less work, so it can be a good idea so you can get better grade. But check if you need math sl or not. I've heard too much horror stories about students getting great predicted grades but scoring 2 or 3 grades lower in their finals don't want that happen to me. I've looked up the requirements for the majors I'd like to apply to and most unis say nothing about math requirements at all, just that the total point score must be 32 or so and "must show a good perfomance on two sciences"... idk what that means I also have a plan B, staying in Finland. You can get into universities by just scoring well on the entrance exams. I have to have a gap year anyways, so I have the time to study the material for the entrance exams. Do universities appreciate SL Math 3 or Studies 6 more? I got a 3 in my last Maths SL test, I was very disappointed at myself and managed to raise it to a 7 after some practicing and discussion with my teacher. You will have the whole summer of time to study, 10 weeks or so, so you will be able to revise and be better prepared for next year But if you wish to stay in Finland, studies is absolutely fine since we do not have any prestigious school here that could require maths sl 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youss Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Hello! I personally think that as long as your top universities (and some others) don't require you to take maths sl, you should not risk reducing your overall score. However, if you really like it then I believe that you should stay. Not having the grades you would like to have is a normal thing. As Lynxarin implied it, keep working and it will eventually come to you. Don't quit because you're having bad grades. Quit if you don't like it and if you're not going to benefit from it in the long run. Best,Youss Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellie Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Math Studies 6 is definitely better than an SL 3. If you're having so much trouble right now, chances are you wouldn't fare in an university course that requires Math SL anyway. I'd say go for it––but I'm also totally projecting my own desperate wish to have the chance to do Studies. : D University admission offices are usually very friendly, too, you can try writing them and asking to elaborate how they feel about Studies. Good luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carly1402 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 When we were choosing our IB subjects, our teacher told us, "If you struggle with maths, take Math Studies. Otherwise it could bring down your overall IB score. If you need math, you can always do a bridging course later on." Something to consider, perhaps? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&m_Fan99 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 (edited) I think you should keep doing SL till the end of this year and if you still ain't thuggin' you should switch to studies. This is because you will never know if you can still be a thugga in SL unless you keep trying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember to always be a thuggin' thugga homie!!! Keep it real keep it hot from your brotha from another motha!!!!! Peace fofo. Edited September 16, 2015 by Mahuta ♥ Removed 3 lines of emoticons 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechnight Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Wow. This above has been creative indeed. Anyways, back to the topic, I'd say, give yourself time over the summer, and do some revision. I am sure you will find the material much easier and manageable, but if not, you can always drop to Studies at the beginning of next year. The thing a lot of people in my class did was to transfer only after the mocks (which are somewhere in February), and then they found the lower level super easy and did not study until May - and still did well. Though this was for HL -> SL, as we don't have Studies, I believe the principle is the same. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeznuts Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 yes do it! Universities care about the overall ib points so you're likely to do better in studies! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
King112 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 yes do it! Universities care about the overall ib points so you're likely to do better in studies!Wrong! (a) Depends where your applying and what stream. If you look at the UK, for Economics/finance, in schools like LSE, Oxford, they want HL math.(b) I can't comment for Medicine, but the fields OP mentioned would require, I guess, (at least for like Ivy Leagues, or high end colleges) a SL math. At OP, I think its a case of nerves you've developed. Practice, and mental psyching should help you fix that. Personally, I had bad grades in the start of IB1, but practice makes perfect, and thats what I did, and moved upto a 6. So I think you should be fine (specially since you said you had an aptitude for math, something I lacked), so maybe just practice. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Jordan Posted May 18, 2015 Report Share Posted May 18, 2015 I'd stay try to stick it to the end of your first year - if your grade still isn't what you desire, then by all means drop to studies. Since you'll have the knowledge from SL Maths, Studies should be fairly easy for you. After all, you can always take maths courses in university and breeze by them. c: I have a few friends who dropped from SL to Studies after IB1 and they said that it was a good idea for them, and they felt very confident about their external exams. If something is points-based and does not give any requirements for difficulty, then go for whatever will give you the most points. If it requires difficulty, try to go for SL Maths, but don't sacrifice your grade for it if you don't feel confident about it! Hope this helps xx Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kakeibgirl Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 My subject combination had Math at the SL level but it was not helping me with my grades so i shifted to studies and that really helped me with my grades.... I have bio, physics and chem at HL so SL math was quite tough for me to cope up, so i shifted to SL.... The faster you make your mind the better it would be for you Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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