EE and Universities.

[gk2537]

Hey guys, I've got a question about Extended essays and universities.

I was going to do my Extended Essay on applied Physics because I really enjoy it and I also want to get into a good university in this field. However, when I looked at the grades my school gets for physics EE, I was terrified. The last person who did it was the dux of my school a few years ago who did hers on the effect of the atmosphere on the half life of cosmic rays. She got C for it, remarked to a B. Her overall score was 44(lost 1 in TOK/EE).

So now, I have to make a decision on what I subject I'll be doing for my EE really soon.

Can anyone tell me how important EE is with Universities (Oxford, Imperial etc.)

Thanks.

Ukrit

November 2012

Grades: (At the moment)

Maths HL 7

Physics HL 7

Chemistry HL 6

Economics HL 7

English A1 SL 6

Japanese B SL 7

Dream: Oxford (Material Science)

Been slacking in Chem a lot!

[ShootingStars]

EE itself is not too important for universities.

If you do it in a subject unrelated to what you wish to study later on, thats completely fine. The grade is much more important than what subject you do it in. That said, please make sure you choose a subject you enjoy! The only reason the grade is important is because you may need that one/two/three bonus points to make your offer at Oxford/Imperial/UK universities in general.

(Of course, if you do your EE in the subject you wish to pursue later, you can mention it in interviews/personal statement etc. It can be an added advantage to you. But you're really not losing out on anything if you don't.

But especially since you're choosing universities that will ask for high offers, I'd advise you to try and find another subject you enjoy with a better supervisor/better past history of grades.

Hope this helps!

[dessskris]

for UK unis, or Oxford in particular (I'm applying there too! which college are you applying to?), I think the grade is a lot more important than the EE subject or topic.

however if you write your EE in the subject you're applying to, it might be beneficial when it comes to writing personal statement (which you should've started working on). you can mention some in depth knowledge and demonstrate your interests in the subject there. that's the only benefit I think.

[TurtleR]

A lot of people at my school chose to do the EE in a subject they arent interested in simply because they didn't want to get a bad mark. It may benefit them, because there's a higher chance of them getting that extra point on their diploma, which means universities have a higher chance of accepting them.

However, if you do it in a subject you truly like, and want to pursue in the future, theres a higher chance of you getting a good mark on it. And as the above posters mentioned, it would be better to mention in interviews as well as giving you more knowledge in that field.

[Arrowhead]

It's really up to you, I had a friend who loved Maths, I mean she adored it. She's currently at UChicago studying Maths and she did her EE in maths. She got a C, sent in for remarking and remained a C. Whatever her grade may have been, she still enjoyed writing her EE, I think, as close as one can come to enjoying one's EE I guess.

[MR.AHM]

Well, It doesn't matter what subject your Extended Essay is. Because in the end they won't look at until you tell them. I am going to do engineering, but my EE is in Arabic (Language), but I did researches in physics and mathematics that I am going to send for the university as my experience in engineering because the school made me feel like it is very hard to get a good mark in sciences or maths.

However, they look at your grades. And if you do it in the easiest subject and possible to get A or B so you gain the 2 or 3 extra points. I prefer you do it. You will save time and pressure and will have time to revise the other subjects.

For example Desy Glau want to do in Mathematics , but she told me she regret it because it took her a long time to figure a topic. So my advice if you are not sure of getting a good mark do it in languages