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IB Course Selection


Kymberlite

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 Hi, I'm in grade 10. I'm not doing the MYP but we do have pre-IB classes. We're going to have to pick IB courses for next year. So, here are my courses I plan to take. I'm interested in business administration and international relations by the way. Guys, should I take Spanish B or should I take French Ab initio? And how difficult is Math SL? I'm currently taking Pre-Cal.  

 

  •  HL History of the Americas
  • HL Business Studies
  • HL English
  • SL Environmental 
  • SL Spanish B
  • SL   Math                     
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SL math isn't all that bad. Pay attention in class, review your notes for a week before the tests, you can get a 6 easy. Thats what I do, and I have a 6.

Language depends. French ab is from the scratch, so thats good, and it's really close to Spanish (from what my friends say). 

On the other hand, if you've done Spanish before, and would rather become proficient in a language rather than knowing multiple, you could take that. So, which are you better at? Play your strengths

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Well, if your not doing well in Spanish, sure, French ab is pretty easy.

Math is all practice. I suck at math to be very honest. I am scared of numbers. But, just practice it, and you'll get through. From what I've heard, Math Studies is literally baby steps. If you don't think you can cope, then sure. But remember, sometimes, courses may require you math sl at the very least. I'm not totally sure, but i would assume Business Admin would require SL math.

It's your call at the end of the day, but I would take SL math if I were you. Though please remember, you can do Studies, and there are colleges that will accept, and that won't accept. Not trying to be mean/demotivate you, I'm being bluntly honest right now.

Hope this helps

King112

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Hmm, well I think you could stick to Math SL and just work on it. I'm not that great in math either but with some help from my teacher and daily practice, I'm at a 5/5+ right now. (And trust me when I say I was bad at math, I mean BAD) But if you really don't like math or don't want to do it, then take Math Studies.  

 

As for Spanish, well if you're not too great at it, then sure! Try a new language. :) French is pretty fun and for ab initio, having a background in Spanish should help you smoothly transition into the course.

Edited by IbTrojan
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If I could, I would change to Math Studies in a heartbeat. I've always sucked at Math and because of my low grades and the headaches doing Math gives me (literally -- I have to take aspirin or it gets so bad I have to take a nap), I am completely demotivated. Math SL is hard, there's no denying that, but most people in my class, if they've gotten good grades before and do their work throughout the course, manage -- whether they like Math or not. So if you're not confident in Math, taking Studies is going to bump up your final diploma score and that's very useful.

 

There are some courses and universities that don't accept Studies, though, so I really suggest you do some research and see if your preferred subjects in university require SL or higher. I don't see why they should, but it's always good to check.

 

Otherwise, your subjects look fine. Pick between French and Spanish by which language is easier to learn for you (do you like French films, music, are you interested in the culture? Or does Spanish interest you more?) -- my language B teacher said the Ab initio exam is very similar to SL. And if both feel the same to you, take the subject with the better teacher (IB kids are always willing to share info on teachers, so ask them if you're unfamiliar with the teachers) or the subject you've learned (longer) in school.

 

Good luck!

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If you can, get a tutor, work hard and take Math HL

I was getting a 4 in Math extended before the IB started and chose Math HL.

I started off with a 3-4 in the beggining but then I got a tutor and started to get into rythm of the course and now i'm getting a 6 in math HL.

This has probably been the best IB decision I have taken so far as I have learnt so much in math that now physics Hl, Economics Hl and chemistry HL have all become a lot easier and I am getting a 6-7 in all these.

All the Ivy league and top universities also request students who have Math HL so by taking Math SL you will be closing some potential doors.

Hope this helps! :)

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Please do not take HL math if you do not need it for what you want to study and don't enjoy it enough to spend the time required for it. You can get accepted into top universities throughout the world without it. In my graduating class above mine we sent a girl to Harvard and she only had math studies.

Your subjects seem fine for business or International relations-type careers. If you're concerned about not being able to improve in Spanish (remember, you get two years, you don't have to be perfect right away) you can switch to French. At the ab initio level you're not doing anything complicated, so it should be fairly easy.

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Thanks for the advice guys :) I think I'll settle for SL Math and if I suck at it I could drop down to Math Studies. I'm glad my school lets me switch to a lower math class within a month instead of two weeks for IB. I'm thinking of getting a tutor and revising math notes during the summer. Also, I'll ask my pre-calculus teacher what topics I should revise for SL math. Do you guys think that I'll be prepared that way? Once again, thanks alot for the advice!  :) 

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Like what other posters have said, take French if you think you're not too good with Spanish so you can play on your strengths. I have done a bit of IB content for math so far and it doesn't seem to be too bad (though stats is a huge pain). Math requires lots of practice. If you're going into business admin and international relations, HL business studies seems to be a good choice. However, it depends on what uni you're interested in applying to. I suggest checking out uni websites for their requirements. 

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 Hi, I'm in grade 10. I'm not doing the MYP but we do have pre-IB classes. We're going to have to pick IB courses for next year. So, here are my courses I plan to take. I'm interested in business administration and international relations by the way. Guys, should I take Spanish B or should I take French Ab initio? And how difficult is Math SL? I'm currently taking Pre-Cal.  

 

  •  HL History of the Americas
  • HL Business Studies
  • HL English
  • SL Environmental 
  • SL Spanish B
  • SL   Math                     

 

SL Maths would be good. Annnd take French Ab Initio - it's a piece of cake. Good luck!

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I'm getting constant 4s and sometimes 5s for my Spanish Advanced Class ( a prerequisite class for Spanish B). My teacher told me French Ab initio has a lot of memorization and a lot of work. Will Spanish B be easier or around the same level next year? I'm still thinking about Spanish B vs French Ab initio. 

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