Math Studies Abuse and Respect

[king2010]

My Math Studies class is a huge joke...I use it to catch up on homework, never paying attention and I ace every quiz. It worries me because I only found out recently that MS is generally looked down upon...do colleges take it into consideration when look at applications? I'm not a Math student in any way, my best subjects are History and English. However I think I'm pretty good at it. Do I need to worry about this? Should I take Pre-Calc Senior year or maybe go one step further and take Pre-Calc over the summer/in my free time so I can take Calculus next year?

[__inthemaking]

If you're going into anything related to business/economics/maths/sciences, then yes, they probably wouldn't accept math studies SL.

But if you're going into arts/humanities, I think it's fine.

[IBStuck]

depends on the school.are you going to stay in the US? and what schools are you loking at? for example myschool accepts math studies. i took SL but ia m business major, but i could have taken studies and my uni wouldn't have cared. they only gave me credit for college algebre after i did all that calc.

___inthemaking is right though, ti depends on what you want to study.

[king2010]

Just to clarify, I'm taking the Math Studies HL exam next year, I'm not taking the SL exam. And yes, I'm going into History/Geography/Psychology/Politics.

[moneyfaery]

Just to clarify, I'm taking the Math Studies HL exam next year, I'm not taking the SL exam. And yes, I'm going into History/Geography/Psychology/Politics.

Math Studies HL? What is that... a new course?

[dexter]

Honestly I heard that they do look down but if your not majoring in anythning that requires it then its ok but in some cases they univeristy gives u a bridge course if neede which is like a course to bring u "up to level" with the other students.

[hamani]

Math Studies HL? What is that... a new course?

trust me, there isnt such a thing

check with your IB Coordinator.

[stylusdef]

What's up with this rumor that Math Studies isn't good enough if you want to study Business? That's not true.

[stylusdef]

Top unis wanna see lots of things.

[Dennis Valentine]

Math Studies is more than enough for Business and Management, because the subject is not based solely on your mathematical skills, but rather a good mindset.

Regarding the necessity or humour of Math Studies, our IB Coordinator told in advance that some universities might not accept your application, but this is of course supported by the profession or field of study being considered.

By looking at your chosen subjects (and possibly your choice for a career), a high mathematical expertise is not mandatory, so I would predict that your Math Studies will not be a hinder for your future after all.

[imyrashid]

My Math Studies class is a huge joke...I use it to catch up on homework, never paying attention and I ace every quiz. It worries me because I only found out recently that MS is generally looked down upon...do colleges take it into consideration when look at applications? I'm not a Math student in any way, my best subjects are History and English. However I think I'm pretty good at it. Do I need to worry about this? Should I take Pre-Calc Senior year or maybe go one step further and take Pre-Calc over the summer/in my free time so I can take Calculus next year?

Well our university adviser told me that some unis don't even recognise it as an IB subject..which may seem hard to beleive but its apparantly true

[KiwiFruit]

Does anyone else get hassled or abused for doing math studies, I seem to get laughed at a lot for doing it. Also will I be able to go to college with math studies? Or do they think that is a NO NO.?

[Dennis Valentine]

There is already a "discussion" going on already. Please read what people have been saying, if not done previously:

http://www.ibsurvival.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4282

But as a short answer to your question, the Mathematics HL and SL class at our school usually make jokes about them, because to our mind, it is ridiculously easy. But hey, they get 6 and 7s, and not everyone at our class will, so actually the jokes should be on us!

[Vvi]

Well, to disprove all those people saying Math Studies is no good: I got a conditional offer from Leeds already, 34 points and they make no mention of any maths requirements. I applied for international relations and French.

My classmate, on the other hand, applied for politics and international relations to Sheffield University and they want a 5 from her in SL math. Another classmate got an offer from Sheffield too with just Maths Studies, for EXACTLY the same course as the one who takes SL Math. Does it make any sense to ask an SL student for a 5 and a Studies student for nothing?

Guess it comes down to whether or not the university wants you. Personal statement is obviously what counts. If the course requirements state nothing about Maths preferences, you're fine.

[ezex]

OK. No. Sorry, but no. Economics, business, and all those other pseudo maths, just kiddin , require several courses in abstract math (linear algebra, math theory classes and whatnot). Many of those require some type of calculus class to support most the theorems, though you might end up with a B instead of an A if you have no calculus at all. As for the fact that the class is looked down upon, not really. It's not LOOKED DOWN UPON, perse, its more like they don't recognize it. They won't mind, lets put it that way. The difference between IB math and say, AP calculus is that IB math they'll see that you had it which is good. Harvard, Oxford, those english/humanities places will probably not distinguish the two.

But if you're gonna follow a business career, you really need good calculus, and IB isn't the place to get that. I've written plenty against IB math, I know, but its still true. IB math is too broad a course for anything to stick. It's a good introductory course to abstract math, but really AP calculus is much more specific. In my school alone there's about 150 kids in 12th grade in IB and of those about half went the easy way...you know, math studies, and almost all the othe half went to math SL. Then theres about 20 that are in calc BC, about 15 that decided to take math SL AND ap calc, and then theres me and lucas, nvm that though. If you're takin math SL this year, I'd say just ask if they can put you in ap calc next year along with math HL, its really not that hard, specially if you already took a whole year of calculus.

[Stereoisomer]

Maths Studies?!

Well, there is nothing wrong with it. I mean my maths teacher said that the Studies people actually do a bit of Calculus...

But i reckon it is ridiculously easy. Then again, people have different strengths, not everyone is good at maths.

If you want to major in anything to do with economics, science, technology in college.. you need Maths SL.

If you want to go into engineering, then Maths HL is a must:)

With studies, you can possibly do business/economics/.. but it is preferable that you have SL maths

Journalism does not require SL Maths though.. Studies will be OK.

[mizyou]

it also depends on the university. One of my friends had to move from math studies to math SL in Y2 cos the university that he wants to go to requires it for all courses. they don't accept math studies.

So you might want to check the university you are going to too. Just in case.

[__inthemaking]

Well..yeah, everyone at my school made fun of math studies because the majority of my class found maths SL easy already so we figured math studies must be ridiculously easy and so there's not really as much esteem or honour in getting a 7 in that subject.

And it really depends on what program you're going into at university. Definitely won't be able to get into a good maths/science program. I think you're fine for arts/humanities and maybe business.

[ezex]

Well you have to understand what happens in IB is really unfair. Look at it this way: you're really bad in math because you love to write and you really don't think you're ever gonna do math again in your life, so IB was smart enough to create a math class for those people. Now imagine its backwards, like me, and you love math but hate writing with a passion. What do you do? You're f**ed, excuse my french. No matter how bad you are in writing you're forced to know what Shakespear means when Romeo farts, cause it probably doesnt just mean he wanted to fart, it's probably a symbol for love or something. So the reason we laugh at the kids taking math studies is that they can't laugh back at us for taking english studies. If you want to stop gettin laughed at petition for IB to add a language class for those who don't want to follow a career in poem-reading...though odds are that everyone in the IB board are English majors so they don't see how a nuclear engeneer could possibly not need to know how elephants are symbolic in Fiela's child! I mean c'mon, that's SO important!

[deissi]

ezex,

possibly you haven't realized that literature does far more than teach you how to analyze Shakespeare and other playwrights/poets/authors. And, even though you might not realize it, good writing skills are important even for nuclear physicists, consider yourself doing your PhD in some 10 years: a well-written PhD is likely to get you fame and money, but if your PhD is mathematically/physically advanced, but poorly written, no one will read it and you'll end up not getting the credit you deserve for it simply because it was badly written. Fact of life, if you write well, people will read it, even if the content is less than adequate. And before you ask, yes, literature does teach you to write.

I do, however, consider your note about there existing a Math Studies class but no English Studies class very valid. I'm also of the belief that everyone should know basic math, but fact of life is that it's very difficult for many people, more difficult than English A1 is for you.