Partial IB: Should I do the EE?

[DiviDivi]

I have decided to go partial in order to take the classes that I will need in order to attend university for engineering, as my school's IB program is very limited.  Because I am partial, I will not receive a total score out of 45, ergo the essay grade will not count towards anything.

The fact that my EE grade would not matter proves to be a double-edged sword; the benefit being that I can freely choose any topic and study it as I please, without the stress of a final grade; the drawback being the fact that all that hard work does not really go towards anything.  So really, I would only be doing the EE for the experience.

If I do the EE, I still need a subject.  My current IB classes are HL English, history and bio; and SL French B, math, and chem.  I have six listed because I don't know which ones I will drop, as that depends on the scheduling of the next school year.  However, I am certain that I will be completing all the SLs, and at least the first of 3 semesters of each of the HLs.

With that said, I would like to write an EE on a topic relating to engineering in some way.  That leaves me with math and biology (chem is my least favourite science so that's off my list).  I have heard that EEs in STEM don't usually do very well, however, again, since I am partial the grade won't count anyway.  Then there's also the possibility of an interdisciplinary essay, if I did that I would choose a "sciencey" topic such as technology, energy security or the environment.

So, my questions:

Is the experience alone a good enough reason to go through with the EE?

Is it worth it to do such an in-depth study "for fun" in math, bio or an interdisciplinary topic? (I'm also just starting math and bio, so I don't know what my IA topics will be)

If there is anyone here who has completed the essay, what did you gain from the whole process, that you wouldn't gain from a regular essay?

If there are any other partials out there, what did you choose to do?

[kw0573]

Unpopular opinion: if you are not going to do the diploma, why do the EE? The EE forces you to a certain timeline. If you want to do research, you can do it yourself outside the program. There is little benefit that EE brings to a typical IB graduate and even less if you don't do the whole diploma. I say that and I got an A.