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Math SL to Math Studies

prashrest1prashrest1 11 replies6 threads Junior Member
edited April 2019 in International Baccalaureate (IB)
i'm not doing well in math sl- i'm in DP1 and i have a 4. tbh i didnt study for math at all.

i want to go to a liberal arts college in the US, im from nepal and i do the IB at a UWC school.

solely for US college admissions, should i drop to math studies and opt for a better total IB grade, or should i settle for a 4 or max 5 in math SL? will colleges prefer a better overall grade or a math sl base? (im planning on pursuing law or government, international relations or sth similar, not much in the math field).

edited April 2019
9 replies
Post edited by skieurope on
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Replies to: Math SL to Math Studies

  • jenericjeneric 254 replies0 threads Junior Member
    Most colleges wouldn't give you credit for either Math Studies or Math SL- if you can pass the exit with a 4 and it won't keep you from earning the IB Diploma, I don't think it will matter. Most US schools don't request IB scores for admission- at least for kids in US schools.
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  • eas4vreas4vr 27 replies6 threads Junior Member
    I don't think colleges even care that much what your IB exam scores are unless you're perhaps going to a top tier university like the Ivy Leagues, but even then, IB exams are just a way to earn credit. Math is typically a requirement, so I don't know if you can even get credit for it. So long as you score 24 points total and don't score a 2 or below on SL exams, you won't lose your IB diploma. Anyhow, you will already be accepted into college by the time you discover whether or not you get your IB diploma.
    If a college were to care that much about your IB scores, they would notice the deliberate change from math SL to the easier math studies. Unless it's a detriment to your GPA, which I doubt, then I wouldn't consider switching, but that's just me.
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  • VaporeonKidVaporeonKid 137 replies11 threads Junior Member
    Depends on the colleges you're looking at. A lot of liberal arts schools also have strong connections with UWC so they might cut you some slack (only anecdotal evidence, cannot confirm). Also really depends on what you want to major in. Most US schools care about predicted grades more than the actual grade anyway, so a good alternative to dropping to Math studies is to communicate with your teacher and ask them how you can improve, show initiative in class, etc.
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  • MYOS1634MYOS1634 42271 replies454 threads Senior Member
    American colleges don't ask for final scores but they do use the predicted score.
    You can switch to Math Studies, which is similar to "math for general education" in the US. What are your other subjects?
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  • prashrest1prashrest1 11 replies6 threads Junior Member
    edited April 2018
    my subjects are;

    Economics, Geography, English A Lang & Lit HL
    Biology, Chinese ab initio and Math SL
    edited April 2018
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  • MYOS1634MYOS1634 42271 replies454 threads Senior Member
    Your choices "make sense" and you can switch to Math Studies if you won't be using math in your major. If you plan to major in economics though you need to stick with Math SL.
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  • chromium0818chromium0818 13 replies4 threads Junior Member
    You may still qualify for a program in the liberal arts and social sciences with Mathematical Studies SL. It will boost your GPA and increase your chance of becoming awarded the IB diploma. Unless your major is Economics or Business (or a related field), I see nothing wrong with switching from Mathematics SL to Math Studies SL.
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  • curiouspenguincuriouspenguin 23 replies1 threads Junior Member
    Most colleges don't accept ib exams in the sl category, so choose whatever you like best.
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  • TheGuy1TheGuy1 926 replies5 threads Member
    depends on ur need of math for intended major...

    also id suggest drop to SL... i doubt colleges look at it highly... except if u wanna do art or history or smthin....

    but if its compromizing ur grade so much... do it.
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