Questions about IB and course work

Pre-College Topics International Baccalaureate (IB)
1

Hello, I’m a freshman in honors geometry(honors algebra 2 during my sophomore year) but I want to take IB math HL (req is honors precal in sophomore year) since I like math and physics-related topics does anyone have a solution? Also If this isn’t possible is there a difference in college preference between someone who takes IB math HL vs IB math SL? I haven’t had the time to talk with my counselor about my HS course work, could any of you go over it (should be listed below)?

Thank you!

Years ELA Math Science Social Studies Elective Language Michigan Virtual
Freshman English 9 Honors Geo Honors Biology World History CSE French 1 none
Sophomore American Lit Honors Alg 2 w trig Honors Chemistry APUSH AP environmental science French 4 AP Biology and AP CSE
Junior IB lit HL IB math SL IB Physics HL IB Psychology HL IB Chemistry HL IB French SL none
senior
2

Personally, I’d swap either psych or one of the sciences to SL, so you can do math HL

3

What do you mean swap? I can take out a science course in order to take IB math HL?

4

Assuming your school even allows 4 HL as you have listed, I mean take math HL and take psych or chem SL

5

I cant take math HL since im wont be in honors pre cal during sophomore year

6

My school allows 4 HL, so what you mean is switching IB chem or IB psych from HL to SL allowing me to take IB math HL?

7

@skieurope

8

I don’t know about college preference from an admissions perspective, but none of the schools my kid is looking at will give math credit for SL math. There may be some that do, but we haven’t seen them. My kid is thus considering self-studying for the AP Cal exam – maybe AB, maybe BC – bc she was only allowed 3 HLs and although she’s good at math, it wasn’t as interesting to her as some other options so she’s in SL. But now she’s thinking she might be interested in a program with math prereqs in college so she wants the early Cal credits if possible (not to get to a school, just to make getting the degrees she wants easier).

9

Do you have any advice for me about SL math? What would your daughter have done early on to not be in this situation if she was offered 4 HLs(my course work)? Thank you!

10

At her school, anyone could have taken HL math – all kids had Geometry in 9th grade and Algebra 2 in 10th, and then they could choose, so I just don’t know.

11

I don’t understand. I already see math SL on your schedule for junior year. Isn’t HL a two year course and you would start it junior year and finish it senior year? How does your school’s IB math progression work?

At our HS, the HL courses are all two years, SL is either a course that is only taught for one year, or if you just take the first year of a HL course it is then marked SL.

I agree that math HL would seem to be one of the more important subjects to pick.

12

At our school it’s either math SL or math HL for two years and math HL pre req is honors pre-cal. What I’m asking is do you know any solutions to taking math HL instead of math SL?

13

Do you mean, “how can I arrange my schedule so that I can get into math HL?” That would be something to discuss with your own advisors because every high school is different.

Or do you mean, “I can only take math SL, what do I do?”