Dear IB students

Hi!

Math HL and Math SL does make a difference sometimes, depending on what you want to study and at which university. However, there are always ways of getting to where you want to be despite not going to the best university. 

My advice is to check the requirements for the universities you are interested in applying to. I would say Economics HL is a lot better than SL Business - so that is a very good move you did!

I was not able to apply for some economics degrees in London as I did not have HL Math.

I hope this helps, and good luck! Let me know how it goes! 

Hi!

I did Math SL, and only had a few friends who did math HL. I think the most important thing is to realise the time and effort needed to complete it successfully. My friends who studied HL math spent a lot of time on studying, and struggled at times. I do not, at all, mean to discourage you. However, I believe it is important to make others aware of the challenges as well! 

I would have wanted advice on the possible struggles of the IB when I applied and chose my subjects.

So, unfortunately I cannot provide you any specific advice for math HL, other than putting in a lot of time, effort and determination! Good luck!

Hi!

I did this blog as my CAS project. I had friends who did baking club, dance classes etc. I think the best thing is to find something you find interesting, and fun, and try think about if you could do something with that. My best advice always is to focus on what you find interesting and fun, because whenever you need to spend a lot of time on something you want to make sure it is something fun!

Hello everyone! How is everyone’s summer going?

As you may or may not know, I graduated from the IB in 2016. It has now been four years, and going into fall I would like to help you in the way I can - both by answering your questions, but also by providing you advice on University applications.

A little about me: I graduated from the IB in 2016, and started studying BSc Business Management at Queen Mary University of London in September 2016. I graduated university in 2019 with a First Class Honours. In September 2019 I began the Graduate Diploma in Law, which is essentially one law degree packed into 10 months. I hence graduated in July 2020 with a Commendation on the Graduate Diploma in Law. 

If you or anyone you know want some advice on your University applications, please feel free to send me a message and I will help you in any way i can!

I have applied both through UCAS and the Common Application (to the US). 

Hi! I believe anything you set your mind to you’ll be able to achieve. I did the Swedish program before doing the IB, so I was not prepared for the workload but managed anyway.

The IB is difficult and it requires a lot of time and effort, but from what you’re saying I believe you should do the IB.

Comparing myself now to when I did the IB, I was not studying THAT much. Even if I thought so at that point in time. The IB is about being strategic and efficient in how you study. If you take some time to really watch figure out a good study routine and strategy for you, then you will be fine.

Best of luck!

Hello my lovely IB friends! I just published my first article on LinkedIn - please feel free to have a read and send it to anyone you think would be interested!

Hi,

I studied IB and now I am studying business (with focus on finance and law) and later going into law for my postgraduate. I did Economics HL and Business HL, and so the first year of university I already knew everything. I did not study a single bit, as the IB HL subjects include first year of university. The IB is amazing preparation for university, even if you are not studying science!

Hi,

First of all, I am sorry that you had a teacher like that. It certainly does not help! Second of all, no, the IB does not take those circumstances into consideration. I had a very bad mathematics teacher, which was not taken into consideration either. There is absolutely a chance of passing - nothing is impossible! It will be more difficult, but if you are efficient and smart with your studies you will pass. Make sure to do all the work on time, and try to finish your internal assessments and extended essay as quickly as possible (perhaps during the summer or early fall) so you have lots of time to dedicate to biology. Best of luck!

Hi,

How exciting! I studied chemistry SL without any previous knowledge of chemistry. I started off doing physics SL, but it was too difficult and I dropped it as I did not get higher than a 5 on each test (my teacher advised me to drop it as it would only get more difficult). It is very individual how difficult you find it though, of course. I am quite good at maths, but my problem was the time. IB in general requires a lot of time, as there is a lot of content in a short amount of time. And I was not able to understand the topics in physics fully before we moved on to the next one. Perhaps, you could start off with physics and otherwise drop it. You can also choose 7 subjects (which would allow you to not have to recap the beginning of a subject if you would switch from physics). 

Hi,

First of all - HL economics is much better than SL business. HL economics is quite easy, and so you will not have difficulties studying this. In regards to math SL vs math HL, it does affect your chances of getting into good universities. Most good universities require mathematics HL for many courses related to mathematics, e.g. economics and perhaps architecture (I am not very familiar with the entry requirements for this course specifically). 

I would research what universities you would want to go to, and what their entry requirements are!

Hi,

Let me tell you one thing: stress is your worst enemy. It damages your physical and mental health, and for every day that you procrastinate, the stress will eventually get worse.

Don’t think. Just sit down, and do the easier bits to get started. Write something, anything. Anything that will make it easier than starring at a blank page. Disconnect the part of your brain that thinks about how boring/difficult it is. My best advice is to think about how nice it will be to NOT have to stress about it. 

Hi,

First of all - congratulations! You should expect hard work - but all the skills you need will be developed during the years. Discipline, motivation, efficiency, productivity - your teachers (and the program in itself) help you develop these. Don’t be scared by the workload! Although it is a lot, it will bring you amazing advantages when you graduate and move on to university. 

Except from the workload, you should expect very good relationships with teachers. They work as mentors rather than teachers, which is very helpful when struggling with certain topics - as they will really take the time to help you.

You should also expect putting in hours for CAS - which is creativity, action and service that you have to complete as part of your degree.

Hi! 

Sorry for the delayed answer. But absolutely! Just send me more information and I will of course promote it on here.

Hi,

I think that you should accept it. Yes, the “real” IB is a lot harder than pre-IB. Yes, it does require hard work and it is very time consuming. BUT, I promise you, when you graduate and get through those three years, it will pay off. University will be much easier than if you do not do the IB, you will be disciplined, motivated, efficient, productive, and you will KNOW the things you have studied. Not only that, but having studied the IB is a huge advantage when you are applying for internships and jobs further on. I promise you, IB will be worth it, and you will do great! 

Hi - thank you so much! The best advice I can give you is to stay on track - don’t fall back on readings or assignments. Don’t leave things for last minute. Stress is your worst enemy, but if you are able to manage it then you will do very well. Do not re-write the textbook when you make notes - that is useless. Take time to read, understand, and write a summary of the most important points. IB is about LEARNING. Memorising will never work. Understanding, learning and being efficient will help you a lot! I promise that you will do great - best of luck!

Hi! How fun! It does require a lot of work, BUT as you have to do creativity, action and service (CAS) you could easily continue with your extracurricular activities and mark these as CAS. I am not going to lie to you, IB does require a lot of time - but if you stay on top of the work then you should be fine. Either way, it will give you a huge advantage when you start university. Don’t be scared of not having a social life, you will have one! Maybe not just to the same extent as other students.