Math AA HL is hard. Okay. I won’t give you any glitzy promises of oh, it’s easy, you’ll do just fine. No, because it is difficult, a trial by fire, one might say, but that’s the beauty of it. Being a hard course, it teaches you how to fail, and more importantly, how to get back up again. You’ll get tired, you’ll feel like giving up, but it’s all in the process. Math AA HL is hard, but like a phoenix, like metal hammered in a forge, you’ll come out of it smarter, stronger, and with a greater command and respect over math. Also, you don’t have to deal with the GDC as much. (Sophia Ng, Cohort 1)

Math AA HL is definitely one of the most challenging subjects in the IB curriculum thus far. I previously thought that I could manage and maintain consistent 6s and 7s due to attaining high Math grades in JHS. That is NOT the case. Math AA HL is extremely challenging and not so much for the light-hearted -- there will be days that the entire class will have collective 'brain shutdowns'. Though this is the case, it actually pushed me to become an overall better problem solver. Whilst taking this course, I felt my thinking process develop and change, because the questions that we solve are always different from each other and it really forced me to think quite literally outside of the box. Aside from the specifics, the class environment is very much enriching and cultivating as a community. I would never walk away from a class without having a new profound realization or learning. Overall, my experience in this class was definitely a memorable one, and I have constructed some of my best memories with my set of classmates during class time. (Caitlin Chiang, Cohort 1)

Math AA isn’t as intimidating as it seems. It is very similar to the current curriculum of ICA and focuses more on algebra. The lessons are very interesting and challenging. The first time I started reading the math book, I remember being impressed with how many shortcuts you can take in solving polynomial functions. I personally chose Math AA SL because I considered algebra more interesting than statistics. I also had more experience dealing with x and y. When studying for a unit test, I would usually answer the exam-style questions on the last page of the chapter to review. For those who are thinking of taking Math AA SL, I would say go for it! It is not as hard as it seems and is usually fun and challenging. (Edrea Go, Cohort 2)

I chose this subject because I felt like I enjoyed Math, but I did not want it to be too particularly challenging. I also thought that some of the topics it contained would serve as useful to a few college courses I have in mind for the future. In Math AA SL, I appreciate that some lessons required prior knowledge from what we previously learned in ICA, so it was not too big of a transition. Additionally, this subject deals with a lot of numbers and functions, so I suggest that you brush up on these topics if ever you decide to pursue this subject. Before choosing to take up Math AA SL, I recommend that you first think about how interested you are in Math, and second, how involved it is in a prospective college course of yours. If ever Math is involved in your college course up to a large extent, you may want to consider taking Math AI HL or Math AA HL. If not, I would consider picking this subject or Math AI SL. I wish you luck if ever you choose Math AA SL as a subject! :) (Annika Estrada, Cohort 2)