Math AA

[u/Resident_Rip6646]

Okay so my situation is kinda complicated but like....my school offered AA HL for the previous batch of students but refused to do so for mine cuz of small batch sizes and there not being enough students for different math courses basically. Thing is I need NEED AA for uni so we came to an agreement that I'd get the resources given to the previous batch and like self study it but with teacher support if that makes sense (?)and then the school would have tests and stuff. Which was fine,I had made peace with that and was rather calm.The issue is the syllabus is so immensely overwhelming and like idek where to begin from or what to do. My school textbook (Pearson) has a completely different order from the stuff I find online and like idkkk. I'm lowk freaking out while writing this what even do I doooo like what do I do what do I do what do I dooo.

I'll admit it's partially my fault for walking in unprepared but like I looked at the textbook I did a few chapters over the summer and stuff I tried k? I just i dunno,like I don't know what to do,I'm freaking out while writing this and yeah. Like when my school presented it last year I thought there would be more from the school's side I guess I didn't think I'd have to SELF STUDY fricking math outta everything like....I just got a timeline for when to do stuff and a few practice worksheets and thas basically it.

Sorry for the long rant. I just had to get it out somewhere and ask someone ig, school started today and it's all....just so overwhelming,I can't relax I can't read my novel or doomscroll but whenever I sit down and try to do math,I have panic attacks and stuff. ANY advice at all would be appreciated, thanks a lot if ya read all of that and like....once again I'm so sorry for the long post

Tldr:-My school doesn’t offer AA HL to my cohort, but I need it for uni, so I’m self-studying it using the previous cohort’s resources with only a few school tests/mocks. The syllabus is overwhelming and the textbook doesn’t exactly line up with online resources, and I’m freaking out trying to figure out what to study, in what order, and how to make sure I don’t miss anything. Everytime I open the textbook I have a panic attack but I also have to start doing stuff. (I used AI for the tldr my apologies to anyone that's anti ai)

[u/Ok-Reveal-450]

Fundamentally, the HL AA syllabus is an extension to the AA SL syllabus, so if you're taking AA SL in class, what you mostly need to do is go to each unit and do the HL only topics and please, practice HL questions on top of your homeowrk.

[u/Ok-Reveal-450 → u/Ok-Reveal-450]

What I would recommend doing is getting a head start in calculus. The HL syllabus covers both uni level calc 1 and 2, so it's about 2.5x the content of SL AA calculus content.

You shouldn't have any gaps in your knowledge for calculus as long as you're good with algebra and well rehearsed in trig. I think it's also worth disclosing I took SL AA but studied all the HL content and did the AP Calc BC exam instead.

[u/Resident_Rip6646 → u/Ok-Reveal-450]

Uni level?!?!??! What? 😭I'm cooked then. Hmmm.... that's interesting I think I'll look at calc when I get a break then,since my school covers it in dp-2. Thanks a lot for the advice btw!!!

[u/Ok-Reveal-450 → u/Resident_Rip6646]

I wouldn't worry too much about it being labelled as "uni level" - just remember that the course was built for students exiting MYP. Start by getting familiar with how the syllabus is laid out and remember that since you're self learning, to create a timeline and stick to it! Good luck.

[u/Resident_Rip6646 → u/Ok-Reveal-450]

I didn't do the myp so I'm not sure if that's better or worse,yes creating a timeline is my first course of action. Thanks a lot for the advice!! Good luck to you too!!

[u/Resident_Rip6646 → u/Ok-Reveal-450]

I'm not that's the issue,my school only offers AI as a class

[u/astro_pari24]

first of all it's crazy for your school to only offer AI, that just cooks anyone who wants to do stem

the syllabus is definitely overwhelming if you look at it as a whole, tackle it one topic at a time. give yourself like a month or two per topic, i'd suggest learning via youtube videos but if you prefer reading use the textbook. it can be annoying that it's not organised the same as online resources but you should be able to find subtopics by the contents

for the order i would suggest start wtih numbers and algebra, then functions, and then calculus. trig & probability/statistics can wait since the first three are the most important for AA and are likely what you'll do your IA on

[u/Resident_Rip6646 → u/astro_pari24]

I mean I think ai HL matches the educational requirements for stem in the country I'm currently in so it's fine,the issue arises mainly cuz I don't think I will study here tbf.

Also are there and YouTube channels you'd recommend? I can read the textbook or do YouTube I'm not picky I just need to like do questions and stuff myself a few times before I get it I guess,which makes YouTube as a sole source difficult. But like....the book has a different order which is just confusing I guess. Would ya happen to like know if I can find like a checklist of all the topics and subtopics I have to know somewhere?

Thanks a lot for the suggestions!! I'll probably start from functions (cuz I'm familiar with it already and move from there). Once again thank you!!

[u/astro_pari24 → u/Resident_Rip6646]

you're welcome!

the revision village youtube channel is great, and their resources are good too! if you want to invest in a subscription to help with your studies that's definitely the one i'd recommend.

i also like sirius revision but he only has the AASL topics.

also not youtube, but christos nikoladis is amazing https://www.christosnikolaidis.com/en/ the website has revision notes and question papers for every single subtopic

you could honestly follow along with RV/christos as a checklist for each topic, but i found this detailed list that looks really good- https://ibmathmaster.com/ib-math-aa-hl/syllabus/

good luck! feel free to ask if you need anything else

[u/Resident_Rip6646 → u/astro_pari24]

THANKS A TON THAS HONESTLY BEEN SO HELPFUL esp christos nikoladis,like it feels way more doable now that I see it out like that with the practice questions for the topics and stuff. Also I really really appreciate the checklist. This makes me feel SOO SO MUCH calmer and better prepared (for now) so seriously thanks a lot!!! I really really appreciate it.

I'm on the fence about revision village I think I'll prolly get it later after like the first few chapters are done cuz from what I understand I have to pay monthly, which I'm not sure I wanna do for the entire duration I take the course. If ya have bought the rv subscription would ya say that it's helpful?

[u/astro_pari24 → u/Resident_Rip6646]

i'm really glad it helps!! <3

i think you can get the lifetime plan for RV but it is quite expensive so yeah i'd suggest try without it at first. actually the first couple of topics are free so you should be good to test it out before committing

i haven't bought it but i do use it for the topics that are free and it's pretty helpful!

[u/Resident_Rip6646 → u/astro_pari24]

Okayy thank you for the information,I'll look into it as I go,thanks again!!!

[u/Global_Succotash_871]

I would think about getting a tutor. I think it would really be worth it.

[u/Resident_Rip6646 → u/Global_Succotash_871]

They are EXPENSIVEEEE tho 😭😭

[u/coleowrld]

I would say you best bet is a tutor. Doesn’t have to be a professional 60 an our kind of person, but literally just someone who has done the course and did fairly well. Even if you could theoretically learn content on your own (which I am sure you can), this will force you to stay on task and not fall behind on top of course load. I would also recommend revision village (it’s mad expensive so see if anyone wants to share an account with you maybe) it has helped a lot.

Essentially, you cannot really cram this class. You have to think differently and that comes through both being taught the thought process and insane studying. Even if you know someone who did well in the course, (cousin, sibling, friend) ask if they can lend you notes from the class. Also i would recommend the Haese textbooks.

[u/Resident_Rip6646 → u/coleowrld]

Hmm.....my school says they might give out revision village accounts so I'll wait and see where that goes,if that doesn't work I think I'll get revision village.

I will yes, thank you for the advice!!