JoeG

If you're part of the orchestra for a class (i.e. being part of the orchestra is part of your grade) you can not count it as CAS hours, sorry. If you're doing this as an extracurricular activity/not receiving a grade, then you can go ahead and count it.

Look at what the school requires for it's SAT subject tests on it's undergraduate/freshman admission pages. It should tell you exactly what ones to take. Some schools may just require the regular SAT, while two different schools may require two different subject tests.

Hey, I really wouldn't put your first draft on here, until after you've submitted it. You never know if somebody will plagiarize you.

I don't think that it should be a problem. The only thing about sources is that the IBO encourages students to use some primary source material, but they won't mark you down if you only use secondary sources. Just look over the EE subject guide for History to make sure that you have everything they want covered; the one I just glanced over may have been updated by now.

As ibkidlyf said above, if you're having trouble finding information do research (if you have the time) or you could just change your topic around. It seems to me that your topic is too focused. Try a topic that's a bit more open. If you have the sources then disregard my statement lol. I did some quick research and it seems like the Sachsenhausen concentration camp was intended by the NSDAP to be the standard for concentration camps. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that camp was the model of future camps at the inception of its own planning.

Environmental science is not my strong point, but you could try to narrow down your topic to a specific region or group of people. You could also focus on the ecological impacts (if any) and interaction with other corn crops/farmers. Edit: Make sure that your topic is locked down to a certain subject area. Unless something has changed, the IBO will grade you based on the criteria of a SINGLE subject area. So while you can use statistics/biology/etc. in your EE, just be aware that you're only going to be graded on one of those areas.

I'm not sure of what the specifications are for the Physics EE, but you could focus on the albedo of sea-ice and water. It's not exactly refraction, but is still in the general area of optics. As sea water freezes it increases the salinity of the nearby water, thus affecting circulation currents, etc. http://psc.apl.washington.edu/HLD/ArcticChange12/2012_Lect2_Woodgate_SeaiceHO.pdf Here's a diagram I found that will help you out. Also, make sure to check out the Physics EE guide the IBO puts out. http://occ.ibo.org/ibis/documents/dp/drq/extended_essay/d_0_eeyyy_gui_0903_1_e.pdf This IB topic

For universities in the U.S. it will depend on the individual university. Just make sure that you send exactly how many recommendations the university asks for. If they ask for 3, then ONLY send 3. If you try to send too few or too many then it will most likely count against you.

I'll try to help you out on your first one. While the general topic is good it really needs to be refined more. "American culture" is a broad term; what are you looking at specifically? You could look at how it changed the legislature, or the social issues (poverty, religion, etc.) You might be able to look at Mexico-US international relations if that's your cup of tea. If you don't narrow it down I fear that you'll have a unfocused essay which will dilute any good discussion you could have. You only have so much room in your History IA, so make sure your focus is just right, no matter what t

Another approach you can try is to find research institutions or conservation/environmental conservation organizations. If you live in a coastal city or even one with a river you're bound to have some of these. If you don't have anything directly related to Oceanography in your town then you can always try to volunteer with other groups dealing with the environment. If they don't list any positions online then you can always call and ask them. I'm personally an Atmospheric Science major in university, so feel free to PM me any questions you may have. For American universities it's always goo

In general, most universities in the US don't really care what specific classes you take in High School, but rather what kind of classes they are (science, language, math, etc.) Math Studies shouldn't really be a problem, but most universities do recognize that Math SL and above are harder courses. If you're planning on going to medical school in the US, you must first obtain a four year Bachelor's degree, and most likely complete a Pre-medical program during that time. After that, you must take the MCAT and apply to medical school. There are loads of people who go through a pre-med program a

For the tests, I wouldn't say that AP is necessarily easier/harder overall than IB. It really depends on the subject. For the English Literature examination my IB teacher said that the AP students had it much harder than we (English HL) did. The advantage that IB offers is that your IA factors into your score. The fact that some subjects only have one IA really prepares you for University where in some classes you have very few grades as compared to high school. Also, CAS gets many people off their butts and out into the world, where they may not have otherwise. The advantage that AP has over

Your extra-curricular activities right now are good. While it's always good to pursue more activities, you shouldn't be too worried. Also, unless it's something absolutely spectacular, or something that carried over into your Secondary School (High School) career, most colleges/universities really don't care about what you did in Elementary/Middle School. You really want to focus on what you did in High/Secondary school. You seemed to dismiss the clubs you were in. You should try to include them in your discussion of what you did. If you could try to mention some leadership roles that you h

Most US universities shouldn't have a problem with Math Studies. Yet, they do recognize that Math Studies is an easier course. If the school offers college credit for IB classes (ALOT of schools do, but some don't, including some Ivies) you'll see that the credit for good scores in Studies pale in comparison to what you'll get for a good scores in Math SL. What kind of college credit you're expecting shouldn't really matter to you though, as many students come in without ANY college credit. May of my friends, who even majored in the sciences, decided to take Math Studies. I'm not sure how it

I actually think that you should almost never quote Wikipedia. While Wikipedia is a great source of information and especially sources, it's still a mistake to quote/reference it, unless the actual topic of discussion is Wikipedia itself. Just try to find the information in another source instead. While a Wikipedia article may be right on one subject, non-experts can change Wikipedia, although it'll probably be changed back. Since there's always that risk, people marking your papers will look negatively at it being referenced.