How does the Pamoja Math HL course work?

[senora-eel]

I have to make a final decision about my math course. I wrote SL on my registration form, but I'm considering switching to HL. My school only offers it online through Pamoja, and I'm wondering what an online course is like. Is it done at the same time each day like a regular class? Is it a live video with a teacher or does the site have written information/pre-recorded videos? How do tests/assignments/exams work?

Some other Math HL questions:

I've done a lot of reading online, and students say that HL math is very difficult. I want to take it, but I also don't want to get a very low grade. Is there anything I can do over the summer to prepare for the course?

If I switched math to HL I would have to drop biology to SL. I have no idea what I want to study for university. Is one of these courses more useful to have at HL (more career options, for example)? What do universities think of SL biology compared to a regular high school biology course?

I'm kind of worried that I'm just taking HL because I want to be part of the "special Math HL club," but I do really like math and I want to learn as much as I can about it.

If anyone can share advice or experiences for any of these questions, I would appreciate it :-)

[kw0573]

Judging by the SL Bio students at my school saying that they learned a lot of HL contents (just to fill provincial requirements) so that transition of SL to HL Biology seems very feasible. If you are very interested in math you should try HL for a semester or two and if it doesn't work out you can change for SL. You have to realize that some folks who "enjoy" or "excel in" HL Math aren't out there to passionately encourage everyone to do the course, so that might partly explain why you might get a one-sided perspective. HL is definitely has higher recognition and may help you getting into more competitive schools in STEM related fields. Other than admissions, HL Math can often fulfill math requirements in a many majors around the world, whereas HL Biology often does not transfer or transfer to fewer number of credits. 

Personally, HL Math was my easiest HL: both Chemistry and Literature felt more challenging. I also came from a school where 90% of IB students take HL Math over SL, and in general you have more study options in a big class so that's also a factor to consider. I took the option of taking 2 SL during Year 1 so you can see I had more time to spend on my HLs.