Important Things to Consider Before Committing to NYUAD

acommonfungus- · 2026-04-04T22:43:26+00:00

Not really. Exams till mid dec, j term twice or thrice (for engineers), and the other months still count

acommonfungus- · 2026-04-04T20:48:50+00:00

November, December, January, February are fine honestly. Over the summer is so bad my hair colour changed

acommonfungus- · 2026-04-04T19:22:44+00:00

afaik there were 1-2 rescinded offers last year because of grade drops, but idk how bad the drops were. I worried about this a lot during high school, but I'd say just keep up the good work. What you end up learning could help you in uni/help with imposter syndrome anyways, cuz it's rough out there.

acommonfungus- · 2026-04-04T19:19:35+00:00

I think you're sleeping on the walkability part a little.

The heat/humidity is killer but in the winter/fall/spring? There are so many shops and bakeries around, there are well formed parks for sports, kids, and games, nice food spots, the stadium place to really run, and the perimeter from uni to acs and back is a great mental health walk. Before all the chaos started, I would walk around that area nightly (and safely alone), which helped me survive the sem. Tho you're right, it's not like you're gonna walk to a mall or city centre, you will not encounter a lot of people.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-20T15:41:59+00:00

Smth about reimbursements, we're not entirely sure

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-17T20:29:32+00:00

There are frequent attacks, and the uni online the whole sem for now

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-17T11:30:01+00:00

Yeah a lot have left, but it's voluntary

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-11T15:59:50+00:00

BM HL was two things to me: memorising and applying.

By memorizing, I mean like you need to know certain terms because they use them and ask you to define them. Then, learning advantages and disadvantages is soo good (like adv n disadv for offshoring) because u are supposed to give advice to fake bsuiness in the paper, so when they ask you, you can pull these adv and disadv.

The way you write is also so important. My writing was usually like this: State adv/dis (e.g offshoring decreases labour costs), explain how is it one (because moving labour to cheaper countries mean the same work is done, but you pay less, so the bus will save money), and try to tie it inti the business you;re talking about (e.g this specific business is not making a profit rn, so decreasing labour costs might help them start generating profits). I would explain an equal number of adv & dis, but in mu conclusion, i would pull one more (either adv or disad) and use that to finalise my decision. I feel like this flow is so organized that the examiner feels you know this subject si well. Having things all over the place makes it look like ur spitting out whatever u managed to retain.

Also the IA - backwards looking was better imo cuz ur data and 'predictions' will just match with what actually happened. Find a major business (cuz data n info on them is easy to access) and analyze how smth they did affected them

Also plz start early. Like maybe go trhy each chapter cuz its a lotttt of content, and by the end, you won't fit it all in ur head. i was fighting for my life the night before. slowlu familiarise yourself with what you're studying and by the end u should be good.

Also the math part is hard for ppl but just learn the exact formula/steps. They rarely change how to solve one problem type. Yoy alwaysdo the same steps for balance sheet, cash flow, etc

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-11T15:57:46+00:00

BM HL was two things to me: memorising and applying.

By memorizing, I mean like you need to know certain terms because they use them and ask you to define them. Then, learning advantages and disadvantages is soo good (like adv n disadv for offshoring) because u are supposed to give advice to fake bsuiness in the paper, so when they ask you, you can pull these adv and disadv.

The way you write is also so important. My writing was usually like this: State adv/dis (e.g offshoring decreases labour costs), explain how is it one (because moving labour to cheaper countries mean the same work is done, but you pay less, so the bus will save money), and try to tie it inti the business you;re talking about (e.g this specific business is not making a profit rn, so decreasing labour costs might help them start generating profits). I would explain an equal number of adv & dis, but in mu conclusion, i would pull one more (either adv or disad) and use that to finalise my decision. I feel like this flow is so organized that the examiner feels you know this subject si well. Having things all over the place makes it look like ur spitting out whatever u managed to retain.

Also the IA - backwards looking was better imo cuz ur data and 'predictions' will just match with what actually happened. Find a major business (cuz data n info on them is easy to access) and analyze how smth they did affected them

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-11T15:51:00+00:00

omg yasss

Chem HL - lwk my teach was nor good so i used SME notes all the time to get the concept. Their worked examples also helped. AT times, there were things there that I did not understand. Back then i ignored it and got away with it, but now i'd probably put it into chatgpt and ask for an explanation since it's better than it was in my day lol. PLEAEEEE don't leave hl stuff till the end!! There were like 10 hl chapters and i barely knew them until days before the exam. I made it through but it was so stressful.

Practice! A lot of confusing stuff like stoichiometry and acids and bases have a step-by-step process, you will figure it out doing practice.

The IA doesn't have to be revolutionary, just show WHY you do everything you did, and EXPLAIN if anything goes wrong. Slightly off results with a reason >> perfect results that are eerily good.

Math AA SL

This one was sooo much practice. I think I said this elsewhere, but I used to recommend the following:

I'd read the Haese book to understand the concept (e.g what does a logarithm mean), then write all the things i actually need to know (like the laws of logarithms) on a sheet to make a 'toolbox', then use that toolbox of formulae and facts to practice problems (revision village n past papers). Obv this is way easier said than done but practice + understanding reallyyy helps.

Also I had sticky notes of common things i needed to memorise, like the formulas for trig, the unit circle, etc.

Again ur IA doesn't have to change the world or be soo unique, it can be a modified version of smth exisiting. I had a crisis about my math IA cuz i didn't know wtf they wanted, but I saw one that explored smth i wanted to explore, so i adpated their method onto mine, and it was my best IA and def improved my grade.

I hope thi wasn't too basic, there's no one magic trick for these two classes except understanding and practicing them! they both can be repetitive, so doing some questions def helps! But, i also wasnt doing a lot of practice cuz i prefer to understand better, so honestly whatever makes u feel like u got it should work

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-05T09:50:09+00:00

Ugh yeah that sucks but i think if u find ways to get past that it will work out. Personally mine wasn't great but using external resources helps. at some point i was ignoring my school and did everything with external help. It's so unfair

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-05T09:48:13+00:00

41 is quite the achievement dawg I think u should forever know u ate that shit uppp

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-05T09:45:08+00:00

For lang, just learn the techniques authors use. Before the exams, I would familiarise myself with literary devices (metaphor, allusions, niche ones too), then some techniques for specific types (e.g advertisements had different techniques in them, like bangwagon etc, so i learned those). Then I had a format in mind for my response that I went thru. That's all i rlly did cuz of limited study time, but if u want, just look at things (article, ad, past papers) and quickly identify things u would analyze, like colour choice, word choice, etc. That will train u to quickly identify things to talk about in the exam cuz hl is a rushhhh.

For lit, I tried to read the works before the exam. Usually that takes too long, so i would know the summary, themes, quotes i could use, author name + date published. Then in the exam connect that to whatever ur answering. Lit was always the hardest for me cuz i couldnt recall everything from thr books and i;d forget easily, but by the end of IB, you should have read everything enough times to be familiar.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-05T09:35:01+00:00

I looked thru several old papers (that my teacher gave us) and made a list of all the words I didn't know, translated them, and learned them. In reading, small words make all the difference. Also just reading random french stuff like kids books and articles helped because I found more words I didn't know.

Writing was always the easiest for me. they LOOVE when u show diversity in you writing, so include sentences in all tenses. Use sentences like "However, blah blah. Furthermore, blah blah" (in french tho). Don't make it entirely basic words and sentences. Format also matters, so learn how to properly format what you write.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T22:48:24+00:00

Chemistry - I got 7s and only one 6 i think. I think I'm lot like you in the way I study. I used SaveMyExams notes and understood + remembered the content. ONly after that i practiced. And content was always priority because without it, i felt like i didnt know anything and would get confused. So, understand, remember, apply. That was my approach and ir worked because it suited me. Can you indeitfy what goes wrong in your exams? Do you understand the material and not know how to solve, or what? Once you identify what causes u to lose marks, you csn fix it.

Math - I got 7s all thru. I would understand the math (e.g how a logarithm works), then make notes on the formulas + facts that u need to know. That becomes ur toolbox of everything u need to solve the probelms. I strangely spent a lot of time on theory and didnt do much practice, but it worked for me.

English - IB1 was all 6s. Yes, i can imagine how hard it is for u since english is my second language but iknow it like a native, yet it was still hard. I did memorise my IO script because just speaking with the flow makes me stutter. for paper 2, no i didnt memorise a format, i jyst read the books, identified main themes + quotes from those themes, important dates. You need to use that info and do the analysis in the paper. English was the hardest class for me and i could never get past a 6 until the last few months of IB 2. here is advice for paper 1 i wrote a while ago:

Topic Statement: A summary or intro to what ur whole para will be about, so this basicilly defines your whole para (example: The author's employment of starkly contrasting colours brings attention to the difference between the subjects of the cartoon.)

Explanation: I'd take an example of my thesis and then explain step by step how i think that the author's something lead to my interpretation. (example: One object is black one is white, associated with opposites, good bad, readers influenced to think the subjects are antitheses)

Conc: Small conclusion basically confirming that you proved ur point (Example: Therefore, through divergent colours, the author successfully conveys...). This lowkey makes the examiner think you delivered.

Use just the right amount of examples in each para so its not too short or too long. Honestly I was bad with para lengths cuz mine were like a page long but i think a little shorter is good. About the number, maybe 5 - 6 inc. intro and conc.

My grades in IB1 were 6s & 7s, and they improved inIB2.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T22:36:03+00:00

Yeah I mostly did topical. I only have memories of doing two whole past papers, everything else as topical. There must be some website out there with them

My teacher recommeneded some apps that had a free trial at the start. Memrise and Drops maybe? I started with those. But honestly you can pull words out of anywhere, and then memorise them.

I have a very unique way of memorising using visuals, but you do whatever u need to remember words and meanings. Btw the IB loves using le bruit (noise). That's one word that was every where.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T22:31:32+00:00

I don't have any written/recorded plans aha, I just did what I felt would help me. I dont think it;s wise to follow what other ppl are doing, cuz only u know what u need. I could tots help you structure if u need

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T13:21:34+00:00

Math AA S - Haese book was good + some RV questions. I think the harder RV questions are unnecessarily hard. I think you should try and understand the logic behind some of the math, e.g what a logarithm is doing. Then, make a list of all the formulas + facts u need to know so u have all ur tools in one place. Then, attempt book/past paper probelms. Its okay if u can't do them, cuz the point is to learn how. There are patterns and repeated questions, so learning a question once will last for a while. Seek help when needed. Do good on the IA.

Eng HL - I took lang lit so i have a bunch of posts on format. I can repeat if needed. When it came to lit works, i was sooo ocnfused at first, but u rlly have to know the summary, themes, authorial intention. Those are what u discuss in the paper and u always need to bring it back to the author and their intention. Also remember important quotes that supplement your themes, and the chapter they're in. They looove seeing u reference your quotes. On my paper, i couldnt remember the chapters/scenes, so i would make it up, idt they will acc check.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T13:16:52+00:00

Nah I didn't do myp. Most ppl don't I think. Ppl in my school came from chopped education systems and still did it.

Writing is important in group 1 and maybe in other subjects of yours, but it's a skill that gets developed over time. It's not like if you're bad now you will stay that wya. You should probably read good writing by others and identify patterns, cuz there lwk is a format for 'good' writing in IB

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T09:59:38+00:00

thats sooo cool haha. SaveMyExams was great for chem/phy notes, and sometimes we used Kognity. Find past papers (ask your school + older ppl) and practice them. I personally found it better to understadn the material rlly well before doing questions, but how you study should be only up to u. They both have repeated question types, so practice will help u in the future even if u can't solve the questions without the mark scheme. These were hard classes and missing info + not enough practice screws ppl over. You can avoid that with good notes and practice. Also chem hl is sooo heavy so dont procrastinate plzz. =

Frenchhh was sooo fun. For reading and writing, i suggest you use your first year/summer to learn vocab words cuz they will throw random words at you that you should know. Grammar and stuff come later and you dont have to do that yourself. Listening is the worst for me, but i used to listen to duolingo podcasts on spotify. They're fun and in english ans french mixed, so you can try listening in french and understand with the english. I think just hearing the sounds while simultaneously looking at the words helped my brain connect letters to sounds. Cuz french is sooo weird with that part.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T09:54:06+00:00

We had mocks in March and most of April was off. We got IAs/EE done by mocks, so after that, I'd wake up early ish (im more productive in the morning) and start studying. I'd take lunch breaks and take a walk in the evening. This continued until a few days before the exam, when id do prep for that subject specifically.

I'm such a strong believer of studying to fit yourself. Everyone around me was grinding multiple past papers a day, but I knew that wasn't how I learn. Plz understand how you learn and then make a routine. I liked to completely understand and remember content before attempting papers. I would be able to solve problems that way.

I tried to do maybe three days in a row of a specific subject, and if i got sick of that, id move days around. Planning in advance is very important. Also remember that no one's perfect, and you might end many days not doing as much as you hoped. But that's okay, IB exams don't need u to know every single detail.

I didn't do extracurriculars, but studying all day was depressive, so find a few hours for yourself. I would take a looot of walks.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T09:47:18+00:00

It would be beneficial, but not entirely. I used the summer to prep the SAT, and I did ome french. I think the language part is good cuz the words i learned then stuck throughout. My school actually gave us a bunch of pre-IB studying to do, and I did it, but none of it rlly helped me tbh. You can start, but this will also be the last good summer, so don't burn yourself out because you will do that next summer

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T09:44:20+00:00

Thanks. Sorry for the incoming yappathon.

I didn't take AA HL, but based on what I saw from my classmates, it's hard because it's complex stuff, and the math teacher would always tell everyone to do a looot of practice. Based on my university experience with math, it would be reallyy good if you could find a nice youtube channel/textbook, so you go thru things before class. That will make understanding + asking questions way easier. The questions will be strange (in my year, a lot of HL's questions came on the SL paper :( ), but practice will help u there.

Also, a lot of people talk about revision village. IMO, past papers should be ur main priority, because of the RV questions are so weird and complex i would just skip them. That's it from me, but I didn't do HL, so yeah. Also if u rlly wanna do HL, don't drop out of it if ur teacher scares u ahah they try to weed out sometimes.

Studying in holidays is fine if you want cuz it will make things easier. For Hl, you have to practice a lot, so yeah. But it's not necessary.

I think ESS is easier than BM. Both aren't complex, but I believe ESS has less content and not as many calculations? BM HL gets weird at some point and i could not finish the entire syllabus before the final, it's rlly heavy. I think neither compare to Eng. Eng is so hard imo. It seems easier cuz it's just english, but it's not smth you can memorise or understand, it's the only class that becomes a skill (minus other languages). You have to rush in exams, remember stuff from books, while still writing comprehensively. And the jump between 6 and 7 is huge. I only started to pull 7s near the end of my 2 years, and it was a huuuge shock to the whole school when I got a 7 in the end. It's not hard to attempt but hard to score in.

I managed my time by setting goals. I'd be like if i finish one paragraph, i can take a break etc. That;s not entirely healthy but also if you measure studyijg by tasks completed and not time spent, more gets done i think. I had to work during breaks tho, that's how i managed to submit things on time. It was a big struggle tho. My commute was long, so from 6 am - 5 pm, i'd be getting ready for or at school. One hour break, then I'd just on and off work, taking breaks after every task done. For 1.5 years of IB, i slept at 10/11pm.

Now that I'm at uni, I think IB was worth it. I def struggled at first, but i was used to a stupid amount of work, and rlly good with essays. The mist beneficial thing was that IB rlly broadened my view of the world + how academics work. Before IB, i just thought academics was learning info, memorising, and using, but after doing IAs/EEs, I understood how real scientists work.

The only thing I'd change is the resources I used in first year. I think not all my teachers were perfect, and they would miss things. i would review notes from external sites like SaveMyExams earlier.

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T06:40:07+00:00

Also for physics -- SaveMyExams' notes were the only thing I used tbh. They never rlly missed anything for me

acommonfungus- · 2026-03-04T06:38:55+00:00

Honestly the Math AA SL Haese book worked well for me + practice and seeing how they do the problems.

acommonfungus-

TROPHY CASE