Is it dumb to take a 7th science subject?

[maturk]

Hello survivors

 

I'm currently at an impasse. Is it smart to take Biology HL as a 7th subject if one is unsure of what they would want to do in the future? I've been asking a lot of my friends in school and even some teachers and I always get the "do what you're interested in" answer. But I am interested in all of my subjects but I just have no clue on what I want to do in the future. I understand that you're not really supposed to yet at my age; however, subject choices in the IB do limit your choices for what you can apply for in university. 

 

My subjects are: Math HL, Physics HL, Finnish B HL, Psychology SL, Chemistry SL, and English L&L SL

 

Or how about Biology sl? Is it very similar to chemistry sl?

 

 

Edited August 25, 2014 by maturk

[Another IB survivalist]

I really don't have any experience because today is my second day in IBDP 1, but I asked several people about this and they told me that it would put a whole lot of extra pressure on you making your way through the IB program extremely difficult and pressuring, but you can always contact graduates. I hope I helped

[Guest idaks96]

Looking at the subjects you already have, you will have more than enough, and I would  not recomend taking a 7th subject!

And Biology SL and Chemistry SL is not that similar, it would help you understand a bit more, but mostly with the chapter "Chemistry of life".

All in all, I would strongly advise against it!

Other than that, I wich you the best of luck

[ultimateone]

I suggest not taking a 7th subject, it's really unnecessary even if you're not sure what you want to do it the future, this would just cause extra pressure on you as the IB course as it is is already a handful. Besides, your combination of subjects open a lot of paths for you, so it's more than enough Also, it is worth noting that some universities only want a high score regardless of your subjects, so if you get a high score (by high score, I mean 41+), you can get many offers from universities because of 'assumed knowledge', where your high score already indicates that you're smart and capable and it doesn't matter what subjects you took as you're going to learn the field of your future career from scratch in your university course, starting from basics. So don't worry But it is still a good idea to stick to relevant subjects so it can help you get experience ahead of your uni course
Hope I helped.

[Megamind]

That's crazy man. We people resent having two sciences, and you're planning on taking a third. Not only does that require special permission from the IBO ( atleast that's what my DP coordinator told me) it's just not worth it. But, do beware that I hope you understand that if you change your mind to apply towards the medical field, the lack of Biology could work against you, Especially in UK admissions. But it would add tremendous pressure to your head, because despite the SL level you'd still have to do those lab reports, which are a pain. 2 sciences are more than enough, mate. 

[Sandwich]

^^ re: the above user, to be honest, if you were thinking about Medicine as a potential option to study in the UK, you're already more or less out of it because you're only taking SL instead of HL Chemistry. I don't know what their requirements are in Finland. Chemistry and Biology are different subjects, so they're not really going to help you much at all between each other if you were considering overlap. Biology is a very big workload around exam time, as is Chemistry. Your 3rd HL is easy (Finnish) which will take off some pressure, but I still wouldn't add in extra sciences. It's a bit crazy unless you REALLY have to. Just thinking 'oh I'm not sure..' is probably not a strong enough reason given the effort it will require.

 

The question is really - what door are you keeping open by taking extra Biology? Okay sure you don't know what you want to do but you must have a list of subjects you don't want to rule yourself out from. If Biology allows you to keep open options that would otherwise close, and which you currently think are a decent possibility for the future, then it might be worth taking, or switching e.g. for Physics. Unless Physics is keeping open doors for you. Just think of it like that - are you excluding anything important? Then try to find an optimum combination where you're excluding the fewest things.