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Physics HL or SL?


Leo__

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Okay so the thing is i took Physics HL for about two months now, but im finding it really difficult to solve questions and stuff. So i have the option of changing physics to SL and making english A1 to HL. Should i do this or not? Do you think physics HL wll be too hard? and the thing is that im not quite sure what ill be doing in the future, and if i do become an engineer will it work with physics SL? I also took chemistry HL, in which everything is going fine up till now. So in general do u think chemistry HL is harder or Physics HL? I asked way too many questions, but i need help as im confused, and which one will benefit me more by taking it at a higher level?

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I had the exact problem as you, during the first two months I was really confused with Physics HL, all I did during class was ask questions while trying to figure out what to do. I was also given the option of changing from Physics HL to SL. However, you must consider one thing, having Physics HL in your Diploma is much more valuable than having English A1 HL especially if you want to seek a career in Engineering. Plus, a 6 in Physics HL is around 65%-74%whilst in English I believe it is 69-81%. You'll be the one doing the exams in May 2016, thus you have the final say. But i'd say stick with Physics HL it is a much more interesting subjects and is better seen by universities for engineering courses.

 

I know how you feel, try to give it a couple of weeks, feel free to ask questions if you want. Also, there are several practice resources for the new syllibus online, the key with both Physics and Maths is to practice, practice, practice.

 

Best Regards.   

Edited by Djsporting
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Okay so the thing is i took Physics HL for about two months now, but im finding it really difficult to solve questions and stuff. So i have the option of changing physics to SL and making english A1 to HL. Should i do this or not? Do you think physics HL wll be too hard? and the thing is that im not quite sure what ill be doing in the future, and if i do become an engineer will it work with physics SL? I also took chemistry HL, in which everything is going fine up till now. So in general do u think chemistry HL is harder or Physics HL? I asked way too many questions, but i need help as im confused, and which one will benefit me more by taking it at a higher level?

Firstly, you've only started the course so it's fine if you're struggling, most people do at the beginning of IB. With a subject like physics it's all the more understandable as it's completely different to IGCSE physics and stuff (I've been told so by my friends who take physics). Revise whatever you learn in class everyday and do practice problems from the textbook and you'll eventually understand. Also, always ask your teacher for help if you're stuck.

I'd advise you to stick with physics for a couple more months to see how you progress. If you really feel in a couple months time that physics (HL) isn't what you want to do drop it then. You shouldn't have an issue doing so as there is little difference between HL/SL English, in that you won't have much to catch up with. But do make sure you're school allows students to switch subjects at that stage. Keep in mind that English HL might not be the easy way out, in fact it's statistically harder to get a 7 in! If you're not very good at analysis literary work and stuff then it will be really hard. At least with physics you can learn all the content material and practice a lot to get a good score but with English you can never really guarantee a high score as marking is very subjective.

Regarding subject requirements, if you're intending on studying engineering in the UK you need to take both HL maths and physics, chemistry HL is only required for things like chemical/biomedical engineering. If Canada, you just need either HL or SL physics, chemistry, maths. American universities don't have specific requirements so any subject combo is fine but you're of course better off doing HL physics/maths if you want to get accepted to competitive universities for engineering (MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley)

The general consensus is that HL physics is harder than HL chemistry but this depends on the student as difficulty is subjective.

I should point out that if you can't manage to do well in physics HL then you're probably not going to get through the physics classes at university which in essence means you're not cut out for engineering.

Hope I helped!

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Well I guess ill just have to see how i do in a couple of months, and if i feel like i wont be able to do it ill drop it to SL. If you guys have any websites or notes that help, please do give them. Thankss :)

Well I recommend you print a copy of the subject guide if you haven't already. When you're making your notes, refer back to it to make sure you haven't missed out on anything. It's essential to learn every syllabus point to do well in group 4 subjects.

I haven't got any notes per say (I don't do physics) but I recommend getting the IB physics oxford study guide, my friend's physics teacher recommended she get it. If you look around on the forum there are many threads on how to do well in physics, check these out:

http://www.ibsurvival.com/topic/26553-how-to-do-well-on-ib-physics-hl-tests/

http://www.ibsurvival.com/topic/10021-how-to-study-for-physics-textbooks-resources-and-tips/

http://www.ibsurvival.com/topic/8859-ib-physics-videos-on-youtube/

 

Edited by Pink97
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Guest moonkyu97

This might interest you:

 

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/IB_Physics

 

It is a open source book containing essential things that you have to learn for each sections of the syllabus. Its not completely finished (I think some of the options are not yet written), but most of the content is there, and it helped me out a lot when making study guides.

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Similar to what many people posted here, I think you should definitely stayed with HL Physics. In my opinions, HL & SL Physics are of very little difference. Doing SL will mostly get rid of the options, and the thermodynamics chapter, compared to when you do HL. For other topics, the contents are roughly the same. So dropping to SL wouldn't get rid of the workloads that you have to do; also you wouldn't have a chance of challenging yourself a bit :P

 

Well I guess ill just have to see how i do in a couple of months, and if i feel like i wont be able to do it ill drop it to SL. If you guys have any websites or notes that help, please do give them. Thankss :)

 

You will find this forum to be of enormous amounts of help when it comes to notes and stuff. You can pay to be a VIP subscriber to get accessed to files that people have uploaded. Otherwise, search through the forum to see any websites that other students recommended.

 

Now, i have a set of notes that I took during my IB years, which i've uploaded to the online storage. You can check it out if you want to. http://ge.tt/4a8WcVu1

 

Cheers :)

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