wakeupflawless Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Hey everyone! In a couple of weeks I need to submit my course choices for the DP programme and I'm still stuck on what to choose as my Group 4 subject. Currently I have: Group 1 - English A HL Group 2 - French B SL Group 3 - History HL Group 4 - Bio or Chem SL Group 5 - Math SL Group 6 - Economics HL I am happy with all of my other choices but I keep switching back and forth between bio and chem. I am planning to study something along the lines of law, politics or international relations at university, thus I don't have a need to take science. When I studied Chemistry in Grade 10, I did very well with a 7/7 for the first semester and am now doing Biology for the second semester where I am slightly lost due to a crappy teacher who teaches general science but is certified in Chemistry, a subject he doesn't teach very well either. He recommends for me to take Chemistry, all of my friends who are currently doing the DP programme say I should take Biology since it's the easiest especially if I don't need science in the future. I am good at cramming for science and study mostly by copying down facts from the textbook onto flashcards and just reading them over and over again before the test. I am very lost and am open to all suggestions! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djsporting Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I am good at cramming for science and study mostly by copying down facts from the textbook onto flashcards and just reading them over and over again before the test. m open to all suggestions! If you're good at memorizing, then definetly take Biology. It'll be less of a burden. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac117 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Well, if you are really good in copying facts and memorising them, then Bio SL is going to be easier for you. Chemistry on the other hand requires applying the knowlegde you already have to new situations, which some people find hard. Another thing I would also do is look at the syllabus. It may sound silly, but when you look at the topics each subjects covers, you may want to choose the one that has more interesting topics. I personally would choose biology, as it's easier and doesn't rely as much on your previous knowledge.My friend who didn't do well in chemistry in IGCSEs took SL Bio and said to me it's fairly easy (he's also good at memorising facts). Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeupflawless Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I am good at cramming for science and study mostly by copying down facts from the textbook onto flashcards and just reading them over and over again before the test. m open to all suggestions! If you're good at memorizing, then definetly take Biology. It'll be less of a burden. Well, if you are really good in copying facts and memorising them, then Bio SL is going to be easier for you. Chemistry on the other hand requires applying the knowlegde you already have to new situations, which some people find hard. Another thing I would also do is look at the syllabus. It may sound silly, but when you look at the topics each subjects covers, you may want to choose the one that has more interesting topics. I personally would choose biology, as it's easier and doesn't rely as much on your previous knowledge.My friend who didn't do well in chemistry in IGCSEs took SL Bio and said to me it's fairly easy (he's also good at memorising facts). Biology seems like the easier option. I am good at applying the knowledge I already have and that is usually one of my strongest parts on tests since a large part of it is common sense and a bit of bs. Another question though, if you have a crappy teacher, what course is easier to teach to yourself? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac117 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Well, it all depends on the textbook and the person. A really good textbook can be much more helpful than a teacher, especially when it has good, detailed explanations. I personally find it much easier to study biology on my own, as in chemistry I sometimes don't understand a certain process, therefore making me not understand the whole reaction...If you're a person that doesn't need a teacher to "hold your hand" throughout the learning process, I would go for chemistry, BUT biology would be much easier as a self/taught subject Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyRodeck Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I personally think IB biology is a way more interesting subject. By the way, I would reconsider taking French B HL instead of history or economics HL, the differences between French B SL and HL aren´t a big deal in comparison to the extra content in economics HL, for example. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbTrojan Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 (edited) Honestly, based on what you've said, you have done well in Chemistry and most of the time, if you're well at something you like it. So I would suggest to take SL Chemistry. I'm actually taking it right now and it's not all that bad.And as someone who is taking both chemistry and biology, and I love them both, I would suggest taking SL chemistry. As long as you stay on top of everything it's not difficult at all. And if your teacher is also recommending it, if it were me, I would be taking my teacher's suggestions over my friend's because teachers actually see how you work and know what you are best at while your friends (based on what you said), are simply giving you what they think is the "easy" course. But in my opinion, "easy" depends on the person. Everything can be considered easy if you practice, understand, ask questions and pay attention in class. It depends on what you like and what you are good at. Good luck with your decision Edited February 1, 2015 by IbTrojan Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeupflawless Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Honestly, based on what you've said, you have done well in Chemistry and most of the time, if you're well at something you like it. So I would suggest to take SL Chemistry. I'm actually taking it right now and it's not all that bad.And as someone who is taking both chemistry and biology, and I love them both, I would suggest taking SL chemistry. As long as you stay on top of everything it's not difficult at all. And if your teacher is also recommending it, if it were me, I would be taking my teacher's suggestions over my friend's because teachers actually see how you work and know what you are best at while your friends (based on what you said), are simply giving you what they think is the "easy" course. But in my opinion, "easy" depends on the person. Everything can be considered easy if you practice, understand, ask questions and pay attention in class. It depends on what you like and what you are good at. Good luck with your decision Problem is, this teacher is known for being unprofessional and pushing kids towards Chemistry because that's the subject he's good at and in his opinion is the best science. I mean I wouldn't mind taking Chemistry but my my problem is the calculations. I am good at math but I don't want to put in more work into Chemistry than I will into any subject, like I would like it to be equally spread out and not have to spend 50% of my time on one subject. But then again if I take Biology, a large part of the DP will require reading and memorizing so would that be too much? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbTrojan Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Well, maybe then you could talk to another science teacher who you know will give you professional advice on which course you should take. There's not as many calculations as you may think there are. Again, if you stay on top of everything, then the questions they consider to be "difficult" are simply a combination of the basic formulas. As for the workload, I won't tell you it's fast and extremely easy, but if you stay on top of the lessons, take notes and practice whatever you're learning everyday, it won't be a burden course. I only spend about an hour to an hour and a half on chemistry everyday and I'm doing better than I expected. Schedule your time for work from each course based on your priorities and you'll be fine. I'm telling you right now though, one course is not easier than the other. The amount of terminology and the many concepts of Biology take up a lot of time too. There's a lot of reading, note-taking, understanding and memorizing. They both have their challenges but neither of them will take more than 25-30% of your studying time everyday Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 For me I take both Chem and Bio at HL and I can say that if you have the right tools and methods of study one will be easier than the other. For Chem I use Richard Thornley videos as there is more understanding and applying concepts and a lot of math so you have to practice on worksheets and as much as you can. And if you find a concept difficult you can't really work around it as a lot of the topics build on each other i.e. topic 1 about mole concepts is used throughout but if you are taking Econ HL is also equally applicable. With Bio SL it will be hell of a lot easier because you would just have to make cue cards on 6 topics and memorize and use resources like ibguides or bioninja and you're all set. So right now it depends on your strength in subjects but also your style of learning (are you more applied learning or memorizer??) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeupflawless Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 For me I take both Chem and Bio at HL and I can say that if you have the right tools and methods of study one will be easier than the other. For Chem I use Richard Thornley videos as there is more understanding and applying concepts and a lot of math so you have to practice on worksheets and as much as you can. And if you find a concept difficult you can't really work around it as a lot of the topics build on each other i.e. topic 1 about mole concepts is used throughout but if you are taking Econ HL is also equally applicable. With Bio SL it will be hell of a lot easier because you would just have to make cue cards on 6 topics and memorize and use resources like ibguides or bioninja and you're all set. So right now it depends on your strength in subjects but also your style of learning (are you more applied learning or memorizer??) Doesn't biology also involve memorizing a lot of graphs and diagrams? The problem with me, is that I get pretty lost in class but then when I'm alone at home studying for a test, I get everything fairly quickly just by using textbooks and the internet. People tell me that with Chemistry you need to understand it in order to pass, while with Biology if you just memorize the facts and you can pass without necessarily needing to understand it? Is this the case for anyone? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 Bio has a lot of diagrams like especially in topic six which involve labelling yes. I would say Bio SL is better for you because to me it is a totally skippable class and I just go home and make my notes using the two sites and my book and get 7s on my tests. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wakeupflawless Posted February 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 Thank You Everyone! I submitted by subject choices a week ago and chose Biology, and am not regretting it AT ALL! (yet at least) Thanks for all the help! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
behaaa Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 I can tell you for sure that BIO will be a lot easier than Chem. Chemistry involves applying the things you learn, while Bio is more focused one memorising. Bio is definitely the easiest of the two. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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