Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hey! I'm just about to start IB in two weeks. My career inclination is related towards economics and/or business management/administration (probably somewhere related to Investment banking or Finanace). I chose:

*UPDATE* 

Math SL

French SL

English Language/Literature  SL

Economics HL

Chemistry HL

Geo HL

Are these subjects ideal? Is this subject combination difficult? I know for econ some universities require HL maths but everybody tells me HL math is too hard. However, I'm good at maths and have been getting 7's throughout the years except for my igcse final where I got a 6 (89-A) but since Hl math is apparently the most difficult subject, I feel like I won't perform well in it (knowing me, I can probably get a 6-7 in HL math if I try hard but while doing this, I'll most likely fail the rest of my subjects because I'll be concentrating too much on math). I would have done Business Hl but my school doesn't provide it as they believe universities have zero/little consideration for that subject. 

Edited by KingA
To update
Link to post
Share on other sites

On ‎05‎/‎08‎/‎2016 at 1:29 PM, KingA said:

Hey! I'm just about to start IB in two weeks. My career inclination is related towards economics and/or business management/administration (probably somewhere related to Investment banking or Finanace). I chose:

Math SL

French SL

Physics SL

Economics HL

Chemistry HL

English Language and literature HL

Are these subjects ideal? Is this subject combination difficult? I know for econ some universities require HL maths but everybody tells me HL math is too hard. However, I'm very good at maths and in my igcse's I got A* but since Hl math is apparently the most difficult subject, I feel like I won't perform well in it (knowing me, I can probably get a 6-7 in HL math if I try hard but while doing this, I'll most likely fail the rest of my subjects because I'll be concentrating too much on math). I would have done Business Hl but my school doesn't provide it as they believe universities have zero/little consideration for that subject. 

Look pal

I am not much of a numbers guy and my career aspirations have nothing to do with Economics or Business. In fact, I am more inclined to Literature/Arts. Yes I am more of a looney guy, however the subjects you showed me seemed indeed rigorous. I wouldnt say hard, but they definitely are subjects which will require a lot of constant and organized efffort from you.

Yet, I dont get why you have 2 subjects from the sciences group. You chose Physics and Chemistry, but if you want to pursue something related to economics, then you must choose instead more subjects of the social sciences like History, psychology whatever. Those who want a path related to labs sciences medicine investigation hence choose 2 scientifc subjects. You just need one, so I would suggest you d chop off one of the sciences like Physics for exemple and choose another one like History (universities give importance to IB History as it is a very tough subject. I have History and I must tell you that writing 3 papers each one with 8 pages more less is very hard. Also, it is cool cause you dont need to memorize instead they test your analytical skills. You re from Economics you d certainly enjoy that, getting into historical facts and analysing them critically, the way you want as long as you can illustrate it with arguments.

So, take a look at the subjects group and then tell me your final decision.

Cheers pal,

Richard

Link to post
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Richard Stifler said:

Look pal

I am not much of a numbers guy and my career aspirations have nothing to do with Economics or Business. In fact, I am more inclined to Literature/Arts. Yes I am more of a looney guy, however the subjects you showed me seemed indeed rigorous. I wouldnt say hard, but they definitely are subjects which will require a lot of constant and organized efffort from you.

Yet, I dont get why you have 2 subjects from the sciences group. You chose Physics and Chemistry, but if you want to pursue something related to economics, then you must choose instead more subjects of the social sciences like History, psychology whatever. Those who want a path related to labs sciences medicine investigation hence choose 2 scientifc subjects. You just need one, so I would suggest you d chop off one of the sciences like Physics for exemple and choose another one like History (universities give importance to IB History as it is a very tough subject. I have History and I must tell you that writing 3 papers each one with 8 pages more less is very hard. Also, it is cool cause you dont need to memorize instead they test your analytical skills. You re from Economics you d certainly enjoy that, getting into historical facts and analysing them critically, the way you want as long as you can illustrate it with arguments.

So, take a look at the subjects group and then tell me your final decision.

Cheers pal,

Richard

I'd have to disagree. 

Both economics and business at a university level require a certain degree of aptitude in quantitative analysis, hence such courses require Higher Level Mathematics at many institutions. Physics is largely a quantitative-based course, and enhances the application part of what you'd learn in math (applied mathematics is a fundamental part of economics and business). You also learn graphical analysis skills, which are important in both majors the original poster is seeking, as well as the ability to work with and manipulate various equations. (Source: I've spoken to a few professors and admin staff at Cambridge and LSE about this)

Now, I'm not saying taking history won't help–quite the contrary, really. The reasons Richard mentioned above for taking history are completely valid, and I know people who've gone on to study Economics at Cambridge with Math, Economics, and History at HL. I'm just trying to point out that two sciences can work in your favour, even if you're not studying a science-oriented undergraduate subject. Also, the majority of universities will quite simply not care about what your Standard Level classes are, although they can undoubtedly help you (for example, taking SL History and developing what Richard was talking about), so taking a second science or social science there will not likely make a difference. 

On to your classes: it's fair that your school doesn't offer Business HL. Some universities don't accept it as an HL course while others specify that they consider it a "soft" course to take. If you want to end up anywhere in finance or business, IB Economics is the way to go. Second, if you're confident in Physics, I'd say go for Physics over Chemistry at Higher Level for the reasons I mentioned above, and especially so if you're not taking HL Math, as you will need to prove your mathematical ability. I'd very, very strongly recommend HL Math though; if you want to study in the UK, pretty much every economics & business course will require HL Math, and if they don't, it will substantially boost your application strength. Yes, it's extremely difficult, but the payoff is worth your time if you can avoid procrastination and study efficiently. If you do decide to take HL Math, don't take it as a fourth higher; replace English or Chemistry instead. 

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey thanks for your insights. As a matter of fact I do agree with both of you on certain topics. I have decided to drop physics sl and instead take geo sl. The reason I took physics sl is because I'm quite good at physics and thought it would be an easy 7. However, statistics and further research have proven otherwise. Physics sl has a low average score (lower than physics Hl) and isn't that much different compared to Hl. Some people are even saying it's as if I'm taking 4 Hl subjects with physics sl. So I'm considering dropping out physics sl and take probably geo sl as I did it in Igcse and got an A*. I did history 3 years ago and found it very boring and monotonous. On math Hl, I agree that most UK universities require the subject, however, I plan to apply in other European universities (like Copenhagen business school or Bocconi) or american universitie which do not require Math Hl. But I'll probably end up doing business undergrad in university if economics is too math orientated. Thanks again!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Chemistry HL is the most difficult subject in the IB... Are you sure about this? Ignore me if you know you are good at chemistry.

Yeah I too didn't understand why you took two sciences and why not Econ+Business. This part very much depends on the requirements of universities that you are interested in. Or will they look at you differently if you didn't take business but took physics and applied for business? If they don't mind, take the subjects from which you will get the highest marks + benefit you in university.

Others are not that difficult.

French should be easy for you

Eng lan&lit HL you only need good bs skills, which the teacher and group discussion should give you

Econ HL is easy. I studies econ the least and easily got a 7 (but in econ it's important to have the econ mind-set, which some people don't have so no matter how hard they study, they will get max. 5)

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 8/9/2016 at 8:28 PM, KingA said:

Hey thanks for your insights. As a matter of fact I do agree with both of you on certain topics. I have decided to drop physics sl and instead take geo sl. The reason I took physics sl is because I'm quite good at physics and thought it would be an easy 7. However, statistics and further research have proven otherwise. Physics sl has a low average score (lower than physics Hl) and isn't that much different compared to Hl. Some people are even saying it's as if I'm taking 4 Hl subjects with physics sl. So I'm considering dropping out physics sl and take probably geo sl as I did it in Igcse and got an A*. I did history 3 years ago and found it very boring and monotonous. On math Hl, I agree that most UK universities require the subject, however, I plan to apply in other European universities (like Copenhagen business school or Bocconi) or american universitie which do not require Math Hl. But I'll probably end up doing business undergrad in university if economics is too math orientated. Thanks again!

Yo, man slow down there. Physics is the science subject with the highest % of 7s every year, both in HL or SL, and whether it be the May or November exam session. You can check the DP stats bulletin for each examination session on the IB website for reference.

Numbers talk aside (as they're pretty useless anyways for deciding what you want to study), any science subject as an SL course is much, much easier than at HL. If you have even the slightest passion for it, as well as being relatively strong in maths as you've described, Physics SL would indeed be "an easy 7"; it's NOT the same as taking 4 HL subjects with Physics SL. What is difficult for one person can easily be the easiest subject for another -- difficulty is all relative.

So also, don't let people's hear-say discourage you from taking Chemistry HL. It definitely isn't easy and some years back a british university ranked it as (apparently) the most difficult DP science subject to an average IGCSE B student. But again, those are just statistics and numbers -- you've proven yourself to be apart the average bunch from your IGCSE results. And personally, I find it much easier compared to English A or Indonesian B, which a lot of people I know would disagree with. 

At the end of the day, it's your choice, but again,to base your subject choices on statistics and hear-say is no harm at best, and you not having passion in your subjects to do well in them at worst. YOU'RE going to be studying YOUR subjects for TWO years, and YOU'RE going to want to study the subjects YOU like. 

Edited by IB`ez
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Chemistry HL is the most difficult subject in the IB... Are you sure about this? Ignore me if you know you are good at chemistry.

Yeah I too didn't understand why you took two sciences and why not Econ+Business. This part very much depends on the requirements of universities that you are interested in. Or will they look at you differently if you didn't take business but took physics and applied for business? If they don't mind, take the subjects from which you will get the highest marks + benefit you in university.

Others are not that difficult.

French should be easy for you

Eng lan&lit HL you only need good bs skills, which the teacher and group discussion should give you

Econ HL is easy. I studies econ the least and easily got a 7 (but in econ it's important to have the econ mind-set, which some people don't have so no matter how hard they study, they will get max. 5)

Yeah you're right but the reason I'm dropping physics sl and taking geo sl because physics doesn't really affect my career choice. I know it helps with equations and math required in Economics as stated by the other poster but geo helps more as it has a few topics regarding industries and how economics factors affect them which kind of (in a way) overlaps economics. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Chemistry HL is the most difficult subject in the IB... Are you sure about this? Ignore me if you know you are good at chemistry.

Yeah I too didn't understand why you took two sciences and why not Econ+Business. This part very much depends on the requirements of universities that you are interested in. Or will they look at you differently if you didn't take business but took physics and applied for business? If they don't mind, take the subjects from which you will get the highest marks + benefit you in university.

Others are not that difficult.

French should be easy for you

Eng lan&lit HL you only need good bs skills, which the teacher and group discussion should give you

Econ HL is easy. I studies econ the least and easily got a 7 (but in econ it's important to have the econ mind-set, which some people don't have so no matter how hard they study, they will get max. 5)

My current Ib school doesn't provide business and my previous school (which also had IB) didn't allow us to take business and economics hl at the same time as they said the subjects are too similar. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 10 August 2016 at 8:39 PM, Mad Hatter said:

Chemistry HL is the most difficult subject in the IB... Are you sure about this? Ignore me if you know you are good at chemistry.

Yeah I too didn't understand why you took two sciences and why not Econ+Business. This part very much depends on the requirements of universities that you are interested in. Or will they look at you differently if you didn't take business but took physics and applied for business? If they don't mind, take the subjects from which you will get the highest marks + benefit you in university.

Others are not that difficult.

French should be easy for you

Eng lan&lit HL you only need good bs skills, which the teacher and group discussion should give you

Econ HL is easy. I studies econ the least and easily got a 7 (but in econ it's important to have the econ mind-set, which some people don't have so no matter how hard they study, they will get max. 5)

Okay everyone I'm now one month into Ib and my current subjects (after much thought) are:

Physics HL (very very hard but I'm surviving)

Economics HL

Geo HL (it helps with econ since we have a whole unit based on geo-economics and industries)

English A Lang/Lit SL

French B SL

Math SL (straight 7)

Currently  I feel my subjects are appropriate although i find Physics very hard. However, I've been working hard and so far I'm a 6 :D 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I know this problem has been resolved, but I think in general, for anyone: how difficult your subject combination is depends in you and your strengths and weaknesses. Whilst there is a level of objectivity in grade boundaries and such, some people are more inclined to one type of subject over another. For example, someone above said Chemistry HL is the hardest course in IB. I'd disagree. For me, French B SL is my most difficult course, and I'd say Maths HL and Physics HL are definitely more difficult.

We're never going to stop these kinds of questions, but when you're judging the difficulty of your subjects, just remember it really depends on your skills and the amount of effort you're willing to put in to a subject.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
On 9/21/2016 at 10:25 PM, apoello said:

I know this problem has been resolved, but I think in general, for anyone: how difficult your subject combination is depends in you and your strengths and weaknesses. Whilst there is a level of objectivity in grade boundaries and such, some people are more inclined to one type of subject over another. For example, someone above said Chemistry HL is the hardest course in IB. I'd disagree. For me, French B SL is my most difficult course, and I'd say Maths HL and Physics HL are definitely more difficult.

We're never going to stop these kinds of questions, but when you're judging the difficulty of your subjects, just remember it really depends on your skills and the amount of effort you're willing to put in to a subject.

Definitely! I know some students who are struggling with econ and getting 3's and 4's while the same students get 7's in HL lit, whereas other students struggle with lit but end up getting 7's in econ. So it all depends on your strengths and interests.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...