IB subject combinations

[uti]

Hey guys. I just started IB recently and many of my friends claim that I have a "soft" subject combination, my subjects are:

English A1 HL

Business and Management HL

Economics HL

Maths methods SL

Environmental systems and societies SL

Ab initio spanish SL

Do you guys consider this a soft subject combination? Sorry if theres already a thread on this by the way, I wasn't quite sure where to post this!

[timtamboy63]

Personally I'd say it is pretty soft, and ehm, you aren't doing any group 4 subjects? You need at least one to grad?

But then it really depends on what you want to do in Uni, and if you're aiming for any top-tier uni's (if you are, they will defs consider this 'soft', I would change). However, if you're aiming for your local uni, etc Those subjects are fun

[uti]

Environmental systems and societies is considered as a group 4 subject and i'm hoping to apply to top universities in the US! Not too sure what to do now :\

[elmar]

If you want to top universities in the United States, here's what I suggest. (The numbers indicate subject group.)

1: Keep English A1 HL and score high.

6: Business and Management HL. It depends on what you want to study. Business/math/econ/etc., I suppose Business HL is good. However, I do know that it is a soft subject and not considered much for difficulty. Any other choice could work. If this is your 6th Subject choice, are there a myriad of other courses to choose at your school? Perhaps something else would be better. We just need to know what options you have, really. If this is your 3rd subject, is there a way you could make it your 6th and switch?

3: Keep Economics HL if you're planning to study business/math/econ/finances in college. If not, move it down to SL or switch.

5: Maths methods SL. If you're aiming high, it's better to have done Methods than Studies. But, again, if you want to study business/math/econ/finances (which is really the only to take Economics HL), then you should move this up to HL. If not, keep it SL.

4: Environmental systems and societies SL: Move into Chemistry or Biology. You should take a science at HL, because then, not only are you showing your intelligence in sciences, but have the possibility of being exempt from taking basic science courses at your college of choice by taking HL. Again, this depends on what you want to study. If you want to study Dance, or anything that's non-sciencey, for example, and still go to a top-tier, it is better to have taken HL Bio or HL Chem to show that you're a hard worker.

2: Ab initio spanish SL. If you're new to the language completely, stick with it. But if you have had enough experience, move to Spanish B SL. This is better than ab initio and although which language you take does not affect your acceptance heavily, it does look better on your transcripts.

As shown, it really depends on what you want to study. But, in all honesty, making it to the top-tier of colleges in the US with this subject combination is just going to make it more difficult.

[dessskris]

Yes some of those are considered soft subjects. My suggestions are:

Keep BM & Econs HL. I am assuming those are subjects that you are good at. You probably would not really need English A1 HL, though. I'd rather drop A1 to SL because language A1 SL is already hard unless you love literature and it's your biggest passion ever

Is Math Method SL the same with the common Math SL? If not, upgrade to Math SL. With BM & Econs HL, you are likely to study business in uni, and it is often strongly recommended to take at least Math SL, not Studies. If you are good at Math, try Math HL. As elmar said, it would be best if you can take HL, but if you are not comfortable with it, stay in Math SL.

Move from ES to Bio or Chem, yeah as elmar said too. But keep this SL. Bio needs lots of memorising; Chem needs both memorising and calculating; both are very demanding.

If you have had the science changed, and if you are in Math SL, you might be forgiven taking Spanish Ab initio. If you are new to the language, go for Ab initio. Otherwise, try Spanish B SL. If you have an experience with the language, why not even trying Spanish B HL? You might not really need it for uni, though. But language B HL is very easy and it is not so different with B SL. So think about this first alright.

As I have always said, pick the subjects that you love&enjoy the most. You might also need to consider the course prerequisites for uni. There is no point taking a subject you hate, which you would not need for uni. Try browsing some uni website and check for the course prerequisites.

[uti]

Thanks for the replies elmar and Fizzy Dee, really appreciate it . My school is no longer allowing me to change my subject combination, so that certainly can't be done :\. And yep when I say maths method I mean the common maths SL. I tried doing higher math, but simply had to drop it, as the teacher in my school was completely hopeless, and i've been getting 7s in SL math, compared to the 3s in HL maths ...Do you guys think I should consider applying to ivy league schools if I get really high IB and SAT scores, despite having a "soft" subject combination? Cheers again for the replies