future IB double science student. HELP PLEASE.

[2509]

so im starting per-IB this may but i need to turn it the course choice form next monday.

what i'm planning to take is:

English A2 HL

Indonesian A1 SL

Mathematics SL

Business HL

Biology

Chemistry

i'm wondering if it's better to take Biology of Chemistry HL? or both? I'm not really a math person but currently i have the highest Chemistry grade in my class. I'm pretty good at memorizing but i only got a 6 in Biology this year. Is taking both at HL a big difference and how's the workload? I need to mention that i'm not that study all the time type of person even though so far i'm getting 6 and 7s on my subjects this year. If taking both at HL then that means that i'm taking 4 HL. Is it better to take 4 HL or 3 HL but get a better grade? I'm really confused because many people said that English and Business doesn't have that much difference between HL and SL so I thought i'd take it in HL. Sorry for the long post but as you can see i'm really REALLY confused. any help is appreciated. THANKS!

[deissi]

Well, it by no means is rare that people choose two sciences as higher level. Taking both at HL does have a significant difference to having one at SL and one at HL. For example, the amount of lab reports you must write will be higher, and this in turn means more work. If you aren't that interested in school, and don't want to do medicine, I'd say pick 3 HL subjects instead of 4. At least for UK universities, it is better to have 3 HL and get a better grade. For the US I'm not sure, but apparently they mainly look at your HL subjects.

I don't know about Business, but the difference between English A2 HL and SL is very small, so I do recommend you take English A2 HL, like you've chosen. It's a few more books, but the grading criteria is nearly the same and the questions given are not harder, so you could say that it's an 'easy HL'.

Hope this helped!

[2509]

thanks. but the thing is i'm kind of interested in medicine too. my major would probably be business in film and television or medicine. all my counselers says that my two main interests are too different. but hey it's not like i can choose what interests me most. but i guess one science HL is enough to go into medicine?

[loser123726]

thanks. but the thing is i'm kind of interested in medicine too. my major would probably be business in film and television or medicine. all my counselers says that my two main interests are too different. but hey it's not like i can choose what interests me most. but i guess one science HL is enough to go into medicine?

One of my classmate is doing Biology HL and Physics HL at the moment which are the only science subjects our school offers. He wants to study medicine just like you. Most Uni requires Chemistry for studying medicine or may require Physics. Chemistry is really essential for your entry application, or else you might needa take Chemistry elementary cources in Uni or to do Chemistry as a single subject in other syllabus (A-Level, HSC) like my mate. You should probably take Chemistry HL and Physics SL, since they are quite practical.

Uni always consider your math grades when ur applying economics or business rela

ted majors. It is not easy to get a 7 in business. The score required to get a 7 in Business and Management HL is even lower than Physics, but top Unis dun really give a damn to good Business grades.

 

Edited February 22, 2008 by loser123726

[deissi]

Well, what loser123726 says applies for the States, but not for Europe. In the UK, schools want you to have Bio HL and Chem HL to do medicine, so you do kind of need both sciences HL. Some schools might say they don't require both to be HL, but from what I've heard, it really does give you an advantage to do both at HL. So what we need to know is where do you want to study!

Btw, seeing that you are from Indonesia, you might be interested in Australia too. We've got plenty of Australians who can give you the "true" answer, but AFAIK, chem and bio are preferred for med school there.

Btw, in Finland we need all three sciences (2HL, 1SL) to do medicine... Sucks!

[__inthemaking]

It depends what you want to go into. If it's anything science related then I highly suggest taking both at HL. I want to be a vet, so basically I'm going into the sciences and I wish my school offered us bio and chem HL. We only get to take chem HL and bio/physics at SL.

However, if you're positive that you're going into law, business, anything not science-related, then it doesn't really matter.

[shotaway]

Take a look at the syllabi, IB text books and talk to your teachers. They should be your first point of reference. Also, try to think about it realistically. It's hard to make definite goals sometimes, especially when you start the IB, so maybe do some pros/cons about you want to do. And remember: just because you did well in a subject pre-IB, by no means will it be as good as it was. I was one of the best in my class in Biology before the IB, and when since then, two years of Bio have dragged for me. Maybe it's just me, but the IB requires continuous committment, and you have to make your choices based on what you can see yourself doing for all of your IB career (including heaps of pracs, assignments, syllabus things and not falling asleep in class).

So it's a hard decision to make when you don't know where to turn. If you want to apply to a health-sciences course in Australia (such as medicine, dentistry, etc), you need Maths SL and Chemistry. I don't think unis look too hard at whether it's SL or HL Chem, and Biology is not a required subject for most of these courses. If you want to apply to a business course, I think the best ones look for Maths SL. Hang out a little at uni websites, try to make a list of course/careers you see yourself doing.

It's a tricky position to be in, and I feel for you. Be realistic, talk to past students, submerge yourself in IB documents, and I'm sure you'll be able to choose what's best. Don't stress or panic--you'll probably have time to shuffle your subjects around at the beginning. Do be realistic, don't stretch yourself unnecessarily (e.g. 3 sciences when you only need 2 or whatever), but be confident in whatever is you want and do. A good attitude is the best way to success.

Good luck.

[booji]

i'm wondering if it's better to take Biology of Chemistry HL? or both? I'm not really a math person but currently i have the highest Chemistry grade in my class. I'm pretty good at memorizing but i only got a 6 in Biology this year. Is taking both at HL a big difference and how's the workload? I

From my experience, I wouldn't suggest choosing your IB Diploma subjects based completely on your success in those subject. Focus more on what you can see yourself doing for two years. Make sure you choose a subject that you really love as a higher level. If you aren't sure what career you would go into, try a different approach- start looking at colleges you're interested in, and make a list of requirements for both of your career choices, and then choose your subjects in a way that they generally meet those requirements. Don't take two sciences at higher level if you don't have to. It requires a lot of commitment and dedication to the subject, something you can't give if it isn't a subject you chose wholeheartedly. Hope this helps!

[IBSQUARED]

I took both Bio and Chem at HL, its alot of reviewing nightly but not that bad..

[CodeRed15]

I agree with what booji said. You will be stuck with your HL for two years. And instead of taking a class you hate, it's better to take something thats interesting to you. I took one HL science and it's still a lot of work.

[Zefar]

If you want to go medicine, take atleast one science at HL. One science at HL will do, if you score well, but two sciences at HL is certainly an advantage.