IB and Engineering

[fcb1013]

1) What subjects should I choose for the IBDP if I am interested in pursuing engineering/industrial engineering/product design? For higher levels, I am not especially keen on Chemistry as it's never been my strongest subject. Here was what I had in mind, but please recommend any subjects you would substitute or change the levels of:

HL Maths

HL Physics

HL Visual Arts

SL English Lang and Lit

SL Economics

SL French

Will these subjects meet the requirements of top universities in the UK for the aforementioned courses?

2) As certain universities don't offer industrial engineering courses, is it possible for me to study another course (engineering, architecture, some sort of arts subject) and perhaps move towards that field later on in my career? What are some related subjects I might pick?

3) Will it be a lot of application work to apply for both the US and the UK?

4) I've got some time before applying, is there anything I could work towards to improve my chances if I wanted to study the aforementioned subjects at top universities? What are some skills or co-curricular activities that I could take part it to show my initiative to study the subjects? How big of a role would charity work/leadership roles within school/sports teams play?

Edited January 9, 2013 by fcbarcelona1013

[Nabz]

1) What subjects should I choose for the IBDP if I am interested in pursuing engineering/industrial engineering? For higher levels, I am not especially keen on Chemistry as it's never been my strongest subject. Here was what I had in mind:

HL Maths

HL Physics

HL Visual Arts

SL English Lang and Lit

SL Economics

SL French

Will these subjects meet the requirements of top universities in the UK for the aforementioned courses?

2) As certain universities don't offer industrial engineering courses, is it possible for me to study another course (engineering, architecture, some sort of arts subject) and perhaps move towards that field later on in my career?

3) Will it be a lot of application work to apply for both the US and the UK?

HL math and HL physics for most of the engineering courses. You definitely need HL math for engineering.

2. Yes it is possible i guess but if you won't have the basics, you will always be in trouble thereafter.

3. Not sure about US but for UK it is quite simple through UCAS, your guiding counselor should be able to help you in this. The deadlines for UK applications for most universities are 15th of January but if you're taking about Cambridge etc, their deadlines are in October so you have to stay tuned about these. Application procedure is easy as you have to fill stuff online which is self explanatory on UCAS and then your predicted grades will be directly sent by your guiding counselor. Your counselor will help you send the application with you.

For Canada and i think that's the case for US as well that you have to fill out forms on your own and their deadlines are in April, so that's quite late

[Drake Glau]

1) You look fine.

2) As far as I know, which is US only, most accredited universities will transfer all of your general education credits (these include your required english/behavioral science requirement for your degree. Yes you have to take courses that have near nothing directly related to your field of study). So you could, in theory, go anywhere for 1-2 years doing your "gen eds" and thus gaining a resume filled with a high college gpa rather than just high school which would look better for any application to another university that has your program. There are also graduates programs in the US. It's after your 4 years of undergraduate. Some programs, like biophysics and a few other very specific areas, are only available at the graduate level due to their specificity.

3) The US greatly depends on what university you are applying to. If I remember right there was a website that you could fill out all your basic info on (name, address, high school courses/gpa, etc) and then apply to w/e college you want. Depending on what college you choose to apply to, through the website, you will be prompted with all the required essays you would need to write. Sadly, I do not remember the website. Your counselor might know what I'm talking about though. If not, you can always just go find the applications yourself and do them individually. Honestly, in the grand idea of going to university, the time it takes for you to apply shouldn't be a factor in any of your decisions.

[fcb1013]

Thank you for your responses.

My preference right now is actually the UK. However, I'd like to keep my options open for now. I would of course, be putting a lot of effort and time into the applications. What I meant with my third question is that will I be able to meet the requirements for each country (i.e. SATs and subject tests for US, interviews for both, personal statements for UK and so on)?

Evidently I am not certain what sort of career exactly I want to pursue yet. However, I think it should be in the field of science. I know IB subject choices will be important especially in applying for the UK, will art be a good option to put as higher level or should I simply take chemistry perhaps at SL and move another subject (i.e. Economics) up to HL?

[Nabz]

Thank you for your responses.

My preference right now is actually the UK. However, I'd like to keep my options open for now. I would of course, be putting a lot of effort and time into the applications. What I meant with my third question is that will I be able to meet the requirements for each country (i.e. SATs and subject tests for US, interviews for both, personal statements for UK and so on)?

Evidently I am not certain what sort of career exactly I want to pursue yet. However, I think it should be in the field of science. I know IB subject choices will be important especially in applying for the UK, will art be a good option to put as higher level or should I simply take chemistry perhaps at SL and move another subject (i.e. Economics) up to HL?

I think, doing SATs would enable you to apply to most/all universities in US whereas in UK you just need personal statement which can be written anytime/anywhere so np. However in UCAS there's a restriction regarding english language that if you haven't been studying in English for last 3-4 years then you have to pass an exam called TOEFL so be careful about that.

NP if you're not sure what you want to do because that's the case for me as well. If you're sure about science, then i would advice you not to take any other hard subjects such as economics because that would just divert your progress and you will end up studying a lot for both subjects while getting satisfactory results. THis is what happened with me. I was interested in Economics and Physics but i also took Geography at higher level where i ended up getting bad grades and it affected my performance in phyiscs and eco as well. I could take arts/film and/or Design techonology which are easier than learning **** load of stuff in geography...

[Drake Glau]

Heck, I'm in college and still don't know >.>

Since someone in this thread knows the UK well, I guess (i havent the slightest clue) I can help with the US details.

Very simple. Your overall IB score will probably not matter. You will receive credit for predetermined classes based off the score you achieve in a subject.

My school, for example, gave me credit for Chem 1 and 2 (6 credit hours total) because I received a 5 in HL Chem and I could then skip into Chem 3. This applies to mostly all subjects except (check with your school) physics because most of university physics is calc based and IB physics is not...at all...so most don't deem it worth credit =/

But the overall point is that for the US your GPA is what will matter. The IB scores will simply be extra credit upon admission.

This applies for almost EVERY school in the US. There might be exceptions out there who are a little more accredited and actually know what IB is such as the Ivy Leagues and other top tier schools. But just like there are some who know IB and give it props...there are those who literally asked me what IB even was...

Edited January 11, 2013 by Drake Glau

[fcb1013]

Thank you for your responses.

My preference right now is actually the UK. However, I'd like to keep my options open for now. I would of course, be putting a lot of effort and time into the applications. What I meant with my third question is that will I be able to meet the requirements for each country (i.e. SATs and subject tests for US, interviews for both, personal statements for UK and so on)?

Evidently I am not certain what sort of career exactly I want to pursue yet. However, I think it should be in the field of science. I know IB subject choices will be important especially in applying for the UK, will art be a good option to put as higher level or should I simply take chemistry perhaps at SL and move another subject (i.e. Economics) up to HL?

I think, doing SATs would enable you to apply to most/all universities in US whereas in UK you just need personal statement which can be written anytime/anywhere so np. However in UCAS there's a restriction regarding english language that if you haven't been studying in English for last 3-4 years then you have to pass an exam called TOEFL so be careful about that.

NP if you're not sure what you want to do because that's the case for me as well. If you're sure about science, then i would advice you not to take any other hard subjects such as economics because that would just divert your progress and you will end up studying a lot for both subjects while getting satisfactory results. THis is what happened with me. I was interested in Economics and Physics but i also took Geography at higher level where i ended up getting bad grades and it affected my performance in phyiscs and eco as well. I could take arts/film and/or Design techonology which are easier than learning **** load of stuff in geography...

Thanks again. I understand that the IB does try to promote a well-rounded learning. I think I'll be pursuing a career in science, but art has always been an interest of mine and could come in handy if I end up doing something like design. With selecting these subjects, I am trying to find a balance between my interests, possible career options, and the difficulty. People have said to me that I have already chosen two of the most rigorous HL subjects in Maths and Physics, and art is quite extensive at HL too. This is a reason why I don't plan on taking Chemistry. Do you know if the top UK universities require double science for an engineering course? Or would Maths + Physics at HL suffice? (I know this is the case for Warwick)

What's your take on the difficulties of my chosen subjects? I'm quite good at my HL subjects and I also have a genuine interest for them so I think I'll be able to do fine with hard work, is this the case? Should I replace arts with chem? And should I have history at SL instead or is that too much work too? I've heard that Economics can be picked up quite easily later on at university, and I probably won't ever take history again...

[Emmi]

HL math and HL physics will be difficult, as these are two of the hardest courses offered in IB. That being said, if these subjects are ones that you enjoy and have a natural aptitude for (I'd assume since you want to be an engineer which is a ton of math/science), you should be able to handle them and with hard work, do well in them. HL math is hard, but if you can understand the concepts, you should be OK.

HL chem is a lot of work too, just like HL visual arts. Both require a lot of work but in different ways. In HL chemistry (which I took) you need to spend a lot of time covering the material because there is simply so much. You need to spend time on equations, on concepts, and on lab reports in order for your IA to do well. In HL Visual Arts (I only took SL, but can comment on the HL course), you'll spend a lot of time working on your artwork, researching new artists and techniques, and working on your workbook. In HL Visual Arts there are two options, A and B, and both require you to spend a lot of time on your artwork and workbook (which option you pick will give slightly more emphasis on one of them, but you still can't neglect the other and expect to do well).

You should first see what the universities require for your particular engineering course. If they require a second HL science, then obviously you need to take HL chem. But if they don't, you can pick whichever you feel more inclined to doing for the next two years, chemistry or art. It's all up to to you. HL visual arts might be useful for product design, but for things like mechanical engineering/chemical engineering, etc it probably wouldn't be.

SL history can be some work, but it's definitely less work than HL history. It's a lot of essay-writing, but it's also a lot of analytical thinking, and people who are science-minded will like that and may do well in it (for example, I'm currently entering the chemical engineering program at my university but I took HL history and got a 6). Not true for everyone obviously, but something to think about

[fcb1013]

HL math and HL physics will be difficult, as these are two of the hardest courses offered in IB. That being said, if these subjects are ones that you enjoy and have a natural aptitude for (I'd assume since you want to be an engineer which is a ton of math/science), you should be able to handle them and with hard work, do well in them. HL math is hard, but if you can understand the concepts, you should be OK.

HL chem is a lot of work too, just like HL visual arts. Both require a lot of work but in different ways. In HL chemistry (which I took) you need to spend a lot of time covering the material because there is simply so much. You need to spend time on equations, on concepts, and on lab reports in order for your IA to do well. In HL Visual Arts (I only took SL, but can comment on the HL course), you'll spend a lot of time working on your artwork, researching new artists and techniques, and working on your workbook. In HL Visual Arts there are two options, A and B, and both require you to spend a lot of time on your artwork and workbook (which option you pick will give slightly more emphasis on one of them, but you still can't neglect the other and expect to do well).

You should first see what the universities require for your particular engineering course. If they require a second HL science, then obviously you need to take HL chem. But if they don't, you can pick whichever you feel more inclined to doing for the next two years, chemistry or art. It's all up to to you. HL visual arts might be useful for product design, but for things like mechanical engineering/chemical engineering, etc it probably wouldn't be.

SL history can be some work, but it's definitely less work than HL history. It's a lot of essay-writing, but it's also a lot of analytical thinking, and people who are science-minded will like that and may do well in it (for example, I'm currently entering the chemical engineering program at my university but I took HL history and got a 6). Not true for everyone obviously, but something to think about

Appreciate your time! I'll definitely have to check the requirements. Right now I'm thinking of taking engineering and later branching out to mechanical engineering or just doing industrial design. I think the most important thing is that my HLs are all subjects I enjoy and so I'll be willing to work hard and spend time on them. Do you know if there are any universities which require double science (either HL/SL or both HL)? Or any top university that has industrial design for major? I can't seem to find any good ones...

Also, what do you mean by the two options in VA? I take VA core right now in MYP and I know its plenty of work. Do you know the difference between HL and SL VA? Is it just the extensive material covered (like in Physics)? What would be a good option for me as my third HL if I drop VA to SL? Thanks lots!

[Emmi]

Appreciate your time! I'll definitely have to check the requirements. Right now I'm thinking of taking engineering and later branching out to mechanical engineering or just doing industrial design. I think the most important thing is that my HLs are all subjects I enjoy and so I'll be willing to work hard and spend time on them. Do you know if there are any universities which require double science (either HL/SL or both HL)? Or any top university that has industrial design for major? I can't seem to find any good ones...

Also, what do you mean by the two options in VA? I take VA core right now in MYP and I know its plenty of work. Do you know the difference between HL and SL VA? Is it just the extensive material covered (like in Physics)? What would be a good option for me as my third HL if I drop VA to SL? Thanks lots!

That depends on where you want to study to be honest! Each country has different entry requirements. Did you want to study in the UK/EU, the US, Canada, etc? I can't really comment on the others, but in the US there's no "official" subject requirements, although taking HL math/physics is a good idea just because of the type of courses you'll be taking. And then there's things like predicted grades, GPA, personal statement, etc. More info would get you a better answer

In visual arts there are two options: A and B. While in each option you have to submit both work and an investigation workbook, the option you take depends on how much you work on each. In option A (I did option A at SL) your artwork is 60% of your grade and your workbook is 40%. In option B your workbook is 60%, and your artwork is 40%. At HL (since you are considering it) you'll need aout 12-18 major artworks to submit at the end of the course for option A and about 25-30 pages in your workbook, but only 8-12 major artworks for option B and about 35-40 pages in your workbook. Your school may pick an option for you, but if you can choose whichever you pick is more or less your preference: would you prefer to focus more on artwork or would you prefer to focus more on the investigation? There's some links on here in the arts section if you want to get a feel for both options.

Your third HL will depend on where you're applying. If they require a third science, then obviously take another HL science. If they don't require anything other than HL math/physics, then you can pick whatever you feel most like doing. You might want to take something a little less time consuming just because your other two HLs are a lot of work, but in the end pick something you like because you're doing it for two years.

[fcb1013]

Appreciate your time! I'll definitely have to check the requirements. Right now I'm thinking of taking engineering and later branching out to mechanical engineering or just doing industrial design. I think the most important thing is that my HLs are all subjects I enjoy and so I'll be willing to work hard and spend time on them. Do you know if there are any universities which require double science (either HL/SL or both HL)? Or any top university that has industrial design for major? I can't seem to find any good ones...

Also, what do you mean by the two options in VA? I take VA core right now in MYP and I know its plenty of work. Do you know the difference between HL and SL VA? Is it just the extensive material covered (like in Physics)? What would be a good option for me as my third HL if I drop VA to SL? Thanks lots!

That depends on where you want to study to be honest! Each country has different entry requirements. Did you want to study in the UK/EU, the US, Canada, etc? I can't really comment on the others, but in the US there's no "official" subject requirements, although taking HL math/physics is a good idea just because of the type of courses you'll be taking. And then there's things like predicted grades, GPA, personal statement, etc. More info would get you a better answer

In visual arts there are two options: A and B. While in each option you have to submit both work and an investigation workbook, the option you take depends on how much you work on each. In option A (I did option A at SL) your artwork is 60% of your grade and your workbook is 40%. In option B your workbook is 60%, and your artwork is 40%. At HL (since you are considering it) you'll need aout 12-18 major artworks to submit at the end of the course for option A and about 25-30 pages in your workbook, but only 8-12 major artworks for option B and about 35-40 pages in your workbook. Your school may pick an option for you, but if you can choose whichever you pick is more or less your preference: would you prefer to focus more on artwork or would you prefer to focus more on the investigation? There's some links on here in the arts section if you want to get a feel for both options.

Your third HL will depend on where you're applying. If they require a third science, then obviously take another HL science. If they don't require anything other than HL math/physics, then you can pick whatever you feel most like doing. You might want to take something a little less time consuming just because your other two HLs are a lot of work, but in the end pick something you like because you're doing it for two years.

Appreciate your time! I'll definitely have to check the requirements. Right now I'm thinking of taking engineering and later branching out to mechanical engineering or just doing industrial design. I think the most important thing is that my HLs are all subjects I enjoy and so I'll be willing to work hard and spend time on them. Do you know if there are any universities which require double science (either HL/SL or both HL)? Or any top university that has industrial design for major? I can't seem to find any good ones...

Also, what do you mean by the two options in VA? I take VA core right now in MYP and I know its plenty of work. Do you know the difference between HL and SL VA? Is it just the extensive material covered (like in Physics)? What would be a good option for me as my third HL if I drop VA to SL? Thanks lots!

That depends on where you want to study to be honest! Each country has different entry requirements. Did you want to study in the UK/EU, the US, Canada, etc? I can't really comment on the others, but in the US there's no "official" subject requirements, although taking HL math/physics is a good idea just because of the type of courses you'll be taking. And then there's things like predicted grades, GPA, personal statement, etc. More info would get you a better answer

In visual arts there are two options: A and B. While in each option you have to submit both work and an investigation workbook, the option you take depends on how much you work on each. In option A (I did option A at SL) your artwork is 60% of your grade and your workbook is 40%. In option B your workbook is 60%, and your artwork is 40%. At HL (since you are considering it) you'll need aout 12-18 major artworks to submit at the end of the course for option A and about 25-30 pages in your workbook, but only 8-12 major artworks for option B and about 35-40 pages in your workbook. Your school may pick an option for you, but if you can choose whichever you pick is more or less your preference: would you prefer to focus more on artwork or would you prefer to focus more on the investigation? There's some links on here in the arts section if you want to get a feel for both options.

Your third HL will depend on where you're applying. If they require a third science, then obviously take another HL science. If they don't require anything other than HL math/physics, then you can pick whatever you feel most like doing. You might want to take something a little less time consuming just because your other two HLs are a lot of work, but in the end pick something you like because you're doing it for two years.

Would you say VA at HL is a tough course? Just by hearing about it, I can already imagine how much time will have to be put in. Are there any major differences between SL and HL visual art? By the way, I have the UK in mind. But I'd like to keep my options open for the time being.

Appreciate your time! I'll definitely have to check the requirements. Right now I'm thinking of taking engineering and later branching out to mechanical engineering or just doing industrial design. I think the most important thing is that my HLs are all subjects I enjoy and so I'll be willing to work hard and spend time on them. Do you know if there are any universities which require double science (either HL/SL or both HL)? Or any top university that has industrial design for major? I can't seem to find any good ones...

Also, what do you mean by the two options in VA? I take VA core right now in MYP and I know its plenty of work. Do you know the difference between HL and SL VA? Is it just the extensive material covered (like in Physics)? What would be a good option for me as my third HL if I drop VA to SL? Thanks lots!

That depends on where you want to study to be honest! Each country has different entry requirements. Did you want to study in the UK/EU, the US, Canada, etc? I can't really comment on the others, but in the US there's no "official" subject requirements, although taking HL math/physics is a good idea just because of the type of courses you'll be taking. And then there's things like predicted grades, GPA, personal statement, etc. More info would get you a better answer

In visual arts there are two options: A and B. While in each option you have to submit both work and an investigation workbook, the option you take depends on how much you work on each. In option A (I did option A at SL) your artwork is 60% of your grade and your workbook is 40%. In option B your workbook is 60%, and your artwork is 40%. At HL (since you are considering it) you'll need aout 12-18 major artworks to submit at the end of the course for option A and about 25-30 pages in your workbook, but only 8-12 major artworks for option B and about 35-40 pages in your workbook. Your school may pick an option for you, but if you can choose whichever you pick is more or less your preference: would you prefer to focus more on artwork or would you prefer to focus more on the investigation? There's some links on here in the arts section if you want to get a feel for both options.

Your third HL will depend on where you're applying. If they require a third science, then obviously take another HL science. If they don't require anything other than HL math/physics, then you can pick whatever you feel most like doing. You might want to take something a little less time consuming just because your other two HLs are a lot of work, but in the end pick something you like because you're doing it for two years.

Would you say VA at HL is a tough course? Just by hearing about it, I can already imagine how much time will have to be put in. Are there any major differences between SL and HL visual art? By the way, I have the UK in mind. But I'd like to keep my options open for the time being.

[Emmi]

Would you say VA at HL is a tough course? Just by hearing about it, I can already imagine how much time will have to be put in. Are there any major differences between SL and HL visual art? By the way, I have the UK in mind. But I'd like to keep my options open for the time being.

It's not hard in the same way taking say HL physics would be, but it's still hard. At HL you have to complete a LOT of work and it must be high-quality work. You're always researching for your next piece, experimenting with new techniques, and exploring your concentration. If you're motivated you can do quite well, but it's hard. I took SL and about half of my class signed up thinking it would be an easy class until the teacher said on the first day "if you're looking for an easy 6 or 7, this is not the class for you." Then like 3 of them switched lol. Granted people still get 6s and 7s, and I got a 5 (but then again at my school we did this class weird and it was just one year so I had to cram everything into a year, so maybe it could have been higher if I had another year, who knows). If you know how to research art and are reasonably decent at it, it won't be impossible.

Edit: SL's still hard too. There were nights I didn't get a lot of sleep because I had to find things to put in my workbook or finish painting a piece. But like I said it's not impossible

Edited January 17, 2013 by Emy Glau-ski
why can I still see these? o_O

[theorist]

I'm not sure if you mean Industrial Engineering or Industrial Design. In the US, they are very different and Industrial Engineering has very little to do with visual arts. US universities won't hold VA HL against you, but they might appreciate HL Chem, Econ, English, Further Math, or French more.

In the US it's not uncommon to do a masters degree in industrial engineering after a bachelors degree in another engineering field, math, physical science, cs, econ or possibly engineering, but I've never heard of someone doing a masters in IE after a bachelors in art. Of course if you mean industrial design, that's completely different.