Sixth Subject Choice Help!

[Guest]

I am trying to decide which class I should take as my sixth subject choice. I am trying to decide between Psychology SL or Physics SL.

Here is what I have already decided on:

IB Math HL
IB Chemistry HL

IB English A HL

IB World Religions SL
IB Spanish SL

I am having a hard time choosing because both are equally interesting to me. I am considering Psychology SL because it seems like an exciting class and it isn't rare for people to do well on the test. I am considering Physics SL because it is of interest to me and I have also read on a lot of university admission pages that they like to see sciences including Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. The only downside of Physics is that I have heard it is very challenging and people don't as well on that test; in the past, students at my school have not received their diplomas because of Physics, but that was in HL (this is the first year we will have SL) so I don't know if there will be a huge difference. Math and science are a strong point of mine so maybe Physics would be a class that I would do well at.

Any and all opinions or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

[The Rainbow Connection]

I suppose it also depends on what you wish to do after you leave school. It seems like you may be interested in the scientific field, perhaps engineering *due to your maths at HL*, thus it may be necessary to have physics SL as your subject.

Personally, I find physics extremely challenging however it depends on your personal ability. I find psychology quite interesting but there is quite a lot of memorisation that you have to do. Both subjects are challenging in different ways, perhaps evaluate your personal strengths to see which is better suited - as your interest seems relatively equal for these subjects.

[kingprawn]

I would go with Psychology SL, group 3 subjects are generally easier to perform well in compared to group 4 subjects. Source: http://ibpal.com/ib_tips

[IgnisRexLeo]

Go with Psychology.

One very important aspect that you have to address is your load of internal assessment per subject. If you take two sciences, it may just run you down, because of the sheer number of Lab reports.

I say go with psycho. I am not sure if it is easier or not, but the IA component will be much easier than having two sciences to handle..

[cjy]

I know an extremely clever girl who did SL Physics and only got a 4 so I'd go with psych

[flinquinnster]

I'd also be inclined to go with psychology. That might just be caused by the massive agony and trauma that physics has caused me. I think that if you're good at problem-solving, then it isn't that bad. But even if you like physics, if you're not necessarily good at conceptual understanding and rapid-fire problem analysis, it's a challenge. And so are the IAs, which are a pain if you take 2 sciences.

Then again, I don't have any experience with psych, so that might also be painful as well.

In terms of university admissions, if you are looking at engineering then it is probably a good idea to take physics - especially as it complements Maths HL. However, being good at maths is not necessarily the same thing as being good at physics. So unless you think that not choosing physics will seriously detriment your future in science, you probably don't need it. And also, psychology is edging towards a 'hard' science, so it's not too bad either.

[rinik]

It will be a lot easier to get a good grade in phycology than physics. I would take physics because there is less memorization that you have to do and if you plan to pursue engineering it would just prepare you better for university. But if you think that it will be a burden don't take it. Since you are taking Math HL I don't think that this will present a problem for you but as others have mentioned above internal assessments will take more time to finish.

[ib-dying]

personally, i find physics interesting and it is very very useful to apply outside of school however it is very much a subject where you get it or you don't and if you don't get it you have to work very very very hard to be able to get it right.

basically with all the calculations, you somehow have to know how to them it's not about memorising so if you find memorising easier i would go with something else.

good luck!

[Guest]

The only thing is that I have seen on multiple websites for universities saying that they like to see Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Do you think me not taking Physics could hurt my chances of getting accepted?

Edited July 10, 2013 by Cameron Alwes

[Emmi]

The only thing is that I have seen on multiple websites for universities saying that they like to see Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Do you think me not taking Physics could hurt my chances of getting accepted?

I did not take physics in high school and am now in my second year of college. In fact, I study engineering. It's fine if you don't, they understand that not everyone is able to take it. If you want to take physics, go ahead. But simply taking it in hopes you can get into a university better when you don't have any plans for the class is dumb.

[ctrls]

In terms of difficulty, I think it really depends from person to person. While human sciences are generally considered to be easier, I personally found it to be the opposite. If you are good with maths and science, I don't think adding Physics would be much of a stretch. I'm personally taking Physics HL and while its challenging, I don't think the SL parts are too bad (so far, at least).

I can't say too much since I know nothing about Psychology, but generally speaking it may be worth reading up a bit on both subjects, too see what both are like. University requirements and all are important, but you don't want to take a subject you hate for two years either - even if it gets you good grades.

Edited July 14, 2013 by christoi

[Erudite]

If your school has a known track record of not churning good scores in Physics, chances are, you will suffer too as a result. Go for courses that people generally do well in in your school. Good teaching can sometimes mark the difference between a 7 and a 4.

[Isabelle07]

"Difficult" is a relative term. You have to know that Physics means a lot of math plus some visual things, and Psychology is more about writing essays/learning by heart (I wsn't interested in taking Psychology, I don't really know much about it). For me, Physics is easier, so I didn't even consider Psychology, and I can't imagine not pasing any subject, especially Physics But, still, unis like "traditional" subjects. I think Physics is better if you can cope it. All is the matter of what you can cope better with. I've ssen you have on one hand A lang. HL on one hand, and Math HL and Chem HL on the other hand . I'd say you seem more into science, but I might be wrong. If you're more into essays and memorising, you should take Psychology. Physics is extra lab work, which is difficult, and Psychology is extra essay work, which is difficult too (I'd say even more difficult).