Haddit Posted September 12, 2014 Report Share Posted September 12, 2014 OK, so I've chosen 3 HL sciences (Bio, Physic, Chem) along with English SL, Math SL, History SL, and Spanish SL. Now, you may have noticed I would need another higher in order to obtain my diploma. Hence why I'm here. For starters, Spanish and History cannot coexist in the timetable in my school, meaning I would need to change Spanish to French. Here I could kill two birds with one stone by taking French B HL. I could also take take French AB Initio and take English HL, however I like my English teacher so I'd rather not. My final option is taking one of the sciences SL and rearranging myself from that point. What do you guys recommend? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisticsoul8 Posted September 12, 2014 Report Share Posted September 12, 2014 Okay, so first of all I'd say that if you chose 7 subjects (and from what I can see, you did) you're gonna have loads of work and basically no time to do anything else. Choosing seven subjects and having four of them on HL is really tough!!! Not that I think you should drop down on some of them because if you think you can do it and it'll make you happy then go for it. Generally, all sciences on HL are time and energy consuming. I'd suggest you drop down on one of them because it's going to help you a lot. As to English SL do you mean literature or language B? Because if it's B then you could take it on HL, it's definitely not going to be hard for you since you're already taking a programme taught entirely in English. French B is really interesting but, obviously since it's a subject for the ones that know French to some extent, it assumes that you have at least 2-3 years of experience. It really depends on your interests and your future. You shouldn't take something you don't like cause you'll have a horrible time studying it. Also, I don't think you should focus the most on whether you like the teacher. I mean, I know it helps a lot when it's someone you can easily get along with but sometimes that's not all it takes. So to sum it up, I'd reconsider this whole three HL sciences thing if I were you. It's going to be really tough trust me... 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechnight Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 I agree with artisticsoul. Last year I had two HL sciences, Physics and Chem, and it was a ton of work even without Bio. (Which, for the record, I wanted to have, but couldn't because of the schedule clash). The difference between HL and SL Physics is not so large. However, there is quite a lot more in Chem HL, and mostly in the organic, reaction mechanisms and analytical methods - quite boring and difficult stuff if you don't like it. From what the Bio kids at my school say, it's quite tough and involves a ton of memorization. What are your university plans, in which direction would you like to go afterwards? As much as HLs sounds nice, try to skip it if you don't really need them - when you add all the IAs and papers it adds up to a lot of work and time, which you could use wiser. And SLs don't give you that little knowledge either, here in Slovenia the general opinion is that SLs are pretty much equivalent to a national curriculum HL-like option. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBProcrastinator Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 I also agree. I am doing Biology HL, and there is already a LOT of content if you are doing all 3 Sciences HL you will have no free time and a lot of content to learn. If I would be you I would consider the 3 sciences. It also depends what you want to do in the future, if you are planning to study something Medicine related Biology and Chemistry is enough and Physics is not required. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haddit Posted September 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Okay, so first of all I'd say that if you chose 7 subjects (and from what I can see, you did) you're gonna have loads of work and basically no time to do anything else. Choosing seven subjects and having four of them on HL is really tough!!! Not that I think you should drop down on some of them because if you think you can do it and it'll make you happy then go for it. Generally, all sciences on HL are time and energy consuming. I'd suggest you drop down on one of them because it's going to help you a lot. As to English SL do you mean literature or language B? Because if it's B then you could take it on HL, it's definitely not going to be hard for you since you're already taking a programme taught entirely in English. French B is really interesting but, obviously since it's a subject for the ones that know French to some extent, it assumes that you have at least 2-3 years of experience. It really depends on your interests and your future. You shouldn't take something you don't like cause you'll have a horrible time studying it. Also, I don't think you should focus the most on whether you like the teacher. I mean, I know it helps a lot when it's someone you can easily get along with but sometimes that's not all it takes. So to sum it up, I'd reconsider this whole three HL sciences thing if I were you. It's going to be really tough trust me... I speak English, Spanish, and French fluently. English would be in Lit. I'm thinking about dropping Bio down to SL, since it's the most time-consuming, and universities don't really seem to care about whether Bio is in HL or SL. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haddit Posted September 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 I agree with artisticsoul. Last year I had two HL sciences, Physics and Chem, and it was a ton of work even without Bio. (Which, for the record, I wanted to have, but couldn't because of the schedule clash). The difference between HL and SL Physics is not so large. However, there is quite a lot more in Chem HL, and mostly in the organic, reaction mechanisms and analytical methods - quite boring and difficult stuff if you don't like it. From what the Bio kids at my school say, it's quite tough and involves a ton of memorization. What are your university plans, in which direction would you like to go afterwards? As much as HLs sounds nice, try to skip it if you don't really need them - when you add all the IAs and papers it adds up to a lot of work and time, which you could use wiser. And SLs don't give you that little knowledge either, here in Slovenia the general opinion is that SLs are pretty much equivalent to a national curriculum HL-like option. I also agree. I am doing Biology HL, and there is already a LOT of content if you are doing all 3 Sciences HL you will have no free time and a lot of content to learn. If I would be you I would consider the 3 sciences. It also depends what you want to do in the future, if you are planning to study something Medicine related Biology and Chemistry is enough and Physics is not required. I was told that Bio would be the best one to drop down to SL, even for medicine. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechnight Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Well, maybe the best in terms of easier getting of high marks, but looking at it knowledge-wise (sounds TOKish, I know ), might not be the best option. You will probably need that stuff, all in all. 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisticsoul8 Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Okay, so first of all I'd say that if you chose 7 subjects (and from what I can see, you did) you're gonna have loads of work and basically no time to do anything else. Choosing seven subjects and having four of them on HL is really tough!!! Not that I think you should drop down on some of them because if you think you can do it and it'll make you happy then go for it. Generally, all sciences on HL are time and energy consuming. I'd suggest you drop down on one of them because it's going to help you a lot. As to English SL do you mean literature or language B? Because if it's B then you could take it on HL, it's definitely not going to be hard for you since you're already taking a programme taught entirely in English. French B is really interesting but, obviously since it's a subject for the ones that know French to some extent, it assumes that you have at least 2-3 years of experience. It really depends on your interests and your future. You shouldn't take something you don't like cause you'll have a horrible time studying it. Also, I don't think you should focus the most on whether you like the teacher. I mean, I know it helps a lot when it's someone you can easily get along with but sometimes that's not all it takes. So to sum it up, I'd reconsider this whole three HL sciences thing if I were you. It's going to be really tough trust me... I speak English, Spanish, and French fluently. English would be in Lit. I'm thinking about dropping Bio down to SL, since it's the most time-consuming, and universities don't really seem to care about whether Bio is in HL or SL. Bio is definitely the best one to drop down to SL, since it's really time consuming, just like you said. Some people in my school, even though they have plans for medicine in the future, don't take Biology at all because their universities simply don't require it. They just need Physics and Chemistry on HL. So I think it'd be a good decision to drop down on Bio Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 If you want to study medicine, Biology is the most relevant and useful subject. Physics not at all and Chemistry also not at all. However generally Universities require Chemistry and most also require Biology nowadays. Which sciences you choose for medicine can either be based on what the University you're interested in is asking for, or on what's going to be most useful for you, or just random. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haddit Posted September 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Wouldn't chemistry be as, if not more, linked to medicine? 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.