Jump to content

Having hard time choosing IB subjects, HELP!


Suyoni
Go to solution Solved by IB_veteran,

Recommended Posts

I am doing IB next year and having hard time choosing the right subjects to take!!

 

I would like to pursue a career in veterinary and go to a university in Germany, in which universities do not require Chemistry at HL.

 

So here are the subjects I think I might take in IB:

 

Biology

German B

Business

At HL

 

Chemistry

Math

English A

At SL

 

I am sure about taking Math, German and English at the levels mentioned above. However, considering the career path, I have seen people saying Chem at HL would be better than Bio at HL, and I am worst at Chem of all three sciences, although I think I will be able to manage if I try really hard. Do you think I should try Chem at HL? Or even both at HL?

If anyone has experience with this, please tell me how different (hard) Chem and/or Bio at HL it is from SL and how it is to take two sciences rather than one science and one subject from Group 3.

 

Also, my school offers Business, Geography and history as group 3 subjects--I wanted to take Economics but unfortunately they do not offer it. So which subject from group 3 would be the best for me to take?

 

Any advises will be appreciated!  :wub:

Edited by Suyoni
Link to post
Share on other sites

If you're not comfortable taking Chemistry at HL, Biology at HL and Chemistry at SL is good enough. Your courses seem fine by me. From what you've said, you're comfortable with them, they're doable for you and they fulfill your post-high school requirements :)

 

As for the group 3 course, I think you should stick to Business because then if you plan on making yourself a private vet, then you'd know how to go about doing that. It just seems the best suited for the career path you've decided on.

 

You're on the right track from what I see though!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Solution

Hi!

 

Okay, I would definitely choose Bio at HL over Chem. I did both at HL, and chemistry is hell. Don't do it at HL unless it's your favorite topic and you're really good at it, and since you said that it's your worst of the sciences, I would really really suggest not taking it at HL. The syllabus for each topic is changing this year, so from what I've seen, chemistry is going to be a lot harder and there's going to be a lot more to know as it is. Bio on the other hand is my favorite class, and it's one of the most rewarding. It requires a lot of time, because you really need to study for it to get good grades. But the good thing is it's not a matter of if you understand it or not - if you spend enough time studying, you will get good grades.

 

Since you're going to study in Germany, German B at HL is a good option, so it's good that you're decided on that. I took French B at SL, and it wasn't too challenging, so any language B at HL shouldn't be too much of a stretch. This is just a guess though. And the smartest decision anyone who takes the IB can make is not to take math HL, so you're set there too :)

 

My third HL was English A: Language and Literature. If you're not sure what you want as your third HL, I think this is a great option. It's not challenging at all, it's just a lot of writing. But really, it doesn't take too much time, and there's nothing to study for, since the both the Paper 1 and Paper 2 in the final exam is given to you when you sit to actually take the exam. The only thing you'll need to know are a few quotes, but memorizing those only takes like an hour. Seriously it only requires an hour of studying in two years of the course. So it's a really great option if you still need an HL course. Plus if you did both English and German at HL, even though it's German B, you'll get a bilingual IB diploma, which looks great in applications.

 

Group 3 really depends on what subject you like best. I took history SL and I'm really happy I did. But it's entirely up to you, so if you want Business, do Business :) But I have no idea what study requirements are needed for that, since our school doesn't offer it, so I don't know anyone who takes it.

 

Overall, I would suggest:

Bio HL

German B HL

English A HL

 

Chemistry SL

Math SL

Business SL

 

(I'm only saying Business SL because there are already three HL's. It is possible to take 4 classes at HL, but I wouldn't recommend that)

 

Whatever you choose, IB is going to be a challenge, and a hell of a long 2 years. So good luck!

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...