mMilda Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 So here's the situation: I'm going to IB class next autumn and I've already chosen my subjects. Two of them were chemistry and physics (both HL), but I'm also interested in biology, which I'm not allowed to choose (too many subjects from one group). So I started to wonder whether I can learn it on my own? (e.g. taking a textbook and studying it by myself and maybe asking teacher to supervise my learning.) I know that I won't be allowed to take exam for this subject, I'm just intended to learn it for myself. Or... maybe it'd be just a waste of time? What do you guys think? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShootingStar16 Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 If you like biology, go for it! I think it's doable, but definitely a lot of work. In addition to a textbook, there are websites such as bioninja that have bio notes and there's this Youtube channel. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotheribkid Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 It would take a lot of discipline to do that in addition to your other IB subjects and pacing may be difficult if you're wanting to cover all the Bio material independently. It is possible, especially if you are very interested in the subject. However, you will need to be organised and carefully prioritise your learning. HL Chem and Physics are on the more demanding end of IB subjects. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
swegmagician1337 Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Yes it is. I self taught Bio HL and Chem SL over the 2 weeks prior to IB exams (May 2015) because of an incompetent teacher and ended up getting high 7's in both. You need to lay aside a solid study regimen and you will be golden. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metsfanAJM Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) If you're interested in Biology, then by all means go ahead and study it, but make sure you still have time to adequately study your other IB subjects. I took HL Bio, and was in a similar situation as you, because I had two lackluster teachers and needed to teach myself all the material. Overall, I would say it's doable, but there is a lot of memorization, and it's not a subject you can start studying in April and master by the time IB exams roll around in May. As someone said earlier, IB Bio Ninja is a huge life saver. Also, there are videos on YouTube (e.g. Stephen Taylor, Stephanie Castle, etc.) that I found helpful. Edited July 11, 2015 by metsfanAJM Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarieLarissa Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Yes it is completely doable. However I would recommend doing it during the summer (not whilst all of the other IB courses are in full swing as you will have more time to understand the material without having to worry about other courses). My teacher was not the most helpful and essentially told us to learn the IB Bio HL curriculum from the textbook or BioNinja which are both great resources. Good Luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUC Posted June 16, 2017 Report Share Posted June 16, 2017 (edited) It's very possible to learn biology on your own. There are a ton of resources provided by top universities like MIT, Stanford, UCI, etc. Khan Academy is great too. One of the issues is knowing where to start. DIY bio had a good guide for learning biology on your own and has also cataloged resources for learning biology online. Edited June 16, 2017 by IUC Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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