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"Soft" subjects to avoid, according to universities


Vvi

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well I'm taking Business and Management and i agree that this is a soft subject, especially for those who took business for GCSE or IGCSE..

but my school offers only business instead of economics.. so i had to choose it.

anyway, i still do like business since it's fun to study and i know more about it than other subjects!

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I am completing my Ib in may 2010 and i plan to pursue mining/mineral/geo engginering from of of the top american/canadian universities. my subjects are Math , Phy and Chem at the Higher level and english, spanish and Eco at the standard level!!are these subjects relevant??? i plan to shift from eco to history as it is much easier to learn and score a 7 in history than in eco.what would you suggest???

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Whoa! How did you get that? I thought that just wasn't possible to get around the subject criteria! Would it have been possible to do 3 social sciences at HL instead of A1 then?

A non-regulatory diploma grants the right to skip group 3. It isn't possible to not do any other group. It isn't that hard to get to do a non-reg diploma since some countries require Bio, Chem and Phys for medicine, so IB allows it.

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Such a shame... I am taking visual art and it is actually a lot of work. It's definitely unfair to think that students take art because they think that it's the easier way out. It's not, to achieve a 7 you actually have to spend considerable amount of time on your artwork and research. I wonder why visual and theatre art is considered soft subjects but not music.

Edited by eskimotaro
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I guess that's true. After all in IB1 sitting through visual art is almost like having spare time. People do muck around but in reality to do well you'd still have to spend as much efforts as you would with other subjects. Still you get to do what you want and work at your own pace towards the final goal.

I used to think that choosing Art was the best decision I ever made, but I guess nothing ever comes for free haha

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...

i strongly disagree with the fact that Business management is a soft subject. Bnm HL is actually is one the hardest to score because of the internal assement. It is actually easier to score a 7 Economics HL than in BNM HL. I know a lot people who missed a 7 in BNM but got a 7 in BNM. Bnm is more practical when compared to economics as economics is more like science. Bnm requires a lot practical and analytical skills. So BNM is not at all a Soft subject

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I took Business Studies at IGCSE level and now I'm taking Economics at HL. Economics is a lot harder. Understanding how the market functions and things like currency exchange and account deficits and knowing business theory with its applications are two different things.

I didn't compile the list, universities like Oxford did.

Take whatever you want if you like it.

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B&M is a relatively easy subject. The only reason it's difficult to score a 7 is that a. they won't let you, and b. they need a lot on content in your answers.

The jump from IGCSE / GCSE Business Studies and IB B&M, is relatively small.

Before you question me, A. I did both GCSE and IB B&M, and B. This is my opinion.

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  • 3 weeks later...

"Soft subjects" are probably subjects that are considered to be the least academic. It's true when you look at some on the list, which are more hands on and require less theory and maths. Since the Space Race, the world has become a lot more science-orientated, which reflects itself in the school curriculum. Think about IB. Everyone has to take Math.

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Our schools offers:

• Business and Management

• Design and Technology

• Information Technology in a Global Society

• Theatre Arts

• Visual Arts

• Maths Studies

• Classical Studies

• Ecosytems and Societies.

So basically all the so called "soft subjects"

All the subjects that I didn't know existed prior to IB2, really. :P It's interesting how all the "soft" subjects have nontraditional names. Like ITGS... wtf?

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thank you for the useful list- i can understand that universities think they're soft. BUT, if taking that additional hard course instead of the easier one will make you collapse, is it worth it? By taking that one easy course in SL, it gives that person the time and energy to focus on getting a seven in everything else- specifically the HL subjects.

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thank you for the useful list- i can understand that universities think they're soft. BUT, if taking that additional hard course instead of the easier one will make you collapse, is it worth it? By taking that one easy course in SL, it gives that person the time and energy to focus on getting a seven in everything else- specifically the HL subjects.

Seriously, if taking a "hard" course will tire you to the point of "collapsing" then I don't think IB is for you. In the end, if you love the course and you take it, fine. If you take it because it's an easy way out, ha you won't do so well on your other courses anyway.

Btw, some "easy" courses are quite time consuming e.g. visual arts.

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Seriously, if taking a "hard" course will tire you to the point of "collapsing" then I don't think IB is for you. In the end, if you love the course and you take it, fine. If you take it because it's an easy way out, ha you won't do so well on your other courses anyway.

Btw, some "easy" courses are quite time consuming e.g. visual arts.

and sometimes the "easy" courses are the ones you love. Thats whats great about IB, almost everyones' diploma is different. :rofl:

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We had several moments where kids at the school blew up from constricting pressure of grades, etc. Especially, when the next year course selections come in. Of course, when choosing your HL and SL classes, you want to be careful. I know ITGS is an easy class, but I think its quiet relevant to whats going on. Anyways, what I was saying is that my school has huge amounts of stress over something my IB Cordinator always simplifies by saying "just take it in college"... thats all that it means. you will have to take it in college. nothing special, not a significant loss.

But I doubt you will be directly rejected by most universities. They might take it out of your GPA calculations, which is what usually happens with these types of weak classes.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm taking Math Studies, Theatre Arts HL and ITGS HL, three of the named 'soft subjects' in this thread.

Theatre Arts HL is the most challenging course i've ever encountered, and no, not just because I take all the easy classes, it's hard work.

I chose math studies because my possible career paths don't require math to a moderate level so taking studies was the sensible route.

If I'm 'screwed' because of this which I somehow doubt somehow. I don't know how I was going to finish my sentence, but I just don't think i'll be screwed for taking subjects that are right for me and what I want to do career wise etc. Grr.

Most of the 'soft subjects' on the list are simply the ones that are not scientific. Why would I take scientific classes if I don't want to be a scientist or anything science-y? It's a little different if someone is applying for a scientific degree or something, but as I won't be I don't see how it could be a problem.

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