iiimee Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Hey guys, I know this question might be a little confusing, since I actually don't have a definite career path I am going for yet, but hear me out please? I think I might have actually joined this site a little early, considering the fact I am starting school in a month or so, meaning I'm technically pre-pre-IB, but if it helps I do need help with planning out my future in this program. I also know all the classes I'll be taking once school starts, and I'll post them if it helps, though I don't know if it well, considering the IB program starts in the third year of high school, right? I don't know if it's possible to take IB classes before you actually take the tests to get into the program- If it is, please tell me. Anyway, back to the main question I was going to ask: Since I am going to be using my next two years to prepare myself for the program that helps prepare me for a good life, I'd like some help beforehand on figuring out what classes within the IB are good for me. I'm sure that not all schools offer the same IB classes, but even if that's the case my school has a lot of classes, so don't be shy to suggest them! I am curious about entering a medical career, except I have needlephobia, so maybe something related to pharmacies...? I really don't know what IB classes would even help me get into a STEM field, but I'd appreciate it if somebody could advise me. Also, what classes should I avoid? I mean, no class is really bad, but certainly having classes that focus more around a different field wouldn't be too smart... At least not too many of them... It's kind of like how you don't want to take a Gender Studies class in College unless that's something you're going into... Anyway, any advice? I put this in general because my question is sort of a mix of what career path I should take, and what IB classes will help me get there. I plan to overcome my needlephobia and I'm not afraid of giving shots to plants or using syringes without needles already, but I don't think I could handle something like a nursing career, where I'd have to insert needles into humans day after day... I like Science and am neither the best nor worst in it. I think I'm pretty bad at Math because memorizing formulas is a challenge for me, but I can do basic math quite well, and I think that as long as the career doesn't rely on Math 100% of the time I'll be fine. Oh, and finally, I am a realist, so money and decent employment opportunities are VERY important to me. So yeah, any suggestions? I've always liked genetics and things revolving around living things, but as I said, needles scare me half to death! What STEM field do you think would be right for me, and what classes in the IB program could help me get into that career? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeronicaG Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Yes, I think you are on the site too early, but I love these types of questions! I'm also interested in STEM and took IB classes to reflect that. I'm doing Biomedical Engineering in the Fall. Since needles aren't your thing, pharmacy could actually be a good idea. However, there's still a bit of math involved and it can become kinda boring... Pharmacology is the science of making/discovering new medicines, but requires a PhD. This is a pretty exciting field. As for courses, I'd recommend these for sure: HL Bio HL Chem SL Math (not Studies) SL English You still need one more SL and HL course and they have to include another language and a social science. I picked French and Economics but you pick what you like! 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiimee Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 17 minutes ago, VeronicaG said: Yes, I think you are on the site too early, but I love these types of questions! I'm also interested in STEM and took IB classes to reflect that. I'm doing Biomedical Engineering in the Fall. Since needles aren't your thing, pharmacy could actually be a good idea. However, there's still a bit of math involved and it can become kinda boring... Pharmacology is the science of making/discovering new medicines, but requires a PhD. This is a pretty exciting field. As for courses, I'd recommend these for sure: HL Bio HL Chem SL Math (not Studies) SL English You still need one more SL and HL course and they have to include another language and a social science. I picked French and Economics but you pick what you like! Thanks! I'll definitely make sure to consider these, though... (I feel like an idiot.) What does HL and SL mean again? >_< I'm so lost at the moment, sorry! I mean, I've read up on the IB program like crazy, but abbreviations always mislead me so I want to make sure. Oh, and just so you know, these are the classes I'm taking once I start school: P.E/Health Advanced Biology Advanced Human Geography Advanced Japanese (for the next two years. I'm already studying outside of school!) Advanced English Advanced Geometry I might be taking band and marching band, or theatre... Marching band takes up three days after school a week I think, and it's required to do the band class in-school, so I might just do theatre. Do you think doing band and marching band would be too much for me? I mean, I am sort of new and might be a little overwhelmed, but if I quit band now, I can't take it for the next three years. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeronicaG Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Glad to offer some help! And lol after 2 years of IB I only speak with abbreviations. HL is higher level and it is the more advanced content. SL is standard level and is a bit easier and not as in-depth. Basically do whatever you're good at at higher level and take the stuff you're bad at at standard level. Also you should stick with band! I took it and it was a good stress reliever from school. You will be required to do extracurriculars in IBDP so you should get used to participating in clubs. Some universities also look at your activities when you apply so you want to be engaged. Also, explore sports and volunteering opportunities if you can 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiimee Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 7 minutes ago, VeronicaG said: Glad to offer some help! And lol after 2 years of IB I only speak with abbreviations. HL is higher level and it is the more advanced content. SL is standard level and is a bit easier and not as in-depth. Basically do whatever you're good at at higher level and take the stuff you're bad at at standard level. Also you should stick with band! I took it and it was a good stress reliever from school. You will be required to do extracurriculars in IBDP so you should get used to participating in clubs. Some universities also look at your activities when you apply so you want to be engaged. Also, explore sports and volunteering opportunities if you can Thank you. I get that, but unfortunately my fear is that marching band will take time away from me doing other things I love, like participating in the school plays, playing sports or joining any sort of club. I play trombone too, and I'm very skinny, so I don't know how well I could march... My experience with band for the last three years (middle school) had been extremely stressful thanks to my band teacher, and my family is very split on whether they think the band instructor here will be more kind or another aggressive, over-the-top man... Really, there's a lot of reasons for me to quit, but it would also be hard for me to just call it quits. I heard there's a Japanese club at the school, so I think I might want to join that or the wrestling team... plus participate in the school plays. Duh. So yeah, if I get into band, there's a possibility my first year at my high school will be bad, but who knows! I'll look into it a bit more before I come to a final decision... Also, for courses, I can't imagine myself taking standard level anything! Is there a limit to how many high level courses I can take? If not, all my Science and English classes will definitely be HL, because those are the two subjects I excel in. (especially English. I am practically a prodigy but I don't want to make a career out of what's considered a "soft art form".) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeronicaG Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Well you didn't tell me that stuff about band before. I'd say take a chance, but don't feel bad if you want to quit. In IB, typically 3 courses are at higher level and 3 are at standard level. It's possible to take 4 HL courses and 2 SL courses though. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to take 5 or more HL. Even standard level courses are hard and takes a lot of time to study. If you want to you can study some courses after IB. I'm studying IB HL Physics for fun even though I graduated already. It won't appear as part of your score, though 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiimee Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 8 minutes ago, VeronicaG said: Well you didn't tell me that stuff about band before. I'd say take a chance, but don't feel bad if you want to quit. In IB, typically 3 courses are at higher level and 3 are at standard level. It's possible to take 4 HL courses and 2 SL courses though. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to take 5 or more HL. Even standard level courses are hard and takes a lot of time to study. If you want to you can study some courses after IB. I'm studying IB HL Physics for fun even though I graduated already. It won't appear as part of your score, though Okay, well, that's a little unfortunate, but only a little because I was planning on making probably just two of my courses SL... I don't care if it takes a long time to study. Maybe it's because I am an overachiever who wants to study abroad after high school, but I plan on giving myself the hardest load of work possible up until the days I finally land a full-time career. Oh, that reminds me- What are good classes for somebody who hopes to work in a foreign country/become a translator? Is just taking the language enough to become a translator? Of course, I doubt I'll learn everything I need to in school when it comes to that language, which is why I'm studying different languages outside of school. Right now it's just Japanese, but I hope to learn Mandarin, Indian, Russian, German, French... Basically, any language used by an advanced country. My goal is to at least learn seven languages in my lifetime, and while I am not directly planning for any sort of career by learning them, it'd be nice if I knew what classes might open up possibilities for me like that... Are there any classes that would be good for somebody who wants to go to a different country? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeronicaG Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 (edited) Well IB is weird since you can study 3 languages but definitely not 7. IB is international so all classes have international content. For example in Economics I studied economies from almost every continent (not Antarctica lol). If you want a more international education then try Global Politics or Information Tech in a Global Setting. Economics is also good (and my personal favourite) or Business. There are rules as to what courses you can take though: 2 Language courses 1 Social studies course 1 science course 1 math or computer science course 1 free choice (like another language or another social studies course) Edited June 3, 2016 by VeronicaG Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiimee Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 3 minutes ago, VeronicaG said: Well IB is weird since you can study 3 languages but definitely not 7. IB is international so all classes have international content. For example in Economics I studied economies from almost every continent (not Antarctica lol). If you want a more international education then try Global Politics or Information Tech in a Global Setting. Economics is also good (and my personal favourite) or Business. There are rules as to what courses you can take though: 2 Language courses 1 Social studies course 1 science course 1 math or computer science course 1 free choice (like another language or another social studies course) Oh, well it's not like I want to take seven languages as a class! I just meant that was sort of a "life goal" of mine... So, when you say 2 language courses, that means 2 of my classes would be language every year, right? o.o That's tough, but fun... I can't take a science class as a free choice, can I? Can both my languages be HL? I want whatever math course I take to be SL honestly, but maybe if I push myself really hard these pre-IB years I'll change my mind and try tackling a HL math course... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeronicaG Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Languages in IB really vary. You can either learn how to speak/write (standard level) a language or you can go one step further and read books and write essays in a language (higher level). Typically your first language is HL but you can do your second language as HL too. The free choice is anything you want! There's also IB art/theatre/film courses you can take as your free choice. If you want science, IB offers 5 (I think???). They are Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Environment Studies, or Sports Science. I took Biology and Chem but Chem was my free choice. Math HL is one of the hardest IB courses ever. I wouldn't take it unless you for sure want to do math for the rest of your life. If you like the languages I'd say pick SL math and focus on learning the languages for fun. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiimee Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 3 minutes ago, VeronicaG said: Languages in IB really vary. You can either learn how to speak/write (standard level) a language or you can go one step further and read books and write essays in a language (higher level). Typically your first language is HL but you can do your second language as HL too. The free choice is anything you want! There's also IB art/theatre/film courses you can take as your free choice. If you want science, IB offers 5 (I think???). They are Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Environment Studies, or Sports Science. I took Biology and Chem but Chem was my free choice. Math HL is one of the hardest IB courses ever. I wouldn't take it unless you for sure want to do math for the rest of your life. If you like the languages I'd say pick SL math and focus on learning the languages for fun. Thanks! Just from all you've told me, I'm wondering if I can make my schedule look like this: HL foreign language Can I take another HL foreign language? HL Physics Some SL Math class... Some Social Studies class that will be relevant to me in the future and not all about history... (Mind telling me what social studies classes I can take?) Finally, I'm interested in HL Biology but I might take a HL social studies course and if so I'm interested in either SL Biology or a theatre or filming class... Probably theatre, just because I'm a narcissist who loves being the center of attention. Does this like fine to you? Please tell me if it doesn't. Also, I'm kind of confused on the duration of these classes... Do I take all of these for only a year, or for the two years I'm in IB? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosalina Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 These are the three "typical" IB schedules. You may apply for a irregular diploma but you'll have to see your counselor when you get to that point. Option 1: Language A Language B/Initio Science Math Humanities Arts Option 2: Language A Language B/Inition Science Math Humanities A second science Option 3: Language A Language B/Initio Science Math Humanities A second Language B/Initio. There are a variety of classes offered by IB but only a select few are offered by schools. Often, you do not have much of an option for humanities. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeronicaG Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 Theoretically it's good but courses depend on whether the school offers it. Some schools only offer 1 or 2 courses for each group (language, science, social studies, are the groups I'm talking about) and they also may only have a course at SL and not HL. There are online courses you can take too which are mostly language courses or social studies courses (google Pamoja education) IB offers A LOT of social studies and I don't know them all. I do know that there is Economics, Information Technology, History, Geography, Business, Psychology, Religion, Global Politics and maybe a few more. Theatre is a cool course, my friend did it. And the film course isn't really about making film but more about analysing it. Idk anyone who took it so I can't help much. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiimee Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 9 minutes ago, Rosalina said: These are the three "typical" IB schedules. You may apply for a irregular diploma but you'll have to see your counselor when you get to that point. Option 1: Language A Language B/Initio Science Math Humanities Arts Option 2: Language A Language B/Inition Science Math Humanities A second science Option 3: Language A Language B/Initio Science Math Humanities A second Language B/Initio. There are a variety of classes offered by IB but only a select few are offered by schools. Often, you do not have much of an option for humanities. Huh, well thanks a lot! My school is sort of artsy, so I'm sure I'll have quite a few choices for everything. I know for a fact the Science and Language classes are really good at my school, which is why I applied for it... Anyway, I still have plenty of time to apply for things, but this is really helpful! 8 minutes ago, VeronicaG said: Theoretically it's good but courses depend on whether the school offers it. Some schools only offer 1 or 2 courses for each group (language, science, social studies, are the groups I'm talking about) and they also may only have a course at SL and not HL. There are online courses you can take too which are mostly language courses or social studies courses (google Pamoja education) IB offers A LOT of social studies and I don't know them all. I do know that there is Economics, Information Technology, History, Geography, Business, Psychology, Religion, Global Politics and maybe a few more. Theatre is a cool course, my friend did it. And the film course isn't really about making film but more about analysing it. Idk anyone who took it so I can't help much. Hmm, well if I don't actually get to film things filming would bore me. From what I heard, theatre pre-IB sucks at my school, but maybe IB theatre is different... I'll think about it... Economics, Information Technology, Business and Global Politics all sound like fun courses. X_X I'd die in Geography or Religion... Anyway, I still have time before I'm IB, but I'll keep this all in mind and talk it over with my mom! Let's see how things work out, I guess. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeronicaG Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 You will learn a lot about yourself before IB. I thought I was going to do business for the longest time but just before starting IB I realised that I want to do engineering instead. You don't have to decide now. The next steps would be visiting the high schools and looking at their IB programs. My school offers information nights where IB students (like me) give advice and answer questions. Try to attend sessions like that if you can. Well I'm going to bed now. Feel free to send more messages and stuff. I probably know someone who can help. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiimee Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 6 minutes ago, VeronicaG said: You will learn a lot about yourself before IB. I thought I was going to do business for the longest time but just before starting IB I realised that I want to do engineering instead. You don't have to decide now. The next steps would be visiting the high schools and looking at their IB programs. My school offers information nights where IB students (like me) give advice and answer questions. Try to attend sessions like that if you can. Well I'm going to bed now. Feel free to send more messages and stuff. I probably know someone who can help. Thanks, though there's only one IB school in my district I'm pretty sure! My school's twenty minutes away from my house, so I'll have to take two buses in the morning and two back from where I live... The program's really popular though, so I was lucky to get in. At my old school, I was one of what I believe to be six to be accepted into the school, and I don't even know if those students are IB or not... I only know one of them, and she's not an IB student... I feel like I've already learned a lot about myself, but you're right. Up until recently, before I started thinking about money, I had this impractical idea I'd be a book editor and publisher. I don't know if you know this, but because of the kindle and other book-reading devices like it, jobs like that are nearly extinct! Of course, I still plan to publish more books than years I've lived before I die, but it won't be my full-time career to write and publish stories. Have a good night! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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