Is this subject combination weak?

[SomeoneYouDon'tKnow]

Hey guys!

I'm starting IBDP soon and am thinking about taking the following subjects

English A (Language and Literature) HL

Spanish SL

Math SL (Math HL is not an option for me)

Business and Management HL

Economics HL

Biology SL

 

I am 99% sure that I want to pursue a business degree after high school and am currently looking at applying to Canada (UBC, UofT, YorkU). I was wondering if taking both BnM and Econ is a bad decision. Do universities really prefer that you take only one of the two? Even if you want to do your undergrad in business?

 

Thank you all.

[shellziess]

I would not take both and would actually encourage you to take economics. I mean they are both different subjects and rarely overlap but they are both full of theory and seeing as business is not a requirement for unis you do not have to take both.

[astonky]

@SomeoneYouDon'tKnow I agree with @shellziess. I would not recommend you to take both HL Economics and Business Management at the same time. I would pick the subject where you think the course looks more interesting, or if your unis have a preference for one, I'd pick that one.

Even though you're fairly sure you want to pursue a business degree after uni, you might enjoy some more variety and one of the two subjects should suffice for universities (in some countries Economics has a better reputation that Business management, but that depends). Maybe you want to choose a different subject from Group 3, such as Psychology or Geography, the latter being linked in some parts to the business syllabus if you take it at HL.

But if you are sure you would enjoy both Economics and Business (after looking at the syllabi) you may want to stick with both subjects.

[SomeoneYouDon'tKnow]

So do you think it's a good idea to take Psychology HL instead? 

 

[shellziess]

I think Geo and Economics really fit together and Geo will help you in Econ and it also works vice versa. 

[astonky]

I agree with @shellziess about Geography and Economics. The same holds true for Geography and Business (which I am both taking so I might be a bit biased). Economics may help you more if you're thinking about going into finance, market analysis and government policies. Economics is more of a macro-level subject, while Business focusses on the micro-level decisions that enterprises face. Business management may be more appropriate if your interests lie in marketing and entrepreneurship and you enjoy analysing the problems and opportunities a specific company faces.

@SomeoneYouDon'tKnowWhether you want to or should take Psychology or not depends on what line of work you want to pursue after a business degree. Psychology is seen to be a narrower Group 3 subject by some people (I don't know whether this is true) and from what I've heard it focusses a lot on analysing different psychological studies. Take my words with a grain of salt, but I think psychology may help you in marketing topics of a business course. Though this obviously depends on the topics your school does.

In conclusion, Geography may be more versatile, while Psychology may be viewed as more unique but sometimes also more restricted. If you need to make a choice, try to attend all classes of interest for the first two weeks and then make a choice (this should be possible at your school as per IB regulations).