FreyaLu Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 I have just finished my first year of A level. I took 3 subjects(English as a first language, History and Economics). I am going to Italy for IB diploma this August but I find it hard to decide which courses to take.My grades of AS history and Economics are great (both A* in exam) and it is likely that I will do well in the same subjects in IB too. But somehow I want to try something new! it's like I'm stuck in the middle, really worrying about my final results. The thing is I probably take Biology and Philosophy which I knew nothing about since my career choice will be related to Psychology and Sociology. I find A Level Mathematics difficult for me(I guess in that case I won't choose IB Maths HL)So my choice is likely to be:Chinese HLEnglish B HLItalian SL(only SL and have to take)Philosophy HLWorld Arts and Cultures SL(only SL)Biology SLMathematics SLI have also heard that my school probably will not offer Chinese HL this year and that will leave me another HL. so it has to be Biology HL...Do you think I should drop the two subjects which i am good at and risk a little bit ?? Anybody who has also done a bit of A Level and IB both? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Winning Boss Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 You're taking 7 subjects... why? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreyaLu Posted June 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 You're taking 7 subjects... why? I don't sit the exam for Italian but I have to follow the course. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Positron Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Just out of curiosity, are you going to the UWC Adriatic? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreyaLu Posted June 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Just out of curiosity, are you going to the UWC Adriatic?aha yes 'cause World Arts and Cultures is unique I guess? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CkyBlue Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 I'll try to answer your question!It all depends on where you go, how confident you are and what you want to do. It seems that you are in a bit of an uncomfortable situation, if you are not a science person I would advise against taking a higher level science course. Screw all that IB learner profile stuff, if you don't feel ready to take the risk and just play it safe. Are there other courses that your school is offering?Can you substitute World Arts course with Economics HL if Chinese HL isn't available? See what other options are available for you. Taking seven subjects in the IB is not an easy ride, and believe me there are some times where things will get very stressful and tiresome. (Oh wait, but you're from China, does that apply? )Most IB courses give you a firm introduction to basic concepts, even Biology HL. If you are a strong student regardless, anything should be doable. So in conclusion, you should be able to answer all your questions. I suggest you think hard about the implications of your decisions, as well as the conditions of admission for potential universities you are interested in. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 I have just finished my first year of A level. I took 3 subjects(English as a first language, History and Economics). I am going to Italy for IB diploma this August but I find it hard to decide which courses to take.My grades of AS history and Economics are great (both A* in exam) and it is likely that I will do well in the same subjects in IB too. But somehow I want to try something new! it's like I'm stuck in the middle, really worrying about my final results. The thing is I probably take Biology and Philosophy which I knew nothing about since my career choice will be related to Psychology and Sociology. I find A Level Mathematics difficult for me(I guess in that case I won't choose IB Maths HL)So my choice is likely to be:Chinese HLEnglish B HLItalian SL(only SL and have to take)Philosophy HLWorld Arts and Cultures SL(only SL)Biology SLMathematics SLI have also heard that my school probably will not offer Chinese HL this year and that will leave me another HL. so it has to be Biology HL...Do you think I should drop the two subjects which i am good at and risk a little bit ?? Anybody who has also done a bit of A Level and IB both?Definitely do SL and not HL Maths if you find A Level difficult. SL Maths is still quite hard (in my opinion!) and HL Maths is quite a bit above A Level - even people doing Maths & Further Maths! So don't be tempted to switch that one up!Biology HL may not actually be that bad a choice for Psychology and Sociology - there's a bit of behaviour type stuff in the Biology course and I actually think some knowledge of Biology would be useful for stuff like the experimental method and understanding of some key principles. Psychology does have a few physiology relations and actually I think it would be a useful subject to take because the thinking behind certain aspects is along the same lines. I've done Psychology and Sociology as minor parts of my course at Uni and at least the stuff we did related across to Biology a decent amount.If English was being taken as a first language at A Level, why are you taking it as a foreign language for the IB? 'B' Languages assume around 1-3 years of previous study of that language as a foreign speaker, they're quite low-level. I've been told that Chinese is weirdly hard (many Chinese people at my school actually took Chinese B despite being fluent native speakers and said they still found that challenging, which was confusing but it's definitely what they said to me!). It might make more sense to take English than Chinese, on that basis, and maybe do Chinese at B. Possibly contact the school you're applying to and ask if they could send you some material so you can get an idea of what's involved in Chinese B. I don't want to misinform you, you see, but I've definitely been given some feedback that it's not like a normal B language!Nobody knows anything about Philosophy before they take it and it's really easy to get the hang of, so I wouldn't worry about that. I enjoyed Philosophy, it was interesting but also not too much work. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreyaLu Posted June 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2012 I'll try to answer your question!It all depends on where you go, how confident you are and what you want to do. It seems that you are in a bit of an uncomfortable situation, if you are not a science person I would advise against taking a higher level science course. Screw all that IB learner profile stuff, if you don't feel ready to take the risk and just play it safe. Are there other courses that your school is offering?Can you substitute World Arts course with Economics HL if Chinese HL isn't available? See what other options are available for you. Taking seven subjects in the IB is not an easy ride, and believe me there are some times where things will get very stressful and tiresome. (Oh wait, but you're from China, does that apply? )Most IB courses give you a firm introduction to basic concepts, even Biology HL. If you are a strong student regardless, anything should be doable. So in conclusion, you should be able to answer all your questions. I suggest you think hard about the implications of your decisions, as well as the conditions of admission for potential universities you are interested in.Thank you very much for the advice! I have also heard that taking 7 subjects isn't easy. The school askes everyone to take Italian. Actually I am wondering if mother language has to be taken ...It is just that I am really interested in World Arts and Cultures as well as Philosophy but I will reduce number to six if seven is too demanding. I am thinking about applying for US universities.By the way, it seems like everybody thinks Chinese people are hard-working.......... I have just finished my first year of A level. I took 3 subjects(English as a first language, History and Economics). I am going to Italy for IB diploma this August but I find it hard to decide which courses to take.My grades of AS history and Economics are great (both A* in exam) and it is likely that I will do well in the same subjects in IB too. But somehow I want to try something new! it's like I'm stuck in the middle, really worrying about my final results. The thing is I probably take Biology and Philosophy which I knew nothing about since my career choice will be related to Psychology and Sociology. I find A Level Mathematics difficult for me(I guess in that case I won't choose IB Maths HL)So my choice is likely to be:Chinese HLEnglish B HLItalian SL(only SL and have to take)Philosophy HLWorld Arts and Cultures SL(only SL)Biology SLMathematics SLI have also heard that my school probably will not offer Chinese HL this year and that will leave me another HL. so it has to be Biology HL...Do you think I should drop the two subjects which i am good at and risk a little bit ?? Anybody who has also done a bit of A Level and IB both?Definitely do SL and not HL Maths if you find A Level difficult. SL Maths is still quite hard (in my opinion!) and HL Maths is quite a bit above A Level - even people doing Maths & Further Maths! So don't be tempted to switch that one up!Biology HL may not actually be that bad a choice for Psychology and Sociology - there's a bit of behaviour type stuff in the Biology course and I actually think some knowledge of Biology would be useful for stuff like the experimental method and understanding of some key principles. Psychology does have a few physiology relations and actually I think it would be a useful subject to take because the thinking behind certain aspects is along the same lines. I've done Psychology and Sociology as minor parts of my course at Uni and at least the stuff we did related across to Biology a decent amount.If English was being taken as a first language at A Level, why are you taking it as a foreign language for the IB? 'B' Languages assume around 1-3 years of previous study of that language as a foreign speaker, they're quite low-level. I've been told that Chinese is weirdly hard (many Chinese people at my school actually took Chinese B despite being fluent native speakers and said they still found that challenging, which was confusing but it's definitely what they said to me!). It might make more sense to take English than Chinese, on that basis, and maybe do Chinese at B. Possibly contact the school you're applying to and ask if they could send you some material so you can get an idea of what's involved in Chinese B. I don't want to misinform you, you see, but I've definitely been given some feedback that it's not like a normal B language!Nobody knows anything about Philosophy before they take it and it's really easy to get the hang of, so I wouldn't worry about that. I enjoyed Philosophy, it was interesting but also not too much work.It is so good to hear your suggestions ! You see i am not a science person so I think Maths SL will be challenging enough for me Sadly the school doesn't provide a Chinese B- only English B and Italian B. I can see why Chinese as Language A1 is hard coz it takes much more than knowing the language. Even the Chinese language and literature which is taught in China is pretty hard. But I always do well in Chinese...so maybe it is still worth trying if I have to take it.I'm glad to know that Biology will help me understand Psychology better in university. I will definately choose this one. You've been really helpful thanks a lot (*^__^*) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateDrop Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Would you take Maths AS? Because Maths SL is a bit like AS so if you wouldn't even consider touching Maths AS, Maths SL is the same boat ish. And since you already know you want to do a degree with low maths content, maths studies might be easier. It's designed for students who do not need a high level of mathematical knowledge in their degree. Uk universities accept it to do psychology, however other European countries such as Germany don't. Since your degree doesn't require maths, they'll be more likely to look at your overall score as opposed to your level of maths. If anything the fact that you carried maths to a higher level would be more desirable then not taking maths at all. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreyaLu Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Would you take Maths AS? Because Maths SL is a bit like AS so if you wouldn't even consider touching Maths AS, Maths SL is the same boat ish. And since you already know you want to do a degree with low maths content, maths studies might be easier. It's designed for students who do not need a high level of mathematical knowledge in their degree. Uk universities accept it to do psychology, however other European countries such as Germany don't. Since your degree doesn't require maths, they'll be more likely to look at your overall score as opposed to your level of maths. If anything the fact that you carried maths to a higher level would be more desirable then not taking maths at all.Thank you! I could get an A in Mathematics AS if I work harder and really concentrate on it so I guess I can try Maths SL. :-) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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