aahmedov Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 I have HL maths, physics chemistry and a language B which Im fluent in. So 4 HL's Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Winning Boss Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 (edited) No.Not in the UK anyway Edited July 14, 2012 by Award Winning Boss 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Boyle Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 The only benefit I can see is that if you're applying somewhere which asks for specific HL grades (eg Cambridge's 776) then you'd probably be able to just put forward your best/most relevant three. Even that's a pretty tenuous one, if I were you I'd drop your least favourite/necessary subject and probably gain a point or two on the overall diploma. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babydolleyes Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 I'm all for 4 HL subjects, but I think you should drop your language B HL unless you really, really enjoy it. I think you should do it because it would mean less work overall, but I totally understand that you like the idea of having 4 HL's because I sure do, and I can't imagine dropping one of mine, just the thought of it makes me anxious. Don't take me seriously if you really enjoy your language B, but in general it doesn't sound like you need it for what you want to do in the future (in contrast to your other HL subjects), and Math HL is very time consuming, so I agree in this situation with what other people have commented above, saying you could probably gain a point or two by dropping your least favourite subject. I think you should definitely keep the other three and lose the language only because the other three open up more doors than a language B really ever could. Why didn't you consider the bilingual diploma? That would have been so impressive, if you are as you say, fluent in the language! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmi Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 If you wanted to apply to the UK, no.If you wanted to apply to the US, unis typically will award credit only for HL subjects (allowing you to skip introductory level courses and let you take more advanced ones, such as in my uni skipping chemistry 121 and going straight to chemistry 161) so it could be an advantage for you there, but you have really difficult HL subjects. It might help you to drop one of them workload-wise. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summer Glau Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Why didn't you consider the bilingual diploma? That would have been so impressive, if you are as you say, fluent in the language!Not really. The bilingual diploma is barely recognized by admissions officers, if at all. Of course if you want to do it for your own satisfaction, go ahead, but bear in mind that it won't really strengthen your uni application.I actually think you should keep your language B at HL. This is because:1. Language B HL is required by some unis for the language requirement, if you intend to study in that language (some places don't accept language B SL as proof that you're fluent in the intended language). You could do something like TOEFL to prove that your langauge ability is sufficient but then you pay extra money to sit the exam.2. Language B is an easier HL than any of the other three HLs you have. It will lighten your workload, especially if you're already fluent.What do you want to study? For engineering you could drop chemistry to SL (except for chemical engineering which would require HL). For computer science you could also drop chemistry to SL (or maybe even physics instead). 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidey Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Well I know that in Canada, you can get one transfer credit for each HL subject you do (but you have to get like an 85% to get the transfer credit). The best thing to do is go to the university you wish to apply to and ask them if doing an HL subject benefits you in any way. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aahmedov Posted July 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Thanks for the advice guys. But I really dont see why 4 HL's cant be benefical. Yes, it doesnt give you any extra points. But on a uni application it does look more impressive. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Winning Boss Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 But they don't care. Really, why should they? Not all schools allow people to take 4 HL subjects. So preferring candidates that were allowed is counter intuitive. You're also better off just doing well in 3 HL subjects because that's usually how their offers are made. With 4 HL subjects you're more likely to get a difficult offer too. I know someone that got an offer of 7777 at HL even though he would have gotten an offer of 777 if he had taken 3 HL subjects. Really, the effect of 4 HL subjects is negligible. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aahmedov Posted July 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 But they don't care. Really, why should they? Not all schools allow people to take 4 HL subjects. So preferring candidates that were allowed is counter intuitive. You're also better off just doing well in 3 HL subjects because that's usually how their offers are made. With 4 HL subjects you're more likely to get a difficult offer too. I know someone that got an offer of 7777 at HL even though he would have gotten an offer of 777 if he had taken 3 HL subjects.Really, the effect of 4 HL subjects is negligible.But they don't care. Really, why should they? Not all schools allow people to take 4 HL subjects. So preferring candidates that were allowed is counter intuitive. You're also better off just doing well in 3 HL subjects because that's usually how their offers are made. With 4 HL subjects you're more likely to get a difficult offer too. I know someone that got an offer of 7777 at HL even though he would have gotten an offer of 777 if he had taken 3 HL subjects.Really, the effect of 4 HL subjects is negligible.Ok, so you are basically saying it would be unfair to prefer 4 HL students because in some school you are not allowed to take it. In my school, they dont have HL math. I was forced to take an online course. And a friend of mine could not take HL physics because he's school wasent offering it. So wouldnt it also be unfair for uni's to prioritze students who had these subjects on their diploma over someone else who didnt have the opportunity to take them. It would right? I dont think a university would take an excuse such as: I couldnt do HL chemistry because my school didnt offer it. They wont care. So why should they care whether your school permits 4 HL's or not? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted July 25, 2012 Report Share Posted July 25, 2012 What Award Winning Boss says is true, there's no real point in doing a 4th subject at HL except for your own happiness. It's just how it is, I'm afraid! You can do one if you want, of course, but in terms of doing it strategically to gain University entrance then, in the UK at least, you'll not be considered more competitive than somebody who just did a normal 3HL/3SL diploma.You can write it in your personal statement that something interested you enough to do it extra and that may help you marginally if you're applying specifically for that subject in some way, but the effects are very very minimal versus the effort you have to put in. Otherwise, provided you're doing a full diploma and the relevant subjects to apply to the course you want to take, it doesn't really matter. To be perfectly frank, they just look at your individual subject grades for the required subjects and then the prediction for your overall diploma. Whether you've got an extra one at HL or not is largely irrelevant to them except for unless you use it to push enthusiasm on a personal statement.Also it is indeed the thinking behind people doing loads of extra subjects and so on - some schools won't let you do it, or specifically coach students to do it, and so it's not used as a discriminatory factor. It's about how you perform in the relevant subjects to the degree you apply for, not about point-scoring by trying to take extra things. At the end of the day, they're not interested in something that mostly discriminates between school systems rather than candidate quality. If you can't take a relevant subject due to constrains at your school, that is a different matter and you should contact the University directly to explain your dilemma. They may make an exception, or you can take an introductory course somehow. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateDrop Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 Depends on what you want to study at Uni and where. Prestigious institutions generally prefer applicants with high work loads and awesome grades. Having said this if you are confident you can take 4HLs and get a good grade, go for it. It would be harder to pick up a HL in the midst of the course, than to drop one. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBCONQUERER Posted July 30, 2012 Report Share Posted July 30, 2012 If you are fluent in Language B HL, then it won't really seem like you have 4 HL's and you will get an easy 6 or 7 (the 6 is if your exam doesn't go to plan) so you should carry on with it because really the difference between Language B SL and HL is very small and you'll probably find the stuff in HL a lot more stimulating. I certainly enjoyed the essay questions on the HL papers, there was a lot more to talk about and relate to. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.