What courses should I take if I want to get into finance?

[Michael The Survivor]

So I am starting my first year of the IB diploma program this September and I am stuck on course selection. Like the title says, I want to get into finance/business in university and I want to enroll into the best courses while not having an excruciating combination.

My current selection:

Business and Management HL

ITGS HL

English A Lit HL

Math SL

Chem SL

French B SL

The problem with the school that I will be attending next year is that they do not have the complete selection of courses that other schools have so I can't take courses like economics or environmental sciences which is a bummer.

I also have some additional questions:

1. Would taking English HL be too difficult for me considering I am only a mid-B student in my current English class?

2. Does the diagnostic test affect the chances of me getting into the program? I know that I will do fine on the English and mathematics portion of the test. However, my current school is a semester school and I have not started science yet so I am 100% sure I will fail the science portion and I am really worried.

Thank you to all those who answer and have a great day!

Edited January 21, 2013 by Michael The Survivor

[flinquinnster]

To be honest, I can't tell you much about how these subject choices will help you/hinder you getting into a finance course at university. However, I can try and give you on my opinion on whether these subject choices are good overall, and whether they'll give you a strong backing in what I see to be finance-related areas (though, I warn you, I'm not really well-versed in such areas )

I think that overall the subjects are well-balanced and oriented towards finance-y things. B&M HL is good, ITGS is decent - though I question why not something else, even if Economics is unfortunately unavailable (which I find weird - perhaps you should consider self-study if you're really passionate?). Maths SL is probably required, so it's good you have it. I think the rest of your subjects are fine, and in my opinion, Chemistry SL is something that does 'look better' than ESS SL.

Onto English A Lit HL. Frankly, I think the difference between SL and HL is pretty small, so you might as well do HL. Even if you're only a mid-B student, you should be able to adapt to the class, though that is obviously dependent on how much effort/smarts you put into it. I don't think that English at HL is impossible, so you should be fine. If you're still worried, perhaps consider Maths HL (umm... obviously depending on what your strengths are) for a finance-related area, but this is only for the strongest and the bravest (only slightly sarcastic).

I assume the diagnostic test you're referring to is an internal thing. So it depends on your school as to whether it affects your subject choices. If you're worried about failing science, talk to the relavent teachers at school about this to try and explain it, and highlight how it shouldn't affect your choice of a science at IB. Otherwise, I would just recommend lots of studying. But don't fuss about it too much, because IB Diploma is where it all gets started.

[Michael The Survivor]

Thanks for the reply! I really do appreciate it. I also want to ask you an additional question. Since I am going into finance; I believe my sciences do not really matter much so I want to take the easy way out and focus on my HLs and math. Do you think bio sl is easier or chem sl?

[Emmi]

If you're interested in finance, you should see if you can take HL math if possible. If you can't take HL math, try to get a 6 or 7 in SL math (and it's not too hard to get a 6 at SL if you are decent at math.

On whether SL bio is easier than SL chemistry, it depends. The general consensus is that SL bio is easier than SL chemistry, but if you're not good at strict memorizing and are better at some memorization/basic math concepts, then SL chemistry might be a little easier for you. Both aren't terribly hard at SL.

[Arrowhead]

I would actually advise you to reconsider B&M HL and ITGS HL. Now, I'm happy to admit I don't know how things are done in Canada, but in the UK, both those subjects are generally 'non-preferred.' What that means is that if you take one of them at HL, it's still alright and you could get by, but taking both of them at HL could be problematic. I would encourage you to consider dropping one of the two from HL to SL.

The other questions you have are well answered by the other posters so I won't repeat their responses.

Best of luck!

Arrowhead.

[Guest]

I think you need Maths HL for finance...

Lots of advanced maths in finance you see...