Subject Selection, Psych vs History HL

[rashi]

I dont know which HL to take. History or Psychology. I've taken history in igcse and i think im pretty good at it. ive never taken psychology before but people say its interesting and similar to history, so basically i might have to put in the same efforts. i wanna know the difference, and which one is easier, because im not a studious person and really scared for the ib.

The other subjects im taking are

Hindi HL or SL

English lang & lit. HL or SL

i dont know which one i should take SL or HL, because im good at both.

Math Studies or SL (i think its mostly studies because im weak at math.)

Biology SL

Business & Management HL

History/Psychology HL

Thanks, if your suggesting!

[Guest]

Both are very challenging subjects from what I have heard. I don't think that the two are very alike. Although they are both group 3 subjects, I think that they differ int he aspect of what exactly you are learning. In History HL, you will be learning what you would normally learn in a history class (historical events, notable figures, etc.). In Psychology, you will do more in depth study of the human mind. There will be a lot of memorization of studies and notable figures, but not in the same way was History HL. Personally, I would take Psychology HL just because that is what is more interesting to me. And it could be good for you to broaden your knowledge and take something that you haven't taken before and that interests you.

As for your language classes, in my opinion, I think that you should take your native language HL, and then your second language at SL. This is a much safer approach in my opinion. But, it really does depend on what you think will be better for you.

Regarding your math selection: I think that it would be a good idea for you to bump up to Maths SL, only because it looks better to universities and because a challenge is good. If math is something that you really struggle with though, I would take Math Studies. I took a year of Maths SL last year in 10th grade and I found it challenging, but not too difficult. If you study the formulas and how to work the problems you should do fine! I'm going on to Maths HL for 11th grade.

Well, good luck to you and I hope that this helps you make your decision!

[cjy]

I disagree with Cameron RE: Maths. If you're not good at maths, and don't need it for university just do studies. A 7 in Studies looks better than a 4 in SL.

[The Rainbow Connection]

As the above has mentioned, both of these subjects require a lot of reading and memorisation. Even with business and management, there is A LOT of content to remember. Either way, you are going to have to be organised and start becoming a more studious individual if you wish to do well in the IB.

All subjects have its strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I believe if you chose a subject that you enjoy, the studying is less of a hassle. Take a look at the psychology syllabus as well as the history. See which one you are more attracted to and choose that subject. This will make studying easier and more enjoyable as both are very heavy content subjects.

[neilbijlaney]

I was in the exact situation. I just gave my IGCSE History paper in June and was pondering weather to take History or Psychology. I got an A* in History in my mock exams

I've chosen Psych because i want something new and different. In my opinion you should do the same unless you're extremely inclined towards History

I might take Hindi HL too but i don't like the whole 2 compulsory texts aspect, So i might choose economics HL instead

[Erudite]

Hey!

I was in a same sitch as you when I was picking my subjects at the beginning of IB1: torn between History and Psych HL.

In the end, a a friend in my school's IB2 Year at the time gave me the best advice: go for the course with the better teacher and a higher rate of 7s/6s in your school.

People really like undervalue the importance of a good teacher in an IB subject, especially the HLs. Yeah you can get a 7 if you work hard on your own, it's defo possible. But your life is SOO much easier if you have a good teacher for the course. The IB History HL course at my school has a proven track record of getting abnormally high scores (4/10 HL History students got 7s this year, 5 got 6s and only one got a 5 which was the lowest of the year and even he's a getting a remark because it was a borderline 6). Contrast that with HL Psych at my school where we've had one 7 in 5 years of teaching the course!

The quality of teaching and successfully attained high scores should play a huge role in your decision-making process because no matter how interesting the course may be, if your teacher isn't up to the task, the chances of you getting a high score without a loooot of self-motivation and stuff are like really small.

[cjy]

What Erudite says makes a lot of sense. HL History is statistically the hardest out of your conventional group 3 subjects (excluding ITGS but I don't class that as a real subject), and yet my school had seven 7s in HL history. In economics they had 3 cause the teacher was crap and in geography only 2 got 7s, and thats because in IB1 we had a crap teacher and our P3 teacher was also abysmal. Go with good rep.