4 Hl's

[m.k.2015]

Hey everyone,

Long story short, I am currently taking 4 higher level subjects; Physics, Math, Chemistry and English B. I am interested in applying to oxbridge, however, I have been told by my teachers that 4 higher level subjects are a waste of time. They said that the university will look at only 3 of them and not care about the fourth one. So is this true? would Oxford-Cambridge appreciate the fact that I have taken 4 higher level subjects or am I wasting my time?

Thanks in advance

[emmapatregnani]

Hey! I'm in exactly the situation as you. Oxbridge will concentrate on your three most relevant HLs to the subject you're applying for. Even if four HLs are not necessary, it's good to have every possible point that will make you stand out from other applicants. What I mean is that everyone applying to Oxbridge will have excellent academic scores so if you have anything that can make your application stand out it's worth doing it. So no 4 HLs are not a waste. On the other hand make sure that taking them won't affect your overall score because in that case it's not worth it.

good luck!

[m.k.2015]

The thing is, English B is fairly easy and I could do English A. Therefore, dropping it does not make sense. The only subject I can drop is Chemistry, and if I do, I believe my application will not be as strong.

[emmapatregnani]

Don't drop chemistry, assuming you are aiming for an engineering/natural science application you won't stand a chance without chemistry at Oxbridge. Chemistry is extremely valued trust me.

[m.k.2015]

However, which three subjects will they look at for my Hl grades. I mean don't they require a 776? Which three will they take into account?

[Sandwich]

Wasting your time. It's true, they'll only look at 3 and ignore the 4th.

[m.k.2015]

Which three will they look at?

[emmapatregnani]

the ones most relevant to the subject you want to study at uni. So most likely chemistry physics and maths

[Babydolleyes]

Waste of time or not, if it had been allowed then I would have had 5 HL's.

That is - English A HL, Bio HL, Psych HL, Econ HL and Danish B HL - Since doing Danish b SL is too easy but I never wanted to do a double A in a million years. In hindisght, doing 4 HL's was super beneficial for me because English was the last subject I would have ever considered dropping. This means I would have dropped one ofmy other subejcts in which I actually DID get a 7, so I would have just ended up with 775 - So even with my 41 points I wouldn't have been able to apply to Oxbridge, as they usually want 776. Instead I have 777 at HL, unless English A was a specific entry requirement.. which isn't an entry requirement for Law and PPE for example.

I also managed to get a bunch of extra credits for my extra HL subject. And I live in Denmark, which is very discriminatory against people with an IB diploma (much, much worse than in the UK).

So I would never say it's a waste of time, just because you drop one subject to SL, doesn't mean you will automatically score higher in the subjects you kept at HL.

[m.k.2015]

Waste of time or not, if it had been allowed then I would have had 5 HL's.

That is - English A HL, Bio HL, Psych HL, Econ HL and Danish B HL - Since doing Danish b SL is too easy but I never wanted to do a double A in a million years. In hindisght, doing 4 HL's was super beneficial for me because English was the last subject I would have ever considered dropping. This means I would have dropped one ofmy other subejcts in which I actually DID get a 7, so I would have just ended up with 775 - So even with my 41 points I wouldn't have been able to apply to Oxbridge, as they usually want 776. Instead I have 777 at HL, unless English A was a specific entry requirement.. which isn't an entry requirement for Law and PPE for example.

I also managed to get a bunch of extra credits for my extra HL subject. And I live in Denmark, which is very discriminatory against people with an IB diploma (much, much worse than in the UK).

So I would never say it's a waste of time, just because you drop one subject to SL, doesn't mean you will automatically score higher in the subjects you kept at HL.

Hey there, How did it goo for you tho? did you get accepted in oxbridge?

[Babydolleyes]

Waste of time or not, if it had been allowed then I would have had 5 HL's.

That is - English A HL, Bio HL, Psych HL, Econ HL and Danish B HL - Since doing Danish b SL is too easy but I never wanted to do a double A in a million years. In hindisght, doing 4 HL's was super beneficial for me because English was the last subject I would have ever considered dropping. This means I would have dropped one ofmy other subejcts in which I actually DID get a 7, so I would have just ended up with 775 - So even with my 41 points I wouldn't have been able to apply to Oxbridge, as they usually want 776. Instead I have 777 at HL, unless English A was a specific entry requirement.. which isn't an entry requirement for Law and PPE for example.

I also managed to get a bunch of extra credits for my extra HL subject. And I live in Denmark, which is very discriminatory against people with an IB diploma (much, much worse than in the UK).

So I would never say it's a waste of time, just because you drop one subject to SL, doesn't mean you will automatically score higher in the subjects you kept at HL.

Hey there, How did it goo for you tho? did you get accepted in oxbridge?

I can easily apply if I want to, but I decided to take a gap year after IB before I received my grades and although I am very tempted to apply for PPE at Oxford, I've decided against student loans and paying for school and instead applied to university in Denmark at Copenhagen Business School for the bachelor programme International Business and Politics (which has the second highest GPA requirement in Denmark, translating to 41 IB points).

I.e Free education vs huge debt.

I know people with less points than I obtained that have been accepted to Cambridge and Oxford. At the end of the day, they are looking for more than just high grades so it really depends on the individual, but I definitely think it would have done more damage than good for my future if I had dropped one of higher level subjects.

Edited March 22, 2014 by Babydolleyes

[m.k.2015]

Waste of time or not, if it had been allowed then I would have had 5 HL's.

That is - English A HL, Bio HL, Psych HL, Econ HL and Danish B HL - Since doing Danish b SL is too easy but I never wanted to do a double A in a million years. In hindisght, doing 4 HL's was super beneficial for me because English was the last subject I would have ever considered dropping. This means I would have dropped one ofmy other subejcts in which I actually DID get a 7, so I would have just ended up with 775 - So even with my 41 points I wouldn't have been able to apply to Oxbridge, as they usually want 776. Instead I have 777 at HL, unless English A was a specific entry requirement.. which isn't an entry requirement for Law and PPE for example.

I also managed to get a bunch of extra credits for my extra HL subject. And I live in Denmark, which is very discriminatory against people with an IB diploma (much, much worse than in the UK).

So I would never say it's a waste of time, just because you drop one subject to SL, doesn't mean you will automatically score higher in the subjects you kept at HL.

Hey there, How did it goo for you tho? did you get accepted in oxbridge?

I can easily apply if I want to, but I decided to take a gap year after IB before I received my grades and although I am very tempted to apply for PPE at Oxford, I've decided against student loans and paying for school and instead applied to university in Denmark at Copenhagen Business School for the bachelor programme International Business and Politics (which has the second highest GPA requirement in Denmark, translating to 41 IB points).

I.e Free education vs huge debt.

I know people with less points than I obtained that have been accepted to Cambridge and Oxford. At the end of the day, they are looking for more than just high grades so it really depends on the individual, but I definitely think it would have done more damage than good for my future if I had dropped one of higher level subjects.

Well, hope the best for you. Have you got any advice's in which I can fix/enhance my application in, as I still have a whole year before applying to colleges (Going to do my exams in May 2015)

[Sandwich]

I also managed to get a bunch of extra credits for my extra HL subject. And I live in Denmark, which is very discriminatory against people with an IB diploma (much, much worse than in the UK).

That's the thing though, there's no additional credit/recognition/anything of a 4th HL in the UK. And as said above, they would consider your relevant subjects. English B would be an easy one to have at HL instead of SL assuming you're fluent (which you seem to be) and taking it inappropriately. But having it at HL is for your happiness only. You're not going to receive any rewards or recognition for having it at HL from any Universities! In the UK, that is.

You want to build up work experience and relevant extra-curricular activities, if you're going to spend some extra time on anything. Those will enhance your personal statement which is a really key part of obtaining an interview. Grades alone won't get you one.

[Babydolleyes]

I also managed to get a bunch of extra credits for my extra HL subject. And I live in Denmark, which is very discriminatory against people with an IB diploma (much, much worse than in the UK).

That's the thing though, there's no additional credit/recognition/anything of a 4th HL in the UK. And as said above, they would consider your relevant subjects. English B would be an easy one to have at HL instead of SL assuming you're fluent (which you seem to be) and taking it inappropriately. But having it at HL is for your happiness only. You're not going to receive any rewards or recognition for having it at HL from any Universities! In the UK, that is.

You want to build up work experience and relevant extra-curricular activities, if you're going to spend some extra time on anything. Those will enhance your personal statement which is a really key part of obtaining an interview. Grades alone won't get you one.

Yeah my point was definitely not that you will get additional credits in the UK for having an extra HL subject - My point is that the Danish system really, really discriminates against people with the IB diploma when it comes to converting the IB score to the Danish GPA (it's done very unfairly and people are working on it) but because I had 4 HL's which equals taking an Extra A subject in Denmark I was allowed to multiply my GPA with 1,03 to increase it just like other Danish students. Similarly if you complete a HL subject here, like in Canada and some other countries with a grade 5 or more, then you get transferred credits which means you can often skip the first semester or year of the uni programme if you want. This is very helpful if you're 4th HL is a minor (e.g you did Psych HL as a 4th HL and take Psych electives in your fourth semester). Compared to Denmark, the IB is very highly recognized and quite fair in UK in terms of A levels (in comparison, of course). So you wouldn't really need any additional credits anyway.

By taking 4 HL's you are keeping more doors open, you are basically giving yourself more options (of course depending on the subjects you choose). Taking e.g Math, Chem, Bio and Economics HL gives the chance to apply for most engineering degrees, business degrees, law, microbiology and medicine etc.

I don't see any downside to taking four HL's UNLESS you are 100% sure what you want to study at uni and know exactly what country you will be studying in.

EDIT: For example, the above poster would HAVE to take 4 HL's if he wanted to study in Denmark (that is he would have to take English b HL) because otherwise he wouldnt be considered fluent in English and thus can't apply for the English programmes offered. This probably applies to other countries as well.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Babydolleyes