supersonic1997 Posted July 12, 2014 Report Share Posted July 12, 2014 So I'm writing my final exams in May next year, and ever since my first year ended last month, I've been seriously contemplating one thing. Up till now, I've been taking HL Physics, Chem, and Math (the full engineering package), along with SL English Literature, Ab Initio French, and History. My plan has always been to apply to the US or to Canada. Initially, I was planning on taking up mechanical engineering as my major, with a minor in history. But my interest for history has grown significantly, and my marks in chemistry have been slipping (It's not that I find chem difficult, I just can't seem to test well for chem). So I was wondering, if I was to decide on a history-mechanical engineering dual major in a liberal arts school, would my application be crippled if I switched the levels of history and chemistry? (yes, my school still allows changes at this point) Please advise. School is due to start next week and I'd like to inform the school of my decision ASAP Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Winning Boss Posted July 12, 2014 Report Share Posted July 12, 2014 I wouldn't recommend changing mainly because adopting the HL history course for a few months won't be a good use of your time. It might get crippled because of the grades you'd get due to the switch. Thankfully, you don't need any prerequisites for history so you don't need to change. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersonic1997 Posted July 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2014 @ Award Winning Boss: Thanks for your reply. You said I don't need any prerequisites for history, but is HL chem a prerequisite for mechanical engineering? I've looked through tons of university websites and none of them are particularly clear. Even the most specific ones, like the UBC site, simple say "Chemistry" or "Chemistry (Standard or Higher)" under the requirements section. The main thing is, I'm considering switching to HL history because I've still got a year left (I start year 2 tomorrow), and because I've been consistently performing well in it, so I know I can keep the history grades up. I also know that I can easily boost my grades in chem if I took SL, because the SL syllabus is so similar to the IGCSE syllabus that I studied before I took the IBDP. I've also read that US and Canadian schools like applicants who are a little more well-rounded in their academic range, rather than being narrowly focused on one path, so that got me thinking. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daminark Posted August 10, 2014 Report Share Posted August 10, 2014 If I'm already too late, ignore this. If not, you might want to read. About the whole "well-rounded" stuff, it is actually kind of deceptive. They want their student body as a whole to be well-rounded, but not as much individual students. If you have one student who's amazing in math and science, one who is a coder, one who is amazing in speech/debate, etc., you have a well-rounded student body. They prefer students who have a passion. Not necessarily something really specific, like mechanical engineering. The passion can be general, such as math/science. At the same time, they want to make sure that those students, even if they have a passion, are not one-trick ponies. Even though you're really good at math and science and you have a natural instinct in engineering, if you can also analyze historical documents and write essays, you have the advantage over someone whose talents are fully concentrated in math/science, you know? As for grades, yeah you have a year, but you'll apply early in the year, and they recognize that there's a difference between HL and SL chemistry, so the wisdom of changing is overall questionable. When it comes to prerequisites, HL chemistry isn't really required. You don't necessarily apply to mechanical engineering. You either apply to the whole university, or you apply to the engineering school within the university. For those places, a year of biology, chem, and physics is what they're looking for. If your system is different, they'll be less touchy about it, but the point is you definitely have enough chemistry as it is. Also, doing well in mechanical engineering does not require a strong chemistry base, so you'd be alright. Most US universities prefer 2-3 years of history, so with your SL history you'd be fine. But still, if only for the purposes of american admission, sticking with chem might be smarter. PM me, since I'll need more details. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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