Which IB subjects for economics/architecture?

[FINib]

Hi!

 

A Pre IB student from Finland here! It's my first post ever on an internet forum so I apologize in advance if I make some kind of a mistake.

 

I'll soon have to decide on my IB subjects, and I'm finding it hard (even after multiple hours of searching the internet) to choose the most useful combination for my future plans. I'm planning on going to study either economics or architecture, so I'd like to have a set of subjects that'll be useful for whichever path I later decide on. The first four subjects I'm rather certain on taking, though I'd like to hear your opinion on them:

 

Finnish Literature SL (my first language)

Global Politics SL

Economics HL

Math HL

English Language and Literature either HL or SL

Physics either HL or SL

 

What I'm not sure about, is which subject, English or Physics, I should take at HL (I don't want to take 4 HL subjects). I've heard Physics is really hard and time consuming at HL, so I'm not sure if it'd be worth the extra work, especially seeing how it's not a requirement for either economics or architecture. On the other hand, English isn't my first language, and I'm not sure if I'd be able to get the 7 no matter how hard I worked... I'm hoping on getting into a prestigious school so it's crucial for me to get as many 7s as possible, especially from my HL subjects.

 

By the way, my school doesn't offer art or any other group 6 subject. Do you think this will be a problem if I decide to apply for an architecture degree? I do a lot of art on my free time.

 

[Pink97]

Not taking art won't be that big of an issue if you decide to apply for architecture - my best friend is going to apply for architecture and when she was choosing her IB subjects the guidance counselor said physics and maths are more important. If you're interested in universities that require art don't worry too much as they'll likely be more lenient as your school doesn't offer art.  But it will make things more difficult for you as you'll need to make a portfolio before applying. Just make sure to dedicate a lot of your free time to putting it together as it's really important.

 

Since you won't be able to take art, you need to demonstrate your strengths in other subjects that are related to architecture (i.e. physics and maths). Both maths and physics standard level are acceptable but I recommend you take one of them at higher level - physics higher level is easier according to my friends that take both. You've picked maths, if you're more comfortable with it than physics then take it as a higher level subject and physics as a standard level subject. 

 

Why are you contemplating taking a language A subject that isn't your first language at higher level? You'd be way better off taking finnish literature, your first language, at higher level. It shouldn't be all that more difficult as there isn't much difference in difficulty between language A SL/HL. English L&L HL is difficult for native speakers so you'd probably find it much more difficult than finnish so I'd avoid taking it higher level if I were you. 

 

*What universities (or countries) are you interested in? Entry/subject requirements do vary from country to country so you need to check the entry requirements of all the universities you're interested in before finalizing your subject combination. I've based my response off the entry requirements of British universities. 

 

Hope I helped! 

[behaaa]

If english isn't your first language I would definitely suggest for you to take Physics at HL. I have a friend whose second language is english and he is doing English HL, and he is really struggling. It really depends on if you are good at physics or not. If you understand the concepts, then you will be fine. But if you dont, you will be far better off doing English.

[FINib]

Thank you both so much! 

 

I guess I'll go with physics HL and English SL, especially since physics has always been one of the easier subjects for me. I don't want to study Finnish HL, even though it'd probably be an easy 7, since it wouldn't benefit me much in the future seeing my plans. I'm probably applying to the UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore; the US is a bit too expensive for me...