Subject Choice Help

[andrews1115]

Hey everyone! I'm a rising junior planning to pursue an IB Diploma next school year and I'm concerned over subject choices. I'm interested in psychology, sociology, and social sciences in general. Sadly, our school doesn't offer IB Psychology, but it offers the AP version, so I'll be fine. Here's what I'm thinking right now:

 

English A1 HL (school requires)

 

History HL (only group 3 hl in my school)

 

Bio HL? 

 

Math SL/HL?

 

Spanish SL

 

Social Anthropology SL

 

Do my subjects sound alright based on my interests?

 

I'm not sure about bio as my third hl, as I took an honors bio class before and didn't enjoy it due to the teacher. I feel like I could definitely enjoy it with a better teacher, but it's kind of risky to jump straight into hl. Is it an important subject for pursuing a career in psychology or another social science? 

 

I also enjoy math, and I wish there were something between HL and SL, so I'm kind of torn there. I'm American, so IB SL math translates to AP AB Calculus, the lower AP calculus course. For HL Math, I'd have to take AP BC Calc (harder calculus) in year 1, and HL Math in year 2 to get the IB Math credit since BC Calc isn't considered an IB Course. I'd like to have BC Calculus on my transcript but I'm not sure I'd like to do have to take HL Math.

 

Sorry, I hope the math thing makes sense.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

Thanks!

 

 

[kw0573]

Very sensible combination. Your idea of taking BC Calc only instead of HL Math is sound. HL Math is not very useful if you are not going into sciences/engineering. Instead of A1 and A2 they are now called "literature" and "language and literature". Those who are most comfortable with writing tons of essays typically opt for "literature" course. 

[Sandy]

Your subjects choices are great, based on your interests. You can choose your third HL based on what you're interested in and what your school provides. Bio HL is good, and easy if you really like bio. You can choose philosophy or geography if you like that.

 

Don't be really concerned about the teacher if you can self-learn everything. The teacher is important for your IA though, so if he/she is not very experienced or isn't good at assessing or giving feedback on IAs, then you might want to consider taking another subject.

 

As for math HL, I don't think you need it for the courses you'll apply to. If you get credits for doing AP calc BC, then you should give that exam. Not only is math HL difficult, it might also prove to be a waste of time for you, because you won't be applying to any science or math courses in university.

 

You can have a look at this post if you're still confused about how to choose your subjects.