Mira Posted November 3, 2016 Report Share Posted November 3, 2016 I have almost finished my first year of IB and I'm currently taking HL Chem, Business and English. I am getting 3s in Chem and I know it's only the first year and there's room for progress but I was thinking about moving from HL Chem to HL History. I would have to learn the whole syllabus over the summer which is the only issue. Recommendations or suggestions please? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosalina Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 I'd suggest that, instead of learning the entire history curriculum, you spend your summer reviewing and practicing the chemistry concepts you've learned about this year and make sure that you understand them. In IB1, I found that the only reason I struggled with chemistry because I didn't have a firm grasp of the theory, which made applications very hard. Once I understood the concept, the course was much easier. HL History is a very tough course to study in a very short amount of time, especially at the HL level. However, I think the main factor in your decision should be this: Which of these two subjects do you plan on studying or need when applying for university? If you do plan on doing History, I'd suggest you switch, but, if you're doing anything in the sciences to keep Chemistry HL. If you plan on using neither, stick to Chem HL since a) history will be a hard course to do in a short span of time b) you wouldn't have had sufficient practice with the various papers for your IB exams. 9 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziadbar Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 I really wouldn't recommend History HL because you will not have only missed first year's syllabus, but also the methods and practices of answering questions would be something you need to get covered. As Rosalina stated, try to perfect your Chemistry, rather than testing the waters of something else. 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amina13 Posted November 5, 2016 Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 I agree with @Ziadbarand @Rosalina. I take HL History, and certainly, it is not one of my easiest subjects - in fact, History requires writing essays, critical thinking, analysing sources and etc, and all of these take a lot of time. Practising these, reading articles and evaluating multiple perspectives are interesting, but at the same time is a lot of work. If your major is related to History and you feel that you'll be more successful then go for it. My intention was not to daunt you - I was just telling you what you should expect from that course. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mira Posted November 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2016 Thank you all! That was really helpful. I have to make a decision by the end of next week as the end of year is fast-approaching. The reason why I would want to move to HL History is because I want to study Law/International Relations at university and my strengths lie in the essay-based subjects (Business Management and English). I would be willing to devote a huge proportion of my summer to studying the syllabus and I feel that critical-thinking, analysing and essay-writing comes easier to me than application of chemical equations and such. The only reason I took HL Chemistry in the first place was to keep the option of studying Medicine open but I have been quite set on Law/International Relations for a while now. But I do think perfecting my Chemistry over the summer could perhaps be a better option... Ahh tough decisions! 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 (edited) If you think there's still a chance that you might switch to Medicine, and you know there are universities with a requirement for HL Chemistry (in NZ there are none and in Australia I don't think there any/I think there very few universities with a requirement for HL) then I'd recommend you take it, especially since Law/International Relations has no requirements and you're already taking two essay based subjects anyway. However, if you (for example) want to go to the UK for Med, you'll need Chemistry HL, so it's something to consider. However, if you know there are no requirements for both pathways in any of the countries you wish to apply to, and you feel you'll maximise your grade with HL History, I'd say go for it if you want to. Just be wary that HL History does have a lot of content, and with the new syllabus your teacher may change things up. If your teacher's willing to help you over the holidays and you're willing to dedicate a large proportion of time to History whilst managing your other subjects, go for it. Keep in mind (if it helps) that our school has always SL and HL into two years, and we learnt all our HL content in one year which hasn't (well, in the past it hasn't) impacted the number of 7s we get, so... maybe? Good luck and I hope it works out for you! Edited November 7, 2016 by Guest Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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