Subject choice for IB (Group 3?)

[mmemata]

Hi everyone!

I'm starting IB next year and according to my teacher we will have to hand in our subject choice soon.

What do you think of this?

Latvian A1 HL (this is mandatory for everyone)

English A2 HL (I heard that there is a small difference between A2 HL and SL)

History HL

Geography SL

Economics SL

Biology SL

Mathematics SL

Only 3 HL's, but 7 subjects.

Are 7 subjects much more difficult than 6?

I'd like to drop one subject from group 3 but it seems that I can't because I'm really good at history and geography and these are my favorite classes. I think that economics are very useful and my parents insist on taking it as well.

After finishing IB I consider studying international relations.

[Bishup]

Don't bother with geography and if you want to do another subject to enhance your learning experience and your personal statement I'd say a language. To be perfectly honest, the standard levels you take won't really do anything to your University application apart from add points. Universities tend to look at HLs so if you feel that 7 subjects might be a burden don't do it. However I do advise taking 4 HLs and then dropping one to standard. I wish I had done this.

[mmemata]

Don't bother with geography and if you want to do another subject to enhance your learning experience and your personal statement I'd say a language. To be perfectly honest, the standard levels you take won't really do anything to your University application apart from add points. Universities tend to look at HLs so if you feel that 7 subjects might be a burden don't do it. However I do advise taking 4 HLs and then dropping one to standard. I wish I had done this.

besides my native Latvian and English I'm already learning Russian and Spanish.

[Sandwich]

There's no reason to take 7 subjects, and IMO a tad crazy. Your 7th subject will have to be additional to the diploma (you can only have 6 in the diploma), for starters. You won't get anything out of it except for having less time and a bit more knowledge. If that knowledge is irrelevant to international relations and you enjoy relaxing and socialising, I would suggest you drop something! Or alternatively start with 7 with the option of dropping one when (if) it becomes too much.

Doing any extra subject will be an enterprise done by yourself for yourself. Universities don't especially appreciate it.

Additionally, the IB is quite a tough course (in terms of having lots of workload all at once when it counts); it's fine in year 1 when you have relatively little to do, but by year 2 unless you're superhuman I guarantee you'll be feeling a little flooded! In my opinion you'd be better off enjoying year 1 much more doing just 6 subjects, than doing 7 subjects and working hard in year 1 AND year 2, possibly then to drop one. These are years to enjoy yourself as well as educate yourself, remember

If you're an academic workhorse, go for it. If not, in my opinion you'd be happier dropping one of the humanities.

[mmemata]

There's no reason to take 7 subjects, and IMO a tad crazy. Your 7th subject will have to be additional to the diploma (you can only have 6 in the diploma), for starters. You won't get anything out of it except for having less time and a bit more knowledge. If that knowledge is irrelevant to international relations and you enjoy relaxing and socialising, I would suggest you drop something! Or alternatively start with 7 with the option of dropping one when (if) it becomes too much.

Doing any extra subject will be an enterprise done by yourself for yourself. Universities don't especially appreciate it.

Additionally, the IB is quite a tough course (in terms of having lots of workload all at once when it counts); it's fine in year 1 when you have relatively little to do, but by year 2 unless you're superhuman I guarantee you'll be feeling a little flooded! In my opinion you'd be better off enjoying year 1 much more doing just 6 subjects, than doing 7 subjects and working hard in year 1 AND year 2, possibly then to drop one. These are years to enjoy yourself as well as educate yourself, remember

If you're an academic workhorse, go for it. If not, in my opinion you'd be happier dropping one of the humanities.

Thank you for your opinion! Pff, I'm confused what to choose. It seems that geography is not that useful(?) and not a lot of people choose it.

[Tilia]

Firstly, don't choose anything just because your parents want it! That is not a good idea, choose what interests you. Secondly, I think seven subjects will be quite tough, but if you feel up to it, go ahead and you can always drop one of them later.

Also, I'm not taking English myself, but people say that it's a hard subject. There are a lot of half-American in the English A2 HL class and event they find it difficult. So don't just take it because you think it's similar to SL.

[~vola]

My first instinct is to advise you to drop economics, but if you end up majoring in international relations you're probably going to have to take at least one economics class at your higher education institution of choice. Might as well take it--at SL you're not likely to get any credit for it, but you'll have an understanding of the concepts and an easy class for your first/second semester. Geography is probably a good choice for that area of study too, actually.

History...is a lot of memorization. Unless you're some kind of super-duper history buff already, it's very easy to forget everything you took notes on over the past 2 years while you're sitting the History exam. My dad is a professor of history, so I grew up with it, and *I* came out of HL History with a 4.

Advice: study history on your own as a hobby. Drop the class (or keep the class and elect not to take the exam; I was able to do this with an IB psychology class one year, talk to your coordinator) and switch your economics to HL.

[Oscar Coniel]

I did economics and loved it... Also if you pick 7 subject you have the option of dropping one later if you feel like it is too hard or you lose interest in it.

If I were you I would start off with that selection and then pick between economics and geography later. I think you should go for economics if you do have to pick one (instead of geography) as it's more useful on a day to day basis (in my opinion) allowing you to understand current events, politics and so on better, even if you don't study something with economics in it after the IB.

[mmemata]

I did economics and loved it... Also if you pick 7 subject you have the option of dropping one later if you feel like it is too hard or you lose interest in it.

If I were you I would start off with that selection and then pick between economics and geography later. I think you should go for economics if you do have to pick one (instead of geography) as it's more useful on a day to day basis (in my opinion) allowing you to understand current events, politics and so on better, even if you don't study something with economics in it after the IB.

yes, it looks like I'm going to start with 7 subjects and if it gets too hard for me, I'll drop geography.

I also thought that economics would be useful as they help to understand a lot of news.

thanks for your advice!