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Ib subjects for oxford ppe (maths hl?)

Hi I'm in year 12, and it's my first year of IB.

My subject choices right now are
HL: MATHS
HL: ECONOMICS
HL: PSYCHOLOGY
SL: CHEMISTY
SL: ENGLISH LITERATURE
SL: SPANISH AB INITIO

I just got my first report for IB and all my other subjects were very good, but I got a 4 IN MATHS HL. I really want to study PPE in Oxford and I saw that they say Maths to AS-Level or Standard Level is recommended. I'm confident in getting a 7 for MATHS SL but I'm unsure I'll do well when I stay in Maths HL. Do you think I'll still have a good chance for getting to the interview level for PPE in Oxford if I move to MATHS SL and change my English Literature to HL? Also do you think psychology is a good subject for PPE or do you recommend history?

PLEASE HELP, I've spoken to the HE advisor of our school but I still can't decide or be sure. Please please help me!
Original post by lewoo
Hi I'm in year 12, and it's my first year of IB.

My subject choices right now are
HL: MATHS
HL: ECONOMICS
HL: PSYCHOLOGY
SL: CHEMISTY
SL: ENGLISH LITERATURE
SL: SPANISH AB INITIO

I just got my first report for IB and all my other subjects were very good, but I got a 4 IN MATHS HL. I really want to study PPE in Oxford and I saw that they say Maths to AS-Level or Standard Level is recommended. I'm confident in getting a 7 for MATHS SL but I'm unsure I'll do well when I stay in Maths HL. Do you think I'll still have a good chance for getting to the interview level for PPE in Oxford if I move to MATHS SL and change my English Literature to HL? Also do you think psychology is a good subject for PPE or do you recommend history?

PLEASE HELP, I've spoken to the HE advisor of our school but I still can't decide or be sure. Please please help me!


Per the PPE FAQ, it's absolutely fine for you to take SL Maths instead of HL: http://www.ppe.ox.ac.uk/index.php/ppe-faq I imagine studying HL will probably be an advantage when it comes to the more quantitative-heavy Economics modules subsequently, but I imagine you can catch up then or opt for other modules anyway.

The FAQ also suggests History as a recommended subject, but it isn't required, so I'd say take whichever you prefer. You'll get exposure to essay writing through English Literature HL, so I wouldn't be too worried.
Reply 2
Avatar for xenia2812
xenia2812
Hi, I have similar problem. Also a 4 in Maths HL :/

I'm currently in my first year of IB and my subjects are as follows:
HL History
HL French B
HL English A
HL Mathematics
SL Polish A
SL Biology

I'm afraid I won't be able to cope with HL Maths as well as I would want to. I therefore consider dropping Maths to SL and staying with HLs in French, English and History (then also Polish). I would love to go into social sciences later on, PPE being my dream-course (at Oxford ideally), but I'm afraid that with that sort of subject combination unis will judge me as not many-sided enough or would have doubts regarding my mathematical aptitude. I know I can score very well doing Maths SL, but it would require a lot of effort to have a satisfying mark in Maths HL and I am not sure if it's worth the risk… So, in short, I don't know if having only History and 3 Languages on HL will be a well-perceived combination… Any advice please?
(edited 9 years ago)

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