The "Which IB subjects should I choose" Thread

Okay so after taking your input into account and asking around some more, I have decided to take these subjects:
English HL
Economics HL
History HL

French SL
Math SL
ESS SL

I'm pretty confident with my choices now and I thank you all so much for your help!

Hi, I've been doing the MYP so I have a fairly good idea of how the IB works. As it stands, I've chosen to do

HL
English
Biology
Psychology

SL
Maths
French B
Chemistry

My quandary is Psychology vs French - which one would be most useful as a HL subject? I don't really know what i want to go into at uni, so I kinda want to keep my options open. Does anyone do psychology? How difficult and time consuming is it? The advantage I have is that I've lived in Switzerland for 8 years now, so my french is at quite a good level... I don't see what difference my decision would make but any input would be verrrrry helpful!

With all of that in mind, the decision does come down to you. At the end of the day, unless you're leaning towards a languages/French/linguistic specialisation at uni, there's really no point in taking French B HL.

Arrowhead,
You're saying that there's really no point in taking HL French, so, does that mean if you're thinking about doing IR will it not be as important? Since I'm not thinking of studying French at uni.
At the moment I'm currently deciding between HL Psychology and HL French.

Hi lovely people. Just wondering if you could give me some advice on my initial IB choices. I'm starting the DP in August and IB is definitely the qualification I want to take. I have no idea on where to go for uni or what I would study or potential career paths.

English HL
Math Studies SL
ENvironmental Systems and Societies SL
Spanish Ab Initio SL
Psychology HL
Theatre Studies HL

I didn't say you have to want to study French at university to justify taking French HL. I suggested that since renren wanted to keep her options as open as possible, Psychology HL would be best to achieve that given her presented choices.

As far as IR is concerned, it's not problematic at all. There is no specified subject combination that is ideal for it. Personally, I would say English and History lend themselves best for the future study of IR (since there's a lot of reading and essay writing), but any subject combination could theoretically work to get you in.

I see, I can't do History since I've never done it before.
Thank you so much though :-)

Then I think IR might be a rude awakening. A friend of mine doing IR at the moment characterised it as, and I quote, "a glorified history course."

Seeing as you aren't really sure what you want to do at uni, having Psychology HL might keep more options open. With your background of living in Switzerland, obviously French would be an easier subject to cope with for you. Psychology can be very time consuming (I've been told) and there is a fair amount of memorisation in the subject.

With all of that in mind, the decision does come down to you. At the end of the day, unless you're leaning towards a languages/French/linguistic specialisation at uni, there's really no point in taking French B HL.

Thanks so much for your reply! It's interesting to hear that- I've been hearing that taking a language would keep more options open since it can be more useful in a larger range of subjects... but then again, I don't want my HL subjects to portray me like a linguistic because I don't think I am one :P

Having strong skills in multiple languages is definitely an asset, but it should be kept in mind that you will be doing French B, which somewhat expresses less than fluent ability in the French language. This, in my opinion, diminishes the perceived advantage of multiple language skills ordinarily engendered, since French B isn't the strongest language course that can be taken.

I think Psychology would be a better fit for your outlook.

Hi, I've been doing the MYP so I have a fairly good idea of how the IB works. As it stands, I've chosen to do

HL
English
Biology
Psychology

SL
Maths
French B
Chemistry

My quandary is Psychology vs French - which one would be most useful as a HL subject? I don't really know what i want to go into at uni, so I kinda want to keep my options open. Does anyone do psychology? How difficult and time consuming is it? The advantage I have is that I've lived in Switzerland for 8 years now, so my french is at quite a good level... I don't see what difference my decision would make but any input would be verrrrry helpful!

How does this sound:

HL English Literature
HL Bio
HL Chem
SL Maths
SL French B
SL History

I'm interested in psychology, education, biology and English.
I'm a bit worried about the chem HL because I've heard it's very difficult.
Also, my school might not be able to offer history so I don't know whether I'd choose B&M, economics or geography. Any advice please?

Hi!
I'm feeling really confused and worried about the subject choise. I'm planning to study psychology in England, maybe in Cambridge. On the uni page I found some informations about recommended subjects: Biology hl and Maths. Well, I'm not sure if I could cope with getting good grades in Maths hl, so I'm a bit scared. I'd like to choose:
Biology hl
Polish hl
English B hl
Maths sl
chemistry sl
history sl
Do I really need maths hl to get to the university (Cambridge for example)? Is my choise appropriate to the course? I have to add that choosing psychology is not avaliable in my school. Sorry for all my mistakes - my english is still on a very low level.

Hey! I'm starting IB next year and I need to finalize my subject choices.

I plan on studying for a Business Administration degree in the U.K. after I finish highschool.

My current choices are:

Business HL
English HL
Psychology HL
Maths SL
Biology SL
Romanian SL

Based on what I've read up on this matter so far, it would seem that getting both Business and Psychology at HL would be a bad idea, as they're both considered to be easier subjects, which might be looked down upon when I'm applying for universities. I've been thinking about replacing one of them with History HL, although I have some trouble on deciding which one.

I also know that getting Maths HL might be more helpful, however that is out of the question, as I'm not very good at the subject.

Based on what I've read on the sites of some of the top universities in the U.K., it seems that with the exception of some universities which require Maths HL, there aren't any other admission requirements for such a degree. I am however sure that some subjects are more preferred when choosing applicants than others.

I would really appreciate some feedback on the matter. Thanks!

Hey!

Well, since you've hinted that you're looking at 'top' universities, I would say you should drop Business HL. I don't think Psychology will disadvantage you as much as you think it would. But in terms of being a better, more traditional subject, History HL would be more fitting. But again, for your purposes, whether you take Psychology or History HL, I don't think it will make as much of a difference.

Maths HL is generally a prerequisite for studying Economics or Economics-related courses at university, it isn't emphasised for Business degrees. Maybe it might help you along, maybe it won't. But I do know that if you don't think you can get and be predicted at least a 6/7 in Maths HL, the chances of you being considered by the top universities are slim to none. So think about that very carefully before you make a decision.

Maybe also consider replacing Business HL with Economics HL, you still delve into the subject area of interest to you (sort of) and Economics is relatively easy in comparison to other Social Science HLs to get a 7 in as well.