The "Which IB subjects should I choose" Thread

Hi, I am interested in choosing the following subjects for my IB diploma programme:

English A SL/HL
Spanish B HL
Geography HL
Business Management SL/HL
Computer Science SL
Maths SL/HL

1. I have not had computer science classes so far, but we can choose between either biology, physics or computer science, and to me biology and physics were really boring. Is computer science manageable?
2. I am not sure whether I should take English, Maths or Business Management for my third higher level. I think I would prefer to choose Business Management, but that is a self-study online course and I haven't had any classes in the subject before. So should I go for English instead? Or perhaps Maths? Which is easiest?
3. Is this a good choice considering I am interested in studying business management at uni?

I finished my IB last year (took a gap year to do internships) and have applied to business courses at Durham, Cass and University of Manchester and hold offers from all 3. I did Physics, Business Management and Econs at HL; Spanish, English (Lang Lit) and Maths at SL. When researching and applying for business courses I realized that there aren't really any "preferred" subjects, they care more about the score breakdown (i.e. 766 at HL). The top top unis like LSE or UCL do have 1 subject requirement, which is that you must do HL Maths or else your application will not be considered. And all of the unis that I applied to stated that they don't recognize Math Studies or Self Study as subjects. Having said that I did choose both Business and Econs at HL to strengthen my business Uni application and show interest, commitment and dedication to my chosen course; but it is not a requirement and by no means will your application be discarded if you do Geo over Business at HL (even though i would personally do business). Just be sure to take HL Maths if you are aiming for LSE or UCL

hi im currently *still* on my igcse exams but i have already made choices for my IB next year..

HL:
GEO
PSYCHO
BIO

SL:
ENG A
CHINESE A
MATH

do you think having 3 memory based subjects at HL would be disastrous? and is it hard to handle both languages at A? (my school insisted us to take both at A so we can receive the bilingual diploma)
and it wht is psychology like? is it hard
Thanks!!

Well, in my opinion, (to answer your first question) it really is up to your ability in terms of memorisation - some people are great at it, others (like me) not so much. If you know you like the subjects, and believe that you are capable, then I'd say go for it!

I am in a similar position to you - still doing igcse exams, and have chosen my IB subjects, so I haven't had any experience in IB yet (sorry about that), though I've heard quite a lot!

I originally chose both languages at A as well, but dropped down to Chinese B (HL). Once again, I think it depends on your ability for languages. Even though chinese is my mother tongue, I'm not very good at it (I'm terrible at reading and writing), and in order to do well in it I knew I'd have to spend lots of time on it, which I didn't think was ideal, as I don't need Chinese A for what I want to take in university. In my opinion, I don't think the bilingual diploma is very useful unless you're planning to pursue something related to language, translation, etc. My brother took Chinese A, and though he didn't do too well, he still got the bilingual diploma, but even then it hasn't really made much of a difference for him.

I'm afraid I can't offer much insight on IB Psychology, because I didn't take it at IGCSE or choose it for IB - sorry! :P Then again, to answer your last question, nothing is really easy in IB, so as long as you put your mind to something and commit and don't leave everything to the last minute, you will be capable of doing well

Hope I helped!

thankyou n gd luck in your exams!!! and, i will hv to do really bad (like a C) inorder to get into chi B...

hi im currently *still* on my igcse exams but i have already made choices for my IB next year..

HL:
GEO (100% taking it)
PSYCHO
BIO(100% taking it)

SL:
ENG A
CHINESE A
MATH

do you think having 3 memory based subjects at HL would be disastrous? and is it hard to handle both languages at A? (my school insisted us to take both at A so we can receive the bilingual diploma)
and it wht is psychology like? is it hard?
lastly is math sl hard? cuz im not really good at maths and i know its similar to additional math in igcse
Thanks!!

Hi there

Whilst I don't personally take psych, literally everyone else in my group of friends does Despite them saying that it's a worthwhile subject to take, most of them are currently suffering under the fact that there is literally so much to memorise; quote-on-quote: "half the battle isn't even understanding what the studies are saying, it's memorising enough essays for LAQs and stuff". So whilst it isn't the hardest IB subject you could take, it's very taxing on your memorisation skills.

As for SL maths, the answer to your problems is simple - do you think you'll need maths to some extent for you future career? If the answer is 'yes', then you should probably do SL maths. So, let's say you wanted to geography. To my understanding, some universities require you to have done SL maths, but I can't say for certain if that's the case. On the contrary if your answer is 'no', save yourself the hassle of confusion and take studies. In two years time, you'll be thanking yourself.

In terms of a bilingual diploma, only do it if you think you're capable of doing well in it. It'll sort of be like analysing literature but in Chinese. One of my friends does Japanese A and she seems to be coping well, though she did find it kind of hard to adjust initially.

thankyou so much!!! im not really sure if i really enjoy psycho cuz i hv never tried it before but i dont really hv another choices for humanities.. i hv thought of econ but i heard you hv a math paper on HL and i hate econ (taking on igcse level)

Hi all!I'm starting the IB next year and I need a little help choosing my subjects. For now, I have chosen HL English, History, and language B. My SLs are Math Studies, Psychology, and Science. But I'm thinking about switching from Math St to Math SL even though I'm obviously going to buuuurn even in the SL Math classes. I'm really bad at math and honestly have no intention of doing anything math based in the future, because I want to go the law school (and as for studying law, I can get away with whatever the bare minimum of math study necessary to get my pre-law education over with is - in this case, Math Studies. Lol I think that's one of the reasons law school is such a popular area of study that it is one of a few professional/graduate fields of study where a math-phobic (aka me) candidate can completely avoid any exposure to mathematics after high school graduation ) But the thing is, I'm also thinking about studying political science or international relations. I did my research and found out that for a mere bachelor's degree, I'd have to take, at a minimum, whatever math is required (at last the general requirements my college/uni requires for the degree, plus any math required to complete the major in political sience). So what do you guys think? What should I do? And what do you guys think about the whole schedule in general?

Hey! I'm an International student starting the IB in August. I still have to choose my subjects and I would like to read your advice.

I don't have a clear view of my future but I was thinking about majoring in Economics (and perhaps double-majoring or minoring in something else) while spending at least a year abroad (possibly in Spain but I don't really know). Then I want to complete a Master's degree abroad (maybe in France?). This is to acquire proficiency in two languages other than English because my dream would be to be a simultaneous interpreter at the UN or EU parliament.

My IB subject combination would be:
- English A HL (is it going to be too hard given that I'm not a native speaker?)
- French B HL
- Spanish ab initio SL
- Global politics SL/HL (I'm not sure whether to take this at HL or not)
- Maths HL (please, could you link me the syllabus as I'm quite weak in maths and I'd like to go through the material beforehand)
- Physics or biology SL/HL (would it be better to take a science at HL or a 3rd group subject? I'm inclined towards physics btw)

(If you know where to get scholarships to study abroad, please let me know, as I have no idea how to earn all the money I need to accomplish my dreams - also because I wanna go to an Ivy. Thanks!)


Thank you very much and sorry for the lengthy post - I hope I don't sound too naive. Thanks again!

Hey! Typing this on my phone so forgive my vague reply.

- I want to point out that if you want to study Economics in Uni, a good idea would be to study HL Econ. You'd also need to study HL maths, so be sure to keep that.

- English Literature is quite challenging, especially if you're not a native speaker - does your school offer English Language and Literature? I've heard that that's slightly easier.

- You already have three HLs (English, French, Maths), so don't stress yourself out by taking HL Global Politics (and science if you're considering it). You won't get extra credit for taking more HLs.

- It's better to take a science at SL if you already a) have three HLs (which you do), and b) if you're not looking for a science career. As for which subject, I'd probably say physics, especially if you're inclined towards it. HOWEVER, I've heard that SL biology is easier than SL physics.

Thanks for your answer!

- Economics is not offered unfortunately

- Yeah, there's English A Language&Lit. I'm going for this one then!

- Oh, I thought having four HLs would somewhat impress the selection committee at my target unis (since they are really competitive); plus I like politics so... but if really there's no difference perhaps I'll drop it to SL.

- Mhh... I'm probably going to take Physics SL. I feel like biology is just a lot of memorising, whereas physics is more about reasoning and logic always comes in handy sooner or later

Hey!! You don't have to follow my advice necessarily, just do what you feel is right! Does your school offer Business, then?

Well, I'm not 100% sure on what effect taking 4 HLs will have. I know that universities look at your overall IB score more though. Maybe keep it at HL, and if you can't cope, then drop Global Politics to SL?

As for taking English A LL, don't 100% listen to me. Take a look at the courses and ask the teachers about them first, and then do the one you're interested in

Haha your advice seemed reasonable and I think you're more informed than I am so

They do offer Business&Management but as far as I know it is regarded as a "soft subject" and, having already chosen Spanish ab initio, I'd rather go for something with a better reputation.


(This is a bit off topic but if anyone can answer, thanks since I want to be an interpreter at the UN or EU parliament, would it be better to major in economics (it'd give a great understanding of what has to be interpreted and it is a very useful and well-reputed major) or choose modern languages instead?)

Hi, I'm starting IB next year and hoping to do engineering at uni (I'm aiming for Cambridge!?)
My subject choices are:
Maths, physics, DT HL
Economics, French B, English SL

I really enjoy DT, I do it at GCSE, but I'm not sure if chemistry HL would make my life easier in terms of workload and getting uni offers? I know all HLs will take time, but does anyone know how the two compare?

Secondly, I've heard people call DT a soft subject, but lots of the course content is quite different to the A level, as it is much less practical and more theory based (or so I've been told...) so is the IB course viewed differently as it is science based?

Finally my sixth form gets 50%+ 7s in chemistry and none in DT (mostly 6s) does anyone know why getting a 7 in DT is so rare/ hard?? -is it realistically achievable?

Any other third HL suggestions for engineering? I'm still not 100% on this... But definitely a STEM degree. Thanks!