The Student Room Group

The "Which IB subjects should I choose" Thread

Here is a thread to ask what kind of subjects you should take.

Universities do have requirements, and if you know what you would like to study in uni it's best to check several university websites to see whether or not a specific subject is required.

Currently there is only a breakdown for Medicine universities, but you can easily go onto UCAS and check the requirements.

Medicine Requirements

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Reply 1
Hey! :smile:

Okay so I basically need some help.

I'm planning to pursue either vet med/med/pharmacy (but more likely pharmacy) and I picked these IB subjects:

HL
Maths
Biology
Chemistry

SL
Spanish ab initio
English A1
History



BUT, I recently got my IGCSE results - I only got an A (ie not A*) for Maths and a really horrible grade for Additional Maths :p: and my school is now recommending that I drop Maths HL and take up either English or History.


I have 2 questions.


1. Is it advisable to drop Maths HL despite wanting to pursue the sciences at university? Will this make me a little bit more disadvantaged than other applicants applying for the same courses? I know Maths HL is not required as I've got both Biology and Chem at HL but.. is it preferred?

I COULD try my best for Maths HL - that is, work my butt off for it but I'd just like to hear everybody's opinion on whether it's worth it, and whether I even need it! :smile:


2. Also, IF I do drop Maths HL, which HL should I take up, English A1 or History? I love both equally, and scored A*s for English First Language, English Literature and History at IGCSE and I'm pretty much torn between the two. So I WOULD like to pick the one I love - but I love both so uhhh, yeah I kinda need help :p:.

Can anyone out there tell me which HL they felt was better for them & why, whether the workload will be too much if I were to take one instead of the other..etc?


It'd be much appreciated, thanks! :smile:
Reply 2
1. No it will not make you disadvantaged. You can always try for 1 month of math HL to see if you can handle the course.

2. its up to you.

i would suggest that you pick 4 HLs at the start and then decide after 1-2 months which subject you will drop to SL.
I'm both not in the UK and not done with my diploma yet but speaking as someone taking English A1 HL, I'd say it would be the better choice compared to History. History's a lot of content to remember. However, my school actually doesn't offer History SL so I'm not totally aware of the differences! I'm a language person myself and imo English HL is a really easy HL to take.

Then again I'm horrible at math and taking it at SL, sooo... :p:
You'll have 2 years to figure out your HLs and SLs. If I were you, I would take Math and another subject at HL (so 4 HLs in total), and then in your second year, drop one of them to SL.

HL Math is sort of the equivalent of Further Maths. No one else can really judge your capabilities other than you, so I say you should try it out.

Between English and History HL, I suggest you take English. I personally think History is dreadful and wish I hadn't taken it now (despite liking it to begin with...)

A bit of information:
- In History, HL you have to take paper 3, SL you only take papers 1 and 2. The content is actually the same. Paper 3 is one question from the material you already need to know for papers 1 and 2. So taking SL wouldn't be SIGNIFICANTLY easier (aside from the fact that your exam is a few hours shorter). Also, keep in mind that your internal assessment is worth more in SL than it is in HL (25% vs 20% I believe)

I don't actually know all that much about English SL/HL, sorry. My teachers all say English is the easiest HL out of the ones we offer, though.
Reply 5
tashaaaness
1. Is it advisable to drop Maths HL despite wanting to pursue the sciences at university? Will this make me a little bit more disadvantaged than other applicants applying for the same courses? I know Maths HL is not required as I've got both Biology and Chem at HL but.. is it preferred?

I COULD try my best for Maths HL - that is, work my butt off for it but I'd just like to hear everybody's opinion on whether it's worth it, and whether I even need it! :smile:


I'm applying for Medicine this year with my final results. I started IB with HL Bio, Chem, English and Maths, and dropped Maths to SL after a year because I was struggling to get 4's at HL (and I got an A* in IGCSE Maths, A in Add Maths). It was really, really hard for me, and dropping to SL afterwards was sort of like sitting the IGCSE exam for the second time with a few extra topics.

Having said that, though, exam results (and sometimes even your teachers' recommendations) really aren't everything. If you don't think your IGCSE Maths grades reflect your expectations/potential, you're very good at Maths, and you really enjoy it, I'd try out Maths as a fourth HL along with Bio, Chem and English/History, and see how you cope. All but one person in my HL Maths class did that, and three of us dropped to SL at the end of the year with three other HLs to fall back on. The others dropped one of their other HLs instead because they could cope with the workload.

As to whether you need it, though, I don't think I've ever seen HL Maths specified for Medicine (I can't speak for the other two courses, but I imagine it would be the same). If they don't mention that they'd prefer HL Maths in the prospectus/website, you could probably assume that your third HL won't matter.

If you're applying to Oxbridge, though, some colleges do prefer three science/maths A-levels, which could equate to three science/maths HLs. Email and ask them to be sure. The other colleges should be fine though - I recently emailed the admissions office at Sidney Sussex in Cambridge to ask the same question and got this reply:

"The Pre Clinical Medical Requirements state that you need to have done three out of the three sciences + maths, but not all need to be to A-level (or Higher Level, although I know these are not synonymous). On the whole, most applicants would offer a third science/maths at Higher, but as it is not compulsory, we cannot disadvantage anyone for not having it!"

So basically, Bio and Chem HL are fine, but take Maths HL if you really like it and feel you can cope.

2. Also, IF I do drop Maths HL, which HL should I take up, English A1 or History? I love both equally, and scored A*s for English First Language, English Literature and History at IGCSE and I'm pretty much torn between the two. So I WOULD like to pick the one I love - but I love both so uhhh, yeah I kinda need help :p:.


I didn't take (and didn't like) History so I can't really answer your question fairly, but I can tell you that English HL is brilliant if you love English Lit. It's much less straightforward than IGCSE because you do about 16 works, you write your own coursework questions, and the exam questions are bizarre but pretty fun to try to make sense of, so it's very self-directed. But I'm totally biased :p:

And woooww that was a long post.
Reply 6
I got a B in my Maths IGCSE, I went on to do Maths HL anyway and I will be starting the 3rd year of my Maths degree this September.

I can't say that the B hindered me in anyway. Don't be discouraged :smile: Since you want to apply to do the sciency subjects I reckon a Maths HL will look much better on an application form, but I can't imagine you being hugely disadvantaged without it when it is not formally a requirement. I think it is totally worth it, (I am a bit biased of course :p: ) especially if you have a change of heart and decide to apply for something else, then the Maths will open up many more possibilities.

I will also echo what has been said here: you have plenty of time to make a decision once you've started the course so it's not a major problem if you decide to switch later on. If you do take up another HL, I suggest English as well, simply because it probably requires the least effort to catch up with should you make the decision a tad late.

Best of luck
Reply 7
jc_bach
1. No it will not make you disadvantaged. You can always try for 1 month of math HL to see if you can handle the course.

2. its up to you.

i would suggest that you pick 4 HLs at the start and then decide after 1-2 months which subject you will drop to SL.



I think I will do this - take 4 HLs! :smile: Oh, yeah I do know it's up to me but I just wanted to see what the IB-ers on TSR had to say about the subjects. Hehe.


delightedly
I'm both not in the UK and not done with my diploma yet but speaking as someone taking English A1 HL, I'd say it would be the better choice compared to History. History's a lot of content to remember. However, my school actually doesn't offer History SL so I'm not totally aware of the differences! I'm a language person myself and imo English HL is a really easy HL to take.

Then again I'm horrible at math and taking it at SL, sooo... :p:


LOL - thanks for this! I need as many opinions as I can get! I've heard so many conflicting opinions about English A1 HL. Some people say it's impossible to get a 7 (because we study soooo many texts) whilst others say it's easy! I have no idea, but I suppose English HL is just one of those things you either love or hate..

I just need to decide which one I love more I guess :smile: - are you coming to the UK for university after you've finished your IB?


fakeplastictrees
You'll have 2 years to figure out your HLs and SLs. If I were you, I would take Math and another subject at HL (so 4 HLs in total), and then in your second year, drop one of them to SL.

HL Math is sort of the equivalent of Further Maths. No one else can really judge your capabilities other than you, so I say you should try it out.

Between English and History HL, I suggest you take English. I personally think History is dreadful and wish I hadn't taken it now (despite liking it to begin with...)

A bit of information:
- In History, HL you have to take paper 3, SL you only take papers 1 and 2. The content is actually the same. Paper 3 is one question from the material you already need to know for papers 1 and 2. So taking SL wouldn't be SIGNIFICANTLY easier (aside from the fact that your exam is a few hours shorter). Also, keep in mind that your internal assessment is worth more in SL than it is in HL (25% vs 20% I believe)

I don't actually know all that much about English SL/HL, sorry. My teachers all say English is the easiest HL out of the ones we offer, though.



Ah, yeap, I'm playing with the idea of taking 4 HLs now - it's just that I read all over this forum that taking 4 HLs is a mistake! Oh and yeah, that's the thing - I myself am not entirely sure of my Maths capabilities! I mean, I suppose I CAN do Maths but I'll probably have to struggle with it for the first few weeks :smile:


You dislike History HL now? The thing is, like you mentioned, History SL isn't significantly easier, (neither is English but there is a wider gap for English between the two levels, so I've heard) so IF I were to take English HL instead of History, I'm scared that I'd simply be making my life REALLY difficult - as in, because History SL isn't exactly a MUCH lighter workload, then I'd have Higher English and a hard SL to boot.. and oh dear, I don't know if that came out right, I hope it makes sense to you :p:..

But honestly, how come you started to find History HL dreadful? Was it because you hate the amount of work or..?
Reply 8
schnargle
I'm applying for Medicine this year with my final results. I started IB with HL Bio, Chem, English and Maths, and dropped Maths to SL after a year because I was struggling to get 4's at HL (and I got an A* in IGCSE Maths, A in Add Maths). It was really, really hard for me, and dropping to SL afterwards was sort of like sitting the IGCSE exam for the second time with a few extra topics.

Having said that, though, exam results (and sometimes even your teachers' recommendations) really aren't everything. If you don't think your IGCSE Maths grades reflect your expectations/potential, you're very good at Maths, and you really enjoy it, I'd try out Maths as a fourth HL along with Bio, Chem and English/History, and see how you cope. All but one person in my HL Maths class did that, and three of us dropped to SL at the end of the year with three other HLs to fall back on. The others dropped one of their other HLs instead because they could cope with the workload.

As to whether you need it, though, I don't think I've ever seen HL Maths specified for Medicine (I can't speak for the other two courses, but I imagine it would be the same). If they don't mention that they'd prefer HL Maths in the prospectus/website, you could probably assume that your third HL won't matter.

If you're applying to Oxbridge, though, some colleges do prefer three science/maths A-levels, which could equate to three science/maths HLs. Email and ask them to be sure. The other colleges should be fine though - I recently emailed the admissions office at Sidney Sussex in Cambridge to ask the same question and got this reply:

"The Pre Clinical Medical Requirements state that you need to have done three out of the three sciences + maths, but not all need to be to A-level (or Higher Level, although I know these are not synonymous). On the whole, most applicants would offer a third science/maths at Higher, but as it is not compulsory, we cannot disadvantage anyone for not having it!"

So basically, Bio and Chem HL are fine, but take Maths HL if you really like it and feel you can cope.



I didn't take (and didn't like) History so I can't really answer your question fairly, but I can tell you that English HL is brilliant if you love English Lit. It's much less straightforward than IGCSE because you do about 16 works, you write your own coursework questions, and the exam questions are bizarre but pretty fun to try to make sense of, so it's very self-directed. But I'm totally biased :p:

And woooww that was a long post.




YEEE oh mygosh thanks for this!! It was REALLY useful :smile: BTW, when you say that dropping Maths to SL was like taking the IGCSE exam but with extra topics - did you mean IGCSE Maths or IGCSE Additional Maths? :p:


Ah that's the thing. I mean, everyone says that results don't actually reflect my maths capabilities; and I am the only one that should know.. But I don't! I really don't know if I'll be capable of doing Maths but I think, yeah, I'm gonna follow all the advice here - all your suggestions are brilliant and I'm definitely gonna follow your classmates!

I'll take Maths HL plus English/History HL - and drop Maths to SL if I need to. Or if I cope well enough with Maths HL, then drop English/History back to SL :smile: yay! haha


Oh and I hope that your application for Medicine turns out successful! Not only because getting into Medicine is a really huge thing, but it would also be REALLY comforting to know that someone who didn't do Maths HL got into Medicine :p:


& I'm not too sure if I want to apply to oxbridge, but thanks for posting Sidney Sussex's reply! (that saves me emailing most colleges at oxbridge as I'm sure most of the other college's sentiments echo that of Sidney Sussex's) - I think, even though Maths HL isn't a prerequisite, I'd better try it out for at least a few weeks. Who knows, I might begin to like it.. Optimism rules :biggrin:

And yeah, English HL at IB sounds brilliant! I'm just.. oh so undecided! Because there are pros and cons to both subjects I suppose :p: But yeah, thanks sooo much for all your help!!



-Aimee-
I got a B in my Maths IGCSE, I went on to do Maths HL anyway and I will be starting the 3rd year of my Maths degree this September.

I can't say that the B hindered me in anyway. Don't be discouraged :smile: Since you want to apply to do the sciency subjects I reckon a Maths HL will look much better on an application form, but I can't imagine you being hugely disadvantaged without it when it is not formally a requirement. I think it is totally worth it, (I am a bit biased of course :p: ) especially if you have a change of heart and decide to apply for something else, then the Maths will open up many more possibilities.

I will also echo what has been said here: you have plenty of time to make a decision once you've started the course so it's not a major problem if you decide to switch later on. If you do take up another HL, I suggest English as well, simply because it probably requires the least effort to catch up with should you make the decision a tad late.

Best of luck



YAY omg this is good news :smile: I just don't know whether our IGCSE grades are a good factor in assessing our Maths capabilities - I myself am not sure of my own capabilities!


OH! AND YEAH! That's one good thing about Maths HL - since I'm such an undecided person (ie. I'm leaning more towards health & life sciences now but I could very well change my mind and decide to be a lawyer halfway through the IB), Maths HL opens all sorts of doors as universities ask for Maths HL for ALL kinds of courses!


Yup I do have plenty of time, thank goodness! I'm leaning just a tad bit more towards English HL now, as everyone here seems to find it easier / better than History but this is something that I'll have to think through properly :smile: THANKS!
tashaaaness
Ah, yeap, I'm playing with the idea of taking 4 HLs now - it's just that I read all over this forum that taking 4 HLs is a mistake! Oh and yeah, that's the thing - I myself am not entirely sure of my Maths capabilities! I mean, I suppose I CAN do Maths but I'll probably have to struggle with it for the first few weeks :smile:


You dislike History HL now? The thing is, like you mentioned, History SL isn't significantly easier, (neither is English but there is a wider gap for English between the two levels, so I've heard) so IF I were to take English HL instead of History, I'm scared that I'd simply be making my life REALLY difficult - as in, because History SL isn't exactly a MUCH lighter workload, then I'd have Higher English and a hard SL to boot.. and oh dear, I don't know if that came out right, I hope it makes sense to you :p:..

But honestly, how come you started to find History HL dreadful? Was it because you hate the amount of work or..?
I think taking 4 HLs is a mistake when it comes to the exam, because your exams will be much more difficult and stressful, and it appears as though universities don't give you the deserved recognition for handling 4 HLs.
At my school, in the first year of IB, the only class that actually has separate HL and SL classes is math. For everything else, including the sciences, in the first year, you take an HL/SL blend. So, effectively, everyone in my school takes about 5 HL courses in the first year. It's doable, don't worry about it. Taking 4 HLs won't kill you. Plus, look at it this way: you will be extra prepared for whatever course you decide to drop to SL!
But yes, definitely try out Math HL. You won't know until you try.

I've heard the gap in English is somewhat similar though.
For example, at my school, everyone in History HL and SL is in the same class (for both years), and does the same classwork. Same story with English. The only difference is the final exam. My school also really, really encourages taking English HL because of the fact that there are little differences and people generally seem to do well on it (I was a bit surprised seeing how many people on here see English A1 as massively difficult - definitely not how its portrayed at my school)
I'm not really sure how your school handles English and History. Maybe talk to your teachers, see which one has the biggest difference between SL and HL and go with that one.
I myself initially took History, English, Physics, and Chemistry all at HL (math at SL) but next year I am doing HL Math (I finished SL a year ahead so they are allowing me to now tackle HL 12), and dropping both History and Chemistry to SL.

I eventually found History dreadful because it's just so much to remember. All the research. All the essays. I seem to be pretty good at the analysis and classwork, but I'm very poor at the essay tests because I just can't be bothered to study because I don't even know where to begin studying! There's just so, so much information, and I don't know how I should study for it to actually be beneficial and not a huge waste of time.
However, if you enjoy History as a subject and wouldn't mind the research and everything, then you probably won't mind it so much. The thing is, I'm going into Physics, and I realized that History is just the biggest waste of time for me, especially when everyone in Geography gets better marks and boasts about how their tests are common sense. :p:
I agree with basically all that fakeplastictrees said haha. My school also lumps together the HLs and SLs, though that's mainly because my IB class is relatively small (in comparison to other schools, although my year in particular is large - about 22 Diploma students compared to as low as 10 in previous years, but compare THAT to the 75+ at a different school in my area...). My school basically expects you to take the English exam at HL even though there is the choice - there's just not that much of a difference until it comes to your World Lits and your actual exams.

From what I know of History is that the best students are the ones who can write killer essays and be able to BS the shady bits well enough. Basically, if you can remember causes and effects and that sort of thing and be able to analyze them my History teacher has told us it's alright if you leave out some of the details that you don't remember. Kind of a funny guy, really, but he's been a History examiner before so I sort of trust his judgement.

Like fakeplastictrees though, I have friends who are going into the sciences at uni and are doing Geo and they're LOVING it because of how straightforward they say it is. From what I gather it's not an option for you, but just so you know haha.

Er... I'm not entirely sure what point my post had. But I hope it helps LOL!
Yeah, rumour at my school was that English HL is actually mandatory if English is your first-language. I had to talk to my coordinator to get the truth, haha.
Reply 12
tashaaaness
YEEE oh mygosh thanks for this!! It was REALLY useful :smile: BTW, when you say that dropping Maths to SL was like taking the IGCSE exam but with extra topics - did you mean IGCSE Maths or IGCSE Additional Maths? :p:

Ah that's the thing. I mean, everyone says that results don't actually reflect my maths capabilities; and I am the only one that should know.. But I don't! I really don't know if I'll be capable of doing Maths but I think, yeah, I'm gonna follow all the advice here - all your suggestions are brilliant and I'm definitely gonna follow your classmates!

I'll take Maths HL plus English/History HL - and drop Maths to SL if I need to. Or if I cope well enough with Maths HL, then drop English/History back to SL :smile: yay! haha

Oh and I hope that your application for Medicine turns out successful! Not only because getting into Medicine is a really huge thing, but it would also be REALLY comforting to know that someone who didn't do Maths HL got into Medicine :p:

& I'm not too sure if I want to apply to oxbridge, but thanks for posting Sidney Sussex's reply! (that saves me emailing most colleges at oxbridge as I'm sure most of the other college's sentiments echo that of Sidney Sussex's) - I think, even though Maths HL isn't a prerequisite, I'd better try it out for at least a few weeks. Who knows, I might begin to like it.. Optimism rules :biggrin:

And yeah, English HL at IB sounds brilliant! I'm just.. oh so undecided! Because there are pros and cons to both subjects I suppose :p: But yeah, thanks sooo much for all your help!!


Oh good, I'm glad you actually did find my babbling helpful :p:

Maths SL is sort of like Add Maths all over again, which makes Add Maths a really good foundation for Maths HL - my school refused to let anyone take HL without having taken Add Maths or equivalent, which sounds unfair but actually turned out to be for the best, as there's so much to learn at HL that you really need as much prior knowledge as possible.

Starting out with 4 HLs really isn't the IMMINENT DOOM that it's made out to be; it can actually be your best option if you're not quite sure what you want to do at uni, or which subjects you want to take at HL, especially as some subjects, including Maths, have completely different syllabi at HL/SL. As all the SL content is included in the HL syllabus for Maths, the SL exam is so much easier after you've learned some or even all of the HL syllabus (I did this - we finished the core HL syllabus in a year, I sat the HL exam at the end of the year and did horribly, dropped down, and switched my brain off for SL). Not that Maths SL isn't difficult, because it can be, but after Maths HL it's like a holiday. Try it out and see how you go - you might even find that you're better suited to the HL content/structure than IGCSE! But like fakeplastictrees said, it's really not worth it to take 4 HL exams - much easier and less stressful to try them all out and then drop one down.

And thanks for the support :smile: I really do hope I get in, especially because I'm an international student and so my chances are basically nil. I'd love to go to Cambridge, but realistically I'm just holding out for anywhere that will take me, haha. Hope you're successful wherever you apply to as well!
Reply 13
I have chosen the following subjects for IB because I felt they best suited both my strengths and the degree I aspire to do at uni, however I have been told on frequent occasions that these subjects will generate an extraordinary workload, and that it will be far too much to cope with.

Maths HL
Physics HL
Russian B HL

English A SL
Economics SL
Latin SL

I do not doubt my abilities in these subjects, but will it really be too much to handle?
Reply 14
well only maths hl and phy hl will pose a bigger challenge to you, your combination is not the most difficult, at least you got 2 second langauges, just dont focus all your time on maths and phy and spread it pretty evenly for the 6 subjects and the core requirements.
Reply 15
Maths and Physics will be the most challenging. English is easy, don't think Economics SL will be too difficult and if you like languages you should have no trouble with Russian and Latin. Good luck!
Depends on your organisational skills, motivation, and talent in these areas. If you trust that you can do these classes, and you are prepared for the workload, who cares what others say? My HL's were English A1, History, and Visual Arts, and the workload was still intense. If you genuinely enjoy those three HLs you have picked, it won't be that hard. Trust me, some of my friends picked classes they didn't like but which they thought were easy passes - they were wrong; they had a boring, difficult time AND didn't get such good results. Do what you feel you are interested in.
dooodle1
I have chosen the following subjects for IB because I felt they best suited both my strengths and the degree I aspire to do at uni, however I have been told on frequent occasions that these subjects will generate an extraordinary workload, and that it will be far too much to cope with.

Maths HL
Physics HL
Russian B HL

English A SL
Economics SL
Latin SL

I do not doubt my abilities in these subjects, but will it really be too much to handle?

not really except math and physics...hope you're a math kind of person:smile:
Reply 18
Looks alright to me. English, Economics - easy. I don't know your knowledge of Maths and Physics, but if you're strong in them, should be no more than moderately difficult. Same for languages (nobody here can't really tell anyhting about Russian and Latin without knowing your level of mastery and other details).
Reply 19
Yeah... I picked SL latin and economics for easy, yet interesting standards, especially since I already have an AS in Latin. English hopefully won't be too troubling.

Russian is a bit of a worry, since I haven't been studying it long, but my teacher is fairly confident I can do well.

Maths and Physics are renowned for being tough, or so I've heard, but that is my area of strength for sure, and I was told by my teacher that I am capable of getting 7s, if I put effort in.

Thanks a lot for all the advice, the general consensus is if I put the effort in, I should be fine, and that was the response I was hoping for.

Thanks again.

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