IB Subject Selection: Which subjects should I choose?

If you’re just about to start the IB Diploma this year, this is probably the biggest question playing on your mind right now. And rightly so – your choice of subjects has an impact on your entire IB experience but also impacts your options at some universities.

So, what’s the trick to picking the right subjects?

• Pick what’s right for you – if you enjoy a subject, you will automatically put more effort into it and perform better

• Pick the Higher Level (HL) subjects first – the HL subjects are more demanding and should only be things you are good at and enjoy

• Don’t worry excessively about university requirements – you don’t have to study History to get a Law degree and top universities will not reject you just because you took Business & Management. Be sensible in your choices but don’t get swayed by common misconceptions.

• Consider the effect of your subject choices on your workload – some subject combinations are more challenging than others and unless you really want to study those subjects or need them for university (eg Maths HL to pursue a Maths degree), it would be advisable to pick easier choices. The IB will have plenty going on to keep you busy.

For further tips on the IB subject selection, Maths HL vs SL/Studies and university requirements, watch this space. We will be running a series of posts on this topic, including posts from ex-IB students who have now finished university and can offer guidance on how their IB subject choices affected university admissions and career choices.

Leave a Reply "IB Subject Selection"