By Maliwane Miller, Y12
I started the IB in September and trust me, despite my preparation I was not prepared for Y12!
The gap between levels in Y11 and Y12 is huge, so you should choose the subjects you are going to take very carefully, because it will have an impact on your happiness & mental health! So, here are a few tips that I think are good to keep in mind when choosing your subjects at the end of Y11:
- Be careful with math levels
You all know that standard level (SL) subjects have 4 hours and higher levels (HL) have 6 hours. The thing with math is that you may think that since you have 4 hours in SL Math, it is not going to be much work, but the problem is that you have actually a lot of work, which is not always easy, with fewer hours than HL. If you are thinking of taking HL Math think carefully too!! I’ve seen a lot of people very determined to go to HL and after a few months drop down because of the difficulty level of the subject; so if you want to take HL Math think about: Do I need it for the subject I want to study at university? Am I really good at Math (honestly)? Don’t take it if you believe it will be a challenge, because your other HL subjects will also need time, and you may spend that extra amount of time on Math and lose on the others.
2. Don’t fall in the Biology trap!
A lot of people take bio as their science as default, because they have to take at least one science. Trust me, IT IS NOT what you want to do, especially as HL! Biology demands a huge amount of time and is very difficult, even for those who like/love it. HL Biology has a very packed syllabus, and the pace at which you will cover units will be very fast! Most teachers say that they will finish the syllabus a few days before we leave for the IB Exam… So, if you are not a science person, think carefully of which science to take and at which level. Remember you have four choices (use it to your advantage!): Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Sports Science.
3. LangLit vs. Lit
When choosing your Language A, you will have to choose between language & literature and literature. I personally take both my languages as LangLit but generally people take literature for one language and LangLit for the other. What I think is interesting in LangLit is that you will study “modern” things, such as speeches, advertisement, social media, etc… which is always interesting as we study things that are actually happening now. I don’t know much about literature, as I don’t take it, but from what I hear: you will analyze A LOT of texts and poems, you will read many, many books and write thorough analysis.
4. Don’t think that the Arts are less work
If you love, for example visual arts, being able to create with a lot of freedom what you want is amazing. but DO NOT think that the arts (music, visual art, drama) are less work than other IB subjects and are easier because you don’t have an exam at the end (only music does). They demand a lot of time and work, but if you enjoy it, it doesn’t even feel like work, which is great! For example, in Visual art we have to be able to create 8-11 artworks with a complete portfolio for each one, do a thorough comparative study for 3 artworks and finally have an exhibition in Y13, this may sound easy, but it demands conviction, time & work! But if you love arts or want to have an artistic career in one of the three subjects, you should definitely take one, you will enjoy this time in your IB!
5. Trust Mr. Halden
One of the person you will “see” a lot in your IB will be Mr Halden. You may think now that he’s bugging you by repeating all about the IB, the subjects, the extended essay, or that he is “not nice” because he doesn’t want you to take a specific subject or level; but trust me when I say you can trust him! He has a lot of experience and gives very good advice about the IB in general, and especially when it comes to choosing subjects. The decisions may seem harsh now, but you will realize in Y12 that he is actually helping you and tries to make the IB somewhat enjoyable and the best for you. You will see that Mr. Halden is there to HELP you succeed in your IB.
6. Balance your subjects
You all know that you have to take: two languages (one at A level), one humanity, one science, math, one you can choose (another science, art, another humanity, etc…) Ask yourselves: Do I want to challenge myself with one subject? What do I want to do in university (if you know already know), what specific subject do I need? Do I have subjects I particularly like or dislike? Do I need four highers? Mr. Halden will probably advise you not to take four HL, because of the amount of work a HL demands and for timetable purposes, so check if you really do need four HL (for a particular university for example). Try to balance what you choose between what you like and what you need; and what you are good at!! (IB Points count!)
7. Don’t pick subjects because of teachers
I would advise you not to choose subjects because of a teacher. If you dislike your teacher this year and decide to drop the subject because of it, think about the impact it will have on future choices (uni/career), also if you like the subject but drop it because you don’t like the teacher would be a shame. You can’t choose your teacher! Take a subject because you like or even love it, or because you’re good at it, not because of a teacher. Teachers will change after the IB, so don’t lose the opportunity to take a class because of one person…
8. Pick the language you’re best at
You can choose between English and French for subjects (besides languages). Pick the one you can express yourself the best in, because you don’t want to spend all of your time trying to understand what the teachers are saying instead of the ideas, concepts, … that he/she is trying to teach you. Since note taking (in class) and listening (in class) is the most important when learning, pick the language you’re best at.
Also, after you’ve chosen your subjects, if I were you, I would keep these in mind:
- DO NOT memorize
Memorization (learning like parrots) will not work in the IB, trust me I’ve tried… You could get away with it in Y11 but Y12 is different. You don’t really have questions like: “What is …” which you can respond by simple memorization. You have questions which you did not directly study in class but which you can answer only by applying what you’ve learnt and understood, which is not always easy.
2. Do not do things last minute -> ORGANISATION
Y12 & Y13 are very BUSY years, you will feel like you don’t have time to do anything, as much school as personal life, friends, eating and sleeping…. So, don’t postpone work you can do immediately, you’ll have so many deadlines in the meantime. Use your time wisely, organize your work!!! For examples, you can make personal deadlines before the official deadline, prioritize in order of importance and time needed, make a study plan, revise while doing the unit and not just before the test, etc… Three words you will hear a lot: Organization & Time Management.
3. Take TOK, CAS, & the Extended Essay (EE) seriously
These may sound irrelevant and useless, but they are actually really important for the IB since if you fail one, you fail the whole IB! Also, CAS gives you the opportunity to build up your résumé and do activities you like & the EE gives you the opportunity to research about things you’ve always wanted to know more about!
Don’t forget to sleep, you will not understand anything without sleep! You may think it’s irrelevant but work, work, work doesn’t help you…
Finally, despite the terrifying idea of the IB, don’t stress out, we all do it! You may want to scream, cry, or have a nervous breakdown but you’ll survive 😉
GOOD LUCK!
