Pablo's Ten Questions to Ask Yourself In Your DP Course Decision 

Pablo's Ten Questions to Ask Yourself in your DP Course Decision

By Pablo Arranz-Garcia

At the end of MYP5 every student is given the opportunity here in EIM to start the all

mighty IB diploma program also called DP for short. With the DP you are able to

choose certain classes in High Level (HL) or in Standard Level (SL). There are 6

classes in total, 3 of them must be in SL and the remaining 3 in HL. A lot of students

at the beginning aren’t certain of what level classes they want to choose for the DP

and many students in DP1 are still unsure of the level they should be taking. But

don’t worry younglings, the mighty DP2 students are here to help!. I leave you some

questions that you should ask yourself before choosing the classes in order to find

the DP relevant as well as relatively “easy-going”.

1. What do you excel in? - Although this is an obvious question it is also of high

importance. The grade that you get at the end of DP will be very important

towards your future so choosing a higher level in a subject that you are

proficient in will ensure precious points.

2. What do you like? - Another obvious question but students are normally

more focused on choosing subjects that appear to be easier. Your main focus

should be on subjects that you love as you normally are willing to spend more

time doing something that you like rather than something you don’t.

3. What contents does the subject contain? - An HL version of a subject isn’t

just more challenging but it is also longer. For example the sciences have

around 4 more units in HLs than in SLs. If you feel like you need more time to

learn a certain topic then it would be better to maybe choose it as an SL as

you will have more time to learn the different topics.

4. What do you want to be when you grow up? - Some people will say that it

is too early to start thinking about such things but from my personal

experience the sooner you think of an area you want to study in the better.

Many universities require certain requirements on HL subjects and different

mandatory subjects. So I urge you to think about it carefully as it is something

that sneaks up on you.

5. What subjects are complementary? - There are certain subjects that you

should consider as one. This means that if you are thinking about taking

physics HL you should probably also take maths HL as they are

complimentary. In many universities that you try to apply to for physics you will

also need maths HL.

6. What type of learner are you? - Some subjects require more content and

learning concepts by heart while others require an open-mind, others are

more logic-based and fixed. Normally people are better at doing one thing

rather than another so depending on the type of learner you are you will find

some subjects easier than others.

7. Is there an easy subject? - The short answer is no. Some classes require

more learning than others, other classes require writing more texts than

others. If someone says that a certain subject is easier it probably just

appears this way on the surface so don’t let other people who aren’t

experienced choose your classes for you.

8. Have you had an external party have an opinion? - The external party I’m

referring to are your teachers. You may not think so but believe me when I tell

you that they really want you to succeed. Talking to teachers about your

choices or your opinion on something will always help you because they tend

to be the most knowledgeable in the school. While doing your DP you will

realise just how helpful they are!

9. Have you done the necessary amount of research? - Searching up

recommendations on the internet is not “Taboo”. There is so much information

on there that can help you every step of the way. Just remember that you

should always take in this information with “a pinch of salt” as, at the end of

the day, the person that is going to have to follow through with the decision is

you.

10.Are you being influenced too much by your peers/parents? - Just

because your best friend chooses a subject doesn’t mean that you should

also take it. Everybody is their own person and as said before we all have

different strengths and weaknesses so don’t choose something just because

others choose it. Believe me when I tell you that you will still see each other

all the time.

In conclusion, for choosing your future classes in their respective levels you should

talk to different teachers and do some research of your own because in the end, the

last word is always yours.