Constructing a programme

The goal of DP course package selection is to promote the highest level of motivation and learning for the student, while channeling all the years of formal schooling behind him or her into the best points and performance portfolio possible for presentation to universities.

Based on this goal, students would do well to carefully consider these questions in turn:

What are my plans for the future?

This is a difficult but necessary question to answer.  The IB Diploma Programme is a means to an end, and students can harness its power best by directing it towards their goals for university and life.

Which Diploma is right for me?

Will pursuing the IB Diploma or VIS Diploma give the student the best chance of moving towards university and life goals?  Students should start answering this question by researching their university options and requirements for these.

Will the student require the Austrian Matura equivalence?  This can be achieved through a very specific course of study.

Students should also consider past performance and English level.  Students who have not seen success in the MYP or are still acquiring English may very well put together a more favourable university portfolio through the VIS Diploma with IB Courses.

Finally, is the student pursuing substantial commitments outside of academic work?  The IB Diploma is a very difficult test of time management and external commitments can detract from academic progress.

Which HL courses are right for me?

Students should make decisions on HL courses first, as these courses will represent the most time of study and require the greatest amount of dedication.

HL course selection should be informed by the following factors:

• Past performance in the subject.  This may be indicated by past results as well as VIS Approvals.  

• Interest in the subject.  This can be determined only by the student.

• University requirements.  HL course selection should be underpinned by realistic university entry research to determine if certain universities or courses have HL requirements.

In sum, students are advised to be very realistic in selecting HL courses.  HL combinations should not be based on "best-case scenarios" but should be set in such a way that the student's academic results will not be substantially damaged by less-than-expected performance in HL courses.

Please note that some course combinations may not be possible because of enrolment or timetabling restrictions.

Which SL courses are right for me?

SL course selection should round out the programme requirements (one subject taken from each group) and support the selections at HL.  While SL courses do not require the same time and study commitments of HL classes, they still represent more than one third of a student's study programme, and so should be selected based on the same past performance indicators and motivation as HL courses.

Universities tend to have fewer SL course requirements for entry, though some courses are specified.  For instance, students wishing to apply to state universities in Germany must have at least Mathematics SL.

SL courses can be important in supporting a student's HL courses.  If one HL courses proves to be too challenging, students may elect to move it to SL and move and SL course to HL in its place.  This can only be done well through careful selection of SL courses.

Course Package

Having considered these questions, we invite our Grade 10 students to reflect using the diagram below, and make several options before selecting the best, most realistic and powerful package to submit on the Course Selection Form.