too much biology?

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi everyone~</p>

<p>My daughter is entering into her JR year and has hit a snafu in science and I am hoping to get some advice.</p>

<p>My daughter took a HS bio class in 8th grade, earned an A and got HS credit. She transferred to a private HS and her 9th grade year they wanted her to take bio again under the assumption their bio class would be more rigorous. She also did quite well in that class. Last year she attended our local HS with the intent on entering the IB diploma program and took chemistry--earning an A and is set to TA in chem her JR year. </p>

<p>Here is where the possible problem comes in. She had planned on taking IB Chemistry SL (her passion but it is only offered at the SL level) then IB Physics her senior year, but it turns out there was a teacher switch and the instructor teaching IB Chem is very problematic. My daughter is considering taking IB BIO instead, which can be a 2 year program (but she could also do SL IB BIO for 1 year)and she would be able to take the IB HL bio test at the end of the two years.</p>

<p>TOO MUCH BIO?
If she took IB bio for 2 years, she will have 4 HS bio credits and 1 chemistry credit...that is a lot of bio!</p>

<p>She could take physics her SR year and have 3 BIO, 1 CHEM and 1 PHY credit....which may be the best option...or is it best for her to endure the problematic teacher to get the 2nd year Chemistry...thus having 2 BIO, 2 CHEM and 1 PHY credit?</p>

<p>Thanks for any thoughts!</p>

<p>IB = International Baccalaureate
SL= Standard Level test (basically 1 year)
HL= Higher Level test (2 year) .....many colleges will take HL credit and apply it to elective college credit</p>

2

<p>Don’t wish to muddy the waters further, but …</p>

<p>What is your D thinking about as her college major? If it’s not science, then I’d say three Bio’s is about two too many. On the other hand, if she’s aiming at a career in Medicine or Biological Science, then the extra Bio’s might be a plus.</p>

3

<p>She is still really undecided and while she loves chemistry…and science overall, she has a special gift in art…so she is having a hard time narrowing her interests. Architecture maybe? Science…Chem or Bio maybe…Art?</p>

4

<p>If undecided, and if interested in architecture, I imagine physics would be worthwhile. </p>

<p>I have no idea how colleges would view her transcript, which is an important element. But for what its worth, educationally speaking, here is a perspective. In the Canadian curriculum, all students would have a 1/3 of a year of bio, chem and physics from grades 8-10 (highschool starts in 8th grade), and if interested in bio or going into sciences or bio related majors, often two FULL years of biology, for grades in 11 and 12 (same with chem and physics)…no one considers it ‘too much’ of any one topic, but rather normal.</p>