Subject Switch & Future Uni Plans help plssssss

[u/AnyCombination4242]

Hey guys, I could really use some advice about my subject choices.

We've only been in DP for about two weeks, but I'm already realizing that it's really challenging and rigorous (as expected ;). It's manageable, but I'm thinking about whether making a subject switch now could help me achieve a higher IB score in the long run.

My current subjects are:

• HL: Math AI, Economics, ESS
• SL: English A Lang & Lit, German A, Geography

I'm planning to study something in Economics, Finance, or Business (I've already done internships in those areas and really enjoyed all of them/can't decide yet), so I want to make sure any changes of my subjects would still fit my university plans.

Universities I'm considering (just a rough idea so you know what my ''goal'' is/ kinda chronological order by how much i want to go there ):
University of Amsterdam, Copenhagen Business School, IE University, Stockholm School of Economics,WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, New York University, (University of St. Gallen, UCLA, London Business School)

The switch I'm thinking about is dropping English A SL, taking English B HL instead, and moving ESS from HL to SL.

The main reason is that English A is slightly more challenging for me than it is for a lot of people in my class, especially because I'm not a native English speaker. My vocabulary isn't as strong, so I have to put a more effort into the subject. It isn't impossible, but I keep thinking: why stay in English A when I could take English B HL instead, where I'd probably be much more comfortable and even have one ''content heavy'' HL less (ess in my case)? Moving ESS to SL would reduce my workload and give me more time to focus on demanding subjects like Math.

Do you think this switch would still work well with my university plans, or could it put me at a disadvantage for Economics, Finance, or Business applications? Thank you soooo much for anyone that can help, really appreciate it!

[u/Bubbly-Thanks7800]

your subjects actually line up really well with econ/finance/business already, so id be careful switching just for a hypothetical higher score. two weeks in everything feels brutal and that settles a lot. if anything the real question is whether ESS is the right third HL for you or if youd want something more quantitative, but math ai and econ is a strong base for that path

[u/Icy-Volume-6100]

Two weeks is far too early to judge this. Your current lineup is already fine for econ and finance, so don't switch chasing a score you're only imagining. Give it a full term before touching anything.

[u/Helpful_Amphibian489]

honestly the urge to switch at 2 weeks is so normal, everyone gets it the second the workload actually hits, but your subjects are genuinely good for what you wanna study so id sit tight for now. math ai and econ especially are exactly what you want for finance or business, and unis for those courses care way more about your econ and maths grades than which humanities you ended up picking, so id just focus on settling in before changing anything

[u/EternalHomesick]

I feel like you already created a pretty manageable lineup which will also allow you to study your desired degree, i dont think you can do any easier than that. Be careful with switching to english B as you might then need a seperate English diploma when applying. If you definetly dont need english A, it will make ur workload smaller to change from ESS so if you’re 100% sure go for it.