🎯 Golden Rule: Identify target university & major → Check specific subject requirements → Choose based on your interests and strengths. Many students realize too late they chose wrong — our goal is to prevent this from the start.
By Major: Recommended Combinations
🩺 Medicine/Biomedical
| Curriculum | HL/Major | SL/Minor |
|---|
| IB | Biology HL + Chemistry HL + Math AA HL | English B + Chinese A + Econ/Psych |
| A-Level | Biology + Chemistry + Math | — |
| AP | AP Biology + AP Chemistry + AP Calculus BC | AP Statistics + AP Physics |
💻 Computer Science/Engineering
| Curriculum | HL/Major | SL/Minor |
|---|
| IB | Math AA HL + Physics HL + CS HL | English B + Chinese A + Econ |
| A-Level | Math + Further Math + Physics | — |
| AP | AP Calculus BC + AP Physics C + AP CS A | AP Statistics |
UK G5 Subject Requirements
| University | IB Typical | Notes |
|---|
| Oxford | 38-40, HL 6-7-6 | Subject-specific HL requirements |
| Cambridge | 40-42, HL 7-7-6 | HL subject choice is critical |
| Imperial | 38-42 | STEM: Math HL + relevant Science HL required |
| LSE | 37-38, HL 6-6-6 | Economics: Math HL 7 required |
| UCL | 34-39 | Medicine: Biology + Chemistry HL ≥6 |
🔑 Common Mistakes
- Mistake 1: Looking only at total points, not HL subjects — Imperial Engineering requires Physics HL + Math HL ≥6
- Mistake 2: Taking 4 HLs — 3 is enough; 4 won't significantly boost applications but will drain energy
- Mistake 3: Ignoring SL subjects — they affect your total and some universities look at overall subject balance