Advice about Extra Subjects? O Level v. IGCSE?

[sapphoe]

Hi there! I'm in a bit of a tough spot, so I figured I'd ask for some advice here. I'm a Pakistani student about to start 11th grade. I had opted for Biology, Chemistry and Physics as my electives and I have English Literature, English Language and Math as compulsory subjects next year. Last year, alongside my Pakistan Studies, Islamiyat and Urdu exams I also self studied Sociology and History (Modern World Affairs) within three months and gave the exams privately. If I get a good grade this year, I also plan on opting for another private subject. I simply cannot choose which!

I was thinking about Economics or Geography but I'm not sure which would make me stand out more, and which would be more interesting as a subject, you know? Plus, French seems super interesting and I would love to take that up but can you even complete such a course within a year?

Beyond that, I was wondering if it would be weird to take both O Level and IGCSE exams together because I would really wanna take IGCSE Geography or Religious studies! Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[linkinpark]

Hi there! I'm in a bit of a tough spot, so I figured I'd ask for some advice here. I'm a Pakistani student about to start 11th grade. I had opted for Biology, Chemistry and Physics as my electives and I have English Literature, English Language and Math as compulsory subjects next year. Last year, alongside my Pakistan Studies, Islamiyat and Urdu exams I also self studied Sociology and History (Modern World Affairs) within three months and gave the exams privately. If I get a good grade this year, I also plan on opting for another private subject. I simply cannot choose which!

I was thinking about Economics or Geography but I'm not sure which would make me stand out more, and which would be more interesting as a subject, you know? Plus, French seems super interesting and I would love to take that up but can you even complete such a course within a year?

Beyond that, I was wondering if it would be weird to take both O Level and IGCSE exams together because I would really wanna take IGCSE Geography or Religious studies! Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello sapphoe. Well by my counting, you've already given 11 subjects! Why do you want to take one more? I'm asking because if you're planning on staying in Pakistan, outside the compulsory 8, the other grades won't be of any advantage, literally. Except maybe as an achievement.
As for applying abroad, I think 11 is still enough given that you get really good grades in them. If your final result looks like this: 3A*, 3A, 4B, 1C or something, this would be classified as a mediocre result.
I would suggest that you stick to 11 subjects and make sure you get an excellent result in them like all A*s and As rather than increasing the subject count. This alone would make you stand out more. Also keep this in mind that top universities don't want just want to see grades, they want to see extra-curriculars, internships, volunteer work and personality. So if you're spending a lot of time studying, you should spend some time participating in events, debates, sports etc, to make sure that you standout in long run!