Subject Selection Advice: (1 Viewer)

[Resonance]

Hello all, subject selection season has come and once again, I am unsure as to what subjects I should drop.
Right now, I'm trying to decide between Chemistry and Extension English, both of which I am not particularly interested in.
Can those who have done these subjects for the HSC offer some insights into the nature of these subjects? Or should I just drop both and do 10 units for the HSC? :/
Thank you in advance!

 

[jaycoo50]

I repeat do not ever do any subject your not interested in because if you do, then you won't have interest in study for them. This will impact on your ATAR, meaning lower Atar.

If you are not sure: I asked my brother, he said chemistry HSC hard, if you do it, you would have to study and be motivated to study more, to do well in.

English extension is good for scaling, if you good at english, do advanced and maths ext 1 in your 11. In this subject, you would write essays and all the analyzing shit. You would need to be very motivated to do you assignment on time plus study for it.

Chemistry HSC, is advanced, just the topics differ abit than preliminary. I would keep chemistry since it is a higher scaling sceinces, would be good for you Atar. if you really good at english, keep englsih ext 1, also do english extension 2 in year 12. this way would be have three english subject in year 12. so it becomes easy for you to focus and study, instead having science and english subjects mixed.

 

[Candidate]

Maybe keep them both until you get some exam results back. I kept 13 units and dropped maths after the mid term exams. I probably wouldn't recommend dropping them both at once, as you may receive good results for one of them (both scale quite well). English Extension 1 is quite boring (depending on the elective your teacher chooses– some look very interesting), but the whole course can be completed quickly as it only requires a Creative and Critical response.

 

[JBee]

I do both chem and ext1 english and am on 10 units
Both subjects are challenging in their own right... depending on whether you're better at science/english-based courses. Ext english requires A LOT of independent work/investigation outside of the classroom and you really have to be passionate about the module your school does. Chemistry is content-heavy and requires competent maths skills for calculations etc.

Many people advised me against 10 units because "it's risky", but it was the best decision I could have made for year 12 because I am confident in all my subjects- but more importantly I actually enjoy them. So my only advice is do what you enjoy and are good at, and if you feel confident in your ability then 10 units won't be a problem

 

[Resonance]

Thank you for your input! I think I'll stick with 13 units and start dropping come HSC time.
The issue I have with English is that it's too subjective, causing severe fluctuations in results... Does anyone know anything about the After the Bomb module? Is it as depressing as modernism?

 

[deloving]

Do neither if you aren't interested in them.

 

[LoveHateSchool]

Thank you for your input! I think I'll stick with 13 units and start dropping come HSC time.
The issue I have with English is that it's too subjective, causing severe fluctuations in results... Does anyone know anything about the After the Bomb module? Is it as depressing as modernism?

As you are going into yr11, try both and you can always drop EE1 during yr 11, or many dropping versions come yr 12. (Never preempt till after yr 11 what subjects to drop for yr 12) I did both the subs you are considering in HSC.

I did ATB for my EE1 HSC. It's interesting but I'd say the texts could be viewed as depressing, even though I find Plath's poetry hauntingly beautiful. (Like Words and Lady Lazarus omg)

Oh don't do either if not interested, chem and ee1 are terrible subs to do with no interest.

 

[nifkeh]

chem is quite a lot of content if you have no interest in it. seriously, if you do it with no interest, you won't understand the concepts and then it will bite you back later in the year, especially in trials once you realise how 'screwed' you are because you haven't been paying attention throughout the year

Extension 1 english could be seen as more enjoyable than advanced english, but again you do need some attention to it throughout the year, otherwise your assessments will come and bite you because you don't understand the module or texts well enough to write an essay or creative about. this will really bite you in trials if you realise you have a 1500+ word essay in a lot of good detail and depth and a remarkable creative to compare for.

but yes, any subject is work. however if you are still unsure, I'd advise you to keep these units into year 12, sit in the subject classes and see whether you like it/how your exam marks are going. in my case I wanted to drop ancient in after year 11, however I only dropped 3 weeks before trials because I realised it wasn't worth it and I was uncertain the whole time. I was really lazy with the subject too, so by trials I realised it would be a waste of time and effort to keep on doing it. but see how chem/english extension 1 is for a term or 2 then drop if you are still uncertain about it

 

[rumbleroar]

Don't drop to 10! Keep some, just in case you screw up :/ I would keep Extension English, just as a back up English unit. Plus, I heard its pretty good in Year 12! I'm excited to study it for the HSC.

If you really don't like chemistry, drop it. Do you have any other reasons for dropping besides disinterest?

 

[Resonance]

Thank you everyone for your advice!
Well, it's not like I'm really disinterested in these subjects or anything... I mean, I do like Chemistry and all (despite it content-heavy and a little conceptually challenging)
I would definitely do it if it wasn't for our teacher. He clearly does not take teaching seriously and does not take time to explain the concepts, which makes the subject somewhat confusing and unenjoyable. Honestly, I don't think he's even qualified to teach Chemistry... It takes him quite a while to even do a simple moles question.