General maths or no maths at all? (1 Viewer)

[mollytee]

What major .

You will be in for a rude shock if you do economics or finance .

I'll be honest and say I'm interested in finance and economics but if they're as maths heavy as I think they are then I'll avoid them. I'm also interested in accounting and marketing.

 

[Drongoski]

I tutored a Sydney U Commerce student, who had a Band 6 for 2U Maths, for his Statistics course. He wanted to do well so he could do Law after that. He found the Stats course a struggle (but managed to score a High D) and said even some 4U Maths students found it hard.

Without a decent Maths background (Maths General hardly counts) your options are greatly reduced.

 

[mollytee]

I tutored a Sydney U Commerce student, who had a Band 6 for 2U Maths, for his Statistics course. He wanted to do well so he could do Law after that. He found the Stats course a struggle (but managed to score a High D) and said even some 4U Maths students found it hard.

Without a decent Maths background (Maths General hardly counts) your options are greatly reduced.

So I've heard. In my position though, do you think it would be a mindless move to take up 2 unit or should I just ace the rest of my subjects and aim for law?

 

[sida1049]

I recommend at least trying 2 Unit Mathematics. Parts of it can be challenging, but it lays the foundations required for quite a few areas of Commerce. Calculus is one of the greatest tools provided by mathematics, and without that knowledge (and among other areas of basic mathematics), you will be significantly hindered compared with your university cohort.

I feel as if while you may be applying effort, you aren't apply it correctly. If you are enrolled into 5.3 maths, then chances are you are capable of managing it. Hit up some past papers, and/or see if you can book a few lunch times with your teacher. Maths is one of those subjects in school where you can master it simply by doing as much of it as possible (e.g. try aiming for minimum 3 hours each week).

I'm straight up suggesting 2 unit over general because well 1. I don't know the syllabus, and 2. it has calculus. General maths also scales horrendously; E.g. to hit your aim of an ATAR of 98, you pretty much have to be in the top 0.4% of the state and getting raw marks well over the 90s. Also, while 2 Unit does scale significantly better, it'll only drag you down less; you still have to hit the lower 90s in raw marks to hit your target (albeit that's the equivalent of top 8% of the state... but keep in mind that you would be competing against Extension 1 students).

University bridging courses are available, but the success rate is calamity. Unless if you are really willing to absolutely annihilate university maths bridging courses (which aren't that difficult, but you are given far less time to understand the content), don't bother. It's no substitute for two years worth of education.

So in summary, from my viewpoint, it would be 2 Unit, or no maths. Scaling-wise, do 2 Unit. Relevance-wise, do 2 Unit. However if you absolutely feel that you can't allocate the effort onto 2 Unit in the next two years (minimum 3 hours of work per week spent efficiently on maths) and that you won't be needing it (e.g. no finance, economics, actuarial, accounting, business analytics, information systems, marketing...), then no maths might be the better option. (I've just checked the B Commerce degrees of UNSW and USYD, and both has core units of quantitative analysis and statistics.)

Preliminaries mean very little (except as a means to enroll in certain HSC extension courses), so experimenting with 2 Unit maths, and your study habits/strategies in attaining efficiency in allocating effort might prove to be a resourceful way to spend your next year.

 

[mollytee]

I recommend at least trying 2 Unit Mathematics. Parts of it can be challenging, but it lays the foundations required for quite a few areas of Commerce. Calculus is one of the greatest tools provided by mathematics, and without that knowledge (and among other areas of basic mathematics), you will be significantly hindered compared with your university cohort.

I feel as if while you may be applying effort, you aren't apply it correctly. If you are enrolled into 5.3 maths, then chances are you are capable of managing it. Hit up some past papers, and/or see if you can book a few lunch times with your teacher. Maths is one of those subjects in school where you can master it simply by doing as much of it as possible (e.g. try aiming for minimum 3 hours each week).

I'm straight up suggesting 2 unit over general because well 1. I don't know the syllabus, and 2. it has calculus. General maths also scales horrendously; E.g. to hit your aim of an ATAR of 98, you pretty much have to be in the top 0.4% of the state and getting raw marks well over the 90s. Also, while 2 Unit does scale significantly better, it'll only drag you down less; you still have to hit the lower 90s in raw marks to hit your target (albeit that's the equivalent of top 8% of the state... but keep in mind that you would be competing against Extension 1 students).

University bridging courses are available, but the success rate is calamity. Unless if you are really willing to absolutely annihilate university maths bridging courses (which aren't that difficult, but you are given far less time to understand the content), don't bother. It's no substitute for two years worth of education.

So in summary, from my viewpoint, it would be 2 Unit, or no maths. Scaling-wise, do 2 Unit. Relevance-wise, do 2 Unit. However if you absolutely feel that you can't allocate the effort onto 2 Unit in the next two years (minimum 3 hours of work per week spent efficiently on maths) and that you won't be needing it (e.g. no finance, economics, actuarial, accounting, business analytics, information systems, marketing...), then no maths might be the better option. (I've just checked the B Commerce degrees of UNSW and USYD, and both has core units of quantitative analysis and statistics.)

Preliminaries mean very little (except as a means to enroll in certain HSC extension courses), so experimenting with 2 Unit maths, and your study habits/strategies in attaining efficiency in allocating effort might prove to be a resourceful way to spend your next year.

Thankyou so much. That helped heaps. I think I might talk to my teacher and go for it

 

[the_matrix]

My teacher says that most if not all math-related university degrees (engineering, built environment, science, commerce/business, IT, med) require a minimum of 2U maths. He's got a degree and 2 masters in case you're wondering. 2U isn't that difficult to understand, and it becomes quite interesting too! I do 3U and it's a love-hate relationship but when I put effort in, it pays off-ish

Scaling wise: Undergraduate Commerce/Business degrees nowadays require a decent ATAR so you're better off with 2U maths. However, do not base your subject selections solely on scaling.

 

[Drongoski]

Also talk to your parents and teachers. Seek their views and advice.

 

[mollytee]

Also talk to your parents and teachers. Seek their views and advice.

I spoke to my teacher today and she told me unless I put heaps more effort in I would most likely really struggle with Advanced and she recommends me do General. But then there's the dilemma where unless I really ace General it'll drag my atar goal down.

 

[mollytee]

My teacher says that most if not all math-related university degrees (engineering, built environment, science, commerce/business, IT, med) require a minimum of 2U maths. He's got a degree and 2 masters in case you're wondering. 2U isn't that difficult to understand, and it becomes quite interesting too! I do 3U and it's a love-hate relationship but when I put effort in, it pays off-ish

Scaling wise: Undergraduate Commerce/Business degrees nowadays require a decent ATAR so you're better off with 2U maths. However, do not base your subject selections solely on scaling.

I wish it was that easy! I really struggle with maths and motivating myself.

 

[sida1049]

Thankyou so much. That helped heaps. I think I might talk to my teacher and go for it

That's awesome!

I'd also like to add that to go from getting 30% in 5.3 to getting 70%+ in 2 Unit by the HSC is completely possible. The 2 Unit course actually goes through a significant portion of the 5.3 course anyway (e.g. logarithms, trigonometry, probability, the quadratic polynomial, similarity, consumer arithmetic, et cetera), so hopefully a second time will truly solidify your skills. I suggest doing some broad revision of the 5.3 course (except circle geometry and areas/volumes, since 2 Unit doesn't really touch on those topics) during your yearly holidays something (e.g. at least 3 hours a week working on 1-2 topics).

Mathematics is difficult, but genuinely rewarding. By the end of your HSC, if you stick to 2 Unit, given enough information, you can work out the maximum revenue a business can derive by setting their products at a certain price, the optimal production level of a business to minimise costs, the effectiveness of advertisement, the value of a person's superannuation overtime if they set aside a certain amount each week, et cetera. Those are all skills which relate to commerce and finance quite significantly, and are important to the functionality of businesses. By developing an appreciation for mathematics for its resourcefulness or its beauty (or both!) I think will help motivating you to do it. It'll be a while before you see how everything you've learnt comes together, but when that moment clicks (and it will, but with patience), you won't regret it.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[the_matrix]

I wish it was that easy! I really struggle with maths and motivating myself.

Me too! but just keep persevering! The majority of 2U is basically memorizing your content and applying them, with some significantly harder questions throughout the paper. There's quite a bit of formulae to remember in trigonometry and linear functions (previously coordinate geometry) but in Prelims, you won't be assessed on every single one because there's just too many! Have you considered investing in tutoring? I know many good ones in the Fairfield/Cabramatta, area PM for more info!

Can I just add, I used to be an average 75% student in 5.3 even though I was tutored but then something miraculous happened (aka brain development/further puberty lol) and I got 93% for my 2U mid year. So don't be too pessimistic because weird sh!t happens!

 

[skysailing123]

Hey, so I'm currently in 5.3 maths and failing (20-30% in my exams) while putting in effort. I'll admit probably not enough effort since I struggle motivating myself to do my homework some of the time, but I try. Maths just intimidates me and I honestly don't like it at all. Initially, my plan was not to choose maths in year 11 but my interest in a commerce degree changed my mind. I know I'll struggle a whole lot if I choose 2 unit so it's out of the question but then there's general. If I put in the effort I'm sure I can get in the 90's but I really don't have an interest in maths and I'm scared that I'll just slack off. The second major thing is scaling. I'm aiming for a 98+ atar and I'm worried that the scaling will just ruin my score drastically. Should I do general maths or should I just stick with my strengths and do no maths at all? Please give me advice. I really can't decide. Thankyou.

THISSSSS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS

i have the EXACT same problem
- i want to get into psychology, i feel as though dropping maths may prevent me from doing that course.

 

[bachelorofbored]

I didn't do mathematics at all during year 11 and 12.
Was getting like 70% in 5.2
I decided to do Ancient History on the same line as Mathematics and It's a challenging subject, but I'm definantly getting better marks in this than I would of in Mathematics.
I was lucky, my parents have always backed me and for that I'm grateful.

 

[davidgoes4wce]

I was a more quantitative person in high school and university. If I had my time again, I'd rather be better at the linguistics and languages. In higher professional jobs, if you have better linguistic skills , you will have better opportunities in higher professional roles. Maths is important but not as powerful as the world and business language, which is English.

 

[Drongoski]

I didn't do mathematics at all during year 11 and 12.
Was getting like 70% in 5.2
I decided to do Ancient History on the same line as Mathematics and It's a challenging subject, but I'm definan{i}tly getting better marks in this than I would of(have) in Mathematics.
I was lucky, my parents have always backed me and for that I'm grateful.

Just nitpicking.

 

[BandSixFix]

Drop maths yo~

 

[tofusenpai]

Omg OP sammmeeee. I feel this like on another lvl and I'm getting around the same mark in 5.3. Really considering dropping or just sticking with general I'm more arts and humanities anyway

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[gandalfbrah]

Listen up. I was enrolled in 5.3 scoring 30-40s, my first exam
I scored 24% lmao. Nearing the end of the year i enrolled in a tutoring centre and began to work my ass off. I was originally going to do general and decided to pick 3u for prelim. I am now in my HSC year doing 4u with an absolute love for it. Funny how i used to hate the living shit out of it. Pick maths and try hard for it, you wont regret it.


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[Drongoski]

Listen up. I was enrolled in 5.3 scoring 30-40s, my first exam
I scored 24% lmao. Nearing the end of the year i enrolled in a tutoring centre and began to work my ass off. I was originally going to do general and decided to pick 3u for prelim. I am now in my HSC year doing 4u with an absolute love for it. Funny how i used to hate the living shit out of it. Pick maths and try hard for it, you wont regret it.


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Yours is an amazing story. Good on ya. But that's probably because you had what it takes. Some people just find Maths too hard.

 

[gandalfbrah]

Yours is an amazing story. Good on ya. But That's probably you had what it takes. Some people just find Maths too hard.

Thanks mate


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