Help with Year 10 Subject Selection! (1 Viewer)

[Miss-Indecisive]

Hey everyone, I'm currently in year 10 and nearing subject selection! I've decided on all my subjects but one. My choices are:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- 2 unit Maths (Mathematics)
- English Extension 1
- Society and Culture

1 more subject but I can't seem to decide! My options are down to Ancient History, Modern History and Community and Family Studies. Totally clueless and desperately need help!
1) Which one should I pick and why?
2) Which one will most likely clash, in terms of workload, with my other subjects?
3) Does anyone regret picking or wished they had picked one of the three?
4) Is it difficult to get Band 6 in CAFS or does it scale one's mark down?
5) Brief info about the course (level of difficulty), recommendations and advice on the above list of subjects are welcome and highly appreciated!

Thank you

 

[Demento1]

Hey everyone, I'm currently in year 10 and nearing subject selection! I've decided on all my subjects but one. My choices are:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- 2 unit Maths (Mathematics)
- English Extension 1
- Society and Culture

1 more subject but I can't seem to decide! My options are down to Ancient History, Modern History and Community and Family Studies. Totally clueless and desperately need help!
1) Which one should I pick and why?
2) Which one will most likely clash, in terms of workload, with my other subjects?
3) Does anyone regret picking or wished they had picked one of the three?
4) Is it difficult to get Band 6 in CAFS or does it scale one's mark down?
5) Brief info about the course (level of difficulty), recommendations and advice on the above list of subjects are welcome and highly appreciated!

Thank you

Based on what I am seeing through your subject selections, I would presume you are quite the humanity and essay based person. I would recommend doing modern history or ancient history for that matter. Choose whichever one you enjoy the most and believe will excel at. Really I would suggest the former for you. As all subjects, modern history is demanding and you should be smart enough to prioritise your work in advance. you may want to take a look at the syllabus through the link below if you have not already done so.

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/modern-history.html

 

[LoveHateSchool]

I advise against CAFS purely because it scales so badly. Even if you get a band 6, it will not be worth as much as another sub.

 

[Miss-Indecisive]

Really? Because the thing is, all my other subjects are purely hardcore theory based, and I thought CAFS would be an easier, more relaxing subject. Doing some research, I saw that many people who achieved 96+ ATARS picked CAFS! I had a girl at my school that got 48/50 in her HSC CAFS exam. Do you think that still would scale badly?

 

[enoilgam]

Really? Because the thing is, all my other subjects are purely hardcore theory based, and I thought CAFS would be an easier, more relaxing subject. Doing some research, I saw that many people who achieved 96+ ATARS picked CAFS! I had a girl at my school that got 48/50 in her HSC CAFS exam. Do you think that still would scale badly?

It depends on your aim really. If you only want say an ATAR of 75, then realistically any mark of 80 in CAFS should be fine. If you want a 95+ ATAR, you will need mid-high 90s in the subject. Just a curious question, what is your rationale behind picking your other subjects?

 

[Miss-Indecisive]

It depends on your aim really. If you only want say an ATAR of 75, then realistically any mark of 80 in CAFS should be fine. If you want a 95+ ATAR, you will need mid-high 90s in the subject. Just a curious question, what is your rationale behind picking your other subjects?

My aim would have to be late 90s, preferably 96+ ATAR. The reasons for picking chem and bio are because they are prelims for Medicine, which I really hope to study in Uni once I finish year 12. English Extension.. well, I love English. Love reading.Society and Culture is a humanities subject and I love my Humanities! I was interested in the course. 2 unit maths, well... I know I'm certainly not doing General or Extension. But I'm doing pretty well in my 5.3 course so I thought I'd give it a shot rather than just settle for General.

 

[enoilgam]

My aim would have to be late 90s, preferably 96+ ATAR. The reasons for picking chem and bio are because they are prelims for Medicine, which I really hope to study in Uni once I finish year 12. English Extension.. well, I love English. Love reading.Society and Culture is a humanities subject and I love my Humanities! I was interested in the course. 2 unit maths, well... I know I'm certainly not doing General or Extension. But I'm doing pretty well in my 5.3 course so I thought I'd give it a shot rather than just settle for General.

Sounds like you have thought this out pretty well. Due to your aim, I would probably eliminate CAFS, unless you feel sure you can get mid-high 90s in the subject. With modern and ancient it really comes down to personal preference. Some people are into ancient, whilst others are into modern - I'm a modern-er.

 

[Thief]

I'd say modern or ancient. In my opinion of the two there isnt really a 'better' subject, but its more of a personal preference thing. Do you prefer learning about ancient history, or modern history?

I'm taking Modern (yr11 now) and so far we've done the Cuban Revolution, Tiananmen Square, the American Civil War and now the World at the Beginning of the 20th century/WW1. They've all been pretty interesting topics, and I'm definitely glad I chose Modern =) Of course the topics will be different at your school, but I definitely enjoy learning about things that have happened in the past century or so since there's a lot more factual evidence while with ancient history some of the content isn't 100% since its deduced from archaelogical evidence etc. and yeah I enjoy having that certainty.

Good luck with subject choices!

 

[Miss-Indecisive]

Sounds like you have thought this out pretty well. Due to your aim, I would probably eliminate CAFS, unless you feel sure you can get mid-high 90s in the subject. With modern and ancient it really comes down to personal preference. Some people are into ancient, whilst others are into modern - I'm a modern-er.

Mmm...do you know of any other subjects I haven't mentioned that would top off that combo and potentially maximise one's ATAR? I have to say I was always more interested in Modern.. and looking at my school's electives and the board of studies syllabus, it sounded really engaging. But certain things put me off.. like 'it's a lot of work' or 'it's difficult to get a Band 6 in' or 'with that combo, it would take up a major chunk of your time' or 'it's a harder course than ancient'. Ancient just sounds dull and uninteresting.. but if my teachers (we have a brilliant selection of ancient history teachers in my school) can guarantee my scoring a Band 6.. then I am completely torn.
What are your thoughts on Society and Culture, by the way?

 

[enoilgam]

Mmm...do you know of any other subjects I haven't mentioned that would top off that combo and potentially maximise one's ATAR? I have to say I was always more interested in Modern.. and looking at my school's electives and the board of studies syllabus, it sounded really engaging. But certain things put me off.. like 'it's a lot of work' or 'it's difficult to get a Band 6 in' or 'with that combo, it would take up a major chunk of your time' or 'it's a harder course than ancient'. Ancient just sounds dull and uninteresting.. but if my teachers (we have a brilliant selection of ancient history teachers in my school) can guarantee my scoring a Band 6.. then I am completely torn.
What are your thoughts on Society and Culture, by the way?

The vast majority of HSC courses require effort. Sure, modern does require a fair bit of effort, but so do many other subjects (hell even general maths requires you to do work). If you find the course potentially engaging then you should do it, looking at your subject combination at the moment your workload isnt going to be insanely intense.

 

[Thief]

I don't think that Modern is too much work - as long as you have a passion for history and a good teacher it is a great subject. I always enjoy going to modern and it is probably my favourite class =)

Definitely don't choose ancient if you think it sounds dull!! You will regret it in yr11. It's not worth hating a subject for two years just to get a band 6. Also modern isn't difficult to get a band 6 in, obviously it will take effort and hard work but that is the same with all subjects.

 

[Miss-Indecisive]

I'd say modern or ancient. In my opinion of the two there isnt really a 'better' subject, but its more of a personal preference thing. Do you prefer learning about ancient history, or modern history?

I'm taking Modern (yr11 now) and so far we've done the Cuban Revolution, Tiananmen Square, the American Civil War and now the World at the Beginning of the 20th century/WW1. They've all been pretty interesting topics, and I'm definitely glad I chose Modern =) Of course the topics will be different at your school, but I definitely enjoy learning about things that have happened in the past century or so since there's a lot more factual evidence while with ancient history some of the content isn't 100% since its deduced from archaelogical evidence etc. and yeah I enjoy having that certainty.

Good luck with subject choices!

Well, I always had a thing for modern! But I have to also consider the workload, because really, my last subject is purely one that should not be too difficult or demanding, as to clash with the workload from chem, bio etc. Would Modern just be too much to handle, what with the demanding subjects I have already chosen, or would it be... fine? I think it may come down to which one can be easier to achieve a Band 6 in...
Thanks, I'll need all the luck I can get!

 

[Thief]

Well, I always had a thing for modern! But I have to also consider the workload, because really, my last subject is purely one that should not be too difficult or demanding, as to clash with the workload from chem, bio etc. Would Modern just be too much to handle, what with the demanding subjects I have already chosen, or would it be... fine? I think it may come down to which one can be easier to achieve a Band 6 in...
Thanks, I'll need all the luck I can get!

The workload isnt too bad! I take chemistry and physics, and modern is definitely a lot nicer and less stressful than the sciences.

 

[enoilgam]

Well, I always had a thing for modern! But I have to also consider the workload, because really, my last subject is purely one that should not be too difficult or demanding, as to clash with the workload from chem, bio etc. Would Modern just be too much to handle, what with the demanding subjects I have already chosen, or would it be... fine? I think it may come down to which one can be easier to achieve a Band 6 in...Thanks, I'll need all the luck I can get!

Judging from what you have said in this thread, I think modern is your best bet for a band 6. The workload wont be too intense.

 

[2323]

Definitely do Chemistry and Bio!
Modern History goes well with Extension English 1 and even Advanced, apparently a bigger workload than Ancient but also scaled higher. Although Ancient is amazingly interesting. I think Ancient and Modern are good for prelim because they are flexible with what you can learn about. CAFS is scaled lowly so I would eliminate that out of the choices, and I would say it is difficult to get a band 6, unless you get close to 100%.

 

[Miss-Indecisive]

Judging from what you have said in this thread, I think modern is your best bet for a band 6. The workload wont be too intense.

There is one major issue with Modern though, probably the only thing holding me back. My prelim year 11 teacher will be a bore! She teachers history so fast.. and everyone struggles to keep up with her. Honestly, I dislike her, and think this may affect my performance in Modern because she'll simply- how do i say this kindly?- bore me to death. However, my year 12 teacher is amazing. So... it's a difficult choice!!
Really? The workload isn't too intense? PRAISE THE LORD.

 

[JT145]

1) Which one should I pick and why?

I do both Ext English and Modern History (I'm currently in Year 11) and it would seem that any history (be it Ancient or Modern) would complement this. As for Modern vs Ancient it just depends what type of History you would like.


2) Which one will most likely clash, in terms of workload, with my other subjects?

However choosing two sciences, a history and extension subject may mean a medium-high workload. Depends how much you like the sciences (I don't, but judging by your selection you do).


3) Does anyone regret picking or wished they had picked one of the three?

Not really. I was never really into Ancient and CAFS sounds bludgy

4) Is it difficult to get Band 6 in CAFS or does it scale one's mark down?

I'm letting this question slide to the people that have finished the HSC.

5) Brief info about the course (level of difficulty), recommendations and advice on the above list of subjects are welcome and highly appreciated!

Since I don't know much about Ancient or CAFS I can do Modern. I find Modern fairly easy, but yet again I do enjoy it. A fair amount of research is required (as well as Ancient) in assessments, but due to your Ext English choice you will probably find this easier to do well at than some of your classmates.

 

[Amaranth_]

Hey everyone, I'm currently in year 10 and nearing subject selection! I've decided on all my subjects but one. My choices are:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- 2 unit Maths (Mathematics)
- English Extension 1
- Society and Culture

1 more subject but I can't seem to decide! My options are down to Ancient History, Modern History and Community and Family Studies. Totally clueless and desperately need help!
1) Which one should I pick and why?
2) Which one will most likely clash, in terms of workload, with my other subjects?
3) Does anyone regret picking or wished they had picked one of the three?
4) Is it difficult to get Band 6 in CAFS or does it scale one's mark down?
5) Brief info about the course (level of difficulty), recommendations and advice on the above list of subjects are welcome and highly appreciated!

Thank you

Ancient: is a bit boring, especially terms 1 and 2 where you have to learn archaeology, the first topic BUT it is so much more fun after that. also there a substantial amount of reading.. depending on what case study your school does..

Modern: Really fun all throughout, depending on what case study your school does

my case studies for modern were: JFK, Titanic and now the Holocaust
I do both ancient and modern:

Ancient: is a bit boring, especially terms 1 and 2 where you have to learn archaeology, the first topic BUT it is so much more fun after that. also there a substantial amount of reading.. depending on what case study your school does..

Modern: Really fun all throughout, depending on what case study your school does

my case studies for modern were: JFK, Titanic and now the Holocaust
Ancient: Archaeology, bog bodies, Tutankhamen, Pliny

Edit: Since you're doing EExt1, depending on which topic you do, this can also help a lot with Modern history; especially if you do Modernism

 

[swallow]

Although scaling is extremely important, choose the subject you enjoy in year ten, because you're probably going to enjoy it in the preliminary and HSC years.

You'll do well in a subject you love, as you'll have more motivation to study for it.
This is the best advice I can give you because I'm kind of stuck in a situation of my own... Choosing Chemistry when I dislike it so much now.

Chemistry
Physics
Extension 1 Mathematics
Mathematics
Economics
Advanced English

 

[imbecile]

if you have a good modern teacher; you can look over your notes the night before and still ace it. modern is my best subject; whilst it is the subject I spend the least amount of time on. (and my essay writing skills suck so it's not "natural" or anything)

so essentially; DO MODERN - it's a lot of content but it can be linked easily; just don't rote learn/memorise. try understand the thinking behind stuff

don't be daunted by what people say. it's definitely much less work than chemistry, 2u maths and even biology (which I see you're doing)