How disadvantaged would I be due to the subjects I chose? (1 Viewer)

[kendallkreene]

My friend from a selective school said that students at selective schools choose subjects like math, science, physics, chemistry etc, because it's easier to get high marks, as all you need are formulas. He said it's also a lot quicker than humanities, where a lot of reading and note-taking is required.

I'm terrible with numbers, but I love words, which is why I dropped math and chose the subjects I chose.

So my question, is am I at a disadvantage to people who choose "left-brain" subjects because it will take me a lot longer to get through the syllabus and study due to the immense reading and content?

 

[kimsayslegit]

Nope!

In my opinion, you're at no disadvantage in comparison to the other students who choose "left-brain" subjects. Every subject comes with its own challenges. It is true that students at selective schools tend to choose subjects like Mathematics and the Sciences, but as long as you're choosing subjects you enjoy learning and studying for, you're at no disadvantage. If you plan your studying out efficiently and revise consistently throughout the year, the immense reading and content won't even be that big of a challenge! I did primarily humanities subjects in a school where everyone did mainly science subjects. I was aware of the whole "some subjects scale you down and some scale you up" but what was important to me was that I studied subjects I enjoyed and liked. Everyone likes different things! While I steered towards the Humanities, my best friend loved Science subjects! She wouldn't have survived a day doing Legal Studies, and I wouldn't have survived a day doing Physics. When you choose subjects you like, you're more motivated to study for them because you take an interest in them!

You say you love words but are terrible with numbers. Imagine if you followed what the other people said and chose to do Mathematics instead of Modern History and Ancient History. You wouldn't really enjoy them, right? And assuming that, you wouldn't have the motivation to study for them.

Good luck with the HSC, and I wish you the best!

 

[doggossigh]

Nope! You definitely aren't disadvantaged. It really depends on what you are good at- if I took 4U math (which my selective school would be very good at) I would definitely flop even though everyone else is great. Just do what you're good at, which is content/humanities, and you enjoy it then you will be fine.

 

[Papercutter]

Definitely not. I went to a selective school and have had friends who chose mostly social science subjects (economics/modern history/business/legal etc.), they scored pretty well in the overall HSC. I am more of a maths/science person, however I chose those courses not because they "scale well" or place me in an advantage, but because I enjoy learning the content and concepts they offer.

Also with regards to workload and difficulty, it's true humanities subjects have a lot more reading/writing/memorisation, but science courses can also be demanding in terms of the amount of stuff you need to understand/memorise. Higher level maths (i.e. 3U/4U) also require lots of time put into revision and practising questions.

As the posts above me have said, choose what you are interested in and would enjoy, you'll be fine

 

[gallen88]

My friend from a selective school said that students at selective schools choose subjects like math, science, physics, chemistry etc, because it's easier to get high marks, as all you need are formulas. He said it's also a lot quicker than humanities, where a lot of reading and note-taking is required.

I'm terrible with numbers, but I love words, which is why I dropped math and chose the subjects I chose.

So my question, is am I at a disadvantage to people who choose "left-brain" subjects because it will take me a lot longer to get through the syllabus and study due to the immense reading and content?

Hello fellow 2018 HSCer,

There is a reason why teachers tell you to pick subjects you enjoy. It's because you will be motivated to do better in them, which will result in better marks. The only way you are disadvantaged is if you leave note making to the very, very, very last minute (I mean the day before the exam/assessment) and if you do no study at all throughout the year (again leave it until the night before the exam/assessment). REGARDLESS OF ANY SUBJECT YOU CHOOSE.

At my school the school dux for the past 5 years (including 2017) has been someone who has done no sciences, no maths, Extension History, English Advanced/Extension, SOR I/II (religion is compulsory at my school), Ancient History, Visual Arts and Modern History. (Music isn't very popular at my school). The reason why they did so well is because they have put the effort into their subjects. There are people on this forum who are amazing at Maths, Physics, Chemistry, etc because they put in the hard yards to attain strong marks. This is the same with students on this forum who have dropped Science and Maths completely. Remember the HSC isn't based on what subjects you choose, it comes down to hardwork.

You seem like a competitive student (in a good way) who is determined to do very well (based on your ATAR aim). If you're really stressed about being disadvantaged, make sure you use your study periods effectively to make notes, work on your major works, and study. It will save you heaps of time for future assessments and the actual HSC exam. Do practice exams, send an essay to your teacher and ask them to mark it (suggest you give it to a hard marker because they will provide the most feedback which will be highly beneficial for your future assessments). If you did well in the first round of assessments good on you, if you didn't do as well as you liked but did average - work hard throughout the year because the HSC is anyone's game.

 

[kendallkreene]

Hello fellow 2018 HSCer,

There is a reason why teachers tell you to pick subjects you enjoy. It's because you will be motivated to do better in them, which will result in better marks. The only way you are disadvantaged is if you leave note making to the very, very, very last minute (I mean the day before the exam/assessment) and if you do no study at all throughout the year (again leave it until the night before the exam/assessment). REGARDLESS OF ANY SUBJECT YOU CHOOSE.

At my school the school dux for the past 5 years (including 2017) has been someone who has done no sciences, no maths, Extension History, English Advanced/Extension, SOR I/II (religion is compulsory at my school), Ancient History, Visual Arts and Modern History. (Music isn't very popular at my school). The reason why they did so well is because they have put the effort into their subjects. There are people on this forum who are amazing at Maths, Physics, Chemistry, etc because they put in the hard yards to attain strong marks. This is the same with students on this forum who have dropped Science and Maths completely. Remember the HSC isn't based on what subjects you choose, it comes down to hardwork.

You seem like a competitive student (in a good way) who is determined to do very well (based on your ATAR aim). If you're really stressed about being disadvantaged, make sure you use your study periods effectively to make notes, work on your major works, and study. It will save you heaps of time for future assessments and the actual HSC exam. Do practice exams, send an essay to your teacher and ask them to mark it (suggest you give it to a hard marker because they will provide the most feedback which will be highly beneficial for your future assessments). If you did well in the first round of assessments good on you, if you didn't do as well as you liked but did average - work hard throughout the year because the HSC is anyone's game.

Thank you! Your post was really motivating.

 

[kendallkreene]

Also with regards to workload and difficulty, it's true humanities subjects have a lot more reading/writing/memorisation, but science courses can also be demanding in terms of the amount of stuff you need to understand/memorise. Higher level maths (i.e. 3U/4U) also require lots of time put into revision and practising questions.

Of course. I didn't try as hard in science/math subjects from Year 9 onwards haha, so my general impression of those subjects was just applying formulas.

 

[Mckensie]

Nah you did fine. Although, it will tougher to get 98.5 worthy markes in extension 2 and your histories its by no means impossible. Getting -48 plus in extension 2 is hard. luckily if you are not able to you can discount it.