SENIOR SUBJECTS !!!! (1 Viewer)

[BOS101]

Hey I recently submitted my subjects for year 11 and 12. I felt good about it at first, but now I'm doubting them... My subjects are:

- English advanced
- Studies of religion 2
- Math standard 2
- Legal studies
- Community and family studies
- Business services (VET)

I am 100% sure about doing english advanced and sor2, but unsure with everything else.

With math standard 2, I'm not good at math (I got a D in year 10), which makes me believe picking math was the wrong decision.

With legal studies, although I do enjoy learning about law, everyone is saying it's really boring + really hard. I'm not the type of student to go out of their way to find their own research, which would be the cases in legal studies. This is why I'm considering swapping it out for modern history. (which I've heard is also boring and hard lol)

With CAFS, I'm just concerned about its scaling. Although, I've seen the content and it looks easy, plus I'm kinda interested in that type of thing.

With business services, I'm still undecided because it's a VET course. I'm concerned because it's a category B subject, which is known to be "dumb," and can really drag your atar down. Because of this, I'm considering swapping it for business studies, which I was anticipating to do. Although business studies is the better choice, I'm still uncertain about swapping because I could potentially receive a certificate III in business services.

Above everything, my main predicament is the scaling of my subjects. 4/6 of them are bad scaling, which is not good because I'm aiming for an atar around 80. I know it's possible to get 80 with any combination of subjects, but that would mean I would need band 5's and 6's for all of my subjects, which would be extremely hard since I'm not that much of a hard worker and I procrastinate.

Sorry for making this too long, but any feedback on anything would be appreciated, thank you

 

[DarkOperator618]

@jimmysmith560 take the wheel

 

[BOS101]

@jimmysmith560 take the wheel

AHAHA omg I'm new to BOS, but I've seen you and him sooo many times lmfao

 

[jimmysmith560]

Hello, being sure about the fact that you want to take English Advanced and Studies of Religion II is a good start.

An important thing to consider is what level of maths were you studying in year 10 (5.1, 5.2, 5.3)? This is important because if you were getting a D in 5.3, there is a chance that your experience with Mathematics Standard 2 may not be the same as what you've experienced in year 10 in terms of performance. Mathematics Standard 2 is generally considered to be a relatively easy subject in which you can definitely perform well, as long as you are prepared to study regularly and stay up to date with content. Preliminary Mathematics Standard covers topics relating to algebra, measurement, financial mathematics and statistics, and HSC Mathematics Standard builds on concepts covered in year 11 in addition to topics related to networks.

Regarding Legal Studies vs Modern History, it depends on which subject you feel you will enjoy more and which of the two you are likely to perform better in. You mentioned that you enjoy learning about law but are concerned about its difficulty. With Modern History, not only do you have the same concern, but you don't seem to have a good idea of whether you enjoy learning about history. Regarding whether or not a subject is boring, the only way to determine this is by personally experiencing the subject. The opinion of others who have already completed a relevant subject can be an indicator of how you might find that particular subject, but it's not decisive. I'll use Business Studies as an example, a lot of people on here consider it to be a "boring", "dry" and "repetitive" subject, whereas I am one of the seemingly few people who have actually enjoyed this subject. Legal Studies may indeed be a difficult subject, with a significant amount of research and writing involved. Modern History, however, doesn't seem much easier, with the HSC exam requiring responses to 25-mark questions in Section II, Section III and Section IV. The only advantage I Modern History has over Legal Studies is scaling, with Modern History scaling somewhat better. However, scaling should not be the primary factor when picking subjects, because even if you pick high scaling subjects, being unable to perform well in them can be quite detrimental to your marks and consequently your ATAR. Based on this, I would advise taking Legal Studies, because it is consistent with your interest of learning about law.

The same applies to Community and Family Studies. Interest and performance potential in a subject should be the main things to consider when deciding whether or not to pick a subject. Keep in mind that the better your performance, the less significant the effect scaling will have on your mark. You feel that CAFS will be an easy subject in which you are likely to perform well and, most importantly, you are interested in a subject like CAFS. If scaling was this decisive, we would have witnessed a lot more students taking high scaling subjects so that they can secure good results, but this isn't the case. The emphasis is on good performance, which is something you can control by being a determined student that studies regularly so that she can ensure optimal performance in her assessment tasks and exams.

In terms of Business Services vs Business Studies, I think a good thing to consider would be the usefulness of receiving a Certificate III upon completion of Business Services? In terms of your interests beyond the HSC, do you believe that receiving a Certificate III will be useful for you after you complete the HSC? If so, then Business Services may be the better option. If not, then Business Studies would be the superior subject in most aspects:

1. Preliminary Business Studies explores the nature of business, management and business planning, which allow you to gain foundational knowledge of the business world.
2. HSC Business Studies builds on concepts taught in year 11, and explores 4 key business functions: Operations, Marketing, Finance and Human Resources, expanding your business knowledge to cover a number of business fields by the time you complete your HSC, which can be particularly useful if you wish to study a degree such as a Bachelor of Business/Commerce beyond the HSC.
3. If you wish to study something related to business beyond the HSC, then the knowledge you gain in Business Studies is likely to be relevant depending on what you choose to specialise in, particularly during your first year (and possibly second year) at university. In a previous thread, I have outlined some good examples of specific concepts you learn in Business Studies which will be revisited at university. I will include additional examples in this thread:
   • The HR cycle
   • The stakeholders in the employment relationship
   • laws and regulations relevant to HRM
   • Reward and performance management
   • The marketing mix
   • Financial ratios

It's good to be aware that an 80 ATAR is possible with any combination of subjects. I would like to add that while band 5's will most likely be needed across your subjects, band 6's may not necessarily be needed for an 80 ATAR, but they would of course be favourable. Lastly, procrastination is an issue that can affect your academic performance irrespective of your subjects, meaning that you need to adopt (and maintain) a determined and diligent mentality throughout year 11 and (more importantly) year 12, if you wish to achieve your ATAR goal eventually.

I hope this helps!

@jimmysmith560 take the wheel

 

[BOS101]

Hello, being sure about the fact that you want to take English Advanced and Studies of Religion II is a good start.

An important thing to consider is what level of maths were you studying in year 10 (5.1, 5.2, 5.3)? This is important because if you were getting a D in 5.3, there is a chance that your experience with Mathematics Standard 2 may not be the same as what you've experienced in year 10 in terms of performance. Mathematics Standard 2 is generally considered to be a relatively easy subject in which you can definitely perform well, as long as you are prepared to study regularly and stay up to date with content. Preliminary Mathematics Standard covers topics relating to algebra, measurement, financial mathematics and statistics, and HSC Mathematics Standard builds on concepts covered in year 11 in addition to topics related to networks.

Regarding Legal Studies vs Modern History, it depends on which subject you feel you will enjoy more and which of the two you are likely to perform better in. You mentioned that you enjoy learning about law but are concerned about its difficulty. With Modern History, not only do you have the same concern, but you don't seem to have a good idea of whether you enjoy learning about history. Regarding whether or not a subject is boring, the only way to determine this is by personally experiencing the subject. The opinion of others who have already completed a relevant subject can be an indicator of how you might find that particular subject, but it's not decisive. I'll use Business Studies as an example, a lot of people on here consider it to be a "boring", "dry" and "repetitive" subject, whereas I am one of the seemingly few people who have actually enjoyed this subject. Legal Studies may indeed be a difficult subject, with a significant amount of research and writing involved. Modern History, however, doesn't seem much easier, with the HSC exam requiring responses to 25-mark questions in Section II, Section III and Section IV. The only advantage I Modern History has over Legal Studies is scaling, with Modern History scaling somewhat better. However, scaling should not be the primary factor when picking subjects, because even if you pick high scaling subjects, being unable to perform well in them can be quite detrimental to your marks and consequently your ATAR. Based on this, I would advise taking Legal Studies, because it is consistent with your interest of learning about law.

The same applies to Community and Family Studies. Interest and performance potential in a subject should be the main things to consider when deciding whether or not to pick a subject. Keep in mind that the better your performance, the less significant the effect scaling will have on your mark. You feel that CAFS will be an easy subject in which you are likely to perform well and, most importantly, you are interested in a subject like CAFS. If scaling was this decisive, we would have witnessed a lot more students taking high scaling subjects so that they can secure good results, but this isn't the case. The emphasis is on good performance, which is something you can control by being a determined student that studies regularly so that she can ensure optimal performance in her assessment tasks and exams.

In terms of Business Services vs Business Studies, I think a good thing to consider would be the usefulness of receiving a Certificate III upon completion of Business Services? In terms of your interests beyond the HSC, do you believe that receiving a Certificate III will be useful for you after you complete the HSC? If so, then Business Services may be the better option. If not, then Business Studies would be the superior subject in most aspects:

1. Preliminary Business Studies explores the nature of business, management and business planning, which allow you to gain foundational knowledge of the business world.
2. HSC Business Studies builds on concepts taught in year 11, and explores 4 key business functions: Operations, Marketing, Finance and Human Resources, expanding your business knowledge to cover a number of business fields by the time you complete your HSC, which can be particularly useful if you wish to study a degree such as a Bachelor of Business/Commerce beyond the HSC.
3. If you wish to study something related to business beyond the HSC, then the knowledge you gain in Business Studies is likely to be relevant depending on what you choose to specialise in, particularly during your first year (and possibly second year) at university. In a previous thread, I have outlined some good examples of specific concepts you learn in Business Studies which will be revisited at university. I will include additional examples in this thread:
   • The HR cycle
   • The stakeholders in the employment relationship
   • laws and regulations relevant to HRM
   • Reward and performance management
   • The marketing mix
   • Financial ratios

It's good to be aware that an 80 ATAR is possible with any combination of subjects. I would like to add that while band 5's will most likely be needed across your subjects, band 6's may not necessarily be needed for an 80 ATAR, but they would of course be favourable. Lastly, procrastination is an issue that can affect your academic performance irrespective of your subjects, meaning that you need to adopt (and maintain) a determined and diligent mentality throughout year 11 and (more importantly) year 12, if you wish to achieve your ATAR goal eventually.

I hope this helps!

Thank you sooo much for taking the time out of your day to read and respond, I truly appreciate it! Also, I'm in 5.2 for maths. I've never gotten a D tho (usually C's), but it's because I really slacked this year. Now I understand if I dedicate some time to maths, math standard 2 shouldn't be too hard, so thank you for that. With legal vs history, I'm now confident in choosing legal because as you pointed out, I'm not that into history, I was just scared about legal being difficult. You have also reassured me with CAFS. Although I am still a bit confused about the whole business services vs business studies, you have helped me very much and your insight means a lot. I will take your advice and once again, thank you!

 

[jimmysmith560]

Thank you sooo much for taking the time out of your day to read and respond, I truly appreciate it! Also, I'm in 5.2 for maths. I've never gotten a D tho (usually C's), but it's because I really slacked this year. Now I understand if I dedicate some time to maths, math standard 2 shouldn't be too hard, so thank you for that. With legal vs history, I'm now confident in choosing legal because as you pointed out, I'm not that into history, I was just scared about legal being difficult. You have also reassured me with CAFS. Although I am still a bit confused about the whole business services vs business studies, you have helped me very much and your insight means a lot. I will take your advice and once again, thank you!

No worries! Happy to know you found this helpful! Best of luck with everything!