Should I drop IPT? (1 Viewer)

[hecticated]

I am doing the HSC this year (2014), and I'm undecided about when/if I should drop IPT.
My current subjects are: Maths Extension 2, Standard English, Chemistry, Biology and IPT.

My current ranks are (i only definately know IPT and maths):
Maths Extension 2 - unknown (out of 15)
Maths Extension 1 - 2nd or 3rd (out of 70)
Standard English - pretty average
Chemistry - I would say top 7 based on preliminary (out of 60)
Biology - probably top 10 (out of 60)
IPT - 2nd out of 12

My school ranking changes every year. 2013 was top 70, but 2012 was top 40.

I know I probably won't drop extension 2 maths because I enjoy it and I'm pretty sure I will get the right marks. But something is telling me that I should keep IPT as a back up. All my friends are telling me to drop because it's wasting my time. I have an assignment due next monday, and I've barely done it.

When should I drop it? I don't even know how I got second in IPT because I didn't study for the test and the person who is coming first is pretty serious about IPT so I probably won't get first. I don't even like the subject, I thought I would but nope. I just like computers. IPT is really not what I thought it would be like.

I'm trying to work towards the top in Biology, Chemistry and English. And I think I can do it if I work hard enough.

Anyways thanks for reading

 

[rumbleroar]

I think you should wait until after the second round of assessments to see where you rank in all your subjects. If your bio and chem ranks are adequate enough, you should drop.

However, it does seem like you want to drop IPT. it can be hard dropping a subject you are ranked well in, but if you compare the future (I.e. Not doing IPT) to your current situation (doing IPT) and like your future prospects A LOT more, drop it.

If you're still unsure, I would recommend drawing up a table for the positives and negatives of keeping or dropping IPT. it should make your choice to drop or keep it a lot clearer. Good luck.

 

[hecticated]

I think you should wait until after the second round of assessments to see where you rank in all your subjects. If your bio and chem ranks are adequate enough, you should drop.

That's what I was thinking but my exams are in week 9/10. Is that too far away? I guess I should drop, I just needed someone different to tell me. My IPT teacher doesn't want me to drop though haha, but my extension 2 teacher said that I could drop because my maths marks are fine.

Thanks for the advice and Best of Luck to you too

 

[rumbleroar]

That's what I was thinking but my exams are in week 9/10. Is that too far away? I guess I should drop, I just needed someone different to tell me. My IPT teacher doesn't want me to drop though haha, but my extension 2 teacher said that I could drop because my maths marks are fine.

Thanks for the advice and Best of Luck to you too

If you don't want to stick it out until week 9/10, then drop it. No point in wasting time working for a subject you ultimately will drop. Talk to this with your deputy or year advisor to get clearer advice

 

[strawberrye]

I think you should wait until you get your rank for maths extension two before you decide to officially drop IPT. I would suggest you do drop IPT since you don't like the subject and there is no point in keeping a subject you don't like whereas you can use that time to spend on excelling in all your other subjects.

 

[TrentsUnicorn]

You're doing 12 units atm right? Personally, you have the "ideal safety net" because you have a whole 2-units to play with. Tha being said, you're doing pretty well in your subjects so you may not need it. If you feel that a subject is holding you back from doing the others properly, then drop it. But if it's not and you're doing that well, then wait till your next round of results come back.

Also, talk to your teachers and get their take on this Good luck!!

 

[tashe]

I know I probably won't drop extension 2 maths because I enjoy it and I'm pretty sure I will get the right marks. But something is telling me that I should keep IPT as a back up. All my friends are telling me to drop because it's wasting my time. I have an assignment due next monday, and I've barely done it.

When should I drop it? I don't even know how I got second in IPT because I didn't study for the test and the person who is coming first is pretty serious about IPT so I probably won't get first. I don't even like the subject, I thought I would but nope. I just like computers. IPT is really not what I thought it would be like.

Listen to your friends. I have this feeling that your friends also did IPT and dropped it. Is that true?

IPT is a subject many people choose at the year 11/12 subject selections due to the misinterpretation of the workload. Many people believe that it's a course that doesn't require much output from the students (e.g. when compared with HSC science, many would believe that HSC science is harder). Believe me, I know how boring the IPT textbooks can be. On and on about communication and networking. (Are you using the Samuel Davis one?)

This incorrect choice (2 units worth) with another incorrect choice (2 units worth as well) and the fact that students can only drop 2 units from year 11 onto year 12, leave students having to deal with one of the incorrect subject choices. I believe that is the problem with everyone else in your class. Hence your rank in 2nd place when you say you didn't study.

If you don't like IPT, then drop it. IPT isn't for everyone. It's going to be torture to force yourself to memorise the information on networks and communication when you don't even have interest.

 

[trapizi]

Keep it as a backup subject. You don't know what will happen. In case if you get a bad mark for Bio or Chem, IPT will save your ATAR.

 

[turnerloos]

Keeping ipt would mean having to spend a portion of your time into ipt. It's really up to you whether you want this extra burden

Sent from my MT27i using Tapatalk

 

[tashe]

Keep it as a backup subject. You don't know what will happen. In case if you get a bad mark for Bio or Chem, IPT will save your ATAR.

OP shouldn't force it. The HSC isn't something like the lottery, you don't just "stuff up". Even if OP does poorly in one assessment task in her better subjects, she can still improve her rank.

With that being said, OP stated that first place is serious and studies a lot whereas she came second without studying. That means that, first place is beating OP's % significantly. We all know that the internal HSC mark is based on % between ranks. Hence, her IPT HSC mark will be poor. Plus, you need to cater for the fact that IPT doesn't scale as well as her other subjects.

OP is confident in her other 10 units.

It's like spreading peanut butter. Do you want to spread it thinly on 12 slices (in case she drops two slices) or thickly on 10 slices?

Sorry, the peanut butter isn't a good analogy but sounds good.

Anyways, I do know people like the "back up" theory. It's good, especially if you're poor at English. That way, you can still get the All-Rounder Medal.

Just my advice, I do respect your perspective as well Trapizi.

 

[cream pirate]

i dropped ipt and it was best decision i ever made

 

[Hopp]

I'm actually in a similar dilemma with my subjects. I am doing 12 units and am contemplating whether I should EES or keep it for longer, it's my worst ranked subject but the only thing holding me back is my confidence in ex.2 English.
It's obviously the wise decision to hold it till next round of assignments and then decide then, but if you realistically think that there is a low chance for it to count towards your ATAR, then you should most likely drop it now.

 

[anomalousdecay]

I'll just quote myself from another thread:

I was in your similar shoes exactly one year ago.

My story:

The reason why I first created a BoS account was to ask whether or not to drop Economics. I had 12 units at the time.

Here is the thread I made:

http://community.boredofstudies.org...9373/12-units-10-units-extension-2-maths.html

In the end I kept Economics and did Age of Silicon as my option module for Physics.

Also I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those last year who helped me make a highly informed decision about my study for HSC.


So my view on my choice:

- I don't regret keeping Economics because it was a good stress relief subject where I would bludge and relax a little.

- I hated Economics and got 15 marks less (Band 4) in it than my main 8 units (disregarding English).

- MX2 ended up being my highest aggregate even though I was contemplating dropping because I felt we were behind (though I worked on it more than any other subject).

- I did probably less than a 4% of my overall HSC study on Economics, so it had no effect on me whatsoever. I tried my hardest on the other subjects and knew there was nothing else more I could have done.

- I started studying for Economics HSC the day before the exam (right after MX1) and pulled a miracle by answering every question in Economics like it was a Physics/Chemistry question going about that structure. My paper probably confused the crap out of the markers because I made up a lot of random stuff.

So basically, my advice to you is to drop the subject you dislike the most, as this is the one you will not study in. Using my example above, Economics was worthless to me (Bar the fact that it might help me with some future random stuff that pops up which my economics knowledge of concepts can help in). Considering that you are on 14 units, I strongly suggest you drop to either 12 units (Keep MX2 as 70% of the cohort get above 70, which will give you an ATAR aggregate of above 90) and drop some random subject, then after the half yearlies, you should decide whether to drop MX2. 12 units or 11 units are absolutely fine and can guarantee you a safety net for you ATAR.

So don't drop MX2 yet. Drop a 2 unit subject first, see how you go with 12 units, then decide whether MX2 is viable or not.

I had a friend whom did MX2 all the way until the trials, but was doing last minute study for it and was not serious about it. My friend would have kept MX2, however, the teacher and my friend were more confident that a good result would come from doing 2-unit instead. In the end, it was the best decision of my friend's HSC. By the way, my friend was on 11 units and dropped to 10 after trials to do the 2-unit exam.

So keep MX2, if you want drop anytime if you feel it isn't worth it. 11 units is still fine, though I would advise keeping it for now because:

- 13 units is a bit too much and you will most probably drop something else too, fast tracking you to 11 units, leaving you the inability to drop something else.

- 12 units is a safer option as you have more flexibility to later drop a one unit subject or two unit subject however you like.


EDIT:

I also had leadership and sporting commitments similarly to you that all together would take up roughly 15-20 hours a week through Captaincy and playing with my Soccer team.

 

[hecticated]

Thank you everyone for responding

You're doing 12 units atm right?

Yes I'm doing 12 units. I think I will be able to study more if I had those extra free periods.

Listen to your friends. I have this feeling that your friends also did IPT and dropped it. Is that true?

IPT is a subject many people choose at the year 11/12 subject selections due to the misinterpretation of the workload. Many people believe that it's a course that doesn't require much output from the students (e.g. when compared with HSC science, many would believe that HSC science is harder). Believe me, I know how boring the IPT textbooks can be. On and on about communication and networking. (Are you using the Samuel Davis one?)

This incorrect choice (2 units worth) with another incorrect choice (2 units worth as well) and the fact that students can only drop 2 units from year 11 onto year 12, leave students having to deal with one of the incorrect subject choices. I believe that is the problem with everyone else in your class. Hence your rank in 2nd place when you say you didn't study.

Yeah one of them already dropped. I chose IPT because I really liked IST in year 9 and 10 and I did very well in it so I thought I should do IPT. I know there are a few people in my class who don't want to do IPT either but they have to because they hated another subject even more. I guess I'm lucky that I had the ability to pick up extension maths.

With that being said, OP stated that first place is serious and studies a lot whereas she came second without studying. That means that, first place is beating OP's % significantly. We all know that the internal HSC mark is based on % between ranks. Hence, her IPT HSC mark will be poor. Plus, you need to cater for the fact that IPT doesn't scale as well as her other subjects.

OP is confident in her other 10 units.

It's like spreading peanut butter. Do you want to spread it thinly on 12 slices (in case she drops two slices) or thickly on 10 slices?

Sorry, the peanut butter isn't a good analogy but sounds good.

Anyways, I do know people like the "back up" theory. It's good, especially if you're poor at English. That way, you can still get the All-Rounder Medal.

The first rank actually beat me by 1.5 marks which is actually really frustrating, but oh well. Thank you for that advice! I really like that peanut butter analogy, it makes sense. An All-Rounder Medal sounds good, but I'd rather try to get a band 6 in English, it would be a better accomplishment.

 

[zannasheayarrow]

I did my HSC last year. I had a similar problem where I was doing 13 units and was considering dropping IPT. I always did well in IPT (ranked 1st in all school assessments) but I didn't enjoy it because I found it too slow and I had a terrible teacher. The reason I kept it was because I was doing chemistry and physics and I wanted a back-up (I only did physics to meet the requirements of my uni course without having to do first yr physics). I'm so glad I didn't drop because my ATAR would have been much lower if I had and I ended up state ranking. That said, if you REALLY don't like it, drop it but I did well with minimal effort so...

 

[hecticated]

I've kept IPT for my half yearlies and I ended up coming second (out of 11) without studying (i dont know how lol)i probably will keep it for the HSC because my HSC timetable isnt too bad, and im doing pretty well with minimal effort

 

[anomalousdecay]

Go for it!

If you do anything computer science, or engineering related in the future, it might also be of benefit.

 

[mubz101]

I've kept IPT for my half yearlies and I ended up coming second (out of 11) without studying (i dont know how lol)i probably will keep it for the HSC because my HSC timetable isnt too bad, and im doing pretty well with minimal effort

hahaha I did ipt last year in year 11, i studied nothin all year (+ my teacher did not teach anything...no effin exaggeration), i crammed as much as i could in the last week leading up to my exams...ended up with 95. ipt is seriously easy....some boring boring boring parts but some interesting and mostly very easy