drewgcn said:
Oarsome.
Is what the website says about applicants having to have been "accelerated in at least one hsc subject at the highest level (usually 3 unit)" true?
It looks like the website is around 6 years old, which is why I ask...
You are correct in that its old info(hence the" usually 3unit" bit) however essentially what it states is true - *technically* you should be accelerated in at least one subject at the highest level that subject is offered ie Ext 2 for Maths and English, Ext 1 for Music, History and Languages, 2u for everything else(except for things like standard english, general maths and senior science) - however of late the Board has not been as strict as in the past at applying these guidelines and I've heard of people accelerating in non Ext 2 levels with math and english yet still gain entry. In one case there is apparently a girl at Ruse who did not accelerate who undertook a HSC Distinction course - however her marks were apparently through the roof so I guess that compensated. So essentially, if you want to do a Distinction course I would suggest that you contact the Board asap for you never know, you could very well get in.
kadlil said:
What are these distinction courses? are they like extra subjects you can do to prepare for university? I might think of applying? How do you apply?
While to an extent you've probably figured this out yourself, I thought I'd answer it for anyone who comes upon the thread as most do not know what Distinctions are at all.
Fundamentally the Distinction and Extension courses in the HSC are meant to challenge students in new ways that the ordinary subjects do not - much like the Honours year at uni. However while Extensions are school based and build upon previous subjects, Distinctions are entirely new areas of learning which are in essence university units that contribute to your UAI and HSC. They should not be mistaken for preparatory courses for university, rather it is geniune university level study and as such can bestow Advanced Standing in various degrees at uni. It should also be noted that like Ext 2 English and Maths, and Ext History, Music, Visual Art and the Language Extensions there is no preliminary component whatsoever.
The 3 subjects on offer are Cosmology(Charles Sturt Uni), Philosophy(Charles Sturt Uni) and Comparative Literature(University of New England).
What you'll need to be considered for entry is:
1. Acceleration(in the vast majority of cases)
2. Reccomendation of your principal.
For more information click
here, the and the Syllabus for all Distinction Courses can be found
here
For those wishing to challenge themselves in areas not covered by Extension and Distinction courses, there are other subjects created by the universities similar to Distinctions, however they do not count toward the UAI, only the HSC unit requirement. Some of these are:
Advanced Mathematics at University of Newcastle - an additional 2 units in mathematics for accelerants of the Extension 2 Mathematics course.
Masculinity and Femininity: Explorations in Gender at University of Newcastle - a 1 unit HSC course which studies various social and cultural issues relating to gender.
More information on the above two courses can be found
here.
Visual Arts Extension at the National Art School - a 1 unit course in *drumroll* the visual arts - go
here for more info.
There are also HSC subjects offered by USYD:
Mind & Morality,
Problem Solving & Communication in Science, and
Archaeology: Past and Future. Further info on those can be found
here.
*breathes out* gosh I post alot of pointless information when I'm bored
