Please help me with prelim/yr 11 subject selections!! (1 Viewer)

Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
3
Gender
Female
HSC
2021
I'm a year 10 student who has to chose prelim subjects and I'm still struggling with the decision and would really appreciate some advice :). Subjects that I definitely want to do are maths extension 1, biology, chemistry, and economics but I can't seem to choose my last 4-6 units

1. I'm tossing up between advanced or extension English. I'm no the best at English (nor do I particularly enjoy it) but I really want to get better so my thinking is that I can do extension to get in some essay practice and drop it at the end of year 11. This also means that I can do 14 units in yr 11 rather than 13 or 15. However, I think I'd enjoy advanced English much more and I'd much prefer 8 classes of English to 12 (also less difficult and I want to get at least a b in English).
2. I don't know if I want to do physics or engineering. I'm interested in engineering studies and initially wanted to avoid physics but it would be very helpful to engineering and chemistry and bio. In my mind if I take engineering I have to take physics. However I'm worried that if I take all the sciences I'll have to follow a scientific path for my uni degree but I have no idea what I want to do (but it probably isn't science) and teachers always say that if you have no clue what you want to do with your life pick a diverse range of subjects. Also the idea of always doing graphs and free form diagrams doesn't appeal to me. However maths and science are easily my two best subjects so why not play to my strengths?? At the same time I'm not even really that sure that I want to do engineering as I don't particularly enjoy working with my hands but also right now there's crazy emphasis on and opportunity for girls in STEM so maybe doing chem, bio, engineering, physics, and extension maths is good???
3. If I don't do engineering or physics than the subjects I'm tossing up between are legal, modern history, business, or CAFS and there are kinda downsides to all of them. A lot involve essays which I'm not that great at (even though at this point this thread is nearly as long as one, sorry) I looked a bit at their content and I'm interested in about 50% of each subject. I'm probably leaning furthest away from CAFs and business, business cause I already do economics and I'm not that interested in entrepreneurship and CAFs because I don't think I'd find it that interesting even though I'm considering teaching as a possible career path and CAFs is recommended. I fond the content in legal very interesting but I have no intention of going into law and there are I think 3 essays in the HSC (also just a lot of work in general). Modern history i don't even know. I do OK in history but it covers the wars again which I feel like we have done to death. Anyway moving on.
4. I don't know how many units to do. I want free periods and don't want to have to come in early or stay late too many times.My school recommends 14 for year 11 but if I don't do extension English I'm looking at either 13 or 15. If I take 13 I can only drop extension 1 maths in year 11 (which I have no intention of doing as maths is my best subjects and I'm hoping to do extension 2) and I can't take both engineering and physics or two of my other options. However it would be a lot less work than 15 units but 15 units means I can start off trying more subjects and drop them if I don't like them and most of my friends who are only doing 1 extension course are leaning towards 15 units rather than 13. I'm thinking maybe its a good idea to start with a challenging amount of work to see if I can handle it and then drop some units if I can't.
5. Right now the subjects that I'm thinking about doing seem quite difficult with a large workload so I'm wondering if I should take an easier subject just to give myself a break and if so what would that be?? I haven't even completely settled on choosing one or two of engineering, physics, CAFs, legal, modern history or business so if you have other suggestions let me know
6. I know I'm way overthinking this, thinking way to far into the future that no matter what subjects I take I can probably still get into any degree with a bridging course but I think my life will be a lot easier in the future if I make the right decision now I just don't know what that decision is.
7. Also scaling?
Anyways I think that about covers it sorry for anyone who had to read through the word vomit above any advice or experience you can give to indecisive me on subject selection would be really appreciated. thx 😁
 

Drongoski

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
4,255
Gender
Male
HSC
N/A
Whatever you do: MX1, Bio,Chem & Eco are solid disciplines; good choice. (I, for one, would like to be strong in the basic disciplines - they are the foundation for many different courses). Why not also do Physics as well and, of course an English of some sort. In the end, most people end up with no more than 12 units. So choose whatever else that you may find interesting, but likely to drop in Yr 12. Do not overburden yourself with too many units.
 
Last edited:

BLIT2014

The pessimistic optimist.
Moderator
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Messages
11,591
Location
l'appel du vide
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2014
Uni Grad
2018
Physics would be more helpful for your future then engineering studies, and from the sounds of it, you are talented in that area.

Advanced English is 2 units (and makes up your compulsory units of English), and extension English is a different subject worth one unit. Might be worth trying Extension English for a term, I have known people who hated advanced and loved Extension.

Also, which school recommends 14 units for year 11?

Stick with your strengths, from the sounds of it you are a bit iffy with doing humanities.
 

BLIT2014

The pessimistic optimist.
Moderator
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Messages
11,591
Location
l'appel du vide
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2014
Uni Grad
2018
If you have chem, bio, mathematics extension, and advanced English you are covered for most University degrees recommended/assumed knowledge.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top