sorry if this is a bit of an early post for subject selections but i was hoping for some general advice for my subjects, and whether i should pick biology or physics for year 11/12. not sure if this is needed, but for context, my cohort is 300+ and ranked hsc ~50, atar goal 99+ (unrealistic)?
so far i have:
- eng ex1 (planning to drop to adv in yr 12) - i don't mind english, average 19/20 from yr 7-10. how good do i have to be and how is the workload?
- math ex1 (maybe? ex2 in yr 12?) - i'm not very confident in math so idk. how good at math do you have to be to do ex2? i'm afraid of falling behind, because i am ~top 20 for math 5.3, although i tend to neglect math a lot during exam weeks. if i revise i usually do better tho like ~10?
- chemistry - i like the subject, and i got one mark off full for it last year, but are there any specific study tips for chemistry?
- modern history - the topics for yr 10 history is interesting/easy + currently averaging 100% for the first two tests, so pretty confident in this.
and then... i don't know if i want to choose physics or biology.
| pros | cons |
| physics |
- i heard it compliments well with the topics covered in ex1 and ex2 maths
- interesting subject, but boring sometimes
- scaling is better than bio
|
- genuinely bombed the last test
 , 87% and the class average was 82%
- i know that's not that bad but i usually get 95%+ and my friends got 90%+
- i do get bored sometimes in physics ngl
|
| biology |
- i got like 98% for the last biology test, and it's a pretty easy subject for me.
- i find it more interesting than physics
- potential to compliment my degree since i wish to pursue medicine/biochem
|
- it scales the worst out of the three sciences
- i don't like memorising things
- also physics compliments math, which i think is better because i'd like to get better at math, so the extra practice might help?
|
i think that's all of my questions for now. thank you for taking the time to read through this!
Maths:
E2 is pretty difficult, but not impossible. I think it's one of the best subjects in terms of you will get out what you put in. There are heaps of ways to solve the questions and it really shows how smart you are.
Get a feeling for Ext 1 next year and go from there. IMO, E1 is pretty chill and I did E2 as it was more enjoyable. Advanced gets kinda boring in Yr 12 whereas E2 goes into pretty useful maths like mechanics and complex numbers, if you decide to do engineering instead.
Chem:
Make sure you really understand the content. It's not too hard, but it's pretty easy to tell between someone who knows the content at a 4/5 vs a 5/5 level. Also make sure your maths skills are decent. The calculations aren't hard, but they get long and one little mess up can cost you.
Phys Vs Bio:
I would kinda disagree that physics complements well with Ext 1 and Ext 2 maths (In a highschool setting, at uni they are much closer and more transferable.). Physics in highschool is not calculus based. The hardest maths you'll do is probably yr 9 or Yr 10 level. That being said, if you can conceptually understand E2, then physics isn't too bad. I wouldn't be picking physics as a subject though just because it might link with maths.
Physics also has quite a lot of memorisation as well unfortunately. Not as much as bio, but the new syllabus (2027) is a lot less problem solving and more writing from what I've heard.
Also don't worry about the scaling for bio. If you've gotten 98% for your last exam, you won't have to worry about bio. Above about 96/100, scaling means practically nothing, so don't worry.
If you find bio more interesting than physics (you said you get bored in physics sometimes), then I'd definitely pick that. When it gets hard, your mind will instinctively prefer to study the subject that you enjoy, not the one that scales better.
