HELP! (1 Viewer)

[BrokenDisc]

Heyy, I'm new to the site so I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong section.

I can't decide on what to drop. Time is running out and I'm swamped with work!

My subject % and rankings are:

Chemistry 80% =3rd
Biology 93% 1st
English Adv .... let's not go there
English Ext: =1st 96%
Visual arts: 95% 2nd
Modern: 93% 1st

+ history ext? + English Ext 2?

I want to do medicine... but the thing is chem is taking up a lot of my time, as is bio. There's so much content on top of the all the humanity based subjects I have. Should I drop one and just learn the relevant content in the 3month break (assuming I actually am lucky enough to make it into med) and focus on maximising my ATAR with subjects I am naturally good at? Because UMAT study has to factor in there too.

Any advice?
Thankyou!

 

[Poops]

Drop Art

 

[Aysce]

The year has just begun - drop accordingly with your marks in the assessment for chemistry and biology. If you feel that you are performing poorly by say, the half yearly exams, you can choose to drop the subject with the lower marks. Personally, I think you should keep them for a little longer as dropping so soon within the beginning of the year could be a HUGE mistake.

I'm assuming these marks are from prelim.

 

[LoveHateSchool]

Well personally I'd say HSC is a game, and if your humanities marks are gonna get you into med, you should do that.

Sooo I have to ask though, how come you have a great ext 1 rank but won't post your adv rank?

School rank and cohort sizes of the subs?

 

[enoilgam]

The year has just begun - drop accordingly with your marks in the assessment for chemistry and biology. If you feel that you are performing poorly by say, the half yearly exams, you can choose to drop the subject with the lower marks. Personally, I think you should keep them for a little longer as dropping so soon within the beginning of the year could be a HUGE mistake.

I'm assuming these marks are from prelim.

Well personally I'd say HSC is a game, and if your humanities marks are gonna get you into med, you should do that.

Sooo I have to ask though, how come you have a great ext 1 rank but won't post your adv rank?

School rank and cohort sizes of the subs?

These two I reckon. Hang onto the subjects for now and wait a bit to see how you do in the first assessment and then drop. Drop the subjects which you are doing worse in, you should focus on maximising your ATAR if you want to do medicine.

 

[BrokenDisc]

yeah, I just really want to smash english this year, I am always beaten! By a girl who doesn't even focus in class, just plays on her phone while I furiously write notes. It's just so frustrating! In chem too, she beat me by a mark. Zomgsh, no matter how much effort I put in, I'm always second to her. Need more time to do this ..

 

[Aysce]

yeah, I just really want to smash english this year, I am always beaten! By a girl who doesn't even focus in class, just plays on her phone while I furiously write notes. It's just so frustrating! In chem too, she beat me by a mark. Zomgsh, no matter how much effort I put in, I'm always second to her. Need more time to do this ..

It's essential you sustain consistent effort, regardless of the past. Keep working and you'll eventually beat her. But on topic, don't make such a hasty and drastic decision. Wait for things to play out, I reiterate.

 

[enoilgam]

yeah, I just really want to smash english this year, I am always beaten! By a girl who doesn't even focus in class, just plays on her phone while I furiously write notes. It's just so frustrating! In chem too, she beat me by a mark. Zomgsh, no matter how much effort I put in, I'm always second to her. Need more time to do this ..

Dont pay attention to what others are doing. Some people dont do much in class but put in the hard yards at home.

 

[BrokenDisc]

Well personally I'd say HSC is a game, and if your humanities marks are gonna get you into med, you should do that.

Sooo I have to ask though, how come you have a great ext 1 rank but won't post your adv rank?

School rank and cohort sizes of the subs?

Yeah, but one of my teacher's friends is doing med and she said bio is so important, more so than chem. So I'm afraid to drop :L
But EE2 is going to take up a lot of time I presume, as will hist ext.

My advanced rank is just horrid: like 19th/93. I moved schools mid way during the year and I had to do a prelim exam where i hadn't studied the texts at all. Making up quotes ftw! For ext, they let me write about the texts I had previously studied.

cohort sizes :
Chem: was 20, now 13 after the dropping.
Eng Ext: 19, now 15
Modern: about 38
Visual arts: about 42
Bio: oh gawsh like most of the grade wanted to do this, nekk minnite plants in every dot point : 54, now 29 i think

School rank: hovers around the 100-140 range.

 

[BrokenDisc]

Dont pay attention to what others are doing. Some people dont do much in class but put in the hard yards at home.

There aren't enough hours in the day. She can literally recite the textbook... and answer questions to full marks. Oh well, starting tomorrow, I will too.
Irrc it's just an act though. Fool people into thinking she does nothing but knows everything.

It's essential you sustain consistent effort, regardless of the past. Keep working and you'll eventually beat her. But on topic, don't make such a hasty and drastic decision. Wait for things to play out, I reiterate.

Thankyou!
Yeah, my motivation to do well dramatically dropped in year 11. I was such a studious person in year 10, tried so hard for SC (lol) and now i STILL can't study. Med does not look feisable. Like today my teacher came and said "you know, it's not the end of the world if you don't make it in... "
Before, "we're going to get you into med. dot point summaries, past papers, go go go" .

 

[Aysce]

Chemistry is important, more than biology. Heck, you hardly have to know HSC biology to do medicine.

 

[enoilgam]

There aren't enough hours in the day. She can literally recite the textbook... and answer questions to full marks. Oh well, starting tomorrow, I will too.
Irrc it's just an act though. Fool people into thinking she does nothing but knows everything.

Personally, my mentality with the HSC was "What can I do to be the best that I can be". You need to focus on yourself, because at the end of the day, that is all you can realistically control. Focusing on others is an unnecessary distraction in my opinion.

As aysce said, just maintain a consistant effort throughout the year.

 

[BrokenDisc]

Really? I've been misled.

 

[Aysce]

Thankyou!
Yeah, my motivation to do well dramatically dropped in year 11. I was such a studious person in year 10, tried so hard for SC (lol) and now i STILL can't study. Med does not look feisable. Like today my teacher came and said "you know, it's not the end of the world if you don't make it in... "
Before, "we're going to get you into med. dot point summaries, past papers, go go go" .

Try your best matey, there are always other ways to making it into medicine. Obviously I'm not in yet, but I've realised that over-stressing is just too much in the HSC. Year 11 was only a testing year, year 12 is the real deal and it's only just begun. Go in with a never say die attitude and I swear, you won't regret it, regardless of whether you make it into medicine or not for undergraduate.

 

[deswa1]

My two cents- when you are going for something as competitive as medicine, you can't afford to take subjects that are 'relevant' if they will lead to a lower ATAR. This is probably a very cynical view of education but right now, I would seriously suggest just keeping what you are confident will give you the highest ATAR and learn everything else later on.

I don't recommend starting with just ten units- keep them for now but if you notice that your marks in chem are shocking (for example) and it defs won't count, I wouldn't keep them for the sake of being 'relevant' to med

 

[BrokenDisc]

Thankyou Alyse! And Enoilgam You've been so helpful

One more point: do you guys advice having jobs during hsc? I only work 8 hrs a week but I feel so guilty when I work. Like my textbooks are in my bag . Although working had really opened my eyes as to what I could become if I don't put in the hard yards now. Such an alert.

 

[enoilgam]

Thankyou Alyse! And Enoilgam You've been so helpful

One more point: do you guys advice having jobs during hsc? I only work 8 hrs a week but I feel so guilty when I work. Like my textbooks are in my bag . Although working had really opened my eyes as to what I could become if I don't put in the hard yards now. Such an alert.

Obviously, if you want to do medicine you need to put in the work. However, one of the biggest myths with the HSC is that you need to sacrifice your life in order to get a good marking. Having a balance is crucial to success with the HSC, because you need to focus your mind on other things from time to time.

 

[BrokenDisc]

My two cents- when you are going for something as competitive as medicine, you can't afford to take subjects that are 'relevant' if they will lead to a lower ATAR. This is probably a very cynical view of education but right now, I would seriously suggest just keeping what you are confident will give you the highest ATAR and learn everything else later on.

I don't recommend starting with just ten units- keep them for now but if you notice that your marks in chem are shocking (for example) and it defs won't count, I wouldn't keep them for the sake of being 'relevant' to med

I like your perspective there I love chem but 3rd just isn't going to cut it. Unless some miracle happens and I come first.
Also how would you work out the 'worth' of the marks gained in various subjects? Like 80% in chem would be better than a 70 in modern, right? Although how would you compare 90s in humanities or english to an 80 in chem?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions

 

[BrokenDisc]

Obviously, if you want to do medicine you need to put in the work. However, one of the biggest myths with the HSC is that you need to sacrifice your life in order to get a good marking. Having a balance is crucial to success with the HSC, because you need to focus your mind on other things from time to time.

Yeah, it was quite funny you say that. When I was working last week and we were closing there was barely anyone in the center so one of the customers asked what I wanted to do after school and I told him exactly what I wanted and such and his exclaimation was "Well now, that's not serving bread now is it? Shouldn't you be chained to a desk somewhere?"
This brought the situation home to me. So many people want med too, it's just not handed on natural ability anymore.

 

[enoilgam]

Yeah, it was quite funny you say that. When I was working last week and we were closing there was barely anyone in the center so one of the customers asked what I wanted to do after school and I told him exactly what I wanted and such and his exclaimation was "Well now, that's not serving bread now is it? Shouldn't you be chained to a desk somewhere?"
This brought the situation home to me. So many people want med too, it's just not handed on natural ability anymore.

There are many myths like this regarding the HSC. I know heaps of people that have done well in the HSC (98+) and most of them werent chained to a desk throughout the year. There are a few who study ridiculous amounts, but most dont do anything over the top (they still work hard though). Also, there comes a point where study stops really having an effect (i.e. diminishing marginal returns).