Need help with choosing subjects (1 Viewer)

[lmakin]

Hi all. this is my first post.

I am enrolling with OTEN to do the HSC (limited UAI) in November. I'm 28 and completed year 11 way back in 1993.

So I have to choose 3 subjects to get a limited UAI. I've already decided on Mathematics and English (Standard). It's my third subject I can't decide on.

It's a toss up between Modern History, Biology or Food Technology. I did Food Tech in year 11 back in '93 and did really well in it. However, I've been reading things on this site about it being scaled down. If I did really well in it would it still be scaled down?

Or would I be better off doing either the Mod History or Biology?

I need to get 72 UAI or over because I want to become a teacher. If I have to do a particular subject to help me get that mark I will do it (within reason). Unfortunately I'm not Physics type of person.

Can anyone enlighten me on this scaling thing and what subject I should choose?

Many thanks

 

[pLuvia]

Scaling doesn't matter if you do well in the subject, so if you're a food tech person, then go for it. No point in choosing a subject that you dislike.

You shouldn't choose a subject because of its scaling, that's just silly

Unless you like biology or modern history than go for it

 

[jdrockefeller]

Stay in school kids.

 

[sikeveo]

lmakin, I advise you to take Kadlil's opinion with a grain of salt. Biology would probably be the best bet, IFF you have a genuine interest in it. Food tech doesnt scale all too well, and to get it to scale well, you will have to do very very well in it. Why not pick both Biology and Food Tech?

 

[kami]

Hello lmakin
Basically what the scaling is, is that in some subjects you have a factor of reduction or gain depending on the state wide performance of the candidature i.e. a highly scaled subject will contribute more, mark for mark to your UAI than a lower scaled one. However the scaling system is designed so that only subjects that the majority of people cannot perform highly in get scaled up, for instance most people could not(with ease) undertake Extension 2 Mathematics thus UAC "scales up" the worth of these marks when contributing to the UAI. This means if you are one of the people who could take this course with ease then your marks would be lavishly increased, however if you bomb out in it then your marks will horrible and the UAI contribution pitiful. The converse is true about a lower scaling subject such as say VET IT, UAC has deemed this course easier to achieve a certain no. of marks through analysing the statistics of the candidature of that course, and therefore a certain reduction will take place - if however you are someone who is skilled at this course, then you will be scoring in a region of marks that are relatively unaffected by scaling and still do well. So as you can see by these two examples, scaling works in the favour of someone who is skilled in the subjects they undertake.

In consideration of this process, I back up what kadlil has stated, if you like Food Technology and think you would be good at it, then go for it. Considering you only need 5 units for your limited UAI, even if you don't go as stellar in it as could be hoped then only 1 unit of it would count. For that reason I would also advise against what sikeveo suggests in that you shouldn't undertake both subjects as the extra units won't count and you have less interest in the other subjects anyway. However, also worth considering would be what you intend to teach - if you intend to teach Science then Biology would obviously be a better option if you have been away from study for a long time..