Year 11 subject choice questions (1 Viewer)

[drainbammage]

So i chose my subjects for year 11 and was considering changing them. My current subject choices are:

Advanced English
2U Maths
Ext 1 Maths
Physics
Engineering
Economics
1U SLR

My goal is aerospace engineering or at least kind of engineering at UNSW with a 91+ ATAR, however i dont currently take engineering as an elective, so i chose economics as an alternative career path. But i was talking to someone and they said finding an economics job was very difficult. So i was wondering what would be more beneficial to me, economics or chemistry.

Also i only have 12 units and SLR gets dropped at the start of the HSC meaning that i can only drop Ext maths at the start of year 12. Is there anything i can do that doesnt involve not picking SLR?

 

[anomalousdecay]

Why are you doing SLR. Isn't that a non-ATAR course? Just do Chemistry instead.

I did 13 units for prelim and that consequently got me year 11 first place. I still did 12 units for HSC as well.

Then I would strongly suggest you try to pick up 4-unit maths (Just try hard and you can get there), and drop Economics, if you are going to do engineering. If you want to keep your options open and do Economics in uni, then drop Chemistry or Engineering Studies in HSC.

Good Luck

 

[rumbleroar]

If you're into engineering, go into chemistry. But if you want to "explore" any other different subjects, go with economics. You already have physics as a science, and having economics can broaden your options if you ever decide engineering isn't right for you.

To get rid of SLR, just do 13 units. The workload might be intense, but it will teach you how to manage your time effectively.

If you're considering dropping ext 1 maths, you may need to reconsider if engineering is the right path for you.

 

[enoilgam]

My goal is aerospace engineering or at least kind of engineering at UNSW with a 91+ ATAR, however i dont currently take engineering as an elective, so i chose economics as an alternative career path. But i was talking to someone and they said finding an economics job was very difficult. So i was wondering what would be more beneficial to me, economics or chemistry.

First, you dont need to do Engineering Studies for Uni Engineering, you need Maths and Phsyics more. There arent that many jobs in directly related to economics, however, majoring in economics does not limit you to economics jobs (you can go into general business fields and others as well). In any event, you will probably have a better idea of what you want to do once you get to uni.

Also i only have 12 units and SLR gets dropped at the start of the HSC meaning that i can only drop Ext maths at the start of year 12. Is there anything i can do that doesnt involve not picking SLR?

Why are you doing SLR to begin with?

 

[Drongoski]

I suspect many year 10 students think Engineering Studies is a pathway to Engineering at Uni. No! No! No!

Physics and at least Maths Ext 1 are.

If I were asked to advise, assuming the student has the ability, to have some of the core disciplines, apart from English: Maths, preferably up to Ext 1, Physics or Chemistry, or Biology; Economics (not Business Studies or Legal): these are the core disciplines that will enable you to do Law, Commerce, Economics, Science, Agriculture, Vet Sc, Engineering, Psychology, etc. If you are thinking of a Humanities or Social Science future, you may wish to do other Humanities subjects. But whatever you choose, try choosing the foundation subjects, not the applied ones like Business Studies or Legal Studies, interesting though they may be. Many people nowadays advocate the: do what you enjoy approach. I say, do what will help you have a career in the future. Jobs are increasingly difficult to come by.

Just my views of course. I could very well be wrong; stuck in 20th Century thinking.

 

[enoilgam]

Just my views of course. I could very well be wrong; stuck in 20th Century thinking.

It's not old fashioned thinking, it's just that the HSC/Uni system doesnt have much crossover anymore. Maths is about the only subject which you need for a wide variety of careers (i.e. it's assumed knowledge for Engineering and also some Medicine, Commerce and Science courses). Apart from that, most other subjects dont feature that much crossover with university courses. Like, I did Economics and Legal Studies for the HSC and in Uni I did Law/Commerce. The amount of crossover was pretty small and the advantage of having done Economics/Legal Studies was minimal.

So in principle I see where you're coming from - it makes sense that HSC courses should align with Uni courses, but that isnt really the nature of the system these days.

 

[Drongoski]

Today, I had a chat with a student doing Electrical Engineering at Sydney Uni. He says he is struggling somewhat. What amazed me was Sydney U dallowed him to do Electrical without his having done Physics at school. In my view Sydney U is being irresponsible. Let them enrol, so we can fill the class, and if they struggle, it's just too bad!

 

[enoilgam]

Today, I had a chat with a student doing Electrical Engineering at Sydney Uni. He says he is struggling somewhat. What amazed me was Sydney U dallowed him to do Electrical without his having done Physics at school. In my view Sydney U is being irresponsible. Let them enrol, so we can fill the class, and if they struggle, it's just too bad!

I never did Physics, but one of the biggest complaints with the HSC Physics course is that it isnt really physics - there is a lot of rubbish like "why is this invention significant" etc. A lot of people also complain that it isnt very relevant to uni physics either - I think maybe the HSC system needs to be looked at as well.

 

[Drongoski]

Regardless of the merits or lack of it in the NSW HSC Physics, I find it hard to imagine doing Engineering(I mean Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Petroleum, Chemical - not Financial Engineering!) without a background in Physics and, for some of them, Chemistry as well..

 

[rumbleroar]

Regardless of the merits or lack of it in the NSW HSC Physics, I find it hard to imagine doing Engineering(I mean Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical, Civil, Mining, Petroleum, Chemical - not Financial Engineering!) without a background in Physics and, for some of them, Chemistry as well..

There are also bridging courses available if you need that physics background. But they will teach you all that stuff in uni. It's just easier to pick up if you've already done it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[panda15]

I never did Physics, but one of the biggest complaints with the HSC Physics course is that it isnt really physics - there is a lot of rubbish like "why is this invention significant" etc. A lot of people also complain that it isnt very relevant to uni physics either - I think maybe the HSC system needs to be looked at as well.

100% true. The HSC somehow makes physics favour the english kids instead of maths, and does absolutely nothing to prepare kids for university science/engineering. The fact that there are so many long response questions and very little calculations just proves how ridiculous the course is. Although some uni courses might recommend/require HSC physics as required knowledge, you would be at absolutely no disadvantage not taking physics in the HSC when doing science/engineering at uni.

 

[drainbammage]

Ive read through all the responses and taken everything into consideration. Changing engineering with chemistry seems like the best option since chemistry is more beneficial to a lot more subjects at uni. As far as SLR, i know its not an HSC course, but i still want to do it, im a really sporty person and SLR will be like a relaxing period to me, since i really enjoy PA at the moment.

 

[anomalousdecay]

As far as SLR, i know its not an HSC course, but i still want to do it, im a really sporty person and SLR will be like a relaxing period to me, since i really enjoy PA at the moment.

If you enjoy sports, then do them outside of school. You want to maximise your future here by achieving the most efficient course structure. Just drop the subject you don't like in year 12. I strongly recommend you changing SLR back to Engineering Studies.
Just do Physical Activity outside of school, with a club or something (I played soccer throughout year 12 and all of high school outside of school).

 

[Drongoski]

How does doing Engineering Studies help you? I'm curious.

 

[drainbammage]

The only reason i decided to choose engineering was because i thought it would help in uni, but i dont even know if i will enjoy engineering, since i dont do it at the moment. Also whats the work load like with 13 units? One of my teachers at my school at the moment told me 12 units meant 0 free periods and 13 meant showing up before and after school.

 

[drainbammage]

Also, how would changing Engineering and SLR to Chemistry and Business Studied sound?

 

[d-alarmclock]

So i chose my subjects for year 11 and was considering changing them. My current subject choices are:

Advanced English
2U Maths
Ext 1 Maths
Physics
Engineering
Economics
1U SLR

My goal is aerospace engineering or at least kind of engineering at UNSW with a 91+ ATAR, however i dont currently take engineering as an elective, so i chose economics as an alternative career path. But i was talking to someone and they said finding an economics job was very difficult. So i was wondering what would be more beneficial to me, economics or chemistry.

Also i only have 12 units and SLR gets dropped at the start of the HSC meaning that i can only drop Ext maths at the start of year 12. Is there anything i can do that doesnt involve not picking SLR?

Honestly, it doesn't matter what subjects you choose, as long as you can do well in them. It does not matter AT ALL if they relate to the course you want to do at uni.

 

[turnerloos]

^You would much rather choose a subject relating to the course you want to do at uni rather than filling 2 years worth of work into a 1 year bridging course at uni.

 

[rumbleroar]

Also, how would changing Engineering and SLR to Chemistry and Business Studied sound?

honestly, use your own intuition to decide if subjects are "wrong" or "right" for you. there's only so much the advice people on BoS can offer you, as a lot of it is based on personal experience. Go with your gut, and if you feel as this will benefit/suit you more, go with it. There's always opportunities to change courses at the start of year 11, so just lock in a choice and use the first few weeks to decide if you like it or not before changing again.

 

[rumbleroar]

Honestly, it doesn't matter what subjects you choose, as long as you can do well in them. It does not matter AT ALL if they relate to the course you want to do at uni.

tbh, it matters quite a bit. you wouldn't want to be doing 0 units of maths and going into an engineering course. In some cases, you really need a certain background in order to pursue future disciplines at uni. It's heavily misguided to tell someone who has done general maths or no maths to do an engineering course, which requires a background of 3 unit maths (preferably 4) to get through the maths subjects with minimal struggle. (only an example though, doesn't relate to OP's case, because they're doing 3u math)