SENIOR SUBJECT SELECTION (PLS HELP) (1 Viewer)

[xyyvii]

INCOMING INDECISIVE PERSON

Hi everyone, I’m currently in year 10 picking subjects for yr 11 and 12

So far, I’m planning to do Eng adv, maths adv + ext 1, visual arts & Chinese continuers (9 units) which means I need 2 more subjects

in year 12, Im planning to do all of the above alongside chinese ext, totalling up to 10 units

However, I’m rlly stuck on what to pick for yr 11 since I don’t rlly like any of the hsie, pdhpe, tas or science subjects which makes it 100x harder to decide.

I’ve been told by my tutor that I should pick one science but I genuinely don’t like science and I have never received an A on any science exam in hs as well as my grades fluctuating. Also, my mum suggested that I drop all sciences and pick smth like modern history and economics. However, I find studying for history is a drag while I only did year 9 commerce before switching it to study photography. The reason why my mum suggested economics was bc I received 33/35 on the test abt the econ and business environment topic in yr 9. The subject seems kinda interesting but apparently it’s very difficult as well as writing a lot of essays? I am dead set on not doing any TAS or PDHPE subjects which probably means it’s either hsie or science

also idk what I want to be in the future (again, me being indecisive)

also if anyone can tell me what Saturday school or NSL is like for Chinese and which is better, pls tell me since Im 70-90% certain my school will not run Chinese in the senior years

btw if anyone have any subjects that they recommend, pls say

any advice will be greatly appreciated

Subjects that im considering or been recommended to do:

Bio	pros: - was the most tolerable - learning it wasn’t a hassle - quite a few friends will pick it cons: - not interested in anything health or med related in the future - new syllabus - don’t like science - lots of memorising
chem	pros: - scales well out of it, bio and phys (only if I do well) - a lot of ppl ik are doing it - seems fun?? (could be wrong) - apparently it pairs well with physics?? cons: - don’t like science - scaling or having friends in it will not save me from hating science - gets rlly challenging in year 11 and 12 from what I heard
phys	pros: - pairs well with math ext 1 what I heard - scales well (only if I do well) - studying the distance displacement and all that distance, time and speed stuff for my science test was kinda fun - pairs well with chem?? cons: - new syllabus - don’t like science - dont think a lot of my friends will pick it which means probably 90% of the phys students will be guys (however ik friends doesnt matter when picking but it’s nice to have a few friends in the same class) - learning energy and circuits bored me out in the past
econ	pros: - seems interesting to learn - did well in the yr 9 econ and business environment test (33/35) as well being my favourite topic out of the commerce toppics - seems useful if I want to go down the finance bro path or anything related to commerce - scales well (only if I do well) - perform better in anything hsie related cons: - studying for anything hsie related is a drag for me - difficult to understand apparently - apparently u need to memorise a lot of statistics and evidence for essays? - lots of memorising
English ext 1	pros: - apparently its better than English adv - do it = 12 units on the dot!! - more imaginative writing? (which I like) - helps with English adv from what I heard cons: - I don’t like English that much - extra morning & afternoon classes - more difficult apparently
Modern history	pros: - stuff currently learning seems interesting - most of the stuff I learn is straight forward - I do better in hsie subjects - my mum told me to pick it to “activate my grandfather’s skills and strengths in history“ (LMAO) cons: - studying for it is a drag - lots of memorising
photography	pro: - swapped out of commerce for this - enjoy it better than commerce - fun and chill cons: - non atar subject which means I will have to drop this in yr 12 since I’m planning to pick up chinese ext - feel like im better off js doing visual arts since im not rlly good in taking photos or editing it - idk anyone picking this

 

[soomi]

I suggest you pick subjects that you genuinely have an interest in and may help you for your future career (e.g prerequisites at uni). It may be beneficial for you to do some research about possible courses you want to do in uni (even if your still undecided), just to take in account any prerequisites.

Btw, Most of the subjects available in year 11 and 12 ARE CONTENT HEAVY and WILL REQUIRE you to MEMORISE- IT'S UNAVOIDABLE. Please don't be worried too much about how "difficult" a subject is perceived- if you commit and be consistent throughout the school term (e.g making notes, hw) it's possible to keep up with the content and do well!


Subject Advice:

1. Bio, Chem, Phys- Based off what you mentioned (not liking science during your junior years+ no interest in med/science related career), I recommend you to not take these unless you're willing to overcome that. If you don't, it may be hard to stay motivated and study. Maybe try talking to a few seniors/teachers or research more about it to gauge whether it's for you.

2. Econ & Modern History- I do these two subjects and they are content heavy and involve a lot of memorising BUT they are also very interesting and rewarding subjects. It seems like your strength lies in HSIE subjects so it would be a good pick for you.
-Eco in particular if you enjoyed the topic in year 9, you may enjoy it as a senior subject too ( I enjoyed eco-related topics in year 10 commerce and found year 11 eco to be interesting and similar too)

3. English Ext 1- I don't do this subject but it seems to involve a lot of independent research and requires good writing skills. If your interested and willing to commit to morning/afternoon classes + you think you have the potential, I think it would be worth it.

4. Photography- don't know a lot abt how this subject works so I can't comment on this one.

5. Chinese Continuers & Ext- Both SCL and NSL are good for language studies, I think choosing one depends on your personal preference for studying a language.

If you like...

1. Studying at your own pace independently
NSW School of Languages has Units (topics) that are broken up into around 5-6 modules per unit. During your allocated free sessions for languages, you work through one module per week. Once a week, you also have one 30min speaking session with your language teacher via TEAMS.
There are also Lesson Days once a term where you can meet others studying the course and participate in cultural activities+ workshops relating to assessments (e.g writing)

2. In person
SCL has classes every Saturday and provides an opportunity to consistently interact with teachers and classmates. It could be good if you prefer face to face learning and want more speaking practice with a teacher compared to only 30mins a week at NSL.

All the best for your subject selections, I hope this helps in any way!