Guide to selecting your HSC Courses (2 Viewers)

[naisAtoN]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

What do you know, you're only in year 10...


No, that was actually pretty good.

 

[lyounamu]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

There is much hear-say about SCALING. Scaling does not impact adversely upon any student who achieves a Band 6 in any subject. A raw mark of 90 above will usually stay that way after scaling (by the way, RAW, not aligned HSC marks are the ones that actually get scaled).

I disagree. There are many subjects where the low Band 6 results get put down atrociously. Let's take Business Studies for example. Its 90 HSC mark was scaled approximately down to very low 80s.

I am not too sure about the highlighted part. Can you explain? If I go by my own understanding from here, I don't know how this is relevant.

Do not choose mathematics is you do not like it. Do NOT choose General Mathematics "just for the sake of having some maths". Let me say that NO UNI COURSE requires that course (General Math) as a prerequisiste, and it is AWFUL preparation for any mathematical/scientific course.

Agreed. But that's same for every subject. You shouldn't choose subject that you don't like.

Only choose General Mathematics as a "everyday life skills" course. Do NOT choose it as a "strong foundation for university study of mathematics" like all the subject guides say... it simply isn't a strong foundation... it's about as strong a a sheet of plywood under a tonne of bricks! Seriously. My girlfriend did Yr 11 General... and I do Stage 5.3 Math... and I could do EVERYTHING in the General course when she asked for help.

Agreed.

Do not listen to teachers who say "Senior Science is for less gifted students" ... if you like Science and none of the other courses interest you... choose EARTH AND ENVIORNMENTAL SCIENCE (includes global warming issues, is basically "Geology" ... with a smart sounding name)... or if you're not up to that/don't like rocks (hahahahahaha ) just choose SNR SCIENCE... if you get 90-100 in it (band 6) ... you will do fine in regards to scaling.

I personally know from my own experience and others that Earth and Environmental Science is extremely dry in general. But that's just my opinion

Senior Science has almost exactly the same scaling as General Mathematics (low - very low... meaning that it is a reasonably popular course and STACKS of people get 85+ raw on the externals exam).

Nah, General pwns Senior Science by far. Senior Science might have the worst scaling out of the relatively popular courses.

DRAMA is an awesome course (has terrible scaling as 1000's of people end up with B5's and hundreds get B6... it's quite popular too). But! jennieTalia (ie Jennifer Duke) went to my school for HSC 2008 and ended up with UAI 96.20, the course she wanted: BA in Communication (Journalism) @ UTS AND she did no mathematics and Drama (admittedly she did get 92-93ish, Band 6)...and she got Band 6 for 8 units, with Band 5 in Modern History... go Jennie!

May I ask what your point is?

CHOOSE WHAT YOU LOVE: Whether that be cars Industrial Technology (Automotive)... cooking Hospitality and/or Food Technology, languages/communicating/talking till you're blue in the face - SPANISH (Second most spoken language in the world after Chinese, has recently over taken English due to second language speakers becoming increasingly fluent) OR any other language you're "good at".

Yes, wholeheartedly agreed.

I might just add that if you like 2 subjects both equally, you are better off choosing the subject that you are better at or where the scaling is better.

 

[studentcheese]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

Low scaled subjects are alright as long as they are not capped and you achieve above average in the course. Otherwise, don't go with a low scaled subject.

Choose subjects on your strengths.

 

[studentcheese]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

Low scaled subjects are alright as long as they are not capped and you achieve above average in the course. Otherwise, don't go with a low scaled subject.

Choose subjects on your strengths.

 

[u-borat]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

op is retarded; if you get band 6 in shit scaling subjects they make shit contributions to your uai.

 

[Timothy.Siu]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

from what i gather, to OP is very biased against maths.

 

[Cerry]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

Do not choose mathematics is you do not like it. Do NOT choose General Mathematics "just for the sake of having some maths". Let me say that NO UNI COURSE requires that course (General Math) as a prerequisiste, and it is AWFUL preparation for any mathematical/scientific course.

Actually, you're wrong. If you want to do primary school teaching, then it's a pre-req that you have "any two units of mathematics". This includes general maths. You can do the degree without any maths at all, but the powers that be won't register you as a teacher at the end of it if you don't have 2 units of maths for your HSC, which means that you've spent 4 years at uni, and racked up a HECS debt of nearly $17,000, and you can't actually get a job at the end of it.
I switched to general maths after half yearlies in year 11, got an HSC mark in the high 80s. I can look at a maths textbook without wanting to curl up in a little ball, which is more than a lot of the people who kept going with mathematics, and barely scraped a 50 as their final mark can say. Who would you rather have teaching your kids the basics of maths - the person who's confident with what they're doing, or the person who won't stray from what's already written in the textbook, because they don't really have any idea what they're talking about?

Also, if you're not sure what you want to do at uni, then having done general maths is better than having done no maths. It's still not going to help you much in a maths degree or most science degrees, but if you decide that you want to do economics or something like that, then general maths could save you from having to do a bridging course.
Having two units of maths for your HSC is never going to look bad, even if you never actually end up using it for anything.

 

[lyounamu]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

Actually, you're wrong. If you want to do primary school teaching, then it's a pre-req that you have "any two units of mathematics". This includes general maths. You can do the degree without any maths at all, but the powers that be won't register you as a teacher at the end of it if you don't have 2 units of maths for your HSC, which means that you've spent 4 years at uni, and racked up a HECS debt of nearly $17,000, and you can't actually get a job at the end of it.
I switched to general maths after half yearlies in year 11, got an HSC mark in the high 80s. I can look at a maths textbook without wanting to curl up in a little ball, which is more than a lot of the people who kept going with mathematics, and barely scraped a 50 as their final mark can say. Who would you rather have teaching your kids the basics of maths - the person who's confident with what they're doing, or the person who won't stray from what's already written in the textbook, because they don't really have any idea what they're talking about?

Also, if you're not sure what you want to do at uni, then having done general maths is better than having done no maths. It's still not going to help you much in a maths degree or most science degrees, but if you decide that you want to do economics or something like that, then general maths could save you from having to do a bridging course.
Having two units of maths for your HSC is never going to look bad, even if you never actually end up using it for anything.

Hm...interesting. I never knew that.

 

[x-Manda-x]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

Overly I agree, pick the subjects you're good at, and you like. Cause overly you'll succeed better in them while enjoying them.

 

[agirlinatutu]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

To those about to post "what do you know, your only in year 10", the advice is good so what does it matter.

lol

its great advice, yet there will STILL be a million and one threads on this anyway. Good advice though

 

[Cerry]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

Hm...interesting. I never knew that.

Lots of people don't. It's just not relevent to them, so they have no reason to know it. Doesn't bother me at all until people start getting all high and mighty about how useless general maths is, and how there's absolutely no reason you should ever do it. Remove head from ass BEFORE speaking, people.

 

[BiancaMaree]

im thinkin about doing these subjects next year
-Standered English
-Senior Science
-General Maths
-Visual Arts
-Photography
-PD
-Buisness studies

im wanting to do a bachlour of arts at uni.
Would these get me good enough marks to achieve a UAI of 65?

 

[lyounamu]

im thinkin about doing these subjects next year
-Standered English
-Senior Science
-General Maths
-Visual Arts
-Photography
-PD
-Buisness studies

im wanting to do a bachlour of arts at uni.
Would these get me good enough marks to achieve a UAI of 65?

Yep, your subjects are fine. Most subject combination can get you 100 UAI if you perform extremely well.

 

[possessionless]

Re: How NOT to pick HSC Subjects

Overly I agree, pick the subjects you're good at, and you like. Cause overly you'll succeed better in them while enjoying them.

agreed!

 

[annita]

i have been wondering over this for a long time, and even though i feel like it is too late, my curiosity gets the better of me

i want to know if my subject choices were made wisely:

English Advanced
Maths Accelerated (3u)
SOR 1
Chemistry
Biology
PDHPE
Spanish

would it have been better to choose English Extension 1 over PDHPE? Earth and Environmental over PDHPE?

i am currently interested in (generally) the sciences, but more specifically in a Bachelor of Medicine- is this achievable with this pattern?

can someone please help clear my doubts?
Thanks

btw - also can someone please tell me if i can do some sort of course or something for Italian? i didn't pick it before, and there is no possibility for me to do it now, since only continuers is being offered... regrets... but in the future maybe there is something (im not quite sure...)

 

[nhoustonrocks]

Next year I'm think of doing
- Advanced English
- English Extension 1 or 2 coz I have no idea wt the difference is (please explain)
- Italian
- Ancient History
- Modern History
- Family and Community Studies

Year 11: There's only one English Extension and its counted as 1 unit.

Year 12: There's English Extension 1 & 2, both counted as 1 unit each. English Extension 1 is a requisite for Extension 2. I'm not really sure of the content of the extension courses as i don't do them, sorry.

 

[mizz_a]

There's probably already a post that answers my question but....
what the heck is scaling?
i just came across that term when i stumbled upon this site beginning of this year
regardless of people saying dont choose subjects just because they scale well.....may i know what are the subjects that do scale well for the hsc? and how does it work?

i feel so noob about hsc and stuff.....so noob to the whole nsw education system....i started yr 7 here.....still finding some of the things about the examing system a bit weird

 

[d3st1nyLiang]

does anyone know if you need to do ext english in yr 11 to do ext 1 english in yr 12?

 

[nhoustonrocks]

does anyone know if you need to do ext english in yr 11 to do ext 1 english in yr 12?

yes.

 

[LordPc]

does anyone know if you need to do ext english in yr 11 to do ext 1 english in yr 12?

yes you have to do extension english in year 11 to be able to do it in year 12.

the same rule applies for pretty much any subject. the only exceptions I know of involve senior science and general maths.

also note that to do english extension 2 you have to do english extension 1 in year 11 and then pick up extension 2 in year 12. (same goes for maths extensions)