Physics uni extension, is it worth it?

[Bokthiyar]

Hi,
I'm a year 11, I was told about uni extensions recently and i've been wondering if i should apply for one next year. I'm doing a 3 4 this year so I think i'll have some spare time for an extra subject in year 12. I've done some research so I have a vague idea on how uni extenions work, and considering my vce subjects I'm doing, I'll be able to apply for a physics uni extension, but im not sure if it's worth it.

If anyone's done a physics uni extention i would like to know their expereince and how they found it.
Is it really hard? Would it be difficult to manage it along with my other vce subjects?
If i did take it up it would be my 7th subject, but if it ends up being in my top 6 would it scale down my atar if i don't do well?

The course I want to take up in uni is completely different. I want to take up dental but since im not taking vce bio I can't take up uni extention bio. I'm planning to do dental interstate becuase i can't do it in vic. Would taking up physics uni extention be unessacary or a waste of time?

[mabajas76]

Hey! Firstly welcome to ATAR notes!
So I am currently doing UMEP math, however I originally planned to take physics, so attached are some posts that I put out on reddit and atar notes about which one which really helped me. For reddit my comments are deleted but everyone elses are there.
https://www.reddit.com/r/unimelb/comments/odmqmn/deleted_by_user/
https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=194849.0
A summary of them and why I choose math over physics is:
For physics, it is taken as a direct first year subject, aka you go to the same lectures as first years at Melb uni itself, whereas the math ones can be taken at school centers which can be really beneficial with travel and a smaller class with a vce teacher who really knows the subject and how to teach it, this means more support.
Doing math over physics allows u to do second year subjects in first year, which can't be done by doing physics. If you intend to study outside of vic it may be another story, you would need to do some research or email the university about this. Also the pracs in physics run during the holidays so the classes will take up more time.
UMEP math is much more relevent to spec, methods and further (Matricies, vectors, transformations, calculus, calculus, calculus, semester two is a lot of calculus) than physics, which won't help much with the subjects. I would prob need to know what subjects ur doing this year to give better advice here.
Check out these for some more info on the subjects if you havent.
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/subjects/phyc10003
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/subjects/phyc10004

Here is the big part, whether its a waste of your time.
So how the grading works is really simple, pass the class and you get a 30. Every 10% above 50 will add 5SS to ur grase. So a 75% will give you 30+5+5=a 40SS. To get a 50, all you need is 90%. The grades in uni do scale with difficulty but not against each student so if you put in the work, passing should be pretty easy, but in terms of difficulty this is where I drop off, all I know is the math one. However, uni subjects ALWAYS count as bottom 6 or IF you are doing seven, bottom six assuming it higher than one of ur other subjects. So that 50 becomes a meager 5, like all ur 5th and 6th subjects.

Now idk ur subjects, but it sounds like you would be doing one this year, and 6 in year 12. Not sure why but you do you. If i'm being honest...thats alot. Like 6 subjects +uni is not easy, idc how smart you are(not a dig) anyone who could handle that easily would not still be in highschool.

So as a 6th subject it IS great cause it is easier to score higher in, but considering ur work load and future plans I don't think it is neccesary and prehaps not reccomended. The other thing to note is that unlike math for example, physics has a placment test, so ur entry isnt guaranteed without like a HD in a physics olympiad or something.

[mabajas76]

Hi! t
Thank you so much for the information and details. I'll definity check out the redit comments and the atar notes link u've attached.
U wanted more insight into the subjects im doing, so here are the subjects
Methods 3 4
Economics 1 2
Physics 1 2
Chem 1 2
Psych 1 2
Normal English 1 2

I did want to try uni maths extension but for that apparently you'd have to be doing spec 3 4 in year 12. I chose not to do spec because my school teachers advised me that it would be too much of a workload and I should be taking atleast one easier subject, which is why im doing psych. I should have maybe given it a try and im not sure if they'll let me switch subjects now.
I've heard the UMEP maths is diffiult, is this true?

I see, so regardless of whether the uni extension is my seventh subject or not, it will always be in my bottom 6 and count towards my atar.
I'm doing one 3 4 next year and then that would leave me with doing five  3 4's next year. Which leaves me with a space for an extra subject if I have time. I'm only considering the uni extension becuase some teachers have talked about it 😅, but no i would never do 6 subjects in year 12 + a uni extension, that would be way to difficult for me. I'm not exactly smart but i would like to give it a try if i can and maybe replace it with psychology.
 
I understand, thank you for your insight, this has been very helpful. Considering my future plans its probably inessacary. I did originally want to try uni maths extention but not doing spec has been a drawback.
Is it possible to still do UMEP with just methods and my current subjects? If it is then i would really like to see if i can apply for it.

Hey, sorry I may have worded it confusingly, the uni extension counts as a bottom 6 but if you do seven subjects and the uni extension is ur lowest, it won't count. So it may not end up contributing IF you do more than six and score poorly, but if you drop one subject (so 5 vce subjects) and do uni extension, it will count as a 6th.

I suppose you could email them and be like "hey, im doing methods 3/4 this year but not spec, can I still do umep math next year?", they don't have like limited spots so they are not too picky for students, just as long as ur not completely ass at math you will prob get in honestly, but i'm not sure about it if ur not doing spec, so I would email them.

As for difficulty...well it is difficult but including the lecture time I only spend about 6 hours (so 4 hours of home work) a week doing it. Which considering how much time other subjects take up, is very little. The concepts can take some time to work around, but I found if you read the notes for the lecture 3 times over 3 days you will understand it fine, and the questions are very different from vcaa. It will just give you say, a matrix and be like "Put this into the form you spent an enitre semester learing" and stuff, they are not trying to trick you. The exams are also often very simmilar to the year befores, same with assignments. The teachers also know that ur doing vce and tell you to foccus on that, so you have plently of time for catch up.

One other thing to consider could be this: Lets say you get into a umep subject, physics, math whatever. Thats one subject, then ur doing methods this year. So at school you will only be doing 4 subjects, which will provide like 7 hours of free periods or more every two weeks depending on ur school timetable.

One last thing, lets say at the end of the year you are not really enjoying economics, psycology, chem whatever and want to switch. Do NOT rule out spec, the 1/2 and 3/4 and extremely different, like stupidly different. You can dive into the 3/4 and since you have done methods 3/4 and physics 1/2 be very comfortable. So its not too late if you end up doing spec. And those free periods would be a life saver, beyond this the math extension subject  will be pretty helpful with spec.