Should I drop 3/4 CHEM?

[UnknownMate]

Hello, I am new to this forum. I cannot decide whether it is realistic to drop 3/4 Chemistry or not.
My subjects include:

• Maths Methods
• Specialist Maths
• English
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Digital Solutions

I have A's in all subjects except Chemistry. I got 17,12 and 18 in the data test, the research investigation and the student experiment, respectively. I do not wish to pursue a science degree in future. The homework in Chemistry is hectic.
The teacher and the classmates are decent. Moreover, I have enormous hatred towards Biology. I have checked the Unit 3/4's syllabus, and it appears that a lot of Biology is involved, which is not my cup of tea. I would rather focus more on Maths, Physics, English and Solutions. The required atar score for my selected uni is about 86. So, should I drop Chemistry?

I appreciate your time and effort. Thanks. 

[Phytoplankton]

Hello, I am new to this forum. I cannot decide whether it is realistic to drop 3/4 Chemistry or not.
My subjects include:

• Maths Methods
• Specialist Maths
• English
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Digital Solutions

I have A's in all subjects except Chemistry. I got 17,12 and 18 in the data test, the research investigation and the student experiment, respectively. I do not wish to pursue a science degree in future. The homework in Chemistry is hectic.
The teacher and the classmates are decent. Moreover, I have enormous hatred towards Biology. I have checked the Unit 3/4's syllabus, and it appears that a lot of Biology is involved, which is not my cup of tea. I would rather focus more on Maths, Physics, English and Solutions. The required atar score for my selected uni is about 86. So, should I drop Chemistry?

I appreciate your time and effort. Thanks.

Hey UnknownMate,

Realistically, if you aren't pursuing a science-involved career in the future, chemistry wouldn't be much use. Considering the ATAR requirement for your course is 86 and you are achieving A's in all your subjects (including specialist maths and assuming you maintain your grades), I would say you are looking for an ATAR higher than 86. As you can tell, what I'm trying to say is that you can gain entry into your course with an ATAR above 86 which I am assuming doesn't have chemistry as a pre-requisite.

As a current Grade 12 chemistry and biology student, I would have to say that there is very little overlap in the biology and chemistry syllabus and that chemistry doesn't involve as much biology as you think. I believe the only area that may be remotely similar to biology is enzymes but that's really it (unless I forgot part of the chem syllabus which would be an issue considering I have the chem external exam on Monday  ).

Finally, to summarise, if the homework for chemistry is too much and stressful, you aren't getting the marks you want in chemistry, you want to focus on Maths, Physics, English and Solutions and you don't need chemistry at all in the future, then what should be stopping you from dropping it? To leave you with something, personally, I would drop chemistry (and that's coming from a chemistry student  ).

In the end, it really comes down to your choice and how you feel in terms of stress and ATAR security but I hope what I said above stimulates some sort of idea to make that decision easier. Hope it helps and good luck for the future!

[UnknownMate]

Thanks Isuka. I sincerely appreciate your time and effort invested in writing the response. I will surely take your advice into consideration. I wish you all the best on your exams.

[GreenNinja]

I am planning on doing qce chem next year.
Is it really that hard??

I am also doing spec, phy and bio as well. Is chem much harder than them?

Thanks

[Phytoplankton]

I am planning on doing qce chem next year.
Is it really that hard??

I am also doing spec, phy and bio as well. Is chem much harder than them?

Thanks

Hey Tech1234,

I heard that many people from last year found the chemistry exam quite difficult but I also heard that the reason for that was underestimating the exam. As preparation, I did a few QCAA exams for both specialist maths and chemistry and as a comparison, I generally found that chemistry is easier than specialist maths but it really depends on the person. I would say chemistry is certainly not "much harder" but I would say that there are aspects that are harder than biology and physics. Personally, I quite enjoy chemistry and its quite important in my career field, hence why I chose chemistry.

I know I did a bit of a comparison above but you really can't compare between subjects and its even more difficult when you compare across maths and science. One reason is because maths is 80% exams, 20% assignment whereas science is 60% exams, 40% assignments. The only differentiators are whether you need chemistry and more importantly, whether you like chemistry.

Hope this helps and if you want to find out more about subjects, remember, all the syllabuses are open to the public on the QCAA so you can take a sneak peak into those. Good luck!

[UnknownMate]

Hey @Tech1234,

In my opinion, chemistry is not difficult at all. If you are passionate about it, then it is a piece of cake.
However in my case, the concepts were not taught extensively and a lot of homework was assigned ruthlessly. That's how I lost my interest in CHEM. I had my end-of-year exam few days ago, and my performance was satisfactory.

[GreenNinja]

Thanks Guys