Subject help

[mzaria]

Hi everyone, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. But i'm currently studying 12 units; ancient, modern, extension history, advanced english, legal studies, mathematics and extension 1 mathematics but i'm having troubling juggling my extension subjects. I'm top 10 for all my subjects except 2u and 3u maths but i definitely want to keep my 2u. i come from a really high ranking maths school and one of my maths teachers thinks i should keep both of my maths subjects because there will be great scaling. Also, for extension history, the major work is due this friday, i have yet to start but i know what direction im going in. it's just the topics (what is history and appeasement) that is causing me stress because it's harder to evaluate on the spot. any comments?

[EEEEEEP]

Hi everyone, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. But i'm currently studying 12 units; ancient, modern, extension history, advanced english, legal studies, mathematics and extension 1 mathematics but i'm having troubling juggling my extension subjects. I'm top 10 for all my subjects except 2u and 3u maths but i definitely want to keep my 2u. i come from a really high ranking maths school and one of my maths teachers thinks i should keep both of my maths subjects because there will be great scaling. Also, for extension history, the major work is due this friday, i have yet to start but i know what direction im going in. it's just the topics (what is history and appeasement) that is causing me stress because it's harder to evaluate on the spot. any comments?

Given the info. I would drop 3U maths and then keep the rest.

Dropping 3U maths would free up lots of time for you to do extension history. MAth 3U is also not one of your best subs.

[RuiAce]

Hi everyone, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. But i'm currently studying 12 units; ancient, modern, extension history, advanced english, legal studies, mathematics and extension 1 mathematics but i'm having troubling juggling my extension subjects. I'm top 10 for all my subjects except 2u and 3u maths but i definitely want to keep my 2u. i come from a really high ranking maths school and one of my maths teachers thinks i should keep both of my maths subjects because there will be great scaling. Also, for extension history, the major work is due this friday, i have yet to start but i know what direction im going in. it's just the topics (what is history and appeasement) that is causing me stress because it's harder to evaluate on the spot. any comments?

Given what you've said so far, I agree completely with nerd.

Could you provide some further information? School ranks and maybe a few marks you're getting in your subjects?

[studybuddy7777]

Hi everyone, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. But i'm currently studying 12 units; ancient, modern, extension history, advanced english, legal studies, mathematics and extension 1 mathematics but i'm having troubling juggling my extension subjects. I'm top 10 for all my subjects except 2u and 3u maths but i definitely want to keep my 2u. i come from a really high ranking maths school and one of my maths teachers thinks i should keep both of my maths subjects because there will be great scaling. Also, for extension history, the major work is due this friday, i have yet to start but i know what direction im going in. it's just the topics (what is history and appeasement) that is causing me stress because it's harder to evaluate on the spot. any comments?

From the info given, I would recommend you discontinue Ext 1 Math, but a friend of mine does Extension History and says that the 'major work' is not easy to complete in just a week or two. Remember that only your 10 best units count! I won't say anymore except its your future and ultimately you have to make the choices you want as it is your life to live.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi everyone, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. But i'm currently studying 12 units; ancient, modern, extension history, advanced english, legal studies, mathematics and extension 1 mathematics but i'm having troubling juggling my extension subjects. I'm top 10 for all my subjects except 2u and 3u maths but i definitely want to keep my 2u. i come from a really high ranking maths school and one of my maths teachers thinks i should keep both of my maths subjects because there will be great scaling. Also, for extension history, the major work is due this friday, i have yet to start but i know what direction im going in. it's just the topics (what is history and appeasement) that is causing me stress because it's harder to evaluate on the spot. any comments?

Before I comment, I want to stress: You need to ignore scaling when choosing your subjects. It really irks me when teachers say "keep a subject because of the scaling." For one, your education is about doing what is best for your enrichment, for your personal development, not just maximising your ATAR. And secondly, scaling will not turn a Band 3 result into Band 6, or anything similar. It's a little nudge upward, but not a substitute for hard work. For these reasons, please forget about scaling when making this decision! And your school being a high ranking math school doesn't affect too much either.

That said, I do tend to agree with above, although you are nearly there!! You are so close to the finish line, and since they take the best 10 units anyway, you need to ask yourself: Is dropping the unit right at the end really worth it for you? It's like running the marathon then giving up when the finish line is just a hundred metres away.

Even without knowing you, I know you can succeed with all 12 units if you work hard. Why? Because hard work pays off, pure and simple.

Only you know the answer. If you are really, really struggling to the point where it is affecting your physical/social/mental wellbeing, then absolutely drop a unit, probably Extension Math (but whatever helps). Look after yourself before anything else. But if you think you can hang on to Extension without affecting your performance elsewhere, even if Extension Math falls by the wayside a bit, keep it around. At the end of the day, you can always just "ignore" Extension Math for a little while, do less work, and get everything else back on track.

Personally, I'd only actually drop it as a last resort 

[mzaria]

Given the info. I would drop 3U maths and then keep the rest.

Dropping 3U maths would free up lots of time for you to do extension history. MAth 3U is also not one of your best subs.

thanks for the reply. it definitely is not but i keep thinking of all the work i've put into learning the 3u formulas, common questions that's tested, etc.

[RuiAce]

thanks for the reply. it definitely is not but i keep thinking of all the work i've put into learning the 3u formulas, common questions that's tested, etc.

Doesn't really mean much if you actually feel it's not beneficial to keep it.

I dropped SOR right before the trials.

[mzaria]

From the info given, I would recommend you discontinue Ext 1 Math, but a friend of mine does Extension History and says that the 'major work' is not easy to complete in just a week or two. Remember that only your 10 best units count! I won't say anymore except its your future and ultimately you have to make the choices you want as it is your life to live.

thank you also for the reply! i'm actually not worried about the major work as much as i'm worried about the exam essay parts. i know how to write and argue perfectly well which is what my teachers agree with but the readings is what is difficult to wrap my head around and i haven't found the time to go through them. studying for this trial is going to feel a lot like re-learning what i've been doing for the last 3 terms.

Doesn't really mean much if you actually feel it's not beneficial to keep it.

I dropped SOR right before the trials.

that's also a very valid point... i genuinely do enjoy some of the topics we cover in 3u but then again, i'm also doing equally as bad in other topics. thank you! i've also been suggested to see how i do after trials.

Before I comment, I want to stress: You need to ignore scaling when choosing your subjects. It really irks me when teachers say "keep a subject because of the scaling." For one, your education is about doing what is best for your enrichment, for your personal development, not just maximising your ATAR. And secondly, scaling will not turn a Band 3 result into Band 6, or anything similar. It's a little nudge upward, but not a substitute for hard work. For these reasons, please forget about scaling when making this decision! And your school being a high ranking math school doesn't affect too much either.

That said, I do tend to agree with above, although you are nearly there!! You are so close to the finish line, and since they take the best 10 units anyway, you need to ask yourself: Is dropping the unit right at the end really worth it for you? It's like running the marathon then giving up when the finish line is just a hundred metres away.

Even without knowing you, I know you can succeed with all 12 units if you work hard. Why? Because hard work pays off, pure and simple.

Only you know the answer. If you are really, really struggling to the point where it is affecting your physical/social/mental wellbeing, then absolutely drop a unit, probably Extension Math (but whatever helps). Look after yourself before anything else. But if you think you can hang on to Extension without affecting your performance elsewhere, even if Extension Math falls by the wayside a bit, keep it around. At the end of the day, you can always just "ignore" Extension Math for a little while, do less work, and get everything else back on track.

Personally, I'd only actually drop it as a last resort 

hi, thanks for the reply. i've actually mentioned the scaling because of the what the teacher said himself, not because i think it does wonders to marks. my school careers advisor also emphasises the same point you have.

that is exactly why i'm a bit on the fence about dropping this subject. I don't want to just give up because i'm not that type of person but with these time constraints i don't know if i can make it.

Thank you again (for the encouragement and all)!

Given what you've said so far, I agree completely with nerd.

Could you provide some further information? School ranks and maybe a few marks you're getting in your subjects?

i'm definitely loitering around the fail mark (50).. which puts into perspective, why am i even putting so much thought into this? my school is ranked top 50 for maths if that's what you're after. For extension history, i'm 10th out of a class of 18 and i think my report mark was a 36-38.

Moderator Edit: Posts merged. You can insert multiple quotes in a single reply!!

[kassidyfisher]

Despite the fact that 3U scales well, if you aren't doing well in it and you are struggling, drop it and focus on your other subjects. Thats your best bet in getting a good outcome. Its really stressful doing extra units when you are struggling at them!