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[Mkiryo]

Hey there, I need some help.
I'm in year 11 this year and currently doing those subjects:
- English
- Methods 3/4
- Chem
- Bio
- Legal
- Literature
- Texts and Traditions

HOWEVER,
The term is about to come to an end and I am considering swapping Literature with Psychology. I'm struggling to make a decision and I want to know before next week ends because if I move, I want to make it in time for the start of Psych's Unit 2 so I don't miss out on much.
So here's my thought process.

Lit has helped me heaps with English in terms of improving my expression and vocab but I've been complaining about it all semester because it's so different structurally from English and it's so bloody difficult to get high marks. Literature has been my lowest scoring subject this year. So far, I've gotten a 73% for my first analytical essay, an 83% for an oral poetry analysis and an 80% recently on a passage analysis. I know, not great. I'm aiming for a 90+ ATAR as well so I really want to do well in all my subjects.
Additionally, I want to pursue a career in science and/or law so I don't know where Lit would come in.
I've really enjoyed reading and discussing books in class and the deeper thinking the subject ensues, which has enhanced my level of thinking outside of class too.
Still, the assessments have given me so much stress because the standard is so high and oh my goodness have you looked at the examiner reports for Lit and the sample essays on there? I genuinely cannot fathom how I could make myself write in the way those people do. Our teacher has also pointed this out and said it is really difficult to receive a study score above 35. I like challenges but this might be too much next year.

I'm considering Psych because I really enjoy learning about the brain and its structure, structure of neurons, things like that. I did psych in year 9 and 10: parts of it were interesting and the material wasn't hard to understand but I often found it generally boring. The reason I didn't choose it, however, is because I was disheartened by the fact that it involves a lot of research especially in year 12. I really don't enjoy research but I can stand it if I have to. If you've done 3/4 psych, would you say that it's very research-based? It would be much appreciated if someone could explain the things you study in 3/4 psych. 1/2 seems very interesting but I've heard that it's different next year. I've also heard that it is relatively easy to do well in this subject so that's compelling too. But apparently, it's beneficial to develop research methods or something in unit 1/2. I did look at last year's exam and it looks SO much better than the Lit exam.

I'M STUCK.
I don't know if I should pick up psych. I also don't know if I should wait till the end of the year to do that, at least so I can benefit from Lit too and maybe improve by then. BUT this could also place unnecessary pressure on me next year if I choose to do psych instead. I DON'T KNOW.
I need help. Like desperately. So sorry for the long read. I'm just in a bit of a dilemma.

[Bri MT]

Hey,

Psych is not that difficult to swap into four 3&4. I've made a thread in the psychology section of the forum which outlines what you should learn over the holidays if you haven't studied units 1&2 (spoiler alert: it's basically research methods).

What do you mean by not enjoying research? Do you not like conducting or analysing experiments? Do you not like looking stuff up? 

Psych 3/4 focuses on these things:
- the nervous system (how do voluntary and involuntary responses work on a biological level?)
- stress (fear & excitement, causes of stress, biological & psychological impacts & processes)
- Learning and memory (types, how it works from a bio & pdych perspective)
- conciousness (awareness, attention, how we measure it)
- sleep (why, how,  components,  how it changes,  impacts of sleep deprivation and sleep disorders)
- mental wellbeing (the spectrum of mental wellbeing, factors that influence mental health disorders, anxiety disorders, treatments)
- like psych 1&2 there are also overaching things about psych as a science you need to understand (biopsychsocial model,  research methods (inc. ethics) )


Hope this helps! 

[Mkiryo]

What do you mean by not enjoying research? Do you not like conducting or analysing experiments? Do you not like looking stuff up? 

I just don't enjoy planning an experiment and yeah analysing it but like I have to do those anyway for bio and chem. I was just wondering if there is a lot more research and experiments in psych. I'm not sure what is meant by research methods.
The topics you mentioned sound so so interesting but I prefer being tested on them rather than conducting a prac or something. This has always been my problem with psych: I like the idea of it and always find the topics intriguing but for some reason, it feels tedious when I actually do it.
I could definitely see myself doing it next year. I just don't know if I should do it sooner rather than later. I would also be using my christmas holidays to get ahead in the rest of my subjects so I don't want to spend time learning things my peers already know.

[Bri MT]

I just don't enjoy planning an experiment and yeah analysing it but like I have to do those anyway for bio and chem. I was just wondering if there is a lot more research and experiments in psych. I'm not sure what is meant by research methods.
The topics you mentioned sound so so interesting but I prefer being tested on them rather than conducting a prac or something. This has always been my problem with psych: I like the idea of it and always find the topics intriguing but for some reason, it feels tedious when I actually do it.
I could definitely see myself doing it next year. I just don't know if I should do it sooner rather than later. I would also be using my christmas holidays to get ahead in the rest of my subjects so I don't want to spend time learning things my peers already know.

Your school may get you to do additional pracs but the study design only dictates that you need to do the 1 scientific poster (like in the other sciences). You can expect the clear majority of your marks to come from tests & the exam. Research methods is things like knowing how to write a hypothesis, aim, discussion...; being able to evaluate different types of experimental designs; knowing what the ethical principles that need to be followed in experiments are; being able to evaluate validity, reliability etc... Research methods is tested when you do your scientific poster but also in tests and the exam (like how in chem you might get an exam question asking you to evaluate an experiment). There's more research methods in psych but for me there wasn't more experiments.

[Mkiryo]

Your school may get you to do additional pracs but the study design only dictates that you need to do the 1 scientific poster (like in the other sciences). You can expect the clear majority of your marks to come from tests & the exam. Research methods is things like knowing how to write a hypothesis, aim, discussion...; being able to evaluate different types of experimental designs; knowing what the ethical principles that need to be followed in experiments are; being able to evaluate validity, reliability etc... Research methods is tested when you do your scientific poster but also in tests and the exam (like how in chem you might get an exam question asking you to evaluate an experiment). There's more research methods in psych but for me there wasn't more experiments.

That's good to know. Thanks for your help! I think I'm more inclined to choose psych now.

[Bri MT]

That's good to know. Thanks for your help! I think I'm more inclined to choose psych now.

No worries at all! You could also see if you can talk to the psych teacher at your school about transferring in as they may have advice specific to you or your school