Chemistry or Accounting???

[a5hr0nixa]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post so go easy,
I urgently need advice on what subject I should continue on with for Year 11 VCE.
I am starting my 3rd week back tomorrow and I'm still trying to figure out what subject I should pursue out of Chemistry and Accounting...
The subjects I'm doing currently are:
English Language 1&2
Specialist Maths 1&2 (distance ed)
Math Methods 1&2
Physics 1&2
Chemistry 1&2
and I just picked up Accounting 1&2 today (distance ed)

I only need 5 subjects as a requirement but I wanted to get a feel for accounting before I made my final decision on which one to drop (hasn't helped because I'm still being introduced and I am very aware that a subject changes throughout units 1-4).
I am very mathematical, loving specialist, methods and physics but my problem is the heavy heavy content load, I felt like chemistry was the heaviest and almost too much. So I decided to pick up accounting because it is a subject I did in year 10 and found the exam really simple (although I did not listen in class).

In terms of my strengths and weaknesses:
Maths/physics is easily my strongest area because of the "click", once I get it, I get it
My memory isn't that great when it comes to school, I have found methods that work but definitely not a strong point of mine
I'm not a writer/typer, I find myself constantly editing my work until it appears perfect which is very time consuming, I found writing was more present in Chemistry then I expected (going to struggle with EL)

I have never done chemistry and I have little prior knowledge to accounting, my questions to you are:
What subject seems best suited in terms of a high study score?
I am starting about 3 weeks late to accounting, will that be difficult to catch up?
Which subject has the least amount of content to remember?
Which subject did you/will I find easier?
Will distance ed accounting be a challenge in itself? (I have good discipline but am working on my study habits)

I probably will enjoy chemistry slightly more but that doesn't have an impact on which one I should choose because I am very focussed either way. Also, please no replies telling me that chemistry leads me to more pathways because I am already aware of the prerequisites for what I want to do at uni. Take in to consideration whichever subject I choose, I plan on doing in year 12 as well.

Thanks guys,
Hope you can help 

[sweetcheeks]

You say that you know what you want to do at university? Can you elaborate further? This will probably help with responses.

To answer your questions:
1. Difficult to answer. Don't pick a subject based on the study score you might get. Pick the subject on the basis of it being something you will find interesting/useful/enjoyable. For example, some people pick a subject like HHD because they hear it is 'easy' but get a terrible score because they aren't interested in it, which makes it difficult to study for and can make your year miserable. Year 12 is a difficult year and it certainly is a lot worse if your'e doing a subject that you don't like (and it can affect your other subjects)

2. 3 weeks into unit 1/2 isn't too difficult as long as you are willing to put the effort in.

3. Can't really answer about content memorisation. But again, try not to look at it that way. One subject may have less memory work than another, but the type of content to remember can be vastly different, and you may have trouble memorising content for one subject. Also, whilst there is some memorisation to be done for all subjects, the important factor to achieving highly is understanding the content rather than knowing it.

4. Can't answer that one. Everyone is different, for me, science has always been easier for me to pick-up and understand.

5. Distance Education works really well for some people and not so much for others. It depends on you're learning style and your study habits.

Ultimately your decision should come down to what subject you think you enjoy more and get more out of.

[ashmi]

Hi a5hr0nixa!

Welcome to AN!

First of all, in Year 11, is it possible if you can take 6 subjects? If so, just take all the subjects you are currently doing.
I think the first thing to take into account is to see what subject you are most passionate in. You have probably heard this a million times, but this is what makes the difference in VCE!

Back when I was in Year 11, I also had the exact same problem as you, deciding between Chem and Accounting .

I have never done chemistry and I have little prior knowledge to accounting, my questions to you are:
What subject seems best suited in terms of a high study score?
I am starting about 3 weeks late to accounting, will that be difficult to catch up?
Which subject has the least amount of content to remember?
Which subject did you/will I find easier?
Will distance ed accounting be a challenge in itself? (I have good discipline but am working on my study habits)

Both subjects have the potential to get a high SS. It just depends on how much you prioritise it compared to your other subjects. In the end, it's all on YOU. Also, the cohort and exams constantly change each year and once everything is scaled, both subjects are on an equal field.
It shouldn't be too difficult to catch up on if you are passionate about pursuing it! There are people that don't do 1/2 of a subject and catch-up on it so it should be alright considering it is 3 weeks! It will be difficult to catch up if you don't put in the initiative and effort into Accounting though. (Not sure about the least amount of content to remember part but why remember stuff when you can understand how it works?)
When I was picking out of the two, I found Chem to be a bit more entertaining so I went with that over Accounting. During the first bit of the start of Year 11, I found Chem to be harder than Accounting (but now I would say the complete opposite haha) but I really liked the challenge Chem provided so I stuck with it.
Distance Ed shouldn't be too much of an issue (there are plenty of people on AN that have done Distance!) but it would be good if you had a teacher you could double-check stuff with when it becomes hard to contact your Distance Ed teacher. If you have good discipline, you will be fine!
 

I probably will enjoy chemistry slightly more but that doesn't have an impact on which one I should choose because I am very focussed either way. Also, please no replies telling me that chemistry leads me to more pathways because I am already aware of the prerequisites for what I want to do at uni. Take into consideration whichever subject I choose, I plan on doing in year 12 as well.

When I first started Year 11, I didn't think I would cope in Chem but now, it's one of my fav subjects! I'm going to reiterate what you said (sorry) but if you are not 100% sure on what you want to do, I would pick Chem for pathways.
If you could give us an idea of what you want to do in uni/study it would help much more for this!

[a5hr0nixa]

You say that you know what you want to do at university? Can you elaborate further? This will probably help with responses.

To answer your questions:
1. Difficult to answer. Don't pick a subject based on the study score you might get. Pick the subject on the basis of it being something you will find interesting/useful/enjoyable. For example, some people pick a subject like HHD because they hear it is 'easy' but get a terrible score because they aren't interested in it, which makes it difficult to study for and can make your year miserable. Year 12 is a difficult year and it certainly is a lot worse if your'e doing a subject that you don't like (and it can affect your other subjects)

2. 3 weeks into unit 1/2 isn't too difficult as long as you are willing to put the effort in.

3. Can't really answer about content memorisation. But again, try not to look at it that way. One subject may have less memory work than another, but the type of content to remember can be vastly different, and you may have trouble memorising content for one subject. Also, whilst there is some memorisation to be done for all subjects, the important factor to achieving highly is understanding the content rather than knowing it.

4. Can't answer that one. Everyone is different, for me, science has always been easier for me to pick-up and understand.

5. Distance Education works really well for some people and not so much for others. It depends on you're learning style and your study habits.

Ultimately your decision should come down to what subject you think you enjoy more and get more out of.

I am very keen on Mechanical engineering which I didn't want to mention because I assumed everybody's response would be CHEM CHEM CHEM...

The uni's I want to get into require a really good ATAR, what I learn at school isn't too much of a priority for me because I'm happy picking up Chemistry at uni. All I really care about at school is a high ATAR score and what I do to achieve that doesn't bother me either. This may be just me but I have the ability to push through something I absolutely dread if I feel necessary (which doesn't even apply to accounting but still).

I read and hear about people saying chemistry is really difficult to get a good study score and Accounting is the opposite. I know it doesn't mean much but for me I feel like chemistry just goes over SO much. And like I said my memory isn't great.

[a5hr0nixa]

When I first started Year 11, I didn't think I would cope in Chem but now, it's one of my fav subjects! I'm going to reiterate what you said (sorry) but if you are not 100% sure on what you want to do, I would pick Chem for pathways.
If you could give us an idea of what you want to do in uni/study it would help much more for this!

Thank you heaps for your reply.
I think I'm in the same boat as you because I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with chemistry although I do find it interesting. Starting on AoS 3, we have to do a research task which is something that I was really trying to avoid. Does the subject get more answer based and more mathematical? Because I'm really not liking the english side of it...

Also view my previous reply because that also applies to your answer.
Thanks again

[ashmi]

Thank you heaps for your reply.
I think I'm in the same boat as you because I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with chemistry although I do find it interesting. Starting on AoS 3, we have to do a research task which is something that I was really trying to avoid. Does the subject get more answer based and more mathematical? Because I'm really not liking the english side of it...

Also view my previous reply because that also applies to your answer.
Thanks again

I found Chem in Year 11 to be much harder than 3/4 (currently). There is quite a lot of theory in 1/2 and they are just trying to make sure you are on the same level before they start doing a lot of calculations. For any science, you will have to do some Prac at some point! (Yes for Physics too). It does get a lot more maths based in 3/4 and all my Chem classes need to use a calculator at some point (except for some topics). 1/2 is really full-on theory but as you go on, there will be a few mathematical approaches here and there. I absolutely dislike English based subjects too, but trust me, Chem has its ups and downs like every other subject. (Didn't like it last Year that much till term 2 ish and then hated it and now I love it).

I am very keen on Mechanical engineering which I didn't want to mention because I assumed everybody's response would be CHEM CHEM CHEM...

The uni's I want to get into require a really good ATAR, what I learn at school isn't too much of a priority for me because I'm happy picking up Chemistry at uni. All I really care about at school is a high ATAR score and what I do to achieve that doesn't bother me either. This may be just me but I have the ability to push through something I absolutely dread if I feel necessary (which doesn't even apply to accounting but still).

I read and hear about people saying chemistry is really difficult to get a good study score and Accounting is the opposite.

This is going to sound a little bit crazy, but in Year 11, I was thinking of doing Mechanical Engineering too! (Now its Electrical + Biomed Engineering thanks to Physics + Chem ).
Chem and Accounting are just as difficult as each other to get a good score, so I would personally avoid using that to base a judgement. Chem would be quite hard to pick up at uni whereas Accounting would be much easier to pick up, but then again, it depends on the type of person you are. I guess the real thing you want to figure out is WHY you want to do Accounting. If it's just because people are telling you that it's easier to get a good score in, scrap it and go with Chem. If you genuinely want to do Accounting because you enjoy it, do Accounting!

To give you a little insight of why I picked Chem over Accounting, it was because of the nice content overlap (Thermochem/Thermodynamics) and overall helps with Physics and my other subjects every once in a while (also Uni pathways as I was still unsure what I wanted to do). I was planning to drop Chem and pick up Accounting again in Year 12 but found the content in Chem quite enjoyable at the later end of the year so I kept it and was probably the best decision (3/4 Chem is so good!). Just do the subject you think you will enjoy more as that will be the deciding factor of how well you will do!

If you need any more help, ask away!

[a5hr0nixa]

I found Chem in Year 11 to be much harder than 3/4 (currently). There is quite a lot of theory in 1/2 and they are just trying to make sure you are on the same level before they start doing a lot of calculations. For any science, you will have to do some Prac at some point! (Yes for Physics too). It does get a lot more maths based in 3/4 and all my Chem classes need to use a calculator at some point (except for some topics). 1/2 is really full-on theory but as you go on, there will be a few mathematical approaches here and there. I absolutely dislike English based subjects too, but trust me, Chem has its ups and downs like every other subject. (Didn't like it last Year that much till term 2 ish and then hated it and now I love it).

This is going to sound a little bit crazy, but in Year 11, I was thinking of doing Mechanical Engineering too! (Now its Electrical + Biomed Engineering thanks to Physics + Chem ).
Chem and Accounting are just as difficult as each other to get a good score, so I would personally avoid using that to base a judgement. Chem would be quite hard to pick up at uni whereas Accounting would be much easier to pick up, but then again, it depends on the type of person you are. I guess the real thing you want to figure out is WHY you want to do Accounting. If it's just because people are telling you that it's easier to get a good score in, scrap it and go with Chem. If you genuinely want to do Accounting because you enjoy it, do Accounting!

To give you a little insight of why I picked Chem over Accounting, it was because of the nice content overlap (Thermochem/Thermodynamics) and overall helps with Physics and my other subjects every once in a while (also Uni pathways as I was still unsure what I wanted to do). I was planning to drop Chem and pick up Accounting again in Year 12 but found the content in Chem quite enjoyable at the later end of the year so I kept it and was probably the best decision (3/4 Chem is so good!). Just do the subject you think you will enjoy more as that will be the deciding factor of how well you will do!

If you need any more help, ask away!

You just helped make my decision, thank you so much for your help!

The reason I was going for accounting is because I thought it would be something I thought was easy to begin with, then after a little bit of research I was proven right. But the truth is I actually enjoy chemistry a lot more. I think I might struggle with how much time I spend writing/typing but I guess I'm just going to have to learn  .

I have a final question because I feel like you could help me with this as well,
Is it worth buying the Cambridge Checkpoints books or the ATARNotes course notes books or both?
I'm planning on getting them to help me out with year 11 especially chemistry but obviously wouldn't want to waste my money.

Thanks again Legend 

[Ionic Doc]

You just helped make my decision, thank you so much for your help!

The reason I was going for accounting is because I thought it would be something I thought was easy to begin with, then after a little bit of research I was proven right. But the truth is I actually enjoy chemistry a lot more. I think I might struggle with how much time I spend writing/typing but I guess I'm just going to have to learn  .

I have a final question because I feel like you could help me with this as well,
Is it worth buying the Cambridge Checkpoints books or the ATARNotes course notes books or both?
I'm planning on getting them to help me out with year 11 especially chemistry but obviously wouldn't want to waste my money.

Thanks again Legend 

Hey,
The course notes are a summary of notes and they go over all the theories and concepts mentioned in the unit 1/2 study design for Chemistry.
Checkpoints, however, are a little bit different as the book contains numerous questions that prep you for SAC's and Exams.

It really depends on what you need. Help with theory (Course Notes), help with answering questions (Checkpoints).

Both books are great though. 

[ashmi]

You just helped make my decision, thank you so much for your help!

The reason I was going for accounting is because I thought it would be something I thought was easy to begin with, then after a little bit of research I was proven right. But the truth is I actually enjoy chemistry a lot more. I think I might struggle with how much time I spend writing/typing but I guess I'm just going to have to learn  .

I have a final question because I feel like you could help me with this as well,
Is it worth buying the Cambridge Checkpoints books or the ATARNotes course notes books or both?
I'm planning on getting them to help me out with year 11 especially chemistry but obviously wouldn't want to waste my money.

Thanks again Legend 

So glad that you were able to make a decision that is right for you!

Honestly, I didn't use Checkpoints 1/2 when I was doing Year 11 but I did own the ATAR Notes Course Notes which I found did condense down the information of the textbook! In 3/4, I highly recommend using Checkpoints but during Year 11, I found that there was enough practice questions supplied so I didn't feel like buying them (I borrowed the book every once in a while just before SACs from a local library but that was really it).

Chem is quite an application subject so I would recommend finding some practise questions, which Checkpoints would be good for. I'm sure if you ask your school for some extra work they would be happy to give you some stuff to help with SACS (this got me through Year 11 without buying Checkpoints), however, if your school doesn't supply enough practise questions for you, do buy it.
I honestly think there is no need for Year 11 but if you really want to get it, go ahead!

In 3/4, I highly recommend Checkpoints, A+ notes and the ATARNotes topic tests though! (Neap maybe but I always just borrowed it from the library).
Hope this helps!