ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => Victorian Education Discussion => Topic started by: lalala on April 19, 2008, 06:48:46 pm

Title: Past experiences
Post by: lalala on April 19, 2008, 06:48:46 pm
Based on your experiences, what subjects would you advise people NOT to take up.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jess3254 on April 19, 2008, 06:58:07 pm
ENGLISH
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: psychlaw on April 19, 2008, 07:00:57 pm
ENGLISH
I disagree, I think physics is the worst subject i chose (and is soon to be dropped for chem, though I might continue it... its looking unlikely)
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Nick on April 19, 2008, 07:07:03 pm
Further Maths

Possibly the most boring subject that ever existed  :P
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Mao on April 19, 2008, 07:35:47 pm
ENGLISH
aye, second that
though i should stop being a total arse about English (these folks have taken it pretty tough in recent times :P)

but the ABSOLUTE useless subject is Industry and Enterprise. Our school made unit 1 compulsory, it was ABSOLUTE bullcrap, seriously =P
despite its name, its nothing like commerce. Its more like, "if you go in the workforce, how you should work/communicate/etcetcetc"
BLEH~
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: clinton_09 on April 19, 2008, 07:50:25 pm
without a doubt Economics. Such a dry, boring terrible subject
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: costargh on April 19, 2008, 07:53:08 pm
without a doubt Economics. Such a dry, boring terrible subject
For those with a terrible mind =)
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: clinton_09 on April 19, 2008, 07:57:08 pm
without a doubt Economics. Such a dry, boring terrible subject
For those with a terrible mind =)

I can't see why so many people on vn like economics. After i come out of those classes i need to be on suicide watch.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: clinton_09 on April 19, 2008, 07:58:33 pm
i should probably say im not suicidial but i merely used it to describe how bad i feel about that subject
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: costargh on April 19, 2008, 08:05:29 pm
LOL.
I am better at Accounting than Economics but Economics is so much more riveting! I feel like I learn something new everyday
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: clinton_09 on April 19, 2008, 08:09:27 pm
i like the idea of being good at economics and enjoying it as i see the benefits but i can't see it happening anytime this year
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: psychlaw on April 19, 2008, 08:15:25 pm
i like the idea of being good at economics and enjoying it as i see the benefits but i can't see it happening anytime this year
ditto, except replace economics with methods :P
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Rietie on April 19, 2008, 08:16:49 pm
Don't take Texts and Traditions or Religion in Society if its a choice. Religion is so boring, and although they get marked up a lot, it's hard to do well in them. I didn't do either of them, but I've taken the 1+2 units of them and have talked to people who did the 3+4.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: AppleThief on April 19, 2008, 08:23:49 pm
I haven't done it since year 10, but I really advise against English (plain English), and still wonder why so many people do it. I find it pretty useless. I do English Language, and it's one of my favourite subjects. It's really interesting, and you start to apply concepts you've learnt to Real Life (for example, you really notice features of people's language, or doublespeak & euphemisms in advertisements, etc.) I've always found discussing themes in novels to be less than interesting, so I got into English Language at first possible opportunity! (plus, I have a thing for grammar).

But I digress. Methods seems to be a subject a lot of people take up so they can get scaled up. But then they end up doing worse than they would've done in another subject. From my experience with methods, you should only do it if you are good at maths, and like it (even to a small degree), and are willing to devote a lot of time to the homework.

Other than that? I'm not sure. I like all my subjects...
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jsimmo on April 19, 2008, 08:32:47 pm
IT: Applications.. unless you actually would like to do SACs that take HOURS to complete.. (spent 12 hours the other day finishing off my database SAC), I would have easily spent 25+ hours on it.. (it's still not 100% finished, it's due Monday)

Some people will say IT:Applications is easy but if you are aiming for a GOOD SS then a lot of work is needed, you need to make everything perfect (well thats what my teacher wants anyway..)
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Mao on April 19, 2008, 11:33:12 pm
IT: Applications.. unless you actually would like to do SACs that take HOURS to complete.. (spent 12 hours the other day finishing off my database SAC), I would have easily spent 25+ hours on it.. (it's still not 100% finished, it's due Monday)

Some people will say IT:Applications is easy but if you are aiming for a GOOD SS then a lot of work is needed, you need to make everything perfect (well thats what my teacher wants anyway..)
I have to disagree, to do well in IT:A, you just need to have awesome write-up for your SACs, know all your definitions, and do well in the exam. The digital product is actually quite a small percentage in the marking scheme, (from what I can remember, 16% of your SACs). paperwork such as design has a lot more weight.
and the reason i only got 36 is because i B+'d the exam, stupid me =(
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: millstone on April 19, 2008, 11:53:25 pm
i like/d all my subjects but i gotta say further was boring AND since i am not great at maths i put more effort into it (i did like 30 or 40 prac exams but i guess there were two exams) to get the same score as i got in other subjects with much less effort (no full practice exams cos i run out of time)
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Eriny on April 20, 2008, 12:05:20 am
But I digress. Methods seems to be a subject a lot of people take up so they can get scaled up. But then they end up doing worse than they would've done in another subject. From my experience with methods, you should only do it if you are good at maths, and like it (even to a small degree), and are willing to devote a lot of time to the homework.

I think that's true of all maths subjects. I actually didn't mind methods, at times I quite liked it, but it is a ridiculously competitive subject for someone who isn't mathematically inclined.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: beezy4eva on April 20, 2008, 08:40:37 am
Biology- so much memorising. Its a very fascinating subject though.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: AppleThief on April 20, 2008, 12:12:46 pm
IT: Applications.. unless you actually would like to do SACs that take HOURS to complete.. (spent 12 hours the other day finishing off my database SAC), I would have easily spent 25+ hours on it.. (it's still not 100% finished, it's due Monday)

Some people will say IT:Applications is easy but if you are aiming for a GOOD SS then a lot of work is needed, you need to make everything perfect (well thats what my teacher wants anyway..)
I have to disagree, to do well in IT:A, you just need to have awesome write-up for your SACs, know all your definitions, and do well in the exam. The digital product is actually quite a small percentage in the marking scheme, (from what I can remember, 16% of your SACs). paperwork such as design has a lot more weight.
and the reason i only got 36 is because i B+'d the exam, stupid me =(

I'm disagreeing, too! I think IT Application is a great subject to take up if you want to get a good study score. This probably isn't representative of every school, but at least 70% of my class were bludgers, and it was pretty easy to get full marks in the SACs. I think there's also less theory to learn due to having to learn to use the software you need in SACs. However, if you're using the Potts textbook, beware! They didn't look at the new study design well enough (same goes for the Checkpoints) - there's a lot in there you no longer have to know.

But I digress. Methods seems to be a subject a lot of people take up so they can get scaled up. But then they end up doing worse than they would've done in another subject. From my experience with methods, you should only do it if you are good at maths, and like it (even to a small degree), and are willing to devote a lot of time to the homework.

I think that's true of all maths subjects. I actually didn't mind methods, at times I quite liked it, but it is a ridiculously competitive subject for someone who isn't mathematically inclined.
Yup. I didn't like it at all. I was doing okay, but I hated it, so I ended up changing subjects.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Odette on April 20, 2008, 01:38:58 pm
Don't take Texts and Traditions or Religion in Society if its a choice. Religion is so boring, and although they get marked up a lot, it's hard to do well in them. I didn't do either of them, but I've taken the 1+2 units of them and have talked to people who did the 3+4.

Definitely agree.
Another subject which was a waste would have been um further maths, was a little too boring
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: dcc on April 20, 2008, 02:30:49 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: brendan on April 20, 2008, 02:33:28 pm
English :P
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: squance on April 20, 2008, 03:17:14 pm
Whatever you do...don't take Biology!!! Its sooo hard to get really good in it...too much reading and there is barely any scaling in the subject!
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: ed_saifa on April 20, 2008, 03:21:49 pm
Whatever you do...don't take Biology!!! Its sooo hard to get really good in it...too much reading and there is barely any scaling in the subject!
I second that. Bio is the hardest subject ever. It uses up too much memory =(
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jess3254 on April 20, 2008, 03:22:34 pm
Whatever you do...don't take Biology!!! Its sooo hard to get really good in it...too much reading and there is barely any scaling in the subject!

TAKE THAT BACK! :P

biology rocks.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: /0 on April 20, 2008, 03:41:20 pm
Whatever you do...don't take Biology!!! Its sooo hard to get really good in it...too much reading and there is barely any scaling in the subject!
I second that. Bio is the hardest subject ever. It uses up too much memory =(

But looking beyond VCE, Biology is such an interesting subject! It fills up your brain, you're learning about life!
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Mao on April 20, 2008, 04:17:48 pm
its not so much as which subjects are good or bad, its more about what you are interested in. The maths that we know and love may be the next thing to hell for an arts student, etc.

The teachers of a subject also have a huge impact on your learning and enjoyment. Fellow students in that class have an impact on the learning experience as well.

Also, some people may like easy bludging work, while some of us enjoy stimulating and challenging material much more. Its all based on personal preference and choice.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: clinton_09 on April 20, 2008, 04:21:09 pm
its not so much as which subjects are good or bad, its more about what you are interested in. The maths that we know and love may be the next thing to hell for an arts student, etc.

The teachers of a subject also have a huge impact on your learning and enjoyment. Fellow students in that class have an impact on the learning experience as well.

Also, some people may like easy bludging work, while some of us enjoy stimulating and challenging material much more. Its all based on personal preference and choice.

well said mao
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jsimmo on April 20, 2008, 05:29:16 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.

lol WOW you must be a freak with IT if you didn't need to study.. cos it's not possible for someone who doesnt know much about comps to get a 48
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Mao on April 20, 2008, 05:38:59 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.

lol WOW you must be a freak with IT if you didn't need to study.. cos it's not possible for someone who doesnt know much about comps to get a 48

well, (no offense caramel :P)
she also got a 48 in Info system (now called ITSD), not because she is a freak with IT, but because she knows what need to be done in order to achieve that score

competency in a VCE subject is not how competent you are in a particular field, but rather how well you can meet criterias.
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: cara.mel on April 20, 2008, 06:29:00 pm
/me didn't know what was inside a computer (apart from green bits and some fan that makes noise) until info systems.

Also, the only clever thing I could do aside from playing games etc was to use html to make my Neopets shop prettier. Never done programming before.

Having said that, I was expecting to do heaps better in methods than IS. IT are slack subjects, it's exactly the same in uni => pretty sure I'm going to drop it after this year because of that, I was hoping it would be better but it wasnt :P
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jess3254 on April 20, 2008, 06:31:17 pm
ENGLISH

English :P

I haven't done it since year 10, but I really advise against English (plain English), and still wonder why so many people do it. I find it pretty useless. I do English Language, and it's one of my favourite subjects. It's really interesting, and you start to apply concepts you've learnt to Real Life (for example, you really notice features of people's language, or doublespeak & euphemisms in advertisements, etc.) I've always found discussing themes in novels to be less than interesting, so I got into English Language at first possible opportunity! (plus, I have a thing for grammar).

But I digress. Methods seems to be a subject a lot of people take up so they can get scaled up. But then they end up doing worse than they would've done in another subject. From my experience with methods, you should only do it if you are good at maths, and like it (even to a small degree), and are willing to devote a lot of time to the homework.

Other than that? I'm not sure. I like all my subjects...

So, in conclusion, English sucks. :P
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Mao on April 20, 2008, 07:33:06 pm
lol jess

anyways where's your english? i couldnt find it in your user-bar :P
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jess3254 on April 20, 2008, 07:54:42 pm
Haha I dropped it :D

Disclaimer: Some people really enjoy the subject, it all depends. I completely agree with what you said before (Mao). Everyone is different; there are various factors which influence the enjoyment of a subject. It's all relative. So yeah ignore me :P
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jsimmo on April 20, 2008, 08:09:25 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.

lol WOW you must be a freak with IT if you didn't need to study.. cos it's not possible for someone who doesnt know much about comps to get a 48

well, (no offense caramel :P)
she also got a 48 in Info system (now called ITSD), not because she is a freak with IT, but because she knows what need to be done in order to achieve that score

competency in a VCE subject is not how competent you are in a particular field, but rather how well you can meet criterias.

I would have to strongly disagree with the last line.. if someone is incompetent within a specific field (IT or Maths for example) they can not just simply follow the 'criteria' and expect to achieve a 48 (or a relative good score for that matter) .. it just doesn't work like that IMO
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: dcc on April 20, 2008, 08:11:53 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.

lol WOW you must be a freak with IT if you didn't need to study.. cos it's not possible for someone who doesnt know much about comps to get a 48

A common misconception, I dislike IT quite alot :P .  The focus of the ITSD course was systems analysis with a TINY bit of programming involved.  I basically rote-learned my textbook to learn all the definitions and concepts which were required, and I know a bit of programming from previous experience (its just common sense, most of the time).
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jsimmo on April 20, 2008, 08:13:54 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.

lol WOW you must be a freak with IT if you didn't need to study.. cos it's not possible for someone who doesnt know much about comps to get a 48

A common misconception, I dislike IT quite alot :P .  The focus of the ITSD course was systems analysis with a TINY bit of programming involved.  I basically rote-learned my textbook to learn all the definitions and concepts which were required, and I know a bit of programming from previous experience (its just common sense, most of the time).

Yeah, I don't know how the ITSD course works or what outcomes are involved, my school doesn't run the course so I have no idea of the workload - (if you need to put in effort or not, but the sounds of what people have said it is a fairly slack course).
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: dcc on April 20, 2008, 08:16:50 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.

lol WOW you must be a freak with IT if you didn't need to study.. cos it's not possible for someone who doesnt know much about comps to get a 48

A common misconception, I dislike IT quite alot :P .  The focus of the ITSD course was systems analysis with a TINY bit of programming involved.  I basically rote-learned my textbook to learn all the definitions and concepts which were required, and I know a bit of programming from previous experience (its just common sense, most of the time).

Yeah, I don't know how the ITSD course works or what outcomes are involved, my school doesn't run the course so I have no idea of the workload - (if you need to put in effort or not, but the sounds of what people have said it is a fairly slack course).

Well it helps that half the course is basically non-assessable (stuff like binary / ASM / hexadecimal / basically the second half of the book) but I suppose I was helped personally in that I was probably the only one in the class who actually did the work (as opposed to most of the grade who just played games when they were on the computer lol)
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: cara.mel on April 20, 2008, 08:42:34 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.

lol WOW you must be a freak with IT if you didn't need to study.. cos it's not possible for someone who doesnt know much about comps to get a 48

well, (no offense caramel :P)
she also got a 48 in Info system (now called ITSD), not because she is a freak with IT, but because she knows what need to be done in order to achieve that score

competency in a VCE subject is not how competent you are in a particular field, but rather how well you can meet criterias.

I would have to strongly disagree with the last line.. if someone is incompetent within a specific field (IT or Maths for example) they can not just simply follow the 'criteria' and expect to achieve a 48 (or a relative good score for that matter) .. it just doesn't work like that IMO

I'm a perfect example of being able to follow criteria and being lost when asked something outside said criteria. =D *stabs study designs*
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jsimmo on April 20, 2008, 09:25:13 pm
I got 48 in ITSD with little to no effort apart from a week of solid revision before the exam.  And yes, it is true that lots of people doing IT subjects are bludgers, so it shouldn't be too hard to do alright.

lol WOW you must be a freak with IT if you didn't need to study.. cos it's not possible for someone who doesnt know much about comps to get a 48

well, (no offense caramel :P)
she also got a 48 in Info system (now called ITSD), not because she is a freak with IT, but because she knows what need to be done in order to achieve that score

competency in a VCE subject is not how competent you are in a particular field, but rather how well you can meet criterias.

I would have to strongly disagree with the last line.. if someone is incompetent within a specific field (IT or Maths for example) they can not just simply follow the 'criteria' and expect to achieve a 48 (or a relative good score for that matter) .. it just doesn't work like that IMO

I'm a perfect example of being able to follow criteria and being lost when asked something outside said criteria. =D *stabs study designs*

lol I dont understand what you mean? You simply just followed the 'criteria' without actually knowing what you were doing? (that doesn't seem right? lol) I think your an exception to what I am saying, I think your just naturally smart and could do anything and get a good mark lol idk
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Mao on April 20, 2008, 09:41:47 pm
Haha I dropped it :D

Disclaimer: Some people really enjoy the subject, it all depends. I completely agree with what you said before (Mao). Everyone is different; there are various factors which influence the enjoyment of a subject. It's all relative. So yeah ignore me :P
what do you mean you "dropped" it, i thought it was compulsory!!!
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: jess3254 on April 21, 2008, 05:22:44 pm
I'm doing literature instead?

I started out with English and Lit... then dropped English. :D
Title: Re: Past experiences
Post by: Mao on April 21, 2008, 05:24:29 pm
I'm doing literature instead?

I started out with English and Lit... then dropped English. :D
i just made myself look like an idiot.

maybe i am, but it was only ~10 o'clock...

*sighs* at self