English or Literature? Please Help!

[SarahLoria]

So, currently I am in year 11 and doing ½ English and Literature. I have one week left to choose my subjects for year 12 and I have no idea whether to continue with English or Lit. I have already chosen Methods, Chemistry, Biology and possibly Further? I could do both but my teacher recommended not to with a fairly heavy workload. What are the pros and cons of both ¾ subjects? I am a B+/A+ student in Lit and similar in English, although I find the Literature texts are far more interesting and Lit is less monotonous I am aiming for an ATAR of mid-high 90's so I need a subject I can do really well in.

[Lolly]

So, currently I am in year 11 and doing ½ English and Literature. I have one week left to choose my subjects for year 12 and I have no idea whether to continue with English or Lit. I have already chosen Methods, Chemistry, Biology and possibly Further? I could do both but my teacher recommended not to with a fairly heavy workload. What are the pros and cons of both ¾ subjects? I am a B+/A+ student in Lit and similar in English, although I find the Literature texts are far more interesting and Lit is less monotonous I am aiming for an ATAR of mid-high 90's so I need a subject I can do really well in.

 Hi Sarah Loria,

It really depends on how much work you're willing to put in to your English subject. Literature requires a lot of time and creative thought, but as you've mentioned, you'll probably get more out of Literature than English. I know that I had to invest at least double the amount of work into Literature than what I'm currently spending on English this year, although that's purely anecdotal evidence. I guess it ultimately comes down to the choice you think will suit you. If you want to concentrate more on your Math/Science subjects, maybe English is the way to go.   However, by the sounds of it, you're leaning towards Literature.  I recommend Lit - it's actually the best subject in the entire VCE curriculum. (I'm totally not biased... at all  :3 ) Whether or not you take Lit or English is really up to you to decide, but advice I can give to you is don't miss out on Literature just because you think English is 'safe' or easier and will give you a better score. That doesn't always happen anyway. Study what interests you and you will be rewarded.

[pterozachtyl]

If you have to do just one, do lit. It's easily my favourite subject. The texts are generally pretty good (unlike some of the rubbish they put in English), and the classes - like the people in it - are usually just better. You don't have to deal with people who are only there because they have to be. People who do lit (generally) do it because they have a passion for literature. Sure, it's competitive, but you can only benefit from being in that kind of atmosphere. It's better to be surrounded by people who are there to learn than those who are there to fill in time.