Chemistry or physics ?

[spectroscopy]

sup guys i need some advice !
ive  asked a similiar question before, did not get as much clarification as i wanted, thought i resolved this problem, but it has re arisen and now i seek the wisdom of the atarnotes community for help LOL
the question is - should i do chem or physics?
the situation - im doing chem now, and its sort of fun, but i lack the natural aptitude for it, and even with tutoring and studying, its still pretty hard, im probably in the bottom 15% at my school, and i dont think ill even get 25 next year
the problem is - i want to do science at melbourne (2nd pref after monash science scholars) and you need bio, chem, physics, or spesh to get in, im not doing bio as it does not overly interest me, im thinking about spesh but im not sure, but chem or physics is the main toss up
i know im good at physics and i actually enjoy it, in fact i only dropped it for chemistry because i thought i wanted to do mbbs
basically - if im bad at chemistry, should i drop it, and do physics, which everyone on here says is boring, or should i suck it up, put 110% in chem (which im sort of doing now) and risk getting a 25 or not, at the potential detriment to my other subjects? - also, any ideas on how hard a 25 in chem is would be appreciated?

cheers guys

[hobbitle]

Man, why can't we have cheat sheets at uni.  Daymn.

[simba]

Hmm I can't give you any advice on the physics side, but with the experience I had from chemistry:
Units 1/2 I really couldn't engage in well. I struggled to grasp the basic concepts and had basically told myself last year that I'd be stoked for a 30 in chem! This year I told myself 'hell, I'm going to try and understand this subject inside out no matter how long, frustrating or sould crippling it may be! But surprisingly I've loved units 3/4 and almost everything I didn't understand last year just all of a sudden clicked in my head! You never know how you'll do in chem next year, I honestly thought I'd bomb chemistry this year and now I've got my sights set on a 40! Good luck in your decision making

[lzxnl]

My unembellished opinion may be offensive to some. Read at your own discretion.





OK screw the formalities. VCE Physics is horrible. By horrible, I mean...think -1/x^2 at y axis type of low. Not only do you get a cheat sheet in which you can pretty much write out the entire course, but you also have the most dumbed down concepts ever. Maths was originally made for physics, and I'm sure Newton or Lagrange would be disappointed to see that the highest level of physics offered in Victoria at secondary level can be done with year nine maths knowledge. Heck, I taught my year 8 brother (who's quite an ordinary kid) the basic part of the forces section in 1/2 physics in like...five minutes?
Want to teach physics without maths? Sorry. Syntax error. *computer blows up

You do more complex physics in spesh. If you plan on doing spesh, either physics will be made so much easier or spesh will be made so much easier. It'll be one of those two.


As for chemistry, it is certainly more enjoyable than physics. You get to start thinking in chemistry as you don't get a stupid cheat sheet. You actually learn scientific concepts, whereas in physics you mainly regurgitate formulas written down on your sheet. I mean, if I don't tell the context, a^2=b^2+2cd is going to be slightly confusing. Read the physics rant stickied in the physics forum for more details.
If you're in year eleven now, you could certainly pick up VCE physics next year and do well. I have a friend who got a 40 in 3/4 physics in year 11. It's certainly possible. You have a cheat sheet. A cheat sheet that can give you more than half the answers with just common sense and the ability to read your own sheet.

Note how much of this was spent emphasising the poor design of VCE physics. That was intended.

[spectroscopy]

if youre aiming for a good atar (99+) do the benefits of physics(easiness) outweigh the bad parts (boredom) ?

[lzxnl]

How much can you tolerate boredom? If you can take it well, by all means go for physics.

[WeaponX]

From a Year 12 chem student, it is quite interesting and fun if you take a liking to it, but it is bloody hard! There's a ton of material to cover and to know very well, and no more Unit 3 exams, so you have to know it all by the end of the year! From your original post, I doesn't look like you'd enjoy chem, I was in a similar yet opposite situation in year 10, I didn't really like Physics that much, and chose Chem instead even though Physics was allegedly a lot easier. If you like Physics, then go for Physics! Just be 100% sure you don't want to do MBBS (but there's always pathways if you choose to later).

[Professor Polonsky]

Honestly? VCE physics and chem interest me at about the same level. I found that there was too much memory work in chem, I didn't need it nor did I enjoy it more than physics.

Sure, it does get frustrating counting squares (maybe one question per exam). But perhaps with the exception of Electric Power, I find all topics covered - from classical mechanics to particle/wave models - quite fascinating. It's up to you to seek to enjoy the content rather than just copy formulae off your cheat sheet, but I think you would find that is the case in most VCE studies.

Basically, if you think you will do better in physics, and not particularly enjoying chem right now, there is no reason for you not to make the switch.