Should I do Specialist next year? HELP!

[noneofyourbusiness]

Hi everyone,

I am quite worried about doing specialist next year.
I thought I was going to be okay until our preparation classes in the last week of term. I wasn't really getting the context (we were looking at chapter 1 in the Cambridge textbook) and mostly, I am worried about the teacher. I have been stressing out all holidays and worried about any decision I make. I am alright at maths and will be doing English, Physics, Methods and Chem next year anyway. I was/am hoping to get an ATAR over 90.

Thank you so much,

[alchemy]

You've got a considerable load coming from all your other subjects, so have you considered having one subject that has a considerably less workload?
I have no advice, but just interested in understanding your situation here.

[noneofyourbusiness]

No, I haven't thought about subjects with less workload. I am worried about the workload too.

[alchemy]

No, I haven't thought about subjects with less workload. I am worried about the workload too.

Yeah, well, it's a fact that you will have a substantially greater chance at scoring higher (atar or whatever) if you choose subjects that you like and can easily manage. If your current subject choices reflect this, good. If not, there's a lot to reconsider.

[pollos_girl]

I personally think that if you are a relatively strong maths student, you should definitely take Specialist.
I was in the same position this time last year - didn't understand the content and had difficulty following the pace of the subject and balancing it with other difficult subjects (methods, chem and lit.)
There's no doubt that Specialist is a specially difficult subject, but you definitely get rewarded for it in the end. Although I found the subject very challenging this year, it certainly broadened my understanding of mathematical principles and helped me in both my maths subjects.
My 2 maths scaled scores were by far the highest of all my scores, even though I didn't get a spectacular score in Spec, it still scaled above 50 and contributed to me getting above the ATAR I was aiming for.
So if you're dedicated, I suggest doing Spec, you'll thrive in both your maths subjects and have foundations for many university courses in the future

[alchemy]

...Specialist is a specially difficult subject...

Don't get intimidated by the name though hahaha

[datfatcat]

I am not too worried about your workload. Specialist maths can be quite challenging but it is also an interesting subject. Some of the topics overlap with physics (but it is more "maths focused").

Don't know what's wrong with your teacher but don't worry too much. You don't need to have a good teacher to do well in specialist maths (or any VCE subjects). As long as you read your textbook, understand the concepts, do lots of questions, you should be fine! Good luck