Biology to General? Should I switch?

[ihatevcaa]

Hey guys! I'm currently in year 11 and already thinking of switching subjects because I'm doing rather poorly in Biology and I'm hesitant if I should continue.

So since I began Unit 1 of Biology, I've had a love hate relationship with the subject. Not sure if it's because of my teacher who makes the class boring as hell or the workload is just too overwhelming for me (This shouldn't be the case though because I'm doing Psychology 3/4 atm and it's not too bad regarding workload?). My test scores have a lot of fluctuations from my first prac where I got 80% to my other scores where I got 59%, 44% and 73% respectively.

At the moment, I'm thinking of switching to General Maths because I'm stronger in maths than science but I know it scales down quite a bit. I'm not sure if switching subjects is the wisest thing to do either... What do you think I should do guys? Exams are on right now so if I decide to switch, I'll talk to my coordinator about it after so I can join the class next semester if need be.

Thanks for your help! 

[Aaron]

At the moment, I'm thinking of switching to General Maths because I'm stronger in maths than science but I know it scales down quite a bit.

Forget the scaling - you have stated that you're stronger in maths, so why not try it? You're more likely to do well in a subject that you enjoy and have a genuine interest in. My point is simply this: Do not choose a subject purely because of scaling.

I guess you can always move into it for semester 2 and see how things go - can always change again later on.

I think you should also take into account potential course options as well in the future. Do you have any idea what you're interested in doing after you finish Year 12? This might help with your decision.

(By the way.... a boring teacher is no excuse! )

[ihatevcaa]

Forget the scaling - you have stated that you're stronger in maths, so why not try it? You're more likely to do well in a subject that you enjoy and have a genuine interest in. My point is simply this: Do not choose a subject purely because of scaling.

I guess you can always move into it for semester 2 and see how things go - can always change again later on.

I think you should also take into account potential course options as well in the future. Do you have any idea what you're interested in doing after you finish Year 12? This might help with your decision.

(By the way.... a boring teacher is no excuse! )

Thanks for your input, Aaron!
I'm not so sure what I'd like to do yet after high school. I'm thinking of something to do with dentistry, dermatology or radiology but I know they're all correlated with the science realm. I'm just keeping my options clear by doing as many prerequisite subjects for any course as I can such as Methods, Chemistry and English.

I guess another way to put it is that I find it hard to digest the information my teacher splurges out each lesson. I can't exactly pinpoint what it is but I feel overwhelmed with notes to revise every class!

[Aaron]

Thanks for your input, Aaron!
I'm not so sure what I'd like to do yet after high school. I'm thinking of something to do with dentistry, dermatology or radiology but I know they're all correlated with the science realm. I'm just keeping my options clear by doing as many prerequisite subjects for any course as I can such as Methods, Chemistry and English.

I guess another way to put it is that I find it hard to digest the information my teacher splurges out each lesson. I can't exactly pinpoint what it is but I feel overwhelmed with notes to revise every class!

Why I asked was because of that very reason, pre-requisite subjects. You don't want to drop biology and then realise you require it to get into a certain course. It's great you're already thinking about it - i'm assuming you've had a look at some courses already and identified Methods, Chem and English as requirements?

If you feel overwhelmed, then this is perhaps an indicator that you need to change. This is just one opinion, and i'm sure there are a few people on AN that can probably provide some science-specific advice (since i'm in the IT/maths area). Good luck

[Swagadaktal]

I'd also like to chime in the idea that general maths (which I think is further maths right? You're talking about further?) you can switch into 3/4 without 1/2. So even if you plan on swapping it out from bio, you don't have to do it next semester. you can wait till the end of the year, give it a good shot, and if you want to swap out then feel free to do so. You aren't at a disadvantage if you don't do further 1/2.

[Sine]

I think biology is a prerequisite for latrobe dentistry.

[dankfrank420]

Having done both - if you're good at math it's much easier to get a higher score in Further than in bio.