Further/GMA Query

[iNerd]

GMA is only enjoyable if you actually like maths. It is a pretty decent subject if you like the challenge...similarly to how people find Spesh rewarding if you put in the work. But if you find GMA too difficult and don't like maths then it'll be strenuous, time consuming and distressing, all of which can affect your study for other subjects.

I don't hate nor like maths - I just do it.
I understand - I'm 100% dropping Specialist.
My question is now which course to take out of GMA1/Further 2 or Further 1/2?

[luken93]

First option definitely, I think most of the top scorers in Further don't do 1/2 at all, so you may as well try something new/different, and Variation and S&S is both in Unit 1 so you can see a higher level of Further

[Pixon]

Why are you doing Further at all...I can understand doing methods for prereqs but shouldn't you pick another subject which you'll enjoy and find useful for yourself?

[iNerd]

Why are you doing Further at all...I can understand doing methods for prereqs but shouldn't you pick another subject which you'll enjoy and find useful for yourself?

It's out of Further/Spesh - you can PM if you want detailed reasons though.

[Pixon]

Why are you doing Further at all...I can understand doing methods for prereqs but shouldn't you pick another subject which you'll enjoy and find useful for yourself?

It's out of Further/Spesh - you can PM if you want detailed reasons though.

That's fine... I don't care enough to PM you, but if you're set on those two then I won't push another direction then.
Anyways...I agree with luken's reasoning! It seems like the most beneficial pathway.

[iNerd]

Excellent.

GMA1/Further 2 it is.

Thanks for the discussion - topic closed

Discussion restarted below

[Furbob]

keep GMA if you want to fully appreciate the name of the antagonist in Despicable Me

[Streaker]

I've had a change of heart and decided Spesh is too hard for me

I'm allowed to change subjects at the start of Term 1 or after Semester 1.

Should I change straight away into Further Units 1/2 (General Standard) or do Unit 1 GMA then switch to Unit 2 Further.

Unit 1 GMA looks partly Further anyway? Going off the 2010 syllabus:
1. Indices
2. Set notation/surds
3. Variation
4. Sequences and series
5. Quadratics
6. Ratios/similarities etc
7. Trig/3D problems
8. Circle theorems/properties etc

Any of that Further? Variation? Seq n series? :S

What should I do? Any advice appreciated!

It really depends whether you think you can pull off a higher raw further score or a higher scaled spesh score.

If you decide to do further in year 12 then don't even bother doing GMA in year 11. Yes, further in year 12 is easy to pick up but trust me, covering a significant portion of the course in year 11 will save you time learning new things in year 12. It will be just a matter of relearning the old information. I myself switched from GMA in unit 1 to standard general maths in unit 2, and learning statistics in the second semester really saved me heaps of time in year 12 because it was just a matter of looking over the content and learning some extra things like time series.

And if you're from the school which I think you are from (from memory, judging from the PMs you sent me), then you will not be doing any sequences and series or trig in year 12 further because the faculty doesn't choose those modules. My recommendation (as someone who did GMA in unit 1 and then switched over to further in unit 2) is that you do further from the start, unless you are still having doubts about doing further in year 12 in which case it is entirely up to you. Best of luck

[luken93]

Why are you doing Further at all...I can understand doing methods for prereqs but shouldn't you pick another subject which you'll enjoy and find useful for yourself?

It's out of Further/Spesh - you can PM if you want detailed reasons though.

That's fine... I don't care enough to PM you, but if you're set on those two then I won't push another direction then.
Anyways...I agree with luken's reasoning! It seems like the most beneficial pathway.

Haha thanks Pixon, hopefully I can get your Methods score What are you hoping for Spesh?

[ben_ess12]

That's what I want to do

At my school we have to do GMA 1/2 and methods 1/2 just to do methods 3/4! I wis I could just do methods

[Streaker]

First option definitely, I think most of the top scorers in Further don't do 1/2 at all, so you may as well try something new/different, and Variation and S&S is both in Unit 1 so you can see a higher level of Further

This is true, but looking at it from a holistic point of view, doing further 1/2 (especially unit 2 because of the topics they cover in that semester in the OP's school) will save a bit time in year 12 and you have the luxury of spending time on other subjects rather than learning new information for the first time (I don't remember ever doing statistics in previous years).

[Pixon]

That's fine... I don't care enough to PM you, but if you're set on those two then I won't push another direction then.
Anyways...I agree with luken's reasoning! It seems like the most beneficial pathway.

Haha thanks Pixon, hopefully I can get your Methods score What are you hoping for Spesh?

lol...it's too early to say. I generally hope for the best...but that doesn't mean I expect the best.

With what streaker said...I'd say that's the most practical way to look at it and what it is what  I suggested earlier because doing 1/2 methods should be sufficient without the extra help from GMA. But it seemed as though ATAR wanted a compromise between the two, and so I think he would benefit most in both methods and further by doing GMA sem 1 then GMS sem 2.

[iNerd]

That's fine... I don't care enough to PM you, but if you're set on those two then I won't push another direction then.
Anyways...I agree with luken's reasoning! It seems like the most beneficial pathway.

Haha thanks Pixon, hopefully I can get your Methods score What are you hoping for Spesh?

lol...it's too early to say. I generally hope for the best...but that doesn't mean I expect the best.

With what streaker said...I'd say that's the most practical way to look at it and what it is what  I suggested earlier because doing 1/2 methods should be sufficient without the extra help from GMA. But it seemed as though ATAR wanted a compromise between the two, and so I think he would benefit most in both methods and further by doing GMA sem 1 then GMS sem 2.

It would help if I got the contents of what exactly I'd miss from Unit 1 for 3/4 because if its a negligible amount, GMA will help Methods thus being the better course? (love how the topics restarted )

[Streaker]

That's fine... I don't care enough to PM you, but if you're set on those two then I won't push another direction then.
Anyways...I agree with luken's reasoning! It seems like the most beneficial pathway.

Haha thanks Pixon, hopefully I can get your Methods score What are you hoping for Spesh?

lol...it's too early to say. I generally hope for the best...but that doesn't mean I expect the best.

With what streaker said...I'd say that's the most practical way to look at it and what it is what  I suggested earlier because doing 1/2 methods should be sufficient without the extra help from GMA. But it seemed as though ATAR wanted a compromise between the two, and so I think he would benefit most in both methods and further by doing GMA sem 1 then GMS sem 2.

There is very little or no overlap between methods and GMA though...there's no need to freak out about being disadvantaged for methods purely because you didn't do GMA in unit 1 or 2. Personally I didn't find that the GMA unit 1 course complemented methods at an stage of my VCE. Of course I can only speak from a unit 1 point of view but I also heard that stuff like kinematics was covered in unit 2 - definitely not needed in methods. You're probably better off covering matrices and a bit of trig in GMS 1/2 tbh.

[Pixon]

I don't really agree with the statement that there is no overlap.
Trig, Circular Functions, Differentiation and Transformations are HUGE parts of Methods. There's also matrices as well as small things not taught in methods which are actually very beneficial. Things like the trig formulas, addition rules etc were extremely useful for solving questions like the pyramid question in Exam 2 last year. However I agree that you don't need to worry, because you'll cover them enough by doing the 1/2 and then 3/4 for methods.

I can't comment on what you would miss by not doing unit 1 further because I don't know what's in it. You would have to ask someone from your school.