5th year subjects? help..

ruadhan

Hey, I just started fifth year and am currently doing 7 subjects in school: irish, english, maths, (of course) french, accounting, economics and physics. All higher. I would consider myself a pretty good student and i would be hoping to do well in the leaving maybe 550+. I dd well in the jc anyway, got 9 A's and a B. I was just wondering whether i should do another subject or two, i sorta want to do japanese, my mum wants me to too cos i'd say i've done at least half the course already, from ctyi course plus teaching myslef and being in japaan for 10 days..so i think i cud do well in it but i wud have to teach myself as tere are no classes anywhere near me.. in waterford. i do have a girl who lives in japan in my year.
I was also thinking of doing applied maths... apparantly its pretty easy if you're doing higher maths and physics and easy enough to do well in, and maybe easy points.. its not offered in my school but i could get a grind or class easily.

Just wondering what you guys thought whether i shud do either subject extra or both or neither. thanks in advance:p

randylonghorn

[obvious] It's very much a decision for the individual, no two people are alike. [/obvious]

Personally I think 7 subjects are plenty for LC unless you have one or more subjects which you have to do but which you are very weak in.

I certainly would never recommend taking more than 8 without very strong reasons indeed ... you're only spreading the time and energy you can spend on each even more thinly, and the likelihood is that they will all suffer.

jumpguy

Personally, I think doing 9 subjects is over the limit. I know some do it though. I feel if you can focus and work hard at 7 and get good grades, you can get better points and you'll have less workload.

wexhurdler

It's obvioulsy a matter of personal opinion and well here is mine... Forget applied maths. Full stop.

As for Japanese, why not... From what I've read you've a fairly good grasp of it already so it cant hurt..

Just don't get over ambitious.. I can see you're enthusiastic and all which is great, but the 7 subjects you have to do is a big enough task in itself..

I did 7 (well technically 6) I did pass Irish and never did any work nd rarely went to class.. I worked hard at my other 6 subjects, and got 575 points.. Not saying you should do that or anything but don't take large volumes of extra work on when you don't need to is my point..

Apologies about my ramble but to put it simply: Work hard at your 7 subjects and perhaps Japanese but leave Applied maths

Good luck..

yournerd

What do you want to do after school? is it language based?

bren2001

ruadhan wrote: »

I was also thinking of doing applied maths... apparantly its pretty easy if you're doing higher maths and physics and easy enough to do well in, and maybe easy points.. its not offered in my school but i could get a grind or class easily.

Applied Math is not easy points by anybodies standard. I found it to be quite the opposite that Applied Math helped me with Physics (about a third of the course) and Maths (Algebra and Differentiation becomes a hell of a lot easier).

I supose I have 2 points:

Its a new maths course where a lot of the applied mathematic elements have been removed or made easier. I don't know how any student will be able to do Engineering with Project Maths (but thats a different issue).

If you are good at Maths and Physics then give AM a go. It requires a lot of work but is very repetitive. It is not easy but I found it easier than learning realms of pages off. We started out with about 9 (very good math students) and only 5 of us ended up doing it. I was the only one to get an A, the rest got low B's and C's yet we all got A's in Maths and Physics.

Chuchoter

Hate to break it to you but the Junior Cert means nothing. Do not get overconfident because the leaving cert is a whole other ball game and you will have more than enough work with 7 subjects. Applied maths is not easy, I am a high B/ A student in maths and physics and I wasn't able for it purely on the basis of only having one class a week and not the time to invest in it. Its terrible, but the leaving cert at its heart is not about education or learning things you find interesting, its about points. Focus on points and not spreading yourself too thin.

stealinhorses

Pretty sure OP has already finished his Leaving Cert, since he started this thread two years ago :rolleyes:.

randylonghorn

Indeed: zombie thread lives again.

Or does it ... >_>