Leaving Cert. subject choice

thetonynator

Don't know if this is the right place to post but anyway . . .

I have to have my leaving cert subject choice made by next week, and I have no idea what i want to do with my life.

I am goingt to do ( obviously Irish english maths) french, probably chemistry, and then either Biology or ag science for the 3rd choice ( I am from a farming background so ag science might be good) and then either economics, history or geography as the last one. I might do something in science or business in college but i'm not sure.


Any advice as to what i should pick???

RHunce

in my opinion a good spread would be

english
irish
maths
language

then..

one science
either geog/hist
one business!

this leaves your options wode open for college.. wish i had put more thought into my subject choices, i have no sciences and most courses i want to do require one science. good move starting early and asking

MaighEoAbu

thetonynator wrote: »

Don't know if this is the right place to post but anyway . . .

I have to have my leaving cert subject choice made by next week, and I have no idea what i want to do with my life.

I am goingt to do ( obviously Irish english maths) french, probably chemistry, and then either Biology or ag science for the 3rd choice ( I am from a farming background so ag science might be good) and then either economics, history or geography as the last one. I might do something in science or business in college but i'm not sure.


Any advice as to what i should pick???

Really wouldn't pick Chemistry unless you want to do Veterinary. I guarantee you Biology is a lot nicer than Chemistry. I do both. I also recommend that you do Agricultural Science ( I do that too ) and I love it. All about stuff you learn in Geography and Biology so it makes it easier. There's stuff about animals, etc, and I honestly love it! Also, the project is 25 % so you can have 25% in the bag before the exam. Remember there's an oral but that's only based on your project to make sure you were marked right in it.

I do geography, and love it too! Would definitely not recommend History ( long course, big workload ), or economics, ( I was gonna do that but decided there were a lot of people who didn't like it out there and very difficult parts of the course, etc.


So, I would say if you chose Biology, Geography and Agricultural science, you would not regret it.

MaighEoAbu

Oh yeah, pm if you want and I can help you more. Also, I forgot to mention that Biology, Geography and Agricultural Science all compliment each other. It's like just doing two subjects because so much of the workload is shared. For example, we did Genetics in Agricultural Science and then a couple of weeks later we did it in Biology. Genetics is one of the hardest parts of the course in Biology, but it has been easiest for me so far because we had already done it! Then we did a whole chapter on rocks in Agricultural Science and then did it again in Geography. :)

thetonynator

thanks for all the advice really helpful :pac:

fannyadams

Hi guys i'm skipping TY and my subject choices for 5th year are coming up next week.. I am thinking Geography, Biology, French and Construction Studies What do ye think?

Bazinga_N

fannyadams wrote: »

Hi guys i'm skipping TY and my subject choices for 5th year are coming up next week.. I am thinking Geography, Biology, French and Construction Studies What do ye think?

Okay well firstly what are you thinking of doing after school?

Secondly I'm just saying that a ton of people that do Construction Studies say they hated it... But it might be just my school's construction teacher :P Definately do French and a Science (it really doesn't matter which one.. But Biology is all about rote learning really... whereas Chemistry and Physics are all about Understanding).. The last two are really your interests! Thats my opinion anyways!

fannyadams

Bazinga_N wrote: »

Okay well firstly what are you thinking of doing after school?

Secondly I'm just saying that a ton of people that do Construction Studies say they hated it... But it might be just my school's construction teacher :P

Well i'm thinking of something in health or something like that? Our school has two really good constructions teachers and i'm guaranteed one of them and plus i really liked woodwork

Bears and Vodka

fannyadams wrote: »

Our school has two really good constructions teachers and i'm guaranteed one of them and plus i really liked woodwork

Good construction teachers are a bonus of course but keep in mind Construction is very different from woodwork. The only place where your woodwork knowledge will be useful is when making your project + portfolio and when doing your day exam. Other than that, its all new material. You will basically learn how to build a typical Irish house from the foundations right up to the roof and wiring, plumbing etc

fannyadams

I love that kind of stuff tho Its french i'm worried about, I got a B in the mocks in higher level and i know its good but the leaving cert higher level is just so hard.

Neodymium

I would suggest chemistry over biology. Biology is a very long course and does not go into much detail about anything really. If you end up choosing biology you will spend your time mindlessly rote learning definitions and having very little understanding of why a particular process happens because. Chemistry on the other hand is a more concise and focused course where you will be understanding key concepts such as redox reactions, enthalpy changes, the mole and many others and applying your knowledge to synthesise more. In chemistry you learn why and how certain things happen instead of the biology approach of 'it happens because it happens'. Also chemistry will be much more useful to you in college if you choose to do a chemistry/biology related course, even some medicine courses require you to have done chemistry while have no requirement for having studied biology.

If you want to learn a little about a lot - choose biology. If you want to learn a lot about a little - choose chemistry.

I would only suggest doing construction if you really like it. I ended up doing construction because I didn't want to do French and construction was the only other option in my school. I personally don't particularly like the subject, I think it as abysmally boring - water treatment systems, foundations, plumbing --- uuugh, and the worst part of all - getting covered in bloody sawdust every practical class and walking around for the rest of the day with people thinking your wearing some kind of wood smelling aftershave or something . If you think you will like it do it, it just wasn't my cup of tea, except for calculating u-values and the price of heating a home for a year, they were quite fun actually.

I don't do any business related subjects but from what I've heard business studies is the most mind numbing of all of them. Accounting, from what I have heard is the more enjoyable and I don't know anything really about economics.

As a final addendum if you or anyone else of thinking of doing any maths/physics/engineering course in college if applied maths is offered in your school then do it. It is by far the best subject choice you can make for any of these technical subjects. I don't do it but I wish I had. I do physics outside of school and after looking at the applied maths course I think it would have been more useful to me, not that physics is irrelevant.

ohsurelook

I was thinking of these:

French (I enjoy it and it'd be useful)
History (I actually LIKE long essay writing and the subject's enjoyable)
Chemistry (Favourite of the sciences)

and then either:
Economics/Music/Physics

fannyadams

In my science mocks I got 110/130 in biology section and got 26/130 in chemistry. I hate it. How do you study french tho it requires so much effort

gfgfgf14

The most important thing to do is to do subjects you enjoy

eyescreamcone

gfgfgf14 wrote: »

The most important thing to do is to do subjects you enjoy

I would have thought the most important thing is to choose subjects you will score best in

spurious

eyescreamcone wrote: »

I would have thought the most important thing is to choose subjects you will score best in

Many people make that mistake.

Will you choose your college course on the same basis?

Canard

Often you do well in what you like

eyescreamcone

spurious wrote: »

Many people make that mistake.

Will you choose your college course on the same basis?

YOU might think it's a mistake!
However, I don't!
Those with the highest points have the greatest choice of college courses so it would seem to me to be important to try and achieve the highest score possible.

Togepi

eyescreamcone wrote: »

gfgfgf14 wrote: »

The most important thing to do is to do subjects you enjoy

I would have thought the most important thing is to choose subjects you will score best in

That depends on your idea of what's important. Is it important to you to get really high points even if you hate what you're studying, or is it more important to be happy and do what you're interested in?

As Patchy~ said, people usually perform far better in subjects they enjoy. Liking what you study makes it far easier to excel in the subject, no matter how 'difficult' it is.

eyescreamcone

That depends on your idea of what's important. Is it important to you to get really high points even if you hate what you're studying, or is it more important to be happy and do what you're interested in?

As Patchy~ said, people usually perform far better in subjects they enjoy. Liking what you study makes it far easier to excel in the subject, no matter how 'difficult' it is.

If you don't get the points you won't be able to choose "what u like/enjoy" at third level.

Choosing subjects that you like to do sounds great but...
It's all about the points!!!

Togepi

eyescreamcone wrote: »

If you don't get the points you won't be able to choose "what u like/enjoy" at third level.

Choosing subjects that you like to do sounds great but...
It's all about the points!!!

Which is why choosing subjects you enjoy is a better option - you'll be more likely to get higher points. Plus, if you study what you're interested in you'll have to more long-term benefit of having already learned about the area you wish to study at third level before even starting college. Unless you're just choosing a college course based on how easy it is too?

And you can get to where you want to be in life without getting 600 points in the Leaving Cert, there are other ways.

0000879k

Whilst I agree with do stuff your good at... to some extenct it's not always a good option. TG I find ridiculously easy.. But I absoloutly hate it! No way I'm picking DCG for next year.

Anways, I think I'll go
English
Irish
Maths

then;
1.Accounting
2.Business
3.French
4.Geography

.. I also plan on doing economics outside of school as an extra subject.

Neodymium

0000879k wrote: »

Whilst I agree with do stuff your good at... to some extenct it's not always a good option. TG I find ridiculously easy.. But I absoloutly hate it! No way I'm picking DCG for next year.

Anways, I think I'll go
English
Irish
Maths

then;
1.Accounting
2.Business
3.French
4.Geography

.. I also plan on doing economics outside of school as an extra subject.

Your are severely restricting your choices of college courses without having at least one science subject.

Canard

Neodymium wrote: »

Your are severely restricting your choices of college courses without having at least one science subject.

I have no science subjects and havent ever regretted it, nothing I've thought of has required one. science courses seems to be the only thing.

0000879k

I don't like science.. at all, I don't want to study it in greater detail for two years, then 4 years then use it every day for the rest of my life.
Forgive me if that doesn't make sense.

Jackobyte

Patchy~ wrote: »

I have no science subjects and havent ever regretted it, nothing I've thought of has required one. science courses seems to be the only thing.

Ya, but pretty much all Science courses require one. And there are a hell of a lot of science courses.

That said, I'm doing the three core sciences. I find Biology by far the easiest, I barely have to work for it and always do well where Physics and Chemistry fluctuate massively with the amount of study put in.

Neodymium

Patchy~ wrote: »

I have no science subjects and havent ever regretted it, nothing I've thought of has required one. science courses seems to be the only thing.

Almost every science/engineering/medical course requires you to have at least one science subject. I was just saying that science and engineering courses make up a large percentage of college courses which you would be ineligible of doing.

@ 0000879K - If you are picking subjects for the leaving cert. you are probably 15/16 years old and by time you are finished school your entire outlook on life and your aspirations will probably have changed dramatically, which is why it is better to keep your choices open. I would recommend replacing one of your business subjects (is three really necessary?) with a science subject.

0000879k

Neodymium wrote: »

Almost every science/engineering/medical course requires you to have at least one science subject. I was just saying that science and engineering courses make up a large percentage of college courses which you would be ineligible of doing.

@ 0000879K - If you are picking subjects for the leaving cert. you are probably 15/16 years old and by time you are finished school your entire outlook on life and your aspirations will probably have changed dramatically, which is why it is better to keep your choices open. I would recommend replacing one of your business subjects (is three really necessary?) with a science subject.

I could say the same to jackobyte about science... ''Is three really necessary'' ??

And please don't give me that crap about my age, I'm 15 which may seem young but that doesn't mean I'm immature.

QueenOfLeon

Patchy~ wrote: »

I have no science subjects and havent ever regretted it, nothing I've thought of has required one. science courses seems to be the only thing.

There's a handy part of www.qualifax.ie* that shows you what courses do and don't need certain subjects. Follow this link, go to Leaving Cert Subjects, and then in the drop down menu you have a variety of choices along with all the subjects, like "3rd language" or "Science subject".

Science subject gives you these results:

Definitely requires: A Science Subject- Total of 163 courses
May require: A Science Subject - Total of 65 courses
Does not require A Science Subject - Total of 1095 courses

0000879k, if you are completely sure that you don't want any of those courses then just pick the subjects you can do best in points-wise. If in a few years time you've changed your mind, you can always repeat the science subject on its own.

Have a look through the courses though, there are some that you wouldn't expect science to be needed for.

*Qualifax seems to be having some sort of technical difficulties with scrolling down the page, but if you hold down the mouse and move it down as if you are selecting the text you'll be able to move down the page.

Togepi

I decided not to do a science for the Leaving, and didn't regret it until I went back to repeat and took one up. However, having said that, I still don't actually need the subject for what I want to do, although it will be very useful.

@0000879k I was very mature for my age when I picked my subjects too, but I made two or three terrible decisions with my choices, and I definitely regret them.

Jackobyte

0000879k wrote: »

I could say the same to jackobyte about science... ''Is three really necessary'' ??

The difference between doing three business and three science is that there are practically no courses (2 I think) that have a business subject as a requirement, compared to 163 for science, so I really wasn't limiting myself all that much. I was also, and continue to be, sure that I will go down some form of Maths/Science route at 3rd Level.