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Nine Subjects
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25-07-2011 2:35pm#1
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IloveConverse wrote: »The thing is, I absolutey adore History, I most certainly would be devastated if I did drop History regardless of the rigorous workload.
Thanks very much all the same.
By all means take History if you love it, subjects can be made much easier by having a genuine interest in it
I do think 9 subjects at Honours is way too much, there is a lot of work needed for each of the subjects you're thinking of doing. Which ones would you consider your strongest subjects? I'd say keep those, and the ones you really love, like History, and then see if you can forget about one. Know your college/course requirements as well and work around those.0 -
IloveConverse wrote: »The thing is, I absolutey adore History, I most certainly would be devastated if I did drop History regardless of the rigorous workload.
Thanks very much all the same.
Fair enough,because I was the very same, History was (still is, really )my favourite subject for as long as I can remember. I didn't actually do History from the start of 5th year, I was told I couldn't as one class was full and the other class clashed with my timetable. I begged, pleaded, negotiated and argued my way into History over the space of about 2 months. Finally the Principal let me swap Chemistry for History, and because so many people had told me I couldn't join I was more determined to get higher grades than anyone else in the class... and I did, got close to 100% for all the school tests and class tests, until the Mocks came around and I realised how wide the course really is, and how the exam is not designed for those who are good at History, but rather those who can write ungodly fast and those who get lucky.
But, like I said, if I'd known all this in 5th year I'd still have been stubborn and determined enough to do it, so all I can say is I warned you
Maybe it'll go better for you than me. But really, listen to the others about doing 9 subjects, you're only hurting yourself. I only did 5 honours and 2 pass subjects, and It's quite possible I'll get 500 points. You are obviously determined and intelligent, but 9 subjects for the leaving cert is going to put you at a disadvantage. Work smarter, not harder! 0 -
Fair enough,because I was the very same, History was (still is, really )my favourite subject for as long as I can remember. I didn't actually do History from the start of 5th year, I was told I couldn't as one class was full and the other class clashed with my timetable. I begged, pleaded, negotiated and argued my way into History over the space of about 2 months. Finally the Principal let me swap Chemistry for History, and because so many people had told me I couldn't join I was more determined to get higher grades than anyone else in the class... and I did, got close to 100% for all the school tests and class tests, until the Mocks came around and I realised how wide the course really is, and how the exam is not designed for those who are good at History, but rather those who can write ungodly fast and those who get lucky.
But, like I said, if I'd known all this in 5th year I'd still have been stubborn and determined enough to do it, so all I can say is I warned you Maybe it'll go better for you than me. But really, listen to the others about doing 9 subjects, you're only hurting yourself. I only did 5 honours and 2 pass subjects, and It's quite possible I'll get 500 points. You are obviously determined and intelligent, but 9 subjects for the leaving cert is going to put you at a disadvantage. Work smarter, not harder!
That just isn't true. Writing 3-4 pages in 40 minutes shouldn't be beyond anybody's capability (and that's all it requires, at ~9 words per line, anything more is waffling and overkill), and if you do a bit of work you should be well able to cover enough of the course to be safe. You look like you are just making weak excuses for yourself.
Also, why is it always about points? Perhaps the OP wants to do a course they are certain they will get the points for, and so can afford to do extra subjects?0 -
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IloveConverse wrote: »I am highly considering studying nine subjects for my Leaving Cert.
English- Honours
Irish- Honours
Maths- Honours
German- Honours
Biology- Honours
History- Honours
Geography- Honours
Accounting- Honours
Economics or (Business)- Honours
Anyone who has done this, would you be able to offer any advice please? Thank you.
Can I ask why you're doing this? I can understand trying to get a well-rounded education and that there are people that love learning, but from a points-perspective, I think you're playing with fire. My first time around with the Leaving I struggled to even keep up with 7 Honours subjects (mainly due to Maths). Always remember you can learn outside the classroom, if learning is your motivation.
The Leaving Cert. course is not impossible. You'll definitely get through it, but if you're planning on doing a high points course you need to be tactical. There is no point getting all B1s (still an excellent result) when you are capable of getting As and Bs as part of your best six. There is no comparison between Junior and Leaving Certificate, in terms of volume and understanding, I think. I remember the workload being a bit of a shock when I went into 5th Year.
When picking subjects, first and foremost choose ones you love! Make sure that if you know there are some courses you want to do that you know the requirements, e.g. HL Irish for primary school teaching. Get your hands on LC books if you can and talk to older relatives/friends or people on here about the exams.
I'll tap down my experience of your subjects. I got 475 first time around with 6 honours subjects. I repeated this year with 7 honours and one pass.
English: English is an absolute behemoth of a subject. I got an A in my Junior Cert and worked incredibly hard during both years, doing extra essays and comprehensions from exam papers consistently. I got a B2 in my Leaving and was gutted considering the time I put in. This year I was even more unhappy with my exam after all the graft I'd put in. I like to think I have a flair for languages and I enjoy reading but exam technique is absolutely crucial in this (and really all) subjects. It's something I couldn't fully grasp. You'll have to do a play (often Shakespearean) in detail and three other texts in lesser detail, as well as 5 poets (generally 5/6 poems per poet). That includes learning quotes for all texts/poems! It is possible to do well, but it isn't comparable to JC level at all.
Irish: The course has changed. Significantly the oral is worth 40% now, a nice bonus if you're confident/bubbly, because you can improve your oral Irish with hard graft. Bear in mind you'll have poems/literature to cover as well.
Maths: I think for HL Maths you need to be comfortable with the basics (e.g. algebra) from your JC. A good foundation really helps. You also need a good teacher who can explain the principles of maths to you- I had three different teachers throughout my time in LC Maths. Even in Ordinary Level I learned more about Maths because when I dropped I had teachers who actually explained stuff clearly without saying "just do this when you see this". Undoubtedly there are people who "get it" and there are people who don't, but if Project Maths is anything like the old course your HL Maths book will become very comfortable in your bag. To even just pass HL Maths tests I had to try and do an hour/hour and a half of Maths a night. I regretted not dropping sooner to devote myself to other subjects for points.
German: Bear in mind the time that goes into oral work. Leading up to the oral it will inevitably become your focus and other subjects will suffer a little for those few weeks. Never did LC German but heard grammar was massive and the oral is supposed to have a role play; you've to prepare a few of those but that's good!
Biology: I got an A2 in Biology first time around. It helped that I loved the subject, but it really steps up from JC Science! Plant Biology, although not the be-all and end-all absolutely has to be covered to ensure a high grade and a lot of people hate it. Biology is certainly one of the "easier" LC Sciences in that you don't really have to "get" what you're talking about (although if you do, it's SO much easier!). Learning key points of biological processes/diagrams/definitions is the crux of this subject. In the past two years the paper has been twisted slightly and been less straightforward IMO- it really rewards those who understand and work hard instead of those who just rote-learn. Maybe that'll continue, I dunno.
Geography: I notice you've a lot of Business subjects. I'd a friend who did all the Business subjects and hated Geography, she found it too vague Couldn't disagree more with EuropeanSon, I found Geography to be interesting, stimulating and very relevant to today's world. LC Geography goes beyond just Physical processes (like mountain formation) and looks at regions, why they develop where they do and their unique characteristics that distinguish them from other regions. This involves studying regions in detail and really learning off facts. You'll use your JC skills like map and photo reading too. Check out if your school does the Economic Elective- if so, your Business subjects will complement the subject beautifully, especially Economics. The Option question lets you study biomes and soil. If you like nature documentaries about how animals, plants, soil and climate interact in say, the rainforest or desert, you'll love it. It's a huge subject, you can always study a bit more in it, and recent papers have been less predictable/"easy" to answer with regurgitated material, like Biology I suppose. It takes a lot of time to write out notes, go through papers and do sample answers. You'll also have a project which eats up time nicely just after your oral when you've promised yourself to spend more time at those subjects that suffered :P
/rant - Don't burn yourself out. There's more to the senior cycle and life in general than just the Leaving Cert!! I know I learned LOADS about myself and my mates in my final few years that had nothing to do with books.
Good luck with it all!!0 -
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