Subject Choice

apocalypseDG

The school year is nearing an end with only 7-8 weeks left for us fourth years if we don't count weeks such as outdoor pursuits, work experience and the Easter holidays.

Its time to start handing in our choices for Leaving Cert, so I think that it might be a good idea to have a thread in which TY and 3rd year students who'll be skipping TY can ask for opinions about the subjects or combinations they have in mind.

I already spoke to Career Guidance teachers but its always nice to receive a second opinion:)

Here are my choices so far:

No Irish - I'm exempt:cool: (went to a primary school where it wasn't taught)
Maths
English

Chemistry
Physics
Biology
Applied Maths
Dutch

All Higher

I'll be taking Dutch as my 7th exam as well because I'm fluent, though with a 12 year old's vocab because I left Holland when I started 1st year. Therefore I never did the language at secondary level, though I still speak it at home with my Dad and sister who left the country at 11 so her grasp of the language is probably nothing spectacular either.
Similar to the other "Other Languages" for the LC there's no syllabus for it .

This might make it pretty tough to do well in unless it is marked more generously than I'm expecting - I probably won't be as competent with it as I will be with English, though I would, for example, be perfectly capable of writing these paragraphs out in Dutch.

English was my worst subject for JC (only got a C) because I hate writing about thoughts, feelings and opinion cause I'm very unoriginal and uncreative:rolleyes:. I hate writing essays under time pressure too, however I'm said to be quite well-spoken an articulate even by those that didn't realise I was bilingual.
I'm hoping for A1s in the 3 lab sciences. I loved it for JC and found it fairly easy. Not quite sure what to expect for App. maths though I enjoyed the introductory module of it we did in TY. I've heard it being described as a short course leaving plenty of time for revision and that the exams are predictable, also the topics that are questioned were quite consistent the last few years.
Normal Maths I've heard dreadful things about, and the general consensus is that it's very difficult so I'm not expecting to cruise through the course and get an A like I did for JC, though if I put the effort in surely I could do it?

Languages really aren't one of my talents so I'm hoping to drop Spanish for the LC. I was getting As for Spanish all throughout first and second year but in third year as the pace picked up I began to find it quite challenging. Now in TY I'm finding it to be a hard subject and a lot of work considering it is only one class. If I would do it for the Leaving I'd never get an A1, probably not an A2 either even if I studied my ass off. Precious study time I could be investing into something I have a greater aptitude for.

I need good results because I'm hoping to do Medicine as I enjoy science and interacting with other people, and think that curing other people would be quite a satisfying career.
I should be capable of getting mid 500s point wise I think, and the guidance councillor said that based on my JC and aptitude tests we did this year I would be capable of achieving those points on condition I work hard from day one of 5th year.

Therefore, I ask, how hard would the above subjects be? Do you enjoy them?
Is it a good combination? What are your overall thoughts on my choices?

3rd years and TYers please discuss what subjects you are going to chose and why you want to do them:D

This is my first thread. I lurked boards since I moved here but only posted around 5 times or so and only made an account last year.

I_ENJOY_BATHS

You're lucky your school does applied maths, if you've an aptitude for maths at all you'll get an A1 in it easily if you put in a bit of work.

If you got an A in normal maths you shouldn't struggle at LC level, Although you'll still need to work your ass off to get a very high grade.

The only option of yours that I can speak about is physics, which is very easy if you are interested in the subject and enjoy problem solving. Although, it does get very boring at times because the standard of physics on the LC course can be quite simple and tedious, so just stick with it.

Glee_GG

To be honest with the new maths course and the lack of knowledge on the type of questions that can be asked, I wouldn't be counting on an A in it.

Applied maths is a great subject. Majority of topics are grand, obviously you prefer some topics over others but you've a good choice in the exam to avoid ones you don't like.

Physics - not a major fan of it. Do the three sciences and its my least favourite. Find it very boring at times.

Chem - favourite subject. Love the experiments and theory, a lot of it is probably down to the fact that I've an amazing teacher. Its all about understand topics more than learning, if you want to do well you have to actually understand what your doing. Very different to JC Chem I thought, LC Chem is quite mathsy in comparison!


biology - basically learning, I find it very enjoyable expect for plants and ecology which are just boring because I don't really care about them!

Indiego

We have to hand in a list of our top six elective choices next week, and they will try to make a timetable that gives everyone their top 4 subjects, but there will be some people who might only get 2 or 3 and have to take they're 5th or 6th subject, this worries me a bit because there are only 4 subjects that I really actually want to do (that my school offers):

Biology - I adore this subject, bought the book this year and Ive done about half the course already

Physics - This is my second favorite science subject, and maths is one of my best subjects so I think it will suit me well

Spanish - I'm pretty good at Spanish, and I like it, though the main reason I want to take it is so I don't limit my college choice at all.

Geography - I think geography is an ok subject, but I find it reasonably easy and the teacher in my school is amazing, and it is technically a science subject :P

I want to do Science in college, but my school doesn't offer chemistry as a subject so I will be more than likely teaching myself it outside school, though I mightn't sit the LC exam in it.


But I do have a query; because of the fact that in my school we need to pick 6 subjects I need to pick 2 more subjects that I wouldn't mind taking in a 'worst case scenario', and I've narrowed it down to Business and Home ec, but I need to decide which one to put first in the list, just in case I don't get Geography (If I don't get the other 3 then I will move schools because there is no way I'm not taking them )

My problem is that I didn't take Business last year, but I've heard that its a fairly easy subject to pick up without prior knowledge, and I wanted to do business for JC but it clashed with art :pac:
Home ec, however, does have a scientific side to it, but I have no interest in food science, and the other sections of the course, the social studies and textiles etc., bored me to tears at JC level :rolleyes:

Which do you think I should go with?

spurious

OP - I suggest you start reading quality Dutch novels and newspapers.

Being fluent will not be enough to do really well (A1 or A2) without having some standards in expression and style.

Glee_GG

Indiego wrote: »

my school doesn't offer chemistry as a subject so I will be more than likely teaching myself it outside school, though I mightn't sit the LC exam in it.

Firstly what school has enough demand for physics yet doesn't have a chemistry class?!:eek: Also, personally believe, your not going to be able to do this yourself outside of school. There are parts that you really need a teacher to sit down with you and explain why your doing what your doing! Also some of the experiments are a bit dodgy and you need them explained to you, why your doing them etc.

Indiego

Glee_GG wrote: »

Firstly what school has enough demand for physics yet doesn't have a chemistry class?!:eek: Also, personally believe, your not going to be able to do this yourself outside of school. There are parts that you really need a teacher to sit down with you and explain why your doing what your doing! Also some of the experiments are a bit dodgy and you need them explained to you, why your doing them etc.

I go to a small school with less than 250 students and only 20 rooms, so we don't have the facilities to offer chemistry But one of our science teachers has a fairly good knowledge of chemistry and offered to help me on anything I need help with, and given the amount of resources on the internet I'm sure Ill be able to find answers to anything that confuses me I dont really have much of a choice apart from doing it outside school because I'd rather do it outside school than to move schools just for the sake of one subject.

pathway33

Indiego wrote: »

we don't have the facilities to offer chemistry ........ I dont really have much of a choice apart from doing it outside school

You know the department do inspections (5% inspection rate i think) to make sure everyone sitting the chemistry exam has done the experiments in the lab. You could do it on your own without doing the experiments but what happens if a month before the leaving cert you get a letter saying we are coming to see evidence of your experiment work. They can prevent you sitting the chemistry exam if you have no evidence.

Indiego

pathway33 wrote: »

You know the department do inspections (5% inspection rate i think) to make sure everyone sitting the chemistry exam has done the experiments in the lab. You could do it on your own without doing the experiments but what happens if a month before the leaving cert you get a letter saying we are coming to see evidence of your experiment work. They can prevent you sitting the chemistry exam if you have no evidence.

Yeah I know that, I never said I wasn't planning on not doing the experiments :pac: There are a few people in 5th and 6th year who do it outside school in Ashfield so I was going to look into that.
Though Im not sure If I'm even going to sit the exam, I want to do it more for the sake of knowing the subject matter as opposed to getting points for it, simply because I want to do science in college and Im leaning towards general science where you do a bit of everything, and I dont want to be behind in the Chemistry modules, because even though they say no prior knowledge is assumed, they fly through the L.C stuff fairly quick, according to people I know in Trinity and UCD.

pathway33

Indiego wrote: »

Yeah I know that, I never said I wasn't planning on not doing the experiments :pac: There are a few people in 5th and 6th year who do it outside school in Ashfield so I was going to look into that.

Ashfield Templeogue? That's cool. I didn't know they do the practicals on the once a week class. Cool if they do.

Indiego

pathway33 wrote: »

Ashfield Templeogue? That's cool. I didn't know they do the practicals on the once a week class. Cool if they do.

Well I dont know if they do or not, all I know is people in my school go there to do the Chemistry course and they plan on taking the exam, so Im guessing they do the experiments somewhere

apocalypseDG

Indiego wrote: »

We have to hand in a list of our top six elective choices next week, and they will try to make a timetable that gives everyone their top 4 subjects, but there will be some people who might only get 2 or 3 and have to take they're 5th or 6th subject, this worries me a bit because there are only 4 subjects that I really actually want to do (that my school offers):

Biology - I adore this subject, bought the book this year and Ive done about half the course already

Physics - This is my second favorite science subject, and maths is one of my best subjects so I think it will suit me well

Spanish - I'm pretty good at Spanish, and I like it, though the main reason I want to take it is so I don't limit my college choice at all.

Geography - I think geography is an ok subject, but I find it reasonably easy and the teacher in my school is amazing, and it is technically a science subject :P

I want to do Science in college, but my school doesn't offer chemistry as a subject so I will be more than likely teaching myself it outside school, though I mightn't sit the LC exam in it.


But I do have a query; because of the fact that in my school we need to pick 6 subjects I need to pick 2 more subjects that I wouldn't mind taking in a 'worst case scenario', and I've narrowed it down to Business and Home ec, but I need to decide which one to put first in the list, just in case I don't get Geography (If I don't get the other 3 then I will move schools because there is no way I'm not taking them )

My problem is that I didn't take Business last year, but I've heard that its a fairly easy subject to pick up without prior knowledge, and I wanted to do business for JC but it clashed with art :pac:
Home ec, however, does have a scientific side to it, but I have no interest in food science, and the other sections of the course, the social studies and textiles etc., bored me to tears at JC level :rolleyes:

Which do you think I should go with?

I did Business for JC. I'd say you should be grand not having done it before because a good chunk of it was bookkeeping, which I think isn't examined for LC Business. You would of course be on the back foot from day one so would have some catching up to do compared to those that did. My Business teacher told us to just do Economics though instead of Business because it was a much more enjoyable subject. Also the Economics in JC Business is very easy and you would probably know more about it than JC Bus. students after a week or so of study:P

I never did HE but have you considered HE - Scientific and Social?
http://www.examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2011/LC098ALP000EV.pdf

spurious wrote: »

OP - I suggest you start reading quality Dutch novels and newspapers.

Being fluent will not be enough to do really well (A1 or A2) without having some standards in expression and style.

Advice taken. Trouble is I really don't know what they're expecting of me

Does anyone know someone who did an "Other Language" for LC and their level of competence with the language? i.e. Did they leave after primary school?

I can easily read the Dutch equivalent of the Irish Times, not much to be learnt there to be honest. Novels I'll start reading however:)

Also I have another question : Why does my school ask me for career choices in order of preference on the Subject Choice form? Do they expect everyone to know at 15 years old having spent 40 minutes with a Guidance coucillor!?:eek:

Indiego

apocalypseDG wrote: »

I did Business for JC. I'd say you should be grand not having done it before because a good chunk of it was bookkeeping, which I think isn't examined for LC Business. You would of course be on the back foot from day one so would have some catching up to do compared to those that did. My Business teacher told us to just do Economics though instead of Business because it was a much more enjoyable subject. Also the Economics in JC Business is very easy and you would probably know more about it than JC Bus. students after a week or so of study:P

I never did HE but have you considered HE - Scientific and Social?
http://www.examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2011/LC098ALP000EV.pdf



Advice taken. Trouble is I really don't know what they're expecting of me

Does anyone know someone who did an "Other Language" for LC and their level of competence with the language? i.e. Did they leave after primary school?

I can easily read the Dutch equivalent of the Irish Times, not much to be learnt there to be honest. Novels I'll start reading however:)

Also I have another question : Why does my school ask me for career choices in order of preference on the Subject Choice form? Do they expect everyone to know at 15 years old having spent 40 minutes with a Guidance coucillor!?:eek:

My school doesn't offer Economics or Accounting for LC either.. ><
But thanks for the info about Business

In answer to your other question, perharps they want to know so that If it can't be arranged so that everyone gets the subjects they want, then they'll try to make sure you at least get subjects needed for your no.1 career :pac:

spurious

Re the 'other languages' - it's anecdotal, but in my experience, the students who get the A1s and A2s are the ones who mainly read for pleasure in that language.

I've seen many students (with something other than English as a mother tongue) wing it and think they'll just manage on their spoken knowledge of the language. They sometimes write poorly in the language - particularly those languages which have a very different formal written register. They don't fail or anything, but they do much worse than they think they will.

Russian and Japanese do not expect native speaker standard as they are supposed to be taught ab initio after JC, but all the others, Dutch, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Bulgarian etc., do.

For French, Spanish, German and Italian the SEC are expecting most students to have 5 or 6 years of study behind them, so native speakers of those languages have a big advantage, as the exams are not really that difficult for a native speaker, though again, the proviso about sloppy written work applies.