https://sydney.edu.au/campus-lif ... ject-selection.html
Dos and don’ts of HSC subject selection
6 March 2018
How do you choose your HSC subjects for years 11 and 12?
Starting uni seems so far away - yet here you are choosing your HSC subjects so that you can achieve an ATAR and apply to do a degree at uni. So how do you make the right choices for you? And should you worry about subject scaling?
Before you dive into the following advice, remember: this is one of the few times in your schooling life where you have choice - choice in what you learn, what you will dedicate yourself to, and what will be the stepping stones to achieving your goals after high school.
The HSC is a long road - and it's the right balance of hard work, dedication and enthusiasm that will help you succeed. Apply to this to any HSC subject, and you will give yourself the best chance possible.
Do pursue your interests
The best place to start when choosing your HSC subjects is to take a look at what you enjoy most and do well in. When you're going to spend so much time studying over the next couple of years, you want to be interested in what you're learning. This is a good indicator of your potential to achieve strong marks in your HSC as well as helping you determine future career paths and courses that may suit your skills and interests.
Don't choose a subject because you think it scales well
While it's natural to want to give yourself the best chance of achieving a high ATAR, it's a myth to think that certain subjects will guarantee this. Firstly, it's important to understand how HSC subject scaling works. UAC scales subjects according to the performance of all students that year, not whether they think a course is 'hard' or 'easy'. In short, try not to think about the ATAR when choosing your subjects and instead focus on what will allow you to achieve a mark that reflects your best ability. To understand more about the ATAR and how subject scaling works, visit our 'ATAR explained' page.
Do check the assumed knowledge for your shortlisted courses
If you are stuck on subjects, work backwards and take a look at which careers and study areas you are interested in, and which degrees support those options. We have a range of professional, specialist, liberal, combined and double degrees at the University of Sydney to prepare you for your future. Make a shortlist of courses and check out what the 'assumed knowledge' is for each of them, as this reflects a level of knowledge you are expected to have when you start that degree. While you can still gain admission into a course without the assumed knowledge, and bring yourself up to speed with a bridging course, these subjects typically reflect the skills and knowledge you will build on once you start your course.
Which HSC subjects did they do?
Deirdre Mair is currently studying a Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Design in Architecture. Her HSC subjects were English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Latin and French. She says mathematics was the most crucial subject for prior knowledge as she's continued to use it throughout her degree.
Angus Murray
Following completion of his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor (postgraduate law degree), Angus Murray became a professional actor. His HSC subjects were: English, 3 Unit Mathematics, French, Latin and Biology.
Alison Grech
Alison Grech pursued her passion for health and is now a Clinical Paediatric Dietitian. She studied a Bachelor of Health Sciences and Master of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her HSC Subjects were: English Extension 2, Mathematics, PDHPE, Biology, Society and Culture.
Natalie Nguyen
Natalie didn't know what she wanted to do in year 10 but she always loved coding. Now she is CEO/Co-Founder of Hyper Anna - a tech startup. She completed a Bachelor of Design Computing and took Design & Technology, Computing Applications, Mathematics and Visual Arts in her HSC.
Nick Phipps pursued both his academic interests and passion for rugby as a Qantas Wallabies and NSW Waratahs (Super Rugby) player. He completed a Master of International Business and studied Mathematics, English, PDHPE, Design & Technology, and Business Studies for his HSC.
With his sights set on a career in business, Duncan Robertson is pursuing a combined Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws. For his HSC he studied Economics, English, Mathematics, Modern History, French continuers and French extension.
Don't forget maths
A prerequisite is different to assumed knowledge - as you must complete any prerequisites in order be eligible for an offer into a course at the University of Sydney. Mathematics is a prerequisite for several of our courses, including: agriculture, economics, commerce, engineering and IT, health, medicine, psychology, pharmacy, veterinary science and science. To be eligible for admission into these courses, you will need to achieve at least a Band 4 in the NSW HSC Mathematics (not General Mathematics) or equivalent. If you are considering any of these options at uni, we'd recommend taking maths for your HSC or equivalent. Choose a level of maths that aligns with your ability and future plans.
Do talk to your parents, career advisers and teachers
What you pursue for your HSC is entirely up to you, but your parents, career advisers and teachers may be able to give you some advice. Talk to your teachers about the HSC syllabus for the subjects you're considering, and for advice on which level best suits your abilities - particularly with regards to maths and English. Speaking with those who know you and your interests well can help you navigate the options available to you.
Remember - you're choosing HSC subjects, not the rest of your life!
Your choice of HSC subjects is ultimately to help you achieve your goals - whatever they may be. It is not a finite decision that will guarantee a certain career path or limit your ability to pursue others - there is always a way to get to where you want to go - selecting your HSC subjects is just the first step.
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Top 3 Tips For Year 10 Subject Selection
August 1st, 2017
https://talent-100.com.au/blog/top-3-subject-selection-tips/
If you’re in Year 10 going into Year 11, there’s some big decisions coming up! In Year 11, you start your Preliminary Higher School Certificate (HSC) courses. These continue into Year 12 where they become the HSC courses you’re assessed on to get your Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking, or ‘ATAR’.
There are a few important questions to consider, including:
How do the courses I take in Year 11 affect what I can take in Year 12?
How many units of study should I take?
What subjects should I take? Does scaling matter?
Our expert team of HSC consultants has looked at years of HSC data as well as helped hundreds of students on their journeys through Year 11, and these are our tips to find the right answers to those questions.
1. Think about how the courses you choose in Year 11 will affect your options for Year 12.
This is a really important question to be asking yourself. Though Year 12 is the only year that your school results contribute to your HSC and ATAR, your eligibility to take HSC level subjects really depends on what you’ve taken in Year 11. With all subjects in Year 12, you have to have taken the Year 11 prerequisite course, so keep that in mind – and additionally here’s a few key things to be mindful of.
Maths
If you have any intention of taking Maths Extension I or Extension II for the HSC, you need to take Maths Extension I in Year 11. If you take Extension I in Year 11 and then decide to drop down to 2 Unit or General Maths, that’s not a problem – however, you can’t go the other way. Make sure to factor this in when choosing your subjects. Additionally, with Mathematics becoming a prerequisite for admission to the University of Sydney in 2019, if you have any intention of applying for any USyd courses, this is critical to be aware of!
English
At least 2 units of English will count in Year 12. It can be a very good idea (if you’re a relatively strong English student) to consider taking English Extension I in Year 11, as this will prepare you well for English Extension I in Year 12 – taking 3 units of English for your HSC can be a good insurance policy in case one of your English exams doesn’t go as well as you’d hoped; because 2 units have to count, having one up your sleeve can be useful.
The Sciences.
With Chemistry, Physics, and Biology, if you’re torn between a couple of them, it’s better to take two than one. All three of these subjects scale quite well (see further below, as well as our article on scaling), so if even if you’re slightly interested in them it’s a good idea to take two, as then you’ll have the option to continue with at least one or both in Year 12.
2. Pick the number of units you study so that you have some redundancy, but don’t overload yourself.
This decision boils down to a couple of key factors, and so you understand why these are important, you might like to read our article on how your ATAR is calculated.
Essentially, this is a balance between taking as many units as you can handle, and not overdoing it.
Why would you want to take more than the minimum 10 required units? Well, your ATAR is calculated from your best 10 units including English – not necessarily all your units. This means that if you can handle the extra workload, taking 11, 12 or 13 units in Year 11 is a great idea because you effectively get a ‘spare’ few units if one or more of your subjects don’t go to plan.
This is useful in two ways: firstly, you have room to drop something for Year 12 if you find out midway through the year that you’re not actually enjoying a particular subject at all and don’t want to continue with it. If you only take the minimum 10 units, this isn’t an option – you’re stuck with whatever you chose at the beginning of Year 11.
Secondly, if you choose the keep the ‘extra’ units in Year 12 as well, you essentially have a few redundant units in your HSC exams – once again, this functions as an insurance policy in case not everything goes to plan, so a dud unit or two won’t affect your ATAR.
There’s a couple of important things to remember though: firstly, 2 units of English must count. For why this is so important, see our article on scaling; but essentially, never think of English as a ‘spare’ subject – that only applies to subjects that might not necessarily be counted. Secondly, taking on extra units is only worth it if you can keep up the workload. Having spare units is no good if you do poorly across the board, so if you think you’re going to be particularly time-poor in Year 11 and 12, a better strategy may be opting for fewer units.
3. Think about scaling in your subject selection – it’s more important than you might realise.
For a full overview of this issue, see our article on scaling. To summarise, however, not all HSC subjects are created equal. Since some subjects have stronger candidatures, these subjects have their raw marks ‘scaled’ upwards to reflect these stronger candidates; this can be an advantage if you have an aptitude for such subjects. These subjects include Maths Extension I, Extension II, Physics, Chemistry, and to a lesser extent, Biology, English Extension I, and others. To see how scaling might affect your ATAR, visit our ATAR Profiler.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you should choose subjects only based on scaling – if you have no interest in a particular subject, scaling isn’t necessarily a good enough reason to take it. However, if achieving the highest ATAR you can is important to you, you should definitely think about the impact of scaling on your marks.
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Thanks
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https://gradready.com.au/posts/u ... hoices-and-medicine
Year 11/12 Subject Choices and Medicine
by Sarah Rea, 29 April, 2016
Last updated 24th September 2017
UMAT® Exam and UMAT® Exam preparation is only one component of a medical school application, the other is of course your ATAR, and finally there is the matter of what HSC® Exam subjects you enrol in. “What HSC® Exam subjects should I pick if I want to do medicine?” - I remember googling this question in so many different ways to try and get a straight answer. Unfortunately the reason no results were coming up is because there is no correct answer. At the time, it felt like the biggest decision I ever had to make, and that’s it probably was. I will pre-empt this blog by noting that this is not a guideline for what subjects you NEED to pick to get into medicine. What it should do is give you insights into the usefulness of some subject choices over others.
UMAT Preparation Course
Although there are no pre-requisites for entry into undergraduate medicine, there are some subjects that put a bit more weight into your university application. For example, although UNSW specifically says that you are not required to have completed any specific subject in order to be able to apply, be accepted or enrol in undergraduate medicine, it does say that English and Chemistry are considered highly in the application.
In this we will be focusing on choosing subjects from a few different perspectives:
- Boosting your ATAR
- What looks good on a medicine application
- What will be practical once you get into medicine
English
As a domestic student completing your HSC® Exam in Australia, you should be doing “English Advanced”, at the very least. English is the only subject that will definitely contribute to your HSC® Exam mark so you want to make it count. Universities also look highly upon students who have achieved well in either Extension English 1 or 2. If you are good at English or have done well in the past, it is well worth your while to consider enrolling yourself to Extension English. Not only will it look good on your application, but it will also, if you do well, give your ATAR a boost as extension English is considered a ‘harder’ subject and scales your marks up. If you are not good at English or do not like English, consider sticking to Advanced English. It is better to use your extra time to excel in advanced than it is to try, but ultimately not succeed in extension.
Maths
Maths is one of those subjects that people like to say ‘you either got it, or you don’t’. There is some truth behind this statement since some people do understand maths a lot more easily than others (I was NOT one of those people), which then makes excelling in this subject easier. But this isn’t to say that if you don’t ‘get it’ you shouldn’t bother trying- it just means that you have to try a little harder! Same with anything, right? In terms of picking a subject which will maximize your potential, only choose to do maths if you actually like it, because if you don’t, you are going to be spending a lot of extra time trying to get through the subject and if you aren’t successful, it may drag your ATAR down. If you like it a lot, choose extension 1 and if you LOVE and/or are one of those people who ‘get it’, do extension 2. It doesn’t really hold the same weight as extension English in terms of how good it looks on your application (although it will still be looked at highly), but it will certainly bring your ATAR up if you do well.
Sciences
Chemistry
If medicine is the end goal, chemistry is a good subject to have up your sleeve. Not only do some medical schools recommend it for prior learning, but it also pulls your ATAR up if you do well enough in the subject. Whilst I can vouch that it is quite a difficult subject, with the right attitude, it can be a very interesting and enjoyable subject. Definitely one to think about adding to the subject list!
Biology
Although a lot of people consider this the ‘easier’ science, this will potentially be the most useful AFTER you gain entry into the course. Since the first two years of any undergraduate medicine degree are spent going through the theoretical content of medicine, biology is a big chunk of the content. Many medical schools actually recommend that you complete a biology bridging course before starting your degree so you are not so far behind the rest of those who did biology in high school. In terms of ATAR, it is not the biggest ATAR booster, but it will not necessarily bring you down.
Physics
Although it seems every science teacher wants to stress the importance of physics, for a future medical practitioner, it’s pretty safe to say that most of what you learn throughout year 11 and 12 is pretty useless. Physics is a great subject to have an understanding of, as it actually does apply to the world around us and can help make sense of everyday life. In terms of practicality in the future, you could go your whole medical degree without ever doing or having done physics and be no worse off. It is however, one of the best subjects to boost your ATAR as it is certainly considered a ‘harder’ subject. My advice: If you enjoy science and are happy to learn for the sake of learning, give physics a go, if anything, it may pull your ATAR up and give you a better shot at reaching the benchmark for undergraduate medicine entry. If you are the type a person who needs a reason for learning, you are not going to enjoy 2 years of learning information that will essentially be useless after your final HSC® Exam exam (Harsh I know, but coming from someone who has a year 10 understanding of physics, I have not been hindered once throughout the course of my study).
PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education)
This one is purely a practical subject. Much of what they teach you will pop up in much greater detail early on in your medical degree. It touches on a lot of nutrition and health-based subjects, which when compared to something like physics is certainly a lot more applicable to medicine. True, some people can view this as a ‘bludge’ subject (false), because it is not technically science, but if you apply yourself, not only could you get a good mark out of it, but you will also form a good basic understanding of some important health-related concepts. On the downside however, you have to do REALLY well to make this subject count as it does not scale nearly as well as things like science, economics and extension subjects.
I have purposely only mentioned a few subject choices here, because these are the subjects that are viewed as most ‘desirable’ in a medicine entry candidate. For all the artists and musicians who are also pursuing a career in medicine, this is absolutely not to say that you are not good potential candidates. In fact, having a passion and proved efforts to improve yourself in that field (be it music, art, drama…) is a fantastic thing to have on a medicine application. Not only does it show that you have interests outside of medicine, but it also shows dedication, which is considered as desirable as good marks.
There are no right or wrong answers here. If I can leave you with some final advice, only do subjects that you enjoy. If you hate maths, don’t do it. If you’re not fantastic at English, stick to advanced. If you hate science, maybe consider a different career path because this one might bite you on the bum (unless it’s physics, you can hate physics). And if you really love the more artsy, history focused subjects, do it! Just keep in mind that you are then competing with hundreds of science-focused students who may have a leg up in marks and content.
It’s a long journey ahead, but it’s all worth it in the end! And don’t forget your UMAT® Exam preparation throughout the HSC® Exam! Work hard guys and happy studying!
Be sure to follow UMAT Prep GradReady, GAMSAT Prep GradReady, VCE Prep GradReady and HSC Prep GradReady on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest free seminars, sample material, and tips.
We are a technology company that makes learning more engaging and efficient through Adaptive Learning technologies. Established in 2010 by medical students at the University of Melbourne, we have grown to help over 1,000 students each year. To view the number of students at your local University preparing with GradReady software, click here.
In 2014 - 2015, students using our technologies increased their scores by 25 percentile points on average.
In April 2016 we released a completely new site built with the latest software frameworks, meaning that the site now operates at lightning speed and the foundations have been laid for even more advanced technologies that we will release to UMAT® Exam, GAMSAT® Exam, VCE® Exam and HSC® Exam students throughout the year. Stay tuned through our Facebook pages - UMAT Prep GradReady, GAMSAT Prep GradReady, VCE Prep GradReady, and HSC Prep GradReady.
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最近娃问起 物理 vs 化学 vs 生物 选课， 想来需要对这里的选课多些了解。
更直观的或许就是网上HSC去年的考题了，打算找出那三门课的题让娃自己看看。
http://educationstandards.nsw.ed ... ces/hsc-exam-papers
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是不是选Maths Extension II, Physics, Chemistry, English Extension I最好？
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选娃自己喜欢的最好
当然也要听听老师的意见， 看看娃究竟能走多远。
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感谢分享！
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学校也这样说
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时间过得好快啊！ 当初是讨论OC， 现在是HSC 了。
女儿学校也还在考虑选课的问题了， 应该会选4U 数学, 物理。但是化学和生物之间就有点犹豫了，化学刚开始学， 她说有点难，不想选， 但是老公一口咬死， 要选， 因为听说SCALING 高， 女儿有点反感。 我倾向于再看看，如果不行， 就不选这科了。估计有得吵了。
话说这种听说， 不考虑自己实际情况的最不靠谱了。
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支持你和女儿.
你老公该好好教育一下了。 又不是他考; 出建议是应该的， 粗暴干涉要不得.
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选课难道只看那个打分高？ 完全错了。
选课要看
1）你孩子将来想干什么？ 学习这课程对孩子的将来有没有用。
2）你孩子是否喜欢这门课，是否有能力把这门课学号。
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好想说，楼主翻译成中文吧
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这种决定得让孩子做， 家长老师只能给意见。如果自己不喜欢的被迫学， 要痛苦两年，何必呢。让孩子对待选科目多些了解倒是家长可以做的。所以我打算把去年的HSC 考题打出来让娃自己看，自己决定。
在我的诱惑和建议下，娃学了一年半德语， 还有半年才结束，但人家已经毅然决然11年级放弃。就算我用下次乐队欧洲游没准儿去德国， 用得上德语来诱惑， 人家也不甩我了。 长大了确实不好忽悠。
原本是让他试试看，如果实在没那么喜欢，放弃就放弃吧。好在人家考虑学物理或化学， 倒也是我觉得男生必须懂的一些常识。娃主动来问理化生选哪个好，这才有了我这个帖子。
读了一些文章，总结我理解的中心思想： 如果目标不是99.95，那就不用考虑各种Moderate， Scaling，选娃自己喜欢的擅长的就行。英文很重要，是一切科目的基础。
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推荐给娃儿看的，已经email孩子了。他们看英文速度更快
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