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March 29, 2024, 06:40:38 am

Author Topic: Switch from methods to further 3/4?  (Read 867 times)  Share 

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Snubbles

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Switch from methods to further 3/4?
« on: November 13, 2019, 08:26:33 pm »
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Hey all lol, I just bothered the VCE chem board but now I'm back because I'm indecisive asf

I found out that the methods exam only seems to get harder as each year goes by from the spesh teacher who does every 3/4 exam each year to test difficulty. The entire year I've kinda slacked off for like, all my subjects just because I have little to no motivation- this means I barely pull through each sac with a pass or an occasional fail  lmao

I would've kept methods because it seems like a really good backup plan from what people tell me? Since I don't really know what I want to do in uni
But I spoke to my teacher and she said it's not a good backup plan if you can't reach the study score they want for the prereq, which really god me thinking

For methods I've been averaging like, 50-60s the entire year- the only reason why I'm hesitant is because I haven't necessarily actually sat down and tried to study for any of the tests either- so I'm just wondering what would happen if I actually tried ahah

All in all, I just don't want to regret anything :")
But from what I'm looking at currently, the courses that kinda interest me don't seem to require methods so I'm not really sure? Since anything can change within a year haha

Ionic Doc

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Re: Switch from methods to further 3/4?
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2019, 08:44:52 pm »
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Yo, I feel the same way about methods.
I've been averaging 50/60/70 in methods all year, barely passed the semester 1 exam and gonna definitely fail this semester 2 exam (parents gonna murder me lol).

I've been a pretty shitty methods student and it's cause I'm not actually studying for it, and don't actually ask my teacher any questions. I'm also doing further next year but I'm keeping methods.

The reason being is because next year I'm actually gonna try ( i know everyone says this). Gonna aim to do around an hour or more of methods a night next year.
I'm also getting tutoring for methods ( thnx tutemsmart XD  ;)) and I'm gonna communicate with my method teacher more than what I already do. 
Also apparently with decent SAC marks, you only need to get above 35% on both exams to scrape a 25 which imo is doable if an individual actually puts effort.

Methods definitely opens way more university courses so make sure you think really hard if you want to drop it. A lot of my mates have gone down to further and it's so tempting to just follow the crowd and take the easy route but in the long run I reckon methods will be worth it.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2019, 08:46:27 pm by Ionic Doc »
2019/2020 - Psychology | Biology | Chemistry | Methods | Further | English
2021 - Science @ Melbourne University

criminals for diminals

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Re: Switch from methods to further 3/4?
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2019, 08:45:51 pm »
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I did methods and further this year and for me, I really loved further, so much that i basically just stopped caring about methods and started chasing a 45+ in further.
This is how i see the two subjects
Further:
Pros: for me, less effort required to get high marks, even when it is scaled down. Applicable to the real world, e.g financial maths, networks, etc. Funner than methods for many of my friends.
Cons: constantly on edge, even a single mark will cost you.
Methods:
Pros: year 11 to year 12 doesn't change much, you can learn the whole course in the christmas holidays if you put in a bit of time every day. a 25+ should be ezpz, raw 35+ if you put in around 45m to an hour a day. Also for most, this year's methods was easier than last years.
Cons: looooots of grinding.

imo, you should probably try and do both to keep your options open. I went from nutting whenever I saw anything financial to perusing architecture within a year so...
« Last Edit: November 13, 2019, 08:47:44 pm by criminals for diminals »

Daweiii

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Re: Switch from methods to further 3/4?
« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2019, 08:47:29 pm »
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I did Further and Methods in year 12.

I loved Further and absolutely despised Methods. In my opinion, Methods gets a lot harder at the end (well at least for me).
I'd probably talk to your school coordinator or counsellor about the courses you're interested in. It also really depends on which university you want to go - pretty much the Melbourne GO8 unis needs methods study score of 25.

I don't really think Methods is a good backup plan other than if you're planning to do engineering or a specific maths major at university, though I only thought about this superficially so don't quote me on this.

Further Maths isn't hard to understand, it's just hard to not mess up. However, once you smash out VCAA papers you would find out that most of the questions, if not, all of them, are pretty much the same, just worded differently.

For methods I've been averaging like, 50-60s the entire year- the only reason why I'm hesitant is because I haven't necessarily actually sat down and tried to study for any of the tests either- so I'm just wondering what would happen if I actually tried ahah
Oh boy I feel you on this one. I averaged around 30-40% for my tests in year 12 (I'm pretty sure the highest score I got was like high 50's). I don't have too much advice for study on this as I myself didn't do too much for methods, but of course if you actually tried you would do great.

If you really feel Methods isn't your forte, then I'd really think of switching. However, it definitely alleviates the pain if you understand the concepts. Appoint another meeting with your methods teacher, they'll be sure to help you out further.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2019, 08:54:56 pm by Daweiii »
Medicine, Monash University

tigerclouds

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Re: Switch from methods to further 3/4?
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2019, 09:04:04 pm »
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Hi there,
I'm gonna be honest with you. Yes, methods is hard and time-consuming. I hated it for the majority of the year but once you actually put your mind to it, you'll find that it may not be as bad as you think. There's just a certain mindset of thinking that you need to have. I kept Methods because it's a prereq for a couple courses I'm interested in. I'm like you though, I don't really know what I want to do after high school but I just don't want to close any doors. I will say though, I found it really challenging to juggle methods with my year 11 subjects so I can't imagine doing it in year 12 just because the workload is intense. But hey, the majority do methods in year 12 not 11. If you really don't think you'll need methods, it may be better not to do it so it doesn't take away from your other subjects. I think a 25 is very manageable though. You can download the study score app and plug in some predictions for your SACs and exam scores just so you know what you need to get a 25. I just plugged in a 50 for all of GA 1,2 and 3 and that gives you a raw 28. Also, perhaps you can muster some motivation next year and raise your grades because you're getting average marks without really trying but imagine what you could get if you put your mind to the subject. Also, if Methods is your weakest subject, it won't affect your ATAR too much as it only has a 10% increment. I think the best thing to do in your situation is to be realistic but not pessimistic. If you have the desire to do well, you definitely can do it but if the stress is completely unnecessary than it may be better not to do it.
Best of luck!

Snubbles

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Re: Switch from methods to further 3/4?
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2019, 06:55:06 pm »
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Thanks for all the input :)

I feel like I might just keep it for the sake of not closing any doors
but at the same time, since I've already dropped chem- I'm wondering what courses methods alone would even open lmao

Also- I looked through the further exam and even with my current state of being, I found that it looked half decent- so I'll see I suppose?
My biggest problem is probably that I literally just, don't try :"D and my lack of foundation? I had a really good math teacher in year8, but then a super shit one for 9 & 10 so that created a dent in what I'd built up and honestly it's pretty hard to go back up
Moreso, extended response TRuly fucks me up in all the wrong places

If anyone has any recommendations for tutors [esp if they're an examiner] though I'll definitely take them all lol