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I need subject senior Subject selection help!

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Anthony3262:
Hello everyone!

This is my first post :). I am currently in Grade 10 at school and I am doing the following subjects:
English
Mathematics Methods
Chemistry
Music
Economics
Business Studies

This is my dilemma. Last year I was one mark off being dux of Mathematics and all my friends are telling me that I should do Maths Specialist due to it being high scaling however I choose Business Studies instead as I thought it may be a bit too much Maths for me if I choose specialist. Business is an average scaling subject and I am wondering whether I should stay in it and dux the class or move to Maths Specialist. Also, does Specialist Maths have anything to do with methods in Yr11/12?

I am really wanting to achieve an ATAR 99+ or equivalent to UQ's standards as I want to enter either their BAFE course or Medicine. I am currently studying a LOTE subject outside of school where I will take an exam at the end of grade 12 which gets me 2 bonus points at UQ. Is it worth me switching to Specialist Maths (Which also gives another 2 bonus points at UQ) as a higher scaling subject to achieve this goal?

K.Smithy:
Hi Anthony3262, welcome to the forums! :)


--- Quote from: Anthony3262 on February 05, 2020, 05:50:46 pm ---This is my dilemma. Last year I was one mark off being dux of Mathematics and all my friends are telling me that I should do Maths Specialist due to it being high scaling however I choose Business Studies instead as I thought it may be a bit too much Maths for me if I choose specialist. Business is an average scaling subject and I am wondering whether I should stay in it and dux the class or move to Maths Specialist.

--- End quote ---

It's kind of annoying, but you will never quite know how your subjects are going to scale. You can make assumptions about which subjects will scale up, but how much a subject scales up is also dependent upon how well you perform in that subject in comparison to everyone else who takes the subject (from my understanding anyway). So although specialist will scale up, it may be more beneficial, scaling wise, to top business; this we won't know until you graduate and get your results.


--- Quote from: Anthony3262 on February 05, 2020, 05:50:46 pm ---Also, does Specialist Maths have anything to do with methods in Yr11/12?

--- End quote ---

I only study methods, but my friend studies both specialist and methods and as far as I am aware there is tons of overlap between specialist and methods. I think, if I remember correctly, there is a lot of overlap between unit 3 for specialist and methods. And both subjects use special triangles and unit circle, which you will learn about in unit 2.


--- Quote from: Anthony3262 on February 05, 2020, 05:50:46 pm ---I am really wanting to achieve an ATAR 99+ or equivalent to UQ's standards as I want to enter either their BAFE course or Medicine. I am currently studying a LOTE subject outside of school where I will take an exam at the end of grade 12 which gets me 2 bonus points at UQ. Is it worth me switching to Specialist Maths (Which also gives another 2 bonus points at UQ) as a higher scaling subject to achieve this goal?

--- End quote ---

This decision is entirely up to you and your own circumstances. If you are interested in maths, don't mind having to study it more, and are able to fit specialist into your life - then by all means go for it! The adjustments you will receive from studying specialist will definitely help you on your journey towards a 99+ ATAR, but it is entirely possible to achieve a 99+ ATAR will a whole set of subjects that scale down and without any adjustment points. In the end, this decision is up to you and what you think will be the best course of action. If you do choose specialist but find it to be too much work, just remember it is ok to change subjects, and doing so doesn't mean you are doomed to get a bad ATAR.

Good luck! I wish you the best for your future studies :)

Specialist_maths:

--- Quote from: Anthony3262 on February 05, 2020, 05:50:46 pm ---This is my dilemma. Last year I was one mark off being dux of Mathematics and all my friends are telling me that I should do Maths Specialist due to it being high scaling however I choose Business Studies instead as I thought it may be a bit too much Maths for me if I choose specialist. Business is an average scaling subject and I am wondering whether I should stay in it and dux the class or move to Maths Specialist. Also, does Specialist Maths have anything to do with methods in Yr11/12?

I am really wanting to achieve an ATAR 99+ or equivalent to UQ's standards as I want to enter either their BAFE course or Medicine. I am currently studying a LOTE subject outside of school where I will take an exam at the end of grade 12 which gets me 2 bonus points at UQ. Is it worth me switching to Specialist Maths (Which also gives another 2 bonus points at UQ) as a higher scaling subject to achieve this goal?

--- End quote ---
Hi Anthony,

Selecting subjects for 11/12 can be tricky. I think there's three good reasons to choose a subject:

* You really like the subject
* You're really good at the subject
* It will help you get where you want to go
I usually recommend against selecting subjects based on perceptions of how they might scale for OP/ATAR. How well you do in a subject is more important that what subjects you choose. However, if you're set on a 99+ ATAR, realistically there are some subject combinations that can't score that high because of typical selection patterns across the population.

First, if you're serious about the Advanced Finance degree, you should select Specialist Mathematics. It's easier (and cheaper) to learn mathematics while you're at school than at university, and you'll need to be mathematically skilled to succeed in that degree. UQ mentions Specialist Mathematics in their prerequisites for 2021 (not Economics or Business).

For a medical degree, you won't need Specialist. But you will likely need a very high ATAR. If you are talented in mathematics already, I'd agree with your friends - you should pick Specialist.

The other consideration is workload and life-balance. If you're also studying LOTE (which is an awesome idea), you're getting a pretty heavy load. If you enjoy your subjects - this won't be a problem. But keep an eye on it. Of course, if you're heading towards high demand university studies and careers, you should probably get used to hard work..

As K.Smithy said, the decision is yours. I wish you all the best.

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