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Author Topic: Why should I choose Physics?  (Read 1728 times)  Share 

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TigerMum

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Why should I choose Physics?
« on: February 19, 2019, 09:00:31 pm »
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Hi, I'm in Year 10 this year and in the process of choosing what subjects I am going to do for VCE.
So I'm considering doing Physics but I want to get an idea of what it is like as a subject and what sort of skills work well with it. Year 7-10 science has felt pretty basic to me and most of it felt just like remembering facts, and I coasted with 80-90% doing little work. Physics is probably the science that appeals to me the most, I just want to make sure it is the sort of thing I would like and be good at.
I would say Maths is my favourite and strongest subject, I'm doing 1/2 methods this year and am planning on doing Specialist, so anything maths-based I will enjoy and nothing overly wordy or grey-area ambiguity sort of thing (one reason why Biology doesn't really appeal to me that much).
Based on this, would you recommend Physics to me or do you think I would be good at it? Any advice about the subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

AngelWings

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Re: Why should I choose Physics?
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2019, 10:41:09 pm »
+1
Hi, I'm in Year 10 this year and in the process of choosing what subjects I am going to do for VCE.
-snip-
Based on this, would you recommend Physics to me or do you think I would be good at it? Any advice about the subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Welcome to AN!

I'll put this caveat here first - I haven't done VCE Physics, so I will be no help to you in terms of anecdotes and will subjectively be less biased. I can, however, provide some advice I give generally, as well as advice to lead you towards your plans for after VCE.

Here's the checklist I use for choosing VCE subjects:
1. Do you enjoy Physics? (Seems like it, although you express no definite answer here. I recommend checking the Physics U1/2 study design to see whether it's for you.)
2. Do you need Physics as a prerequisite for courses you're intending to study after VCE? (Depends on your intended direction. Are you a med-hopeful, an engineering-hopeful or something else entirely? You can check whether you need it as a prerequisite via VTAC Course Search or VTAC prerequisite planner.)
3. (This should only be used a tiebreaker.) Are you good at Physics? (Hard to tell considering you haven't done it yet. Again, check the study design.) 

I can also lead you to our VCE subject reviews, which include Physics U3/4, but unfortunately no U1/2 reviews yet. Still would be a good read nonetheless to get a taste of what to expect later on though.

Other ANers might provide their recommendations and reviews of Physics U1/2 soon. Just be a little patient and they'll be able to give more of an insider's view more so than I can, as well as reasons to take/ not take Physics as per the thread title.
VCE: Psych | Eng Lang | LOTE | Methods | Further | Chem                 
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undefined

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Re: Why should I choose Physics?
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2019, 12:08:43 am »
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I’d recommend trying it out in year 11 and dropping it if you don’t like it in year 12 (which is what I did). I was also in your position two years ago, and what I found was I couldn’t use the same approach for physics as I did for spesh and methods and needed a good conceptual understanding of the content to do well. Physics does complement spesh for a couple topics though (kinematics and vectors) but taking both subjects is not essential to succeed in either.
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sbeccia

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Re: Why should I choose Physics?
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2019, 08:59:54 pm »
+1
Hi, I'm in Year 10 this year and in the process of choosing what subjects I am going to do for VCE.
So I'm considering doing Physics but I want to get an idea of what it is like as a subject and what sort of skills work well with it. Year 7-10 science has felt pretty basic to me and most of it felt just like remembering facts, and I coasted with 80-90% doing little work. Physics is probably the science that appeals to me the most, I just want to make sure it is the sort of thing I would like and be good at.
I would say Maths is my favourite and strongest subject, I'm doing 1/2 methods this year and am planning on doing Specialist, so anything maths-based I will enjoy and nothing overly wordy or grey-area ambiguity sort of thing (one reason why Biology doesn't really appeal to me that much).
Based on this, would you recommend Physics to me or do you think I would be good at it? Any advice about the subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Hey!

As a physics student, I am so happy to hear you are considering to study physics!

Just like you, I did methods 1/2 in year 10 and I'm currently in methods 3/4. All the skills I have learnt from methods have really helped me. I find the subject relatively easier than some people that I know because in methods you get used to rearranging formulas and applying mathematics in real life problems/situations. Considering you said physics appeals to you, I would say do it! As soon as I realised that I liked physics the most out of all the sciences, it became my favourite. I perform the best in physics out of all my subjects as well. I don't do spesh, but I've heard from students who do, you will find that kinematics and vectors is used in both subjects. So doing physics will give you a chance to consolidate your knowledge.

The jump from year 10 to year 11 physics wasn't too big for me. Although, as I am in a composite class, sometimes keeping up can be a bit difficult, but it's doable! In year 12, the first topic I think usually is motion, so instead of doing thermodynamics which most year 11's do, we're doing motion from unit 2. It's also a good idea to have a read of the study design, but what I noticed was that a lot of the year 11 motion (at least what I was taught) was in the year 10 content. The only thing I didn't do in year 10 was SUVAT equations, but they're not too difficult!

It's also really important to consider if you need physics as a pre-req for your course. For example, it's recommended that you do physics for courses like engineering. I met an aerospace engineer who told me they regretted not taking vce physics, so just double check before you make any decisions! 

If you have any questions about physics 1/2, feel free to message me!

Best of luck with year 10 and methods! I'm sure you'll smash it!  :) :)
2019: Maths Methods
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Yertle the Turtle

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Re: Why should I choose Physics?
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2019, 09:08:04 am »
+2
Basically what the two people above have mentioned is pretty correct. I personally found that Physics was more interesting than any of my other subjects, and if you have an inquiring mind you will find both Physics and Chemistry interesting, as they help to explain things that you can see in the real world. I thought that Physics helped me to understand stuff that I'd always wondered about, and because of that I would always recommend it, though I know that it isn't easy. I would agree that the best way to go would be to try it out for Units 1/2, and then decide if you want to continue it.
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Methods | Specialist | Physics | Chemistry | English | Texts and Traditions

2019: B. Eng (Hons) | Monash
2019-?: Certificate III  in Bricklaying and Blocklaying

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