CONFUSED ABOUT GENERAL MATHEMATICS

[_rohan.r_]

Hey everyone, i am very confused about this. I saw that there was only further mathematics, methods and specialist maths, but now i discovered about general mathematics. Is general maths easier than the other 3 and would i be able to get into medicine by choosing this one. Im only in year 8 so i'm sorry if i sound a bit stupid for not understanding it clearly.

Thanks in advance!

[BAH0003]

Hey everyone, i am very confused about this. I saw that there was only further mathematics, methods and specialist maths, but now i discovered about general mathematics. Is general maths easier than the other 3 and would i be able to get into medicine by choosing this one. Im only in year 8 so i'm sorry if i sound a bit stupid for not understanding it clearly.

Thanks in advance!

Hey,

All good, yeah it can get a bit confusing. There are only three in year 12. So what happens is that in year 11 it is called general mathematics, but becomes Further Mathematics in year 12. To get into medicine you will need to do either methods or specialist, a few courses may only require Further but I would research that a bit more to be sure. You will also need to do a science, which for most courses must be at least chemistry. Hope that helps!

[undefined]

Hey,

All good, yeah it can get a bit confusing. There are only three in year 12. So what happens is that in year 11 it is called general mathematics, but becomes Further Mathematics in year 12. To get into medicine you will need to do either methods or specialist, a few courses may only require Further but I would research that a bit more to be sure. You will also need to do a science, which for most courses must be at least chemistry. Hope that helps!

You don't actually need to do any maths to get into direct medicine (at least at Monash). Just chemistry and english.

[_rohan.r_]

Hey,

All good, yeah it can get a bit confusing. There are only three in year 12. So what happens is that in year 11 it is called general mathematics, but becomes Further Mathematics in year 12. To get into medicine you will need to do either methods or specialist, a few courses may only require Further but I would research that a bit more to be sure. You will also need to do a science, which for most courses must be at least chemistry. Hope that helps!

Oh ok, that makes a lot more sense now.

Thanks heaps!

[Ionic Doc]

only prerequisites for direct entrance to medicine are English and Chemistry.

However, this doesn't mean you should ignore maths, as maths plays a crucial role in Chemistry.

Also, let's say that for some reason you don't get into medicine directly. What do you do?

You simply go to plan B. Most people usually do an undergraduate course. The most popular undergraduate courses for med are the bachelor of science and bachelor of biomedical science. (although there are many more courses that will also lead to med).  This is where all the confusing prerequisites come into play.

Depending on what University you want to go to they will have different prerequisites for these courses. Some require methods and others don't so it's important you have some idea what institution you want to attend after Highschool when choosing subjects.

For now, I think it's important academically for you to have a strong foundation in basically all your areas of study. In math, English and science as having a good foundation will help you learn and grow in the latter years of Highschool.

Good luck with your studies

[brothanathan]

I can write a 2000 word essay on what you should do in Year 8, a time I believe where I personally believe a lot of us failed to understand how much time we had on our hands compared to senior years and how precious it was to make a huge step. I won't cause I believe in you.

I regret (stop using this word) not giving an absolute crap about my Maths. Of course, I had my own struggles but it was nowhere close to Tyler Butler-Figueroa's.  While you still have time to grow believe it or not, if you're serious about taking a pathway that requires mathematical knowledge I recommend sacrificing a lot of 'free time'. In a couple of years, you will realize there's no such thing as 'free time', this time is literally your own time.  This time should not be used to relax but to invest yourself in a few quality textbooks that actually explain how the method/working out and get cracking on the topics (the understanding required not just steps or skipped steps) and do every single question. When I mean 'every single question' you literally do all of them. This may seem rigorous and stupid but you will suffer less in the long term. If you don't you'll most likely struggle in later years like me and dread Maths. This way, everything becomes muscle memory (Year 9&10 Maths knowledge) that is applied in General Maths or the Year 12 level of the subject called Further Maths. You don't want to catch up on this foundational knowledge in VCE, trust me.

WARNING: Don't just rely on your textbook answers. Sometimes they may even be incorrect (at least for VCE Maths textbooks when they use the CAS to check the answers and this results in an inconsistency; check for all possible solutions).

Then how do we know if we're right you may ask? That's why we invest in excellent textbooks that actually explain how you should interpret the method and gain a mathematical understanding not just telling you what this step is called. If you're not a pro gamer or avid gamer, for instance, a new gaming subscription won't help you get "better" at Maths.

Best of luck you have unlimited potential still.

[_rohan.r_]

only prerequisites for direct entrance to medicine are English and Chemistry.

However, this doesn't mean you should ignore maths, as maths plays a crucial role in Chemistry.

Also, let's say that for some reason you don't get into medicine directly. What do you do?

You simply go to plan B. Most people usually do an undergraduate course. The most popular undergraduate courses for med are the bachelor of science and bachelor of biomedical science. (although there are many more courses that will also lead to med).  This is where all the confusing prerequisites come into play.

Depending on what University you want to go to they will have different prerequisites for these courses. Some require methods and others don't so it's important you have some idea what institution you want to attend after Highschool when choosing subjects.

For now, I think it's important academically for you to have a strong foundation in basically all your areas of study. In math, English and science as having a good foundation will help you learn and grow in the latter years of Highschool.

Good luck with your studies

ahhhh, ok. Thanks for your time!

[_rohan.r_]

I can write a 2000 word essay on what you should do in Year 8, a time I believe where I personally believe a lot of us failed to understand how much time we had on our hands compared to senior years and how precious it was to make a huge step. I won't cause I believe in you.

I regret (stop using this word) not giving an absolute crap about my Maths. Of course, I had my own struggles but it was nowhere close to Tyler Butler-Figuerora's.  While you still have time to grow believe it or not, if you're serious about taking a pathway that requires mathematical knowledge I recommend sacrificing a lot of 'free time'. In a couple of years, you will realize there's no such thing as 'free time', this time is literally your own time.  This time should not be used to relax but to invest yourself in a few quality textbooks that actually explain how the method/working out and get cracking on the topics (the understanding required not just steps or skipped steps) and do every single question. When I mean 'every single question' you literally do all of them. This may seem rigorous and stupid but you will suffer less in the long term. If you don't you'll most likely struggle in later years like me and dread Maths. This way, everything becomes muscle memory (Year 9&10 Maths knowledge) that is applied in General Maths or the Year 12 level of the subject called Further Maths. You don't want to catch up on this foundational knowledge in VCE, trust me.

WARNING: Don't just rely on your textbook answers. Sometimes they may even be incorrect (at least for VCE Maths textbooks when they use the CAS to check the answers and this results in an inconsistency; check for all possible solutions).

Then how do we know if we're right you may ask? That's why we invest in excellent textbooks that actually explain how you should interpret the method and gain a mathematical understanding not just telling you what this step is called. If you're not a pro gamer or avid gamer, for instance, a new gaming subscription won't help you get "better" at Maths.

Best of luck you have unlimited potential still.

Thanks! I will indeed keep your words in mind

[caffinatedloz]

What everyone else has said sounds like very wise advice.
There are the three streams of maths (general -> further & methods -> methods & spesh -> spesh),  and all may lead to medicine in the right circumstances as maths is not a prerequisite for direct entry med.

However, the skills you learn in studying maths and problem-solving, as well as some of the actual content may prove quite useful when studying medicine. For example, a lot of the interviews and additional tests to get into medicine require that you have exeptional problem-solving abilities.

Due to medicine's competitive nature, setting yourself up to do your best cannot hurt. Especially, if you choose not to do direct entry medicine or do not qualify.