Should I do VCE Chemistry or VCE French?

clara

Hey all,

I have to pick subjects for VCE over the next two weeks, and i don't know whether I should choose VCE Chemistry or VCE French. I'm currently indecisive about what I want to do in university, so I would like to keep my options open. I'm alright at chemistry, and i've gotten an A avg in chem this year, and I have similar grades for french.

What i'm trying to figure out is which one i would enjoy more, and which one would be a better option for me.

Is VCE Chemistry interesting? and does French become increasingly difficult in VCE?

Revan

clara Chemistry is quite content heavy but is not very hard to understand. You will end up doing 20-30 practice exams however if you want to do well and you do need to learn everything with detail and your answers have to be precise. I did chemistry last year and got a 43 so im speaking from experience.

I study languages for fun and I speak and understand some french and I also did italian units 3/4. The language has to be implemented into your daily life. You cannot treat it as a subject. You must immerse yourself as much as possible such as changing your phone language to french, watch french movies, speak on a daily basis, etc. French is one of the more competitive languages and the top tier schools do well in it, however you are rewarded with its immense scaling. You don't actually have to study a language, just do the above and you will naturally learn it.

Taaaa76

I don't know much about French, but in my experience, I have loved doing chemistry. This is partly because I have a great teacher and classroom but I did really enjoy the content personally and I found the content to be interesting.
I noticed in chemistry you focus a lot on why certain chemicals have certain traits. Like why certain chemicals are soluble/ insoluble in water or why some chemicals have higher boiling points (unit 1). In unit 2 you go into properties of water and all about acids and bases, although I can't talk much about unit 2 because our class has just started it.
You should look into the chemistry study design and see if the content there interests you.
Also, be ready for some (but not complex) maths in 1/2.
That said, I have heard from another person's view here on ATAR notes that it can be pedantic.
I can't speak for everyone and you, but for myself I can say I enjoy it a lot.
I personally didn't go crazy over chemistry before VCE but I did find it slightly interesting, in VCE you go into much more detail and I loved the detail.
If you enjoyed chem throughout year 7-10, you most likely will enjoy VCE chemistry.
By the way, I am doing VCE chemistry units 1 and 2.