If you have any advice, please share.
Hello, I am a year 11 student going into year 12 next year. Currently these are my subjects:
1/2 English (applying for EAL next year)
1/2 Chemistry
1/2 Physics
1/2 Methods
3/4 Biology
3/4 General maths
In terms of enjoyment, I really do like all of my subjects (except for bio, bio is mehh)
So we have our 3/4 subject preferences coming up this Thursday and I really don't know what to do.
I am thinking of dropping chemistry for specialist 3/4 because I am considering pursuing a bachelor of physics and hopefully getting into research, and it was highly recommended that I take 3/4 specialist. But I am also considering doing medical imaging as well, where chemistry would help more.
Keep in mind, I don't really need chem for medical imaging nor do I need spesh for Bsc of physics because I am 99% sure I already met subjec prereqs for both of those courses.
Concerning chem: I started to find the subject harder as I progress into the year which is werid cause I started to find all my other subjects easier, But I can do well if I study properly.
Also, I've talked with teachers and specialist students and I really do believe I am capable of doing spesh and doing well.
Now its more of a question of what will I pursue? Will I pursue medical imaging? (which I really do consider as a career choice) or physics research (which I honestly kind of consider a dream job). I considered physics research because I am reallly passionate about physics.
Its hard to decide because I hear a lot of bad stuff about academia and it is just objectively true that I will be more financially stable with medical imaging (no need for a phD to get a job, high income and employability).
If I do pick to get into medical imaging, will I be happy as a radiologist? or will I regret not trying a bachelor of physics?
What if I decide in year 12 to do a course that requires chemistry? Spesh Isn't going to be a prereq because I already have methods.
I just know that my chemistry teacher next will be badd and I won't learn anything from him (he teaches me bio this year). I have talked with other chemistry students in his class and they told me I would need to be doing lots of independent study. Probably the same with specialist, but the specialist students say that the teacher (through VSV) is great and very helpful. Even though I will do the same amount of independent study, for either subject, I will still have an advantage at specialist because the teachers are actually helpful.
Also, both spesh and chem students recommend their subject, so I reallly don't know what to do.
I also realised, that I can probably still take up chemistry again in headstart or term 1 if I drop VSV specialist (considering I take it up this Thursday) due to timetable flexibility unless you can't drop a VSV subject.
Subject Selections
Ok, I have a radical solution that you may not like, but it just might work: why not do both chem and physics at the beginning? (If I understood correctly, you’ll have 5 subjects next year if you did both.) If you have the feeling at the start of Unit 3 that the workload’s going to be too much and/or Chem isn’t going to get you anywhere, drop Chem (especially since you’ve seemed to have chosen a future pathway already that doesn’t require chem).
As for your future pathways, you’ll be given a list of preferences to fill with options. You could easily make the top one the Bachelor of Physics (or Bachelor of Science, majoring in physics) and either transfer or use the postgrad pathways to do medical imaging if you want to go that route later (but research whether this is possible first, as I’m not sure what the postgrad pathways require for entry). The second preference could be the bachelor of medical imaging. You have a total of 8 preferences and you won’t have to necessarily pick one or the other that way. (But you can figure out closer to the date, which is typically this time next year, which you’d want as your first preference as THAT will be important.)
If you later decide on a chem-requiring course, you could use a non-direct pathway or do bridging courses (where possible) if you later ditch chem.
Hope that helps.
Thank you soo much for your advice! It honestly made me feel a lot less stressed about this, because there's options.
I will consider your advice, but I really don't think I can manage 5 subjects with 1 of them being spesh.