I didn't do the dry cell, but in terms of memorising, like ANYTHING else, just write it down, check, repeat. Write it down, check, repeat. Soon it will be imprinted in your brain.
I was so thankful I got first in my course for ext eng. It saved my hsc mark LOL. Didn't do that well in the exam, did extremely well throughout the year :) Trust me, if someone is ranked first, they deserve that rank! Unless the whole class is retarded.
We had some not to smart people in the ext 1 class at my school, but they loved math and knew they weren't the best. I do know of dumb people that have taken ext 1 math. Some schools offer the subject (ranking <500) to students who are just not capable of doing the subject and lead them into...
With languages, if you are proficient enough, you should be able to get into a higher course. My friend who went over to Japan for a year came back to do Jap at uni and got put straight into 3rd year (3000 level) Japanese for his arts degree :P
I reckon there is a MASSIVE!!!! market for orthodontics in Japan. When I went there, the majority of people were like, what are braces? What are those things on your teeth? :|
I'll ask whether STAT1070 has to only be completed for the degree, because, I would love to by-pass it and not do it in first year at newcastle. Therefore, I won't really have to worry about doing it when I transfer. But only unless other universities don't do it :P