• Best of luck to the class of 2024 for their HSC exams. You got this!
    Let us know your thoughts on the HSC exams here
  • YOU can help the next generation of students in the community!
    Share your trial papers and notes on our Notes & Resources page
MedVision ad

advanced science or normal science. (2 Viewers)

slyhunter

Retired
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
6,803
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
i reckon!!! i still dont know what to do!!!!
OK, to get back on topic, it's best to take up an Advanced major and if you find it excessively demanding, drop to a regular major instead. Don't fall into the trap of, "Hey! I got maximum ATAR! So that means I'm not allowed to do a BSc and have to do medicine instead!" Most who choose their uni courses based on ATAR rather than interest tend to regret their decision enormously.
 

Shadowdude

Cult of Personality
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Messages
12,145
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
That was the uniaustralia.com.au website of student opinions, OGAGO! Besides, have you come up with the two words yet?
 

jet

Banned
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
3,148
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
I just finished my first year of this degree. The main difference is the advanced subjects which are a requirement of this degree.

Advanced subjects differ sometimes in terms of theoretical content, practical requirements or assessment. For example, in my chemistry course, the difference was in the practicals, which were individual (as opposed to group work) and MUCH more interesting.

Advanced physics had the same general theme as the other physics courses however the material we covered was much harder and mostly different. The prac course was quite simiilar between courses. The practical experiments were sometimes different but the assessment was the same for the labs.

In biology, generally the content and the pracs were the same, but advanced students had extra/different assessments and the labs had extra material on top of the regular material.

Maths courses have overlap between the different difficulty levels. The assessments are not the same but you leave having covered similar concepts compared to the regular people. The regular and fundamentals courses are much more theoretical and you get to see much more about 'where things come from'.

I can't say much about any of the other subject areas because I didn't do them, however those are some examples of what makes advanced science different from regular. On top of that is the TSP (whilst they say 99 I know many people who got <99 and were invited). It is a very rewarding experience; I did a group project and made quite a few friends. You can also do individual projects but I'm not doing those because I have to work.

You also need to obtain a credit average. At USyd raw marks are scaled to follow guidelines which specify how many students are allowed to get Credits/Distinctions/High Distinctions. From what I saw in first year, some departments didn't do this for specific subjects, but for their whole subject area. This meant that advanced subjects had greater proportions of C/D/HD grades than the regular version. Don't take this for granted though; you still need to work.

I would say do advanced science. If it's too hard, then just transfer streams to regular science when you feel like it. Honestly, I think you should be challenged in what you do. It's character building and it prepares you for your career when you might be faced with problems that you need to solve on your own. Considering you're going to do vet science I'd say that being challenged is important.

If you have any more questions I'd be happy to answer them :)
 

jet

Banned
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
3,148
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Also could we please keep this thread on topic? I had to sift through heaps of posts to find relevant information and it just makes it hard to keep the focus for people who want their questions answered.
 

Shadowdude

Cult of Personality
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Messages
12,145
Gender
Male
HSC
2010
Well, go have a think of incredibly uncharacteristic words a young Christian girl would say that start with 'O'...

I think you'll be able to appreciate the magnitude of the awesomeness this girl has. And why I love her so. How I pine and dream of a day in which I can finally hold her in my arms and whisk her away to vast paradises removed from society, where she and I will grow in each other's love and experience on Earth joy that rivals that which Heaven affords... etc.

---

jetblack, the topic was kinda solved in the first page...

It kinda deviated from there. Mea culpa.
 

lisa_xo

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2009
Messages
68
Gender
Female
HSC
2010
I just finished my first year of this degree. The main difference is the advanced subjects which are a requirement of this degree.

Advanced subjects differ sometimes in terms of theoretical content, practical requirements or assessment. For example, in my chemistry course, the difference was in the practicals, which were individual (as opposed to group work) and MUCH more interesting.

Advanced physics had the same general theme as the other physics courses however the material we covered was much harder and mostly different. The prac course was quite simiilar between courses. The practical experiments were sometimes different but the assessment was the same for the labs.

In biology, generally the content and the pracs were the same, but advanced students had extra/different assessments and the labs had extra material on top of the regular material.

Maths courses have overlap between the different difficulty levels. The assessments are not the same but you leave having covered similar concepts compared to the regular people. The regular and fundamentals courses are much more theoretical and you get to see much more about 'where things come from'.

I can't say much about any of the other subject areas because I didn't do them, however those are some examples of what makes advanced science different from regular. On top of that is the TSP (whilst they say 99 I know many people who got <99 and were invited). It is a very rewarding experience; I did a group project and made quite a few friends. You can also do individual projects but I'm not doing those because I have to work.

You also need to obtain a credit average. At USyd raw marks are scaled to follow guidelines which specify how many students are allowed to get Credits/Distinctions/High Distinctions. From what I saw in first year, some departments didn't do this for specific subjects, but for their whole subject area. This meant that advanced subjects had greater proportions of C/D/HD grades than the regular version. Don't take this for granted though; you still need to work.

I would say do advanced science. If it's too hard, then just transfer streams to regular science when you feel like it. Honestly, I think you should be challenged in what you do. It's character building and it prepares you for your career when you might be faced with problems that you need to solve on your own. Considering you're going to do vet science I'd say that being challenged is important.

If you have any more questions I'd be happy to answer them :)


aww i love this. and thanks!!!!!
and how many subjects/majors do you do each year?
 

jet

Banned
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
3,148
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
A unit of study is like a year-long subject at school. It usually has a general theme (although first year subjects are more broad). For example, first year chemistry subjects are Chemistry 1A (nuclear chem/quantum/physical chem) and Chemistry 1B (organic and inorganic chem) whereas the third year chemistry subjects include Molecular Spectroscopy and Quantum Theory; Materials Chemistry; and Synthetic Materials Chemistry.

The uni equivalent of "units" in the HSC are "credit points". At USyd a normal subject is worth 6cp, a half-load subject is worth 3cp. A full time student usually does 24cp a semester (i.e. 4 units of study).

In the faculty of science, a major is defined as 24cp in a specific subject area in third year. So if you want to major in chemistry, you would do 4 chemistry units of study (Chemistry has additional practical requirements on top of this). The requirements for each major are specified in the science handbook.
 

horseluver29

Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
49
Gender
Female
HSC
2010
Hey! And just WHAT is so bad about wagga!!?
Lol I am hopefully going to wagga to do vet this year! :D
(seriously didn't want to go to sydney.... too many people... shudder)
I take it that you must be a city type person?
 

SuperDumbo

Banned
Joined
Dec 27, 2010
Messages
54
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2008
I have recently finished an advanced science degree and am graduating in May. In my total honest opinion there is no difference between an advanced science degree and a normal science degree apart from the degree name. You can in fact still pick advanced subjects if you get the requirements of marks necessary. SO ALTHOUGH PEOPLE ON THIS FORUM SAY PICK ADVANCED SCIENCE UNLESS YOU ENJOY IT DON'T BOTHER or REALLY WANT THE ADVANCED TITLE DON'T BOTHER.
 

horseluver29

Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
49
Gender
Female
HSC
2010
The weather... other than that ppl are pretty cool down there
Fair enough
I THINK I will be able to cope with the weather in Wagga (i.e. freezing bloody cold in winter and stinking bloody hot in summer...) as it is at least dry for the most part. Dry heat I can do. Humid... not so much. :p

(btw got an early round offer for vet thismorning!! woooo!!)
 

lisa_xo

Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2009
Messages
68
Gender
Female
HSC
2010
Hey! And just WHAT is so bad about wagga!!?
Lol I am hopefully going to wagga to do vet this year! :D
(seriously didn't want to go to sydney.... too many people... shudder)
I take it that you must be a city type person?
i was going to apply for wagga!! but its ages away, and to apply you had to write essays.
and yeah im a city person.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 2)

Top