Dropping HSC Biology down to 10 units. Every advice/feedback appreciated! (1 Viewer)

[x.Exhaust.x]

Subjects:

2U Advanced English
4U Mathematics
Chemistry
Physics
Biology

Reasons I should drop:

1. I wasted the holidays before the HSC completing the MAB module in advance, but unfortunately performed poorly in the first assessment.
2. Biology is taking a toll on my other subjects, especially Chemistry, where my ranking went down from Prelim. 1st to approx. HSC. 5th (I don't know if I should be blaming Biology or my own Chemistry work ethic, since I had to cram section 5 of Chemistry in the end).
3. There is a lot of content/memorisation in Biology.
4. I'm sitting on 12 units. So I should focus on the 'highly scaled, classic combo' 10 units instead.
5. It may not count, so why waste time on the extra assignments and just drop it now?

Reasons I shouldn't drop:

1. The first assessment is only 10%. I can regain my rank if I do well in the other upcoming assessments.
2. It's still early. I should wait and complete my other assignments first, and then decide.
3. I didn't revise consistently for that first assessment.
4. I came 2nd in Preliminary Biology. I have the capability to do better in Biology than in my other subjects (maybe).
5. To be safe, as the school recommends 12 units.

Discuss.

 

[studentcheese]

Subjects:

2U Advanced English
4U Mathematics
Chemistry
Physics
Biology

Reasons I should drop:

1. I wasted the holidays before the HSC completing the MAB module in advance, but unfortunately performed poorly in the first assessment.
2. Biology is taking a toll on my other subjects, especially Chemistry, where my ranking went down from Prelim. 1st to approx. HSC. 5th (I don't know if I should be blaming Biology or my own Chemistry work ethic, since I had to cram section 5 of Chemistry in the end).
3. There is a lot of content/memorisation in Biology.
4. I'm sitting on 12 units. So I should focus on the 'highly scaled, classic combo' 10 units instead.
5. It may not count, so why waste time on the extra assignments and just drop it now?

1. There is still a chance to improve.
2 and 3. Biology requires a lot of memorisation, and it is time consuming. If it affects your other subjects, then drop it
4 and 5. Yeah, if it is your worst and lowest scaled subject, then it will not even count. Perhaps you should consider dropping it. 10 units will also allow your more time to improve in your other subjects which would mean, higher ranks and higher marks.

Reasons I shouldn't drop:

1. The first assessment is only 10%. I can regain my rank if I do well in the other upcoming assessments.
2. It's still early. I should wait and complete my other assignments first, and then decide.
3. I didn't revise consistently for that first assessment.
4. I came 2nd in Preliminary Biology. I have the capability to do better in Biology than in my other subjects (maybe).
5. To be safe, as the school recommends 12 units.

Discuss.

1. Yeah, you could still improve, but that would mean putting a lot more effort in Biology and less in the other subjects
2. It is really early, but you could decide now, to avoid regretting it later on.
3. ahh i see, then maybe you should really give Biology another chance
4. That's a very good rank. If you are determined that you will do well, then keep it. Do you enjoy Biology?
5. Yes, it is safer. Maybe you should keep it.

Look, wait until your next assessment and then decide. If you do badly in the next, drop it. Or drop it now if you really can't stand it. Since you have posted online here, I can tell that you are undecided with regard to dropping it. If so, then just leave it as it is - wait until the next assessment.

 

[lyounamu]

I wasted the holidays before the HSC completing the MAB module in advance, but unfortunately performed poorly in the first assessment.

Nah, holiday was there to get prepared for real HSC period. And that's what you did. You shouldn't feel bad about it.

Biology is taking a toll on my other subjects, especially Chemistry, where my ranking went down from Prelim. 1st to approx. HSC. 5th (I don't know if I should be blaming Biology or my own Chemistry work ethic, since I had to cram section 5 of Chemistry in the end).

Hm...may be you can try to balance out your subjects

There is a lot of content/memorisation in Biology.

Yes, but the contents are relatively easier to grasp, really negating the effect of its huge contents as opposed to more difficult concepts presented in Chemistry.

I'm sitting on 12 units. So I should focus on the 'highly scaled, classic combo' 10 units instead.

I am not too sure. Rather than focusing on higher scaled subjects, why not focus on your strengths?

It may not count, so why waste time on the extra assignments and just drop it now?

It may not count.

The first assessment is only 10%. I can regain my rank if I do well in the other upcoming assessments.

Agreed.

It's still early. I should wait and complete my other assignments first, and then decide.

Yep.

I came 2nd in Preliminary Biology. I have the capability to do better in Biology than in my other subjects (maybe).

Agreed.

To be safe, as the school recommends 12 units.

It's not necessarily "safe". It may be the other way around by having more units. However, it is really more "safe" if you are unsure of what to drop.

My verdict:

Keep all your units for the time being. As you said, the reasons why you SHOULDN'T drop > reasons why you SHOULD drop. Go through the half-yearly and see where your true strengths lie, then if you are sure of where you are roughly placed, THEN you should drop.

Hope that helped.

 

[x.Exhaust.x]

Thanks guys! More advice appreciated. I'm leaning towards not dropping it now...just for this term's two asessments, which weigh a lot.

 

[youngminii]

Statistics show that people who do more than 10 units generally get a better UAI.
I don't remember where I saw this from, only that it's true.

 

[dux&src]

Statistics show that people who do more than 10 units generally get a better UAI.
I don't remember where I saw this from, only that it's true.

You sub-consciously saw this from the UAC reports?
I think the polyphasic sleep is serving you well ?

 

[youngminii]

You sub-consciously saw this from the UAC reports?
I think the polyphasic sleep is serving you well ?

LOL hahaha, fine lemme try find a quote ==;;

Edit: Found it

Another frequently asked question is whether students who study more units gain higher
UAIs. This is a common question but difficult to answer. The data given in Table A7
show that students who study more units tend to gain higher UAIs (see section 5.6 of the
Report on the Scaling of the 2001 NSW HSC for a full discussion) but determining
causality is difficult. The relationship between number of units studied and UAI might
result from personal attributes including interest, motivation, effort and time
management. One cannot assume that simply by studying more units one’s UAI will be
increased!

 

[4theHSC]

Subjects:

2U Advanced English
4U Mathematics
Chemistry
Physics
Biology

Reasons I should drop:

1. I wasted the holidays before the HSC completing the MAB module in advance, but unfortunately performed poorly in the first assessment.
2. Biology is taking a toll on my other subjects, especially Chemistry, where my ranking went down from Prelim. 1st to approx. HSC. 5th (I don't know if I should be blaming Biology or my own Chemistry work ethic, since I had to cram section 5 of Chemistry in the end).
3. There is a lot of content/memorisation in Biology.
4. I'm sitting on 12 units. So I should focus on the 'highly scaled, classic combo' 10 units instead.
5. It may not count, so why waste time on the extra assignments and just drop it now?

Reasons I shouldn't drop:

1. The first assessment is only 10%. I can regain my rank if I do well in the other upcoming assessments.
2. It's still early. I should wait and complete my other assignments first, and then decide.
3. I didn't revise consistently for that first assessment.
4. I came 2nd in Preliminary Biology. I have the capability to do better in Biology than in my other subjects (maybe).
5. To be safe, as the school recommends 12 units.

Discuss.

keep it and drop chemistry,, end of story

 

[Timothy.Siu]

i would drop it coz i'm lazy

 

[Rainie]

I would wait after your mid-year examinations. First assessments always weigh less, so there's always a leeway for you to improve.

 

[Aplus]

Statistics show that people who do more than 10 units generally get a better UAI.
I don't remember where I saw this from, only that it's true.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Statistics don't really prove anything apart from representing a general pattern, and we don't even know how these statistics are determined or reported. When considering the discontinuation of a course, it is wiser to focus on your own situation than get carried away or worried about statistics. There are still plenty of people who did exceptionally well with 10 units only.

Also,

"If you want to inspire confidence, give plenty of statistics.
It does not matter that they should be accurate, or even intelligible,
as long as there is enough of them."

 

[PrettyVacant]

Lol I did damn well in the first Physics assessment and damn poorly in the first Bio assessment and consistently did better in Phys than Bio during the yr (for eg) but ended up with a 95 in bio and only a measly 89 in Phys.

Bio is interesting imo. And I did 13 units.

 

[marcquelle]

stick with it, til half yearlies then go from there

 

[youngminii]

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Statistics don't really prove anything apart from representing a general pattern, and we don't even know how these statistics are determined or reported. When considering the discontinuation of a course, it is wiser to focus on your own situation than get carried away or worried about statistics. There are still plenty of people who did exceptionally well with 10 units only.

Also,

"If you want to inspire confidence, give plenty of statistics.
It does not matter that they should be accurate, or even intelligible,
as long as there is enough of them."

You just summarized the last part of my quote of the Scaling Report ==;;

Btw, I don't reckon you should drop, you seem smart enough to handle more than 10 units

 

[the-derivative]

Before the start of this term, I would've have said drop. However after being 'advised' by my school and asking for the advice of some of my role models - it's best not to, especially if you're doing 4U maths.

My advice - stick with bio, at least until your half yearlies. If you do well, keep it - otherwise just get rid of it.

 

[kwabon]

Statistics show that people who do more than 10 units generally get a better UAI.
I don't remember where I saw this from, only that it's true.

dude so wat.....i am currently doin 11 units and that will not stop me from getting 99 + ..... and many of my friends are doing 10 units.....if u noe a particular subject is not gonna count.....y keep it......it think it is realli stupid if u have more than 12 units ....... exhaust mate, i reckon if u r 100 % sure that u have a subject that is not going to count at all ...y keep it??? where u can spend other time of other subjects especially 4 unit maths and chemistry and peform better.

 

[Dragonmaster262]

Subjects:

2U Advanced English
4U Mathematics
Chemistry
Physics
Biology

Reasons I should drop:

1. I wasted the holidays before the HSC completing the MAB module in advance, but unfortunately performed poorly in the first assessment.
2. Biology is taking a toll on my other subjects, especially Chemistry, where my ranking went down from Prelim. 1st to approx. HSC. 5th (I don't know if I should be blaming Biology or my own Chemistry work ethic, since I had to cram section 5 of Chemistry in the end).
3. There is a lot of content/memorisation in Biology.
4. I'm sitting on 12 units. So I should focus on the 'highly scaled, classic combo' 10 units instead.
5. It may not count, so why waste time on the extra assignments and just drop it now?

Reasons I shouldn't drop:

1. The first assessment is only 10%. I can regain my rank if I do well in the other upcoming assessments.
2. It's still early. I should wait and complete my other assignments first, and then decide.
3. I didn't revise consistently for that first assessment.
4. I came 2nd in Preliminary Biology. I have the capability to do better in Biology than in my other subjects (maybe).
5. To be safe, as the school recommends 12 units.

Discuss.

It depends really on what you want to do. Do you need Biology for your University course? Biology is easy but it requires a lot of content to grasp. My advice would be to focus on what your doing in Chemistry in class at the moment and do a bit of self - acceleration for the next Module in Biology. The concepts of Biology should be easy if you can memorise them all.

 

[chltmddus112]

Why dont u keep it until mini

 

[aimhigh10]

i would keep it until the half yearlies, and depending on how you go, choose then..

 

[dinopoke]

Keep it for the time being. Twelve units isn't that much of a time strain so you'll have plenty of leeway to improve and study.