Help with 14 units? (1 Viewer)

[boomshaka]

Just today I picked up English Ext with the intention of dropping Italian, but I wasn't sure so I ended up not dropping Italian and now I have 14 units. But the problem is, exams are in around 2 weeks and a bit. English Ext exam is in around 4, which is relieving. I am in a bit of a pickle though.

1. I asked the person who changed my subjects about my units, and he said to just see how I go in the half-yearlies and then make my decision then. Is this a good idea to handle 14 units and is it manageable?
2. What would be a better idea? Keeping Italian and having 14 units, or dropping Italian and having 12 units? I would like to know because I'm planning to have 12 units for the HSC, but I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going with my extensions once I finish Year 11. And in case I end up not doing very well in, let's say, Maths Ext, I won't be able to drop it if I only have 12 units.
Keeping in mind Italian is my "relaxing" subject and I don't do much in terms of workload, but I haven't revised much at all. I probably won't be taking it for my HSC either, and compared to my other subjects (Chem, Physics, 3U Maths) that are assumed knowledge for my desired uni degree, it's not that important at all. I would like to learn a language though, but I get more free periods if I drop it. LOL.
3. How is English Ext? Is it difficult?

Thanks guys in advanced.

 

[Wonder]

1. You're going to have to wait a bit to see whether *you* can handle it. In my year group there are quite a few people with 14 units who are handling it fine, others decided to drop because it was too much/they decided what subject they want to drop. Personally, I had 14 units for about two and a half weeks and the workload itself was fine, it's just that there was a subject I wanted to drop anyway, so I did. So give it a try first.
2. Well, how are you going in all your other subjects in comparison to Italian? And most importantly, which ones do you like the most?
3. It's definitely not difficult in my opinion, a lot less work than English Advanced too.

 

[lochnessmonsta]

1. 14 units is manageable, and you should wait until after the half-yearlies before you make any decision on dropping subjects. This is because it is your first real exam period and you will see what you enjoy studying and revising for, and what you don't. Your results will also provide you with insight on what to do.

2. I would think 14 units might be overkill for the hsc, however that is my opinion and others may manage time better and say you can do it. But you really need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of doing 14 units. Sure, you have a large safety net of 4 units, but does it really need to be that large? Do I really need to learn a language at this point in my life? Could the time I spend that I am doing Italian on improving marks in other subjects? May Italian actually be my best subject? These are all personal things you need to take into account, and no one but you can make this decision. Your half yearly and yearly marks will also affect this decision.

3. I find it really easy. It improves my essay skills for advanced and is really fun too!

 

[Dan895]

I would say take as many units through the prelim as you can and then drop, alot can change in 6 months and you may want to have as many options as possible. Then goto 12 or less for the HSC year, that's my advice anyway.

 

[boomshaka]

I'll see what I can do with 14 units and see if I can cope with it. If I do, then I'll keep it, if not, I'll probably know my decision by then.

Wonder, I would say Italian's one of my better subjects in terms of difficulty compared to workload. Maths is, dare I say, a bitch, because of the amount of homework I get each day and it's not my favourite subject in the world. English and Chem are fine, they need some work like most subjects but it's definitely tolerable. Physics isn't so fine because it's hard to grasp the concepts with the teacher I have, and I'm not allowed to change classes. Music is one of my favourite subjects, and although it requires more work with the practical component, I'll willing to put in the effort.

lochnessmonsta, sorry if I wasn't clear but I was talking about 14 units in Year 11 then 12 units in Year 12. Never in my life would I do 14 units for my HSC, that would definitely be overkill! You bring up a good point though. Italian is not my best subject but it is far from my worst. I like having a "fun" subject to keep my mind off the harder subjects, but I do feel that I could use my Italian periods for something more useful if that makes sense.

Thanks for your opinions on Eng Ext, I thought it would be insanely hard because it's an extension and everything. But now I feel much better about making my choice.

 

[deloving]

Extension is a lot of work for only 1 unit. If you have a demanding teacher like me, the workload may be higher than that in Advanced. The work is also much more independent, from my experience.

 

[boomshaka]

That's what I'm a bit worried about, the workload and being independent. In Advanced, we're given heaps of notes and we're expected to write our essay from those. Is it the same in Extension, or will I have to make up my own notes and write my essay from that?

 

[deloving]

I'm not sure how others are going in Extension, but so far I have not written down one thing in my book. We are given heaps (and I mean heaps) of material about context and conventions and we go through that and discuss the text. I have not used my book even once. Sometimes we get time to write our narratives, but that's usually done on the laptop.

 

[boomshaka]

Yeah, I heard from my friends that they've barely written anything in their book. That's good, I'll actually be able to immerse myself in English rather than just read notes all the time. Haha. I'll see how I go with it tomorrow.

 

[study1234]

Keep it until end of Year 11, or at least after half-yearlies. In Year 11, you want to do as many units as you can to test everything out, and test yourself under a heavy workload. After Year 11, drop to 10-12 units.

 

[Eg155]

I did 14 units for prelim, I survived alright. A few mental breakdowns though.

If you are good at them all and not having to put a lot more effort into one about the others then it's all good.
I recommend keeping them all for prelim if you can handle it as you can see whether you hate them or not by the end of the year.

Don't do it for hsc. I dropped a 2 unit subject and picked up 2 extensions.
At that stage you really want to zone in your strengths and put effort into all subject, not just 'mark' them so to speak.

English ext 1 is not hard, really. If you're good at creative and like analysing it's quite fun. Compared to advanced it's like heaven. Highly recommend it

Good luck

 

[boomshaka]

I thoroughly thought about it over the course of the day, and I decided to drop Italian. I wasn't intending to do Italian for my HSC anyway, and I ended up getting 6 more free periods which is always a good thing haha. Plus I always thought of Italian as a bludge subject so I never tended to revise, and I can always learn a language in the future. I also have other commitments and I'm starting work soon so I think this was a good choice for me. Thanks guys anyway.

Also, I had my first Eng Ext 1 class today! I didn't do anything with the class but I got the text I'm studying, and I find the topic really interesting. The essay might be a little hard to start though. Other than that, I like it so far