Motivation behind 4U (1 Viewer)

[stargaze]

Ok, I'm in yr11 (yr12 kind of now) and I guess I've left it a bit late but theres still time... I'm wondering what is the motivation/reasoning for most of u ppl doing 4u english...

I'm guessing its along the lines of:
- passion for english
- passion for the topic of your major work
- natural ability in writing/english..
- want a subject that u can work at your own pace
- filling up units
- scale ?

Please let me know if u could!

I guess I'm wouldnt be a typical 4u eng student.. I'm an asian male ... But I do quite alright in 2U, 3U eng without putting in the amount of work that I do for my other subjects (chem, eco, 3u maths, bio-want to drop). I'm not saying I do no work for english, but just relatively less compared to chem, maths, eco...

thanks!

 

[glitterfairy]

Well, I'm an asian girl, no problems with EE2 here... race is such a hyped-up skill/disadvantage this really has no founding on what sort of mark you'll get.
But anyway:

I like to write. I've always liked to write. But I hate writing essays. I'm not THAT fond of Eng Adv or EE1 (although I like EE1 because I do well in it). And because I'm lazy and just washed my hair, I'll go through your list:

- passion for english
*Yes and no. You'll find that a lot of people here at various points absolutely hated Eng Adv or EE1. I know I did! EE2 is a LOT different.

- passion for the topic of your major work
*Yes. You have to work on the one thing all year, so it's a lot easier if you enjoy it

- natural ability in writing/english..
*I'd say that's somewhat a prerequisite, although you will learn a LOT about writing over the course of one year.

- want a subject that u can work at your own pace
*Absolutely positively definately! I loved the fact that the teacher was there only to make sure I kept on pace - other than that I had free reign. I hate working to rules and regulations. EE2 has a lot more creative and working freedom - work at school, or work at home, on the train....

- filling up units
*Yeah, I needed an extra unit to make up 10

- scale ?
*I never really took this into consideration. With EE2, you have a pretty good chance of doing well - after all, your major work will be your baby, it really will. Because you'll love it, you'll work extremely hard on it (most of the time anyway) and time spent will always be quality time. You can't really waffle because it's your own work. Naturally, you want it to do well, so you don't flounder around that much (although you might at the beginning). Hence, most people who do EE2 are likely to do well. Who cares about scale...? lol.

 

[~*~Karina~*~]

I'd agree with all that. You definately need to have a love of writing, and be willing to experiment with anything..and it helps if you love reading and are able to draw inspiration from other authors, because that really helps you shape your story.
Self-discipline is also important...that was one of my problems. You really have to keep up a continued effort over the year...and write for a few hours a week at least. Don't leave it all until the week before it's due...be strict with yourself over the year, and that way you have time to change and improve your ideas, instead of just having to write it all at once and not having time to really decide what works well. But having said that, some people (like me) are hopeless at planning and composing things long term. I like to write under pressure, to a deadline, so if you're like that, you can do well too...
Except, i disagree with your last point, glitterfairy. I had a love/hate relationship with my story...I loved writing it, but sometimes stuff just doesn't work...it can get quite violent, because you want it to be perfect. But it will be your baby at the end of it all, and you will be pleased with your work, and undoubtedly, you'll go well...I'd recommend ee2...

 

[jhakka]

I wanted to do Ext 2 since Year 10 when I first heard about it. I'd always enjoyed writing (though I wasn't very good at it), and wanted to be able to do a course where a good part of it is based on creativity rather than comprehension, analysis and all that jazz.

If you enjoy being creative and working on your own thing, Ext 2 is the best choice you can possibly make in High School (closely followed by not doing Ancient History - a choice I was too stupid to not take).

Enjoy.

 

[aud]

Um... none of the above - my Year 10 Drama, English, Geo and Maths (I know, how funny) told me to do it when I was picking subs back then for Stage 6... then got told to do it by my Year 11 Eng and EE1 teacher...

Hadn't really ever heard much about it, so I went along for the 'journey'... and besides, I didn't lock myself in (thank goodness), so I could drop it.

But yea, passion for my topic helped - English definitely didn't stay as my forte when I hit Year 11, but the passion for just writing and the passion behind my subject matter kept me in for as long as I was there for.

And oi, I'm an Asian male too.

 

[boasboy]

the asians are taking over yay ._.

im year 11.. (year 12 now) .. and i had my eyes set on ext 2 since the end of year 10.. but now i am seriously reconsidering it.. because the teacher is really depressing..

no matter what u do she says it's crap.. ._. i really hate her ahah

 

[glitterfairy]

Then screw her. Not literally, though. Just figuratively

Tell you what. Why don't you try it for at least 6 months - you really won't do all that much in the first 2 1/2 months anyway - and then see how you feel at the end of that.

Gotta say, the assessments for EE2 were ones I actually looked forward to. All you have to do is talk about your baby. You have to struggle to remain under the 5 minutes

It's kinda interesting how everyone got hooked onto EE2. I was apprehensive about doing it up will the end of Term3 Yr 11, because I just thought it was too scary taking on a 'serious' Extension 2 subject - then you start doing it, and it's the funnest, laid-back thing you've ever done... and you love it...

 

[glycerine]

oh i loved ext2 no matter how frustrating it got. it's so worth it to have a finished product to be proud off. plus it's *really* easy to get 50/50 for your internal mark

 

[:: dreami ::]

oh i loved ext2 no matter how frustrating it got. it's so worth it to have a finished product to be proud off. plus it's *really* easy to get 50/50 for your internal mark

not really, but a high mark - yes

i loved ee2

i think my passion for writing really drove my motivation... without passion and dedication, you won't get very far and the worst reason to do ee2 is for the marks or scaling... its just not worth it

 

[glitterfairy]

Aside from being too hard to get. You can't get a good mark without trying.

 

[stargaze]

hhmm ok thanks ppls..

i've decided to start it at least.. my teacher said i could do fine in it if i do something critical... so i guess if i choose something to write on that I find interesting as well as able to find a lot of info it should be pretty cool...

i mentioned im an asian male well cos.. im generalizing but the 'typical' 4u eng student is usually caucasian... and females are usually associated with being more english-type.. theres only one other asian guy in 3u (total ppl = 30ish) ..

anyway... thanks for your input.. it was truly very helpful

 

[Will_Sparky]

Okay EE2 is the best course I do, simply because I write on something I want to do! The thing is, if your under a pile of assesments, you can put it aside for 3 weeks, if you have none, you can spend the whole week on it and its great! It really is something you cna do at your own pace and thats such an advantage.

Dude, don't worry about the Nash thing, I'm NESB, my grandparents speak only little english! So that should be a factor. English looks like a good compliment to your other subjects (sciences and maths) so I'd say go for it, remember, you can always drop it, can't always pick it up!

 

[ujuphleg]

Firstly, if you are good at English, do not let the fact that you are an Asian male stop you from doing this subject. Some of the best 4U students in the state are Asian and their nationalities have got nothing to do with their ability to do well in this subject.

I would recommend that you do 4U if you have these things that you mentioned

- passion for english
- passion for the topic of your major work
- natural ability in writing/english..
- want a subject that u can work at your own pace

but i wouldn't recommend doing 4U if you are merely filling up units or looking for a subject that scales well. Seriously. You will be wasting your time, your teachers time, and in my case, for those students who thought they would do 4U for the hell of it, they've ended up giving my school a very very poor quality candiature. So don't stuff it up for the other people too if you aren't into this a hundred percent. True, the scaling is a bonus if you have all those other things. and if you love it, it doesn't even feel like a subject. Its like doing a hobby or a passion for good marks.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you want any more advice. I'm a Chinese girl (I hate saying that, it sounds so.... i don't know, stupid?! it shouldn't make a difference) and I actually did my screenplay on the experiences of Chinese/Australian 2nd generation kids, so if you want to talk about it, feel free to PM me.

 

[stargaze]

Well the major reasons behind me starting 4u is not scale or to fill up units. The idea of being able to work at whatever u want and your own pace ... like a mini thesis type of thing is kind of growing on me.. So I'm pretty excited to see how the first few introductory lessons go..

Scale isnt a huge factor but I guess it helps and filling up units isnt really so much the case.. I'm pretty set on really having a go at it now..

anyway.. all your input has been greatly appreciated;; thanks

 

[jhakka]

I've seen two or three threads about Asians doing Extension 2, but all I have to say is that it doesn't make a difference.

Perhaps the Asian cultures place more emphasis on Maths and Sciences, but that does not by any means indicate that Asians are incapable of the humanities subjects. Stop generalising. Everyone has their own areas that they excel in, through learning style, personal interest and, to some extent, cultural factors, but NOT race.

 

[- L1n -]

my main influence is that i wanted to try out the film medium, which i did and i gained alot from it, but i must say i ownaged lol, well in terms of teling actors what to do anyways.lol

 

[anti]

Please continue this thread here: http://www.boredofstudies.org/community/showthread.php?t=45443