My interveiw for Extension2 (1 Viewer)

[brookiehsc]

Ok my school held interviews for ext history today which i am also attempting and they said that by attempting both extension 2 english and extension history i would be going against all advice and they have concerns. In total these are the subjects that i will be doing;

Business studies
Modern History
Ancient =
Extension =
English
English extension 1
= = 2
Studies of Religion 1

I am a person i admit who gets easily stressed and i know that havin g 12 units i can always drop an extension or 2 unit subject if it gets two much. My teachers have said i shouldn't go in with this attitude as i will not try hard enough, but my intention is to keep all my subjects. I did not know if this was the right place to ask advice but since you have all been so helpful in the past i thought i would give it a try, have any of you done as many extensions? and if so how hard was it? My teachers have also said that with these subjects they wouyld expect me to get a UAI in the mid to high 90's is this possible, considering (although it is not the best indicator) that my ranks are roughly as follows (cummulative ranks for prelim year)

Modern - 2/22
Ancient 2/48
Business- 2/48
English- {roughly} in top 10 of about 80 people
English ext 1- {roughly} 3/14
Studies of Religion- {roughly} in top 15-20 of about 80 people

Any suggestions would be most appreciated, thanks guys!
Brooke

 

[kami]

I disagree with your advisor's recommendation I *was* at 14 units with 4u of math, 4u of english and the three sciences and I coped(it was a bit tough, but I did) and only dropped Physics before the trials as I was losing interest and it wasn't worth the strain. There are also people who have extended far more than I and undertaken extension units in every course they take - is it hard? Yes. Is it doable? Yes.
*Also* the most common combination of extensions is 4u english and 3u history as they are both subjects that people who are good at humanities are interested in. So you'll find quite a few on this board who did that combo - off the top of my head I can name goldendawn, ujuphleg, airness, fleepsbading, gorgo31, pwaryuex, asylum(i think) and quite a few others so your case is not unique.
Whats more, much as you yourself have stated, you could drop a subject if the strain became too much and there would be nothing wrong with doing that its a personal choice.
Anyway, that my 2 cents and I hope you do well in your HSC.

 

[666_blessings]

Some psycho at my school is doing 4u maths, 4u english and ext history. He's topping everything as well, the bastard!

 

[brookiehsc]

Thankyou for your advice and well wishes lol ....... should be studying but instead am listening to belinda carliles "heaven is a plac3 on earth.. ."

 

[beckywecky]

If you really believe that you can do it, then go for it - just be motivated enough to manage your time effectively to make sure that you don't get too stressed out.

I've been advised to keep 12 units, apparently those who keep all their subjects overall do better than those who only do 10.

If you think that you'll get too stressed out, then consider dropping a subject and focus on the other ones that you are doing.

Good luck

 

[tjs2602]

I did both 4u english and ext. history. Its only stressful if u leave everything to the last moment, which i did. History extension took about 2 weeks of solid work to do, English ext. about 2 months of writing, editing and crap. Depends on how much effort ur willing to put in early in the year. I had my ext. history due a week before trials and my ext. english due one day after trials.

 

[bonniejjj]

Hello Brookie,

i did similar subjects to you, except I only did 10 units;

I did/ am doing;

4 Unit English
Ancient History
Extension History
Studies of Religion I
Drama

In year 11 I did 3 unit maths, but I lost interest and decided the work load wasn't worth it.

Anyway, back to the point; I'm surprised your teachers advised against doing both extension 2 english and extension history. They are wonderful courses, perfect for the motivated learner who wants HSC courses that are a bit more flexible and allow for a bit more independent thought. I say go ahead!
Doing this many extensions can be challenging, but it is very worth while. I would say my three extension units have been my favourite subjects this year.

By this point I am sure you have made up your mind and have started these courses, but I hope what I have said is helpful anyway.

 

[Master Gopher]

Do what you want. If you really want to enjoy your HSC at all, it's the ext subjects that make it worth it. I've got Art, Ext history, and 4 unit Eng, and it sure as hell *will* be hard... but if not I'd be bored to death and never do anything. If like me you need pressure for motivation, got for it.

If you really don't think you can do it, well, be careful. But if you want to so much as try, go right ahead.

 

[glitterfairy]

^ aka the major works that can make it worth it I remember many nights with lack of sleep last year... but I churned out a couple of major works!

I figured I'd have a crack at the UAI question, since no-one else has answered it yet. Generally speaking, no-one can accurately guess your UAI. Remember, it's a rank that compares *you* against the rest of the *state* - school rankings, whilst giving some indication of where you stand, can be rather inaccurate, even when you do consider scaling. To use the time-honoured example, a James Ruse student at the bottom of their class might still be the top of the class somewhere else (because they push them pretty hard at James Ruse). Just do your best - "pick subjects that you enjoy and are good at in order to maximise your potential UAI" (Dr Turner, HGHS)