Your opinions on History Extension (1 Viewer)

[evasharman]

Hi guys ! I'm in year 11 at the moment and I am considering doing history extension. I love history so much and I was just searching for some opinions on the subject. I've heard a lot of conflicting ideas from my friends at school so I'd just like some clear opinions on this site, i.e. do you like it, is it worthwhile, what's the workload like, is it interesting etc.
Thanks!!

 

[InsoulvencyReaper]

History Extension, is the closest you'll ever get to university style work in the HSC. I enjoyed the independence of the personal project and the insight I gained from doing it.

I enjoyed the historiography section, although it didn't seem to reflect in my marks so I suppose my evidence didn't suit the question - I don't know.

At the end of the day it didn't matter what I got in the HSC because I genuinely enjoyed the subject (btw I got 40/50 - not too shabby...)

It's really worth developing your research and analytical skills.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JBowers]

I'm not sure if you picked your subjects yet, but here's my perspective as a current Hext student

We just finished the What Is History? component of the syllabus and it has been amazing. A lot of that can be dedicated to my teacher, he's amazing and he enjoy's it just as much as us students. It really changes the way you perceive texts, not just history. The concept of historiography is also relevant to subjects such as modern where you deconstruct sources, and English in Mod A.
It's a highly philosophical subject and you have to be very open, analytical and adaptive to new concepts all the time, and compare and contrasting different ideas. The main point I'm getting to here is that it makes you think deeper than any other subject, and that's what I personally enjoy.

The Major Work so far has been fun, although very time consuming. The hardest part was actually making a decision in regards to a topic - I searched and searched until I found something I was passionate about, which I think is necessary.

A negative point is the amount of time needed vs units. As a one unit subject hext really places a heavy workload on students (atleast for me) and you have to acquire a solid work ethic and the ability to work independently.

So, overall amazing, if you are willing to put in the work. PM me if you have anymore questions (although I still have to do the case study section).

 

[deloving]

History Extension is a lot of work for 1 unit, but it's worth it. The What Is History? component is very interesting, and I actually found my half-yearly examination essay fun to write. The Project will consume a lot of your time, but if it's something you enjoy, you'll enjoy spending time doing it. I know it's obvious to say, start early blah blah, but choose your project topic early. Do your research early - I know, procrastination will kick in, but I suggest you get on http://www.jstor.org/ as soon as possible. It's a very useful website for this subject.

 

[evasharman]

Thank you all very much! I really think I will choose it. Would you advice doing 13 units, or should I drop a subject? (If I dropped one, it would be biology, I'm a bit worried because all my subjects are quite content heavy) Thanks again !!

 

[deloving]

Thank you all very much! I really think I will choose it. Would you advice doing 13 units, or should I drop a subject? (If I dropped one, it would be biology, I'm a bit worried because all my subjects are quite content heavy) Thanks again !!

For the average person I would suggest dropping a subject. 13 units is quiet a lot for the HSC... But it's up to you.

 

[JBowers]

I did 13 units for the first few weeks of year 12, just to get a feel of each subject (and the teacher especially!) and to ensure I wasn't missing out on anything that I would actually enjoy. At my school it was/is relatively easy to drop a subject. For me 13 units was too much of a workload, but since I spent those first few weeks with 13 units I was able to make an educated decision on which I would drop, and dropped it a few weeks before the exams. Personally would not recommend 13 units for the HSC, far too content heavy as you said.

 

[buriza]

Personally, I found History Extension very worthwhile and enjoyable. As for the work load, it really is not that bad as long as you contribute periodically. Not to mention that you should be guided through your project by the help of your teachers and the HSC exam for History Extension was probably the exam I was stressed for the least, given it is just two essays. Overall, there is a lot of flexibility in History Extension, so it is a great subject for individual choice.

 

[sweetalmond]

You should be:
- enjoy history
- independently driven
- focused and committed
- very good at writing. You need to have a sophisticated style of writing
- talk to your 2 unit teacher before taking it
- be confident in 2 unit history
- drop to 12 units for HSC
- have a wide knowledge of events in history
- do wide and extensive reading

 

[Tink]

Ace subject. Gotta love your history, though.

 

[limplict]

Ext History for me was probably my favourite subject after Modern History and IMO it was the course that I learnt the most from. Like others have said, it's a very philosophical subject and really opens your mind to a wide variety of perspectives not just in history, but in life in general (well, that's what it did for me). The skills you gain from it are incredibly valuable, and it's also helped me improve the way I write essays in Modern too.

I had the same dilemma as you last year in Term 4 'cause I was also on 13 units, and after a few weeks I was tossing between dropping 4u maths and ext history. In the end I (obviously) kept ext history and have no regrets because it's really helped me learn how to think critically, which is the most valuable lesson I've gained from the HSC