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Leaving Cert History vs Home Ec

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  • 23-04-2014 3:48pm
    #1
    Disorganised Disaster
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭


    Just wondering what history and home ec like for the leaving cert? I'm thinking of taking one instead of chemistry but I'm not sure which/should I!
    '


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    #2
    carlowmurphy
    Registered Users Posts: 28 ✭carlowmurphy


    Disorganised Disaster wrote: »
    Just wondering what history and home ec like for the leaving cert? I'm thinking of taking one instead of chemistry but I'm not sure which/should I!
    '

    Do neither but home ec is supposed to be awfully hard. Anyone I've spoken to that does history finds it very interesting and loves it. Don't do chemistry. Terribly difficult.


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    #3
    xLisaBx
    Registered Users Posts: 901 ✭✭✭xLisaBx


    I personally love chemistry, but it depends on the person. It's an incredibly diverse branch of science, but it can be difficult. It requires commitment to get a good grade.
    Home Ec isn't too difficult, it's all memory work and no understanding per say. Saying that, I'm a terrible "learner" and it doesn't suit me. Would like an A though.
    History is supposed to be okay, interesting but there's so much to learn.
    Parts of home ec and biology overlap, but they are minimum.


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    #4
    Disorganised Disaster
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Disorganised Disaster


    Ive heard theres a lot of essays in history but what are they actually like? Are they like longer versions of the Junior Cert people in history questions or what? :)


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    #5
    xLisaBx
    Registered Users Posts: 901 ✭✭✭xLisaBx


    Disorganised Disaster wrote: »
    Ive heard theres a lot of essays in history but what are they actually like? Are they like longer versions of the Junior Cert people in history questions or what? :)

    I don't do history, but I'd say the essays are around 4 pages long


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    #6
    oswinoswald
    Registered Users Posts: 93 ✭✭oswinoswald


    Disorganised Disaster wrote: »
    Ive heard theres a lot of essays in history but what are they actually like? Are they like longer versions of the Junior Cert people in history questions or what? :)

    History for leaving cert is NOTHING like junior cert History. There are no 'people in history' type questions. It is not a matter of learning facts and dates and regurgitating it in the exam, the exam is almost completely essay based, and they have to be well-written HL English standard essays too. You should have a look at the exam papers before you make up your mind (http://examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2012/LC004ALP000EV.pdf)
    It's a good subject to do if you are passionate about history and doing well in HL english. Otherwise, I would stay away!!

    Home Ec is definitely 756868565675% easier than history. But go for whichever one you think you'll enjoy the most/get the best grade in


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    #7
    Disorganised Disaster
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Disorganised Disaster


    oswinoswald wrote: »
    History for leaving cert is NOTHING like junior cert History. There are no 'people in history' type questions. It is not a matter of learning facts and dates and regurgitating it in the exam, the exam is almost completely essay based, and they have to be well-written HL English standard essays too. You should have a look at the exam papers before you make up your mind (http://examinations.ie/archive/exampapers/2012/LC004ALP000EV.pdf)
    It's a good subject to do if you are passionate about history and doing well in HL english. Otherwise, I would stay away!!

    Home Ec is definitely 756868565675% easier than history. But go for whichever one you think you'll enjoy the most/get the best grade in

    I got an a in higher level English for the junior cert so that's what's making me think history might ve the best option?
    Plus the teachers in our school are good!


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    #8
    oswinoswald
    Registered Users Posts: 93 ✭✭oswinoswald


    Disorganised Disaster wrote: »
    I got an a in higher level English for the junior cert so that's what's making me think history might ve the best option?
    Plus the teachers in our school are good!

    I think having a good, passionate history teacher will really benefit you, as well as having a flair for English and an interest in the subject, as it's quite a heavy course.
    Whatever you choose, good luck!!


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    #9
    Mr Pseudonym
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭Mr Pseudonym


    LC History is different from the JC in that, for 75% of the marks on the paper, you will have to write essays prompted by three single sentence questions - ie no sub-sections to help you with structure. Fact recall and good writing ability are both essential, however application can somewhat make-up for a deficiency in the latter. However, unlike at JC, "the facts" are only part of any answer, and how one interprets the question and makes an argument is just as important. Slow writers would struggle, and each essay should be around four pages long. For many, history is one of their favourite subjects.

    The bottom of this Chief Examiner's Report has a few exemplars, which gives you an idea of the standard of writing required.

    I've said in a number of threads before that Home Ec has one of the lowest A-rates of any subject, which is surprising if only for the fact that 90% of the cohort are girls - who outperform boys.


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    #10
    Troxck
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,386 ✭✭✭Troxck


    Disorganised Disaster wrote: »
    I got an a in higher level English for the junior cert so that's what's making me think history might be the best option?
    Plus the teachers in our school are good!

    History is a terrific subject to take if you're good at English and have a great interest in History, the latter point being the most important as you'll have to undertake a project on a chosen topic. I got a C in HL English and a B in HL History for the Junior Cert yet I have not gotten below 88% in any essay (although I am only in 5th so our teacher obviously marks them easier than they would be in the exams). I'm not the best at English really but I am good at History, although both help each other out. With regards to essays, contextualisation essays are generally 2.5 pages long and long answer questions are generally 5 or 6 pages long. A drastic increase in length compared to the JC. Also, if you're not interested in Irish History the course will be a drag, but personally I love Irish History so I was rather lucky. Its also heavy on politics and the social side of things so bear that in mind.

    I have no idea what Home Ec is like at LC but it seems to be quite difficult from what my friends have said but manageable.

    I hope this somewhat helped


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    #11
    fishnetsxD
    Registered Users Posts: 98 ✭✭fishnetsxD


    I am a Home Ec Student and I am quite good at it. It however requires a lot of work. It's an easy B but not many people get As in it. It is an extremely wide course and there's so much to learn. But as you do exam papers and stuff you get better at it. :)


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    #12
    Kmac16
    Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭Kmac16


    I do Leaving Cert Home Ec and personally it is one of my favourite subjects. If you keep with your homework and revision along with consistent work in 5th and 6th year it is very manageable. I hope to get an A grade in Home Ec although there is quite a low percentage of A's in Home Ec every year. I think part of the reason why there is a low percentage of high grades in this subject is because a lot of lazy students keep it on thinking it is an easy subject requiring little work.


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    #13
    Phyrexian
    Registered Users Posts: 22 ✭Phyrexian


    Hello! I have finished by third year in uni and I did both subjects so I hope I can give the most information about them!

    I'd like to say that if you do like a week of history and hate it, ask to to be switched to home ec. or vice versa, it's no big deal at the end of the day (though my school had a cap on Home Ec. students for safety reasons).

    Home Ec:

    I loved Home Ec., but it is less popular than History. I've never met anyone who wasn't in my Home Ec. class that did home ec, ever! Or at least would admit it???

    It is like Junior Cert Home Ec., but without being supervised for the cooking by an inspector and no sewing/childcare project. 20% is this silly workbook on what you cooked.

    The rest is the final exam. It is very broad as everyone said, but the "memorise a lot" is true for any subject that is not a super small course like Economics. Often topics are very closely related in a logical way like kitchen safety and microbiology or sociology and understanding the welfare system. Also you don't need to be good at science, I didn't do science since I was 12 and I never felt it really influenced anything. You will of course without a science background have to learn a few random chemical names and formulae with no real context :P It's silly, whoever wrote the course was just trying to make it hard I think rather than to make anyone understand the science properly. If you go onto youtube and look up "Crashcourse Science" they have a video on the food science you do in Home Ec. that video covers pretty much all of it that I can remember.

    Home Economics would have stuff that overlaps with college level sociology, agricultural science (like in UCD they have diary business management and rural development classes that have home ec stuff in them) and food science (to an extent), consumer law (I do law and I've found a weird amount of overlap) and anything do with culinary arts.

    If you are interested in that sort of thing at 3rd level or in general, you'd like Home Ec.

    Also the farmer's journal has very good notes on home ec. You can get a subscription of the journal with questions and special extra notes and they're waaaay better than the really bigoted textbook (the single parent bit makes me cringe) so I would recommend that :)

    History:

    If you want to do arts / law in college, 1) LC History really overlaps with a lot of it (history, politics, sociology, constitutional law) 2) You will learn all about academic essays and stuff. History really helped me in that respect. You do a research project which which was insufferable at the time, but really helped me in understand college essays.

    If you hate essays, as opposed to they aren't the best thing ever, but you don't mind them
    (urgh so many practice ones) and can't write fast you'd probably be selling yourself short picking History over Home Ec. This is true, even if you like history as a general thing.

    To this day it was one of two exams I've ever sat I couldn't finish in time (and I've had weird hand swellings on my hands from writing too much like explode and I've kept on writing in exams). So if that is concern for you, I wouldn't do history because it would stress you out no end and you wouldn't even get a chance to show your knowledge :P

    I have no idea what history things you'd be exactly doing but obviously you'd have to like history, while home ec is so all over the place there'd be some stuff you may like, some you may hate yknow. History is amazing in how much you learn about the world, we had a weird sub teacher who suggested "We didn't start the fire" would a good song to listen to to remember the American section!

    If you have a specific question then ask it here and I'll try to remember.


  • Options
    #14
    Disorganised Disaster
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29 ✭Disorganised Disaster


    Phyrexian wrote: »
    Hello! I have finished by third year in uni and I did both subjects so I hope I can give the most information about them!

    I'd like to say that if you do like a week of history and hate it, ask to to be switched to home ec. or vice versa, it's no big deal at the end of the day (though my school had a cap on Home Ec. students for safety reasons).

    Home Ec:

    I loved Home Ec., but it is less popular than History. I've never met anyone who wasn't in my Home Ec. class that did home ec, ever! Or at least would admit it???

    It is like Junior Cert Home Ec., but without being supervised for the cooking by an inspector and no sewing/childcare project. 20% is this silly workbook on what you cooked.

    The rest is the final exam. It is very broad as everyone said, but the "memorise a lot" is true for any subject that is not a super small course like Economics. Often topics are very closely related in a logical way like kitchen safety and microbiology or sociology and understanding the welfare system. Also you don't need to be good at science, I didn't do science since I was 12 and I never felt it really influenced anything. You will of course without a science background have to learn a few random chemical names and formulae with no real context :P It's silly, whoever wrote the course was just trying to make it hard I think rather than to make anyone understand the science properly. If you go onto youtube and look up "Crashcourse Science" they have a video on the food science you do in Home Ec. that video covers pretty much all of it that I can remember.

    Home Economics would have stuff that overlaps with college level sociology, agricultural science (like in UCD they have diary business management and rural development classes that have home ec stuff in them) and food science (to an extent), consumer law (I do law and I've found a weird amount of overlap) and anything do with culinary arts.

    If you are interested in that sort of thing at 3rd level or in general, you'd like Home Ec.

    Also the farmer's journal has very good notes on home ec. You can get a subscription of the journal with questions and special extra notes and they're waaaay better than the really bigoted textbook (the single parent bit makes me cringe) so I would recommend that :)

    History:

    If you want to do arts / law in college, 1) LC History really overlaps with a lot of it (history, politics, sociology, constitutional law) 2) You will learn all about academic essays and stuff. History really helped me in that respect. You do a research project which which was insufferable at the time, but really helped me in understand college essays.

    If you hate essays, as opposed to they aren't the best thing ever, but you don't mind them
    (urgh so many practice ones) and can't write fast you'd probably be selling yourself short picking History over Home Ec. This is true, even if you like history as a general thing.

    To this day it was one of two exams I've ever sat I couldn't finish in time (and I've had weird hand swellings oon my hands from writing too much like explode and I've kept on writing in exams). So if that is concern for you, I wouldn't do history because it would stress you out no end and you wouldn't even get a chance to show your knowledge :P

    I have no idea what history things you'd be exactly doing but obviously you'd have to like history, while home ec is so all over the place there'd be some stuff you may like, some you may hate yknow. History is amazing in how much you learn about the world, we had a weird sub teacher who suggested "We didn't start the fire" would a good song to listen to to remember the American section!

    If you have a specific question then ask it here and I'll try to remember.

    Thank you so much! I just saw your answer now ans it's so helpful. Unjust finished a weeks work experience in a solicitors office which I loved and I'm leaning towards doing law on college too! Your answer has given me the final bit of encouragement I needed to choose history I think! What's law like as a degree?


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    #15
    fishnetsxD
    Registered Users Posts: 98 ✭✭fishnetsxD


    Phyrexian wrote: »

    Home Ec:

    I loved Home Ec., but it is less popular than History. I've never met anyone who wasn't in my Home Ec. class that did home ec, ever! Or at least would admit it???

    It is like Junior Cert Home Ec., but without being supervised for the cooking by an inspector and no sewing/childcare project. 20% is this silly workbook on what you cooked.

    Hey,

    There actually is a sewing project for leaving cert home ec. It's however optional as it's in the electives. You have to make a piece of an outfit. There are three electives, textiles, home design and social studies. I do textiles cause it's an extra ten percent before opening the books! Then there is a small theory question to answer on it in the exam but it's 40 rather than 80 marks. Not many schools do it.


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