Leaving cert choices..

keane-xx

Im currently in TY and just wondering what people who are doing or have done the leaving cert think of applied maths, physics and music. Im pretty sure of my other choices. Im good at maths and music but as regards getting the most points, im not too sure!! Thanks for all your help!!

postalservice

I did applied maths and physics.

I got same result in both but i loved applied maths and despised physics.

I didn't revise any of the electricity or magnetism part of physics because i had no interest.

Whereas applied maths is just class:P

Fringe

Applied maths is a great subject. I really like it but it's probably my trickiest subject. It's a lot more different than other subjects where you can get away with learning off things. Applied maths is really challenging but if you have an interest, it's really doable.

Physics has some overlap with the applied maths course. You're pretty much sorted for the mechanics section if you do applied maths since it's much more simple. The rest can be interesting but there are also some really tricky sections.

I don't do Music but I've been told it's easy by my friend. I think you can choose to do a practical which makes up 50% of your exam. So if you do a really good practical, you're pretty much sorted. The rest is then theory.

PurpleFistMixer

Well, I did those three.

I'd been playing the violin for 11 years when I did my LC so Music was pretty easy tbh. It depends on your own experience I suppose. I didn't do it for JC but the fact that I'd done grade 5 music theory was enough. A lot comes down to learning your pieces and having a good ear. Melody writing is almost universally hated but if you can read music and are good at maths, harmonies are basically an interesting, but not too challenging puzzle.

Applied Maths was probably the hardest subject I did, possibly because I did it once a week outside school. It's good because it's reliable, but the problems require some lateral thinking sometimes, they're not just "do this formula" like a lot of maths in school tends to be. (That said, because there's so much repetition, you can sort of learn off techniques to tackle all questions.)

Physics... well, tbh there's not all that much maths in it. You'll be expected to manipulate formulae and things, but a lot of it is just learning definitions and concepts. Not too hard IMO. Writing up experiments is a bit of a pain, but you're guaranteed questions on them in the exam, and they're not too tricky to learn. (Oh, and if you do app maths, as someone said, that's the entire mechanics section of physics basically sorted.)

Fad

For the moment ignore points, do what you enjoy!

I made the mistake of taking Geography in 5th year as its easy, but before Xmas I was tearing my hair out at the sheer tedium of it, so I swapped to Physics, lovely subject (Woeful teacher but that's another story!)

In short, pick what you enjoy and what you're relatively good at.

JSK 252

If you are completely stuck about what you want to do after school, do 1 science subject, 1 business subject and a humanities subject like history/ geography ( which is more of a science subject than anything ) and you wont go far wrong with keeping your options open.

the-island-man

I done Physics and Applied maths!
I done Applied maths as an extra subject and while it is a really interesting subject i found it to be difficult to find material to study! I did it in 2006 and at that time i could only find one book dedicated to the leaving cert subject!
To find material on the internet you should probably search for MathsPhysics instead of applied maths as they call applies maths mathsPhysics in college and its basically the same stuff!
Physics is interesting too!
All i found the subject to be is loads of easy formula's

I do applied maths and physics, but not music. Applied maths is probably my favourite subject, and if you're anyway maths orientated it shouldn't come too hard to you if you've two years to study it. Btw, you know that you need honours maths to study applied maths? So just keep that in mind. Physics is probably my easiest subject. The maths problems aren't hard at all, well in comparison to applied maths anyway. If you just keep on top of learning definitions, formulae and your experiments, you'll be set.

Also, applied maths is one of the shortest courses, and if you did a decent amount of work with it you'd definitely have the course covered in a year. (I took it up and taught myself it this year, and finished the course in 3 months).

Anyway, whatever you decide to choose, don't choose it because it'll be easy to get points in: that's a huge mistake. Pick it because you like the subject, if you can pick 4 or 5 subjects you like, then you'll fly it.

Gavin "shels"

I'm doing Physics and well it's interesting but I find it hard effort tbh. Lots of formulas to learn, but most count as definitions aswell so well two birds with one stone.

moiragannaire

You can do a practical worth 50% of your exam for music, but it is still fairly hard to get an A, you have to put in a lot of work on the theory side, learning about set works, etc. The marking scemes are usually fairly tough.

timmywex

If you are going to do applied maths, make sure to do physics, some of the physics stuff is so easy thanks to app maths! And visa versa to a smaller extent

I did 5 classes of applied maths in school a week, and we coulda sat the lc paper at the end of 5th year, but we are doing more q's and revising atm, thats another good thing, on the paper its ten q's, do 6, so plenty of choice!

I love the subject, deadly sound teacher aswell, so for the doubles we have gone playing scooker, done a project involving cannons and blowing things up, and reguarly do experiments which makes it cool. Itll also be dead handy for engineering next year for me!

keane-xx

Im currently doing grade 8 piano and I got an A in music n de jc..i wasn goin 2 do it at all because a lot of people have said to me that the melody and stuff is quite hard...still undecided but i have 2 or 3 more months to think about it.! I am now thinking about doing applied maths outside of school, i am intending on doing higher maths so hopefully dat wont be a problem unless I have an absolutely huge shock in 5th yr and I think physics is now a certainty!! Thanks a million!!;):D

WolfForager

I'm doing, french, TD, Physics, Applied Maths, Accounting.

Applied maths is bloody hard, i'm probably gonna have to get grinds after the mocks. And i do applied maths with Oliver Murphy, basically the father of irish applied maths and i'm still doin ****