Too late to start a new subject? (End of 5th Year)

Megatron_X

Unfortunately our Physics teacher has been very ill this year and we have hardly anything covered, and I mean very little.

I've been thinking since I'm very good at maths and would have to work very hard on physics throughout the summer to get to the level we should be at if I should just do Applied Maths instead?

I don't like Physics very much and so far in HL Maths I've found everything pretty easy and help other people in my class. I did some Applied Maths in 4th Year and didn't have any difficulty with it but I'd say it gets much harder, any opinions?

You should probably work on your Physics. Applied maths is similar to physics in some aspects but considering you'll be in class doing Physics next year anyway you might as well just catch up.App maths is short but not easy even if you have good maths skills and tbh the workload of picking it up would be the same as catching up on 5th yr physics (which is generally quite simple, heat, optics, mechanics etc).

zam

It's not impossible to take up a new subject, I took up chemistry in late September of this year (I'm in 6th year) and it's one of my best subjects.
The reason I find it nice isn't because it's easy but because I worked hard at it and had a one-on-one teacher.
So basically if you get yourself a physics grind and do a bit of physics study every second day or whatever, you'll be grand. Especially because you say you're good at maths! You don't even have to kill yourself at it, I only started chemistry REALLY at christmas and it's no bother. That being said if you hate it THAT much you could take up applied maths instead but there isn't really much point, unless you wanna take applied maths as well as physics

RolandIRL

i took up app maths in April of 5th year with a grinds teacher. i ended up getting 7 of the 10 questions prepared (you do 6). it turned out to be one of my best subjects (B2, i think), but (not bragging now) i was really good at physics and maths and worked really hard at it. another fella took it from january and ended up with C2 (same grinds teacher and everything)
the first question could be answered from physics knowledge (linear motion - just use the 3 equations), but the rest wouldn't be in the physics course. there would be concepts in physics that you'd need for app maths.

if you're serious about taking up app maths, flick through the past exam papers. very little changes year to year (except for that bloody moments question last year :mad:)

unless you've a really good brain for learning stuff on your own, you'd need someone to go through the material with you.
i did the app maths exam last year so if you've any more questions, just ask.

whiteman

Dannloads

Not too late... Go for it!

Jemmy

I changed from Physics to engineering at the end of 5th year. Only thing I will say it will be difficult to catch up to do the higher level in whatever subject you change to, as well as doing all your other subjects.

But if it's what you wana do then go for it.

dyeti

No, it's never too late if you're confident. I swapped from ordinary level German in the October of 6th year where I was getting D's to higher level French where I'm now getting B's and A's! Best choice of my school life.

maria gstones

Definitely not too late. I took up applied maths in September of 6th year. I just did it once a week in a grind school and found it easy enough, I actually thought it was really interesting. I did it as an extra subject and it didn't take too much time. I used to go to the class for an hour and a half on a friday after school, we would get 3/4 exam questions for homework and I would do them for the next friday, about 2 hours work a week. honestly if you are good at maths it is totally doable. I reccommend the brown book by Oliver Murphy. Really easy to understand if you want to get started over the summer. Like other people have said there are only 10 topics, you just have to answer 6 so even if you leave out a couple yoou still have choice and the exam papers have barely changed since the 1970's!!! just got a little easier!

stainluss

Megatron_X wrote: »

Unfortunately our Physics teacher has been very ill this year and we have hardly anything covered, and I mean very little.

I've been thinking since I'm very good at maths and would have to work very hard on physics throughout the summer to get to the level we should be at if I should just do Applied Maths instead?

I don't like Physics very much and so far in HL Maths I've found everything pretty easy and help other people in my class. I did some Applied Maths in 4th Year and didn't have any difficulty with it but I'd say it gets much harder, any opinions?

Do both. Spend time catching up on 5th year physics and take up an additional subject. Work on it 4/5 days a week.

Im not sure about applied maths, however.

I would reccomend Chemistry, Biology or Economics. They are the shorter courses

jumpguy

stainluss wrote: »

Do both. Spend time catching up on 5th year physics and take up an additional subject. Work on it 4/5 days a week.

Im not sure about applied maths, however.

I would reccomend Chemistry, Biology or Economics. They are the shorter courses

I disagree with this. Chemistry is shorter than the other sciences, but requires the understanding of quite abstract topics, and experiments, I wouldn't do it without a regular teacher.

Biology is by no means short, it is a very long course (longest out of the sciences).

I can't speak for economics.

For applied maths, well I'll just quote what I said in another thread...

I tried applied maths, and it was far more time consuming than I expected. I was trying to do it outside school, completely alone. Long story short, I ended up cutting my loses and dropping it. It's a leaving cert subject at the end of the day, and no LC subject is gonna be a walk in the park. Sure, the course is short, but that means you need excellent coverage.

For me, it just didn't seem like a subject I could easily get an A1 in. And I didn't really fancy doing an extra subject for an extra C1.

Just my experience with it, not trying to throw you off, but it's not all roses!

In my opinion, you'd be better off sticking to your physics. It's a bit dull, but if you're good at maths, it's a bit of a dream subject! Most of the 5th year theory isn't too bad, especially if you have a good physics textbook (Real Work Physics by Dan O'Regan is the one I have).

stainluss

jumpguy wrote: »

I disagree with this. Chemistry is shorter than the other sciences, but requires the understanding of quite abstract topics, and experiments, I wouldn't do it without a regular teacher.

Biology is by no means short, it is a very long course (longest out of the sciences).

Chemistry would be ok if you are suited to it and have a grinds teacher.
Biology is not as long as it seems. The actual volume of information you need to know is not too large (less than business) and it is the easiest out of the sciences (v. little understanding involved) You wouldnt need a teacher for it.

unknown13

stainluss wrote: »

I would reccomend Chemistry, Biology or Economics. They are the shorter courses

Biology is apparently one of the longest LC courses. The class in my school with the most senior Biology teacher wasn't finished the course until the week after easter.

jumpguy

stainluss wrote: »

Chemistry would be ok if you are suited to it and have a grinds teacher.
Biology is not as long as it seems. The actual volume of information you need to know is not too large (less than business) and it is the easiest out of the sciences (v. little understanding involved) You wouldnt need a teacher for it.

Ahh I'm saying is, chemistry is definetly a subject I wouldn't take up outside school. Can you imagine trying to get titrations learned without doing them, atomic theory, organic synthesis, rates of reaction, acids and bases, redox, all done and understood outside school? It's pushing the capacity, even with grinds tbh. Rote learning chem experiments without doing them would be quite tedious.

Biology, although much less difficult to understand, is quite long at the end of the day. You can't risk skipping chunks of the course, you've got to get the course done at the end of the day (although certain things expected to come up in the exam would have specific emphasis).
Biology also has it's own difficult enough concepts, such as photosynthesis, DNA (including protein synthesis), and respiration...

Physics is probably the easiest of the three to do outside of school, but it's not for everybody.

Gers_punto

this is from the horses mouth none of that "secondhand info".. I

I have done this and i ended up with a b1 in higher level physics BUT it was a lotta work as i wasnt very good at maths but i adored physics, Knowing how to calculate values of things that we use evryday, solving problems that had a relistic reason to be workng on them..

It isnt too late i started physics on the first week of april when i was in fifth year......

Put the head down and you will fly through it