Picking science subjects :/

niaroh1x96 · 09-01-2011 12:22pm #1

Just wondering if you were hoping to do either Radiography or Pharmacy after leaving cert which 2 science subjects would be the best to do?? Thanks

09-01-2011 12:29pm

Well either degree will have aspects of biology chemistry and physics, but I'd recommend including chemistry as one of your choices, as it seems to be the most difficult for people to pick up in college if they haven't done it for leaving cert. Personally I did chem and bio for leaving cert and they've faired me well (I'm doing science in Trinity at the moment). Bio seemed to me to be easier than physics, but that just depends on what you think you'll be good at. At the end of the day any of them will be useful to you, so you might as well pick the one you think you'll get most points out of.

PictureFrame · 09-01-2011 12:37pm

Defo Chemistry.. If your leaning more towards Radiography i'd say Physics. But it all does depend on your aptitude for the subjects..

QueenOfLeon · 09-01-2011 1:11pm

Check on qualifax which ones (if any) you definitely need. I'd say chemistry as it seems to be interlinked with a lot of modules for health science related courses, and then whichever one you think you'll do best in for points.

niaroh1x96 · 09-01-2011 1:45pm

thanks, ya was thinking chemistry too, and yes atm I am leaning more towards radiography... so chem & physics?

...I thought biology would be very important :P...wish my school did physics + chem (in 1 subject, there is a subject called that isnt der?? :L )

PictureFrame · 09-01-2011 3:47pm

niaroh1x96 wrote: »

thanks, ya was thinking chemistry too, and yes atm I am leaning more towards radiography... so chem & physics? ...I thought biology would be very important :P...wish my school did physics + chem (in 1 subject, there is a subject called that isnt der?? :L )

Yeah there is it's called Physchem.. Tbh Biology is a load of shi**.. My sister got an A1 in HL Biology last year and it doing Intergrated Nursing. Biological Science is one of the most important modules you have to take. The lecturer was giving out shi* as the LC Biology names and references for parts of the body are completley wrong.. He's been writing to the SEC for years to change it but as of yet there's no ammendments made. She finds the Biological Science so hard as she has certain names of things instilled in her memory from her LC and now she has to try and learn the correct terms.. So my advice to you is do Chemistry and Physics. Biology is too broad of a subject anyway and the exam papers and marking schemes are a total bit** to say the least!

Best of luck!

Chuchoter · 09-01-2011 4:38pm

Chemistry and Physics for definite. I do all three and biology is my least favorite, its just endless reams of definitions and diagrams to learn off, but with physics and chemistry if you understand it you're away, they're really interesting. Biology never goes into enough depth about anything

seriouslysweet · 09-01-2011 5:12pm

Ya I do the three and find biology really tough. What was said about it being innaccurate is true aswell though, if you check up the information anywhere else it immedicately throws rather than helps you. Skip biology unless you really need it.

partyatmygaff · 09-01-2011 6:49pm

Chemistry and Physics if you want to do radiography. Chemistry and Biology for pharmacy.

Although ideally, it'd better if you did all three! Biology is by far the easiest one of them so long as you're interested in the subject. All it is remembering some definitions and a few diagrams. There's nothing to it.
Physics I haven't done so I can't comment on it.
Chemistry is the most challenging of the sciences but has the shortest course. It's absolutely brilliant if you like Chemistry though, the numerous experiments are somewhat similar and so long as you have a solid foundation in the basics the rest of the course becomes easy.

niaroh1x96 · 09-01-2011 9:13pm

Ya, was thinking about doing all three alright but my school only offer 7 lc subjects + LCVP so English, Irish, Maths, French and three others...probably 2 sciences & business because I think three sciences would be a bit much

, before reading all ye're helpful comments I would have more than likely picked biology & physics, but now leaning more towards physics & chemistry, would biology be of little advantage to me if I was to do radiography??? and would it be necessary for pharmacy??

btw for pharmacy in ucc (where i would go like to go if i chose it) you have to have chemistry, for radiography in ucd one science subject is mandatory

thanks for all you replies, really helpful:), keep 'em coming

partyatmygaff · 09-01-2011 9:28pm

To be honest Biology for even Medicine isn't necessary (Although it would be very helpful!). In Medicine apparently, one anatomy lecture contains as much information as the entire human biology section of the biology course. I'd say it's the same for radiography and pharmacy.

dambarude · 09-01-2011 11:41pm

You have to do Chemistry if you have any notion of doing Pharmacy in either Trinity or UCC, it's required for entry into the courses. So though you might not be sure at the minute whether you'll end up doing it or not, I'd err on the safe side and choose Chem. AFAIK physics isn't a requirement for either of the courses you mention, but Chemistry is.

Chemistry is enjoyable if you get the basics right.

Bbbbolger · 10-01-2011 5:30pm

I'd advise you to do Chemistry. After that just pick whichever you prefer/find more interesting/are good at. When you get to college you won't be very far behind if you don't have one of the sciences. Some people will only have done one science so you'll already be in a better position than them. You'll learn everything you need to know from the lectures at the start anyway.

QueenOfLeon · 10-01-2011 8:19pm

PictureFrame wrote: »

The lecturer was giving out shi* as the LC Biology names and references for parts of the body are completley wrong.. He's been writing to the SEC for years to change it but as of yet there's no ammendments made. She finds the Biological Science so hard as she has certain names of things instilled in her memory from her LC and now she has to try and learn the correct terms..

I've never had a problem with this

University biology type subjects obviously go into more detail but things don't really contradict...

partyatmygaff wrote: »

In Medicine apparently, one anatomy lecture contains as much information as the entire human biology section of the biology course. I'd say it's the same for radiography and pharmacy.

Noooo. Not at all :P

I don't think Biology would have been necessary for anatomy or biological science type modules, it is helpful at times to have the basics but its probably the easiest to pick up after not doing it for lc

niaroh1x96 · 10-01-2011 9:41pm

Thanks again for all the replies

So i think ill pick physics and chemistry as this will keep all my options open and atm im heading more for radiography and partyatmygaff said :

Chemistry and Physics if you want to do radiography. Chemistry and Biology for pharmacy.

also one more question, what exactly is physchem?? is it a shorter version of the physics & chemistry courses put into one?? and do many schools offer this subject??just wondering cause havent heard of it before and think its a bit strange that they'd just decide to put 2 science subjects into one

:pac:

QueenOfLeon · 10-01-2011 9:48pm

niaroh1x96 wrote: »

also one more question, what exactly is physchem?? is it a shorter version of the physics & chemistry courses put into one?? and do many schools offer this subject??just wondering cause havent heard of it before and think its a bit strange that they'd just decide to put 2 science subjects into one :pac:

If you google the syllabus of it you should find something, afaik its a mixture of both without going into the depth of the full courses (although thats only what I've heard about the chemistry part, I've never seen a paper or book for it).

Crasp · 10-01-2011 9:56pm

Physics for Radiography, Chemistry for Pharmacy and Biology is essential for both. so you should do all 3 IMO.

jumpguy · 10-01-2011 10:05pm

I think all three would be for the best, but if you can't I'd go for chemistry and physics, as biology is fairly easy to pick up in college I'd imagine (a lot of it is in English :pac:).

I do the three and if you like science it's absolutely great. You go from perhaps one class a day in JC science to 3/4/5 classes of LC science. But not everyone is weird like me, so I'd advise you play to your strenghts when picking subjects, as the college course you choose should be something you like, which will be based on the subjects you're interested in.

But for radiography and pharmacy, I'd do all three. If you can only do two, chemistry and physics.

niaroh1x96 · 10-01-2011 10:53pm

Crasp wrote: »

Physics for Radiography, Chemistry for Pharmacy and Biology is essential for both. so you should do all 3 IMO.

I think all three would be for the best, but if you can't I'd go for chemistry and physics, as biology is fairly easy to pick up in college I'd imagine (a lot of it is in English ).

I do the three and if you like science it's absolutely great. You go from perhaps one class a day in JC science to 3/4/5 classes of LC science. But not everyone is weird like me, so I'd advise you play to your strenghts when picking subjects, as the college course you choose should be something you like, which will be based on the subjects you're interested in.

But for radiography and pharmacy, I'd do all three. If you can only do two, chemistry and physics.

thanks

,

yup i do like science but still think that three science subjects for the leaving would be a bit too much

.....was hoping to do business aswell and can only do seven subjects

.....so I think i'll go with physics and chemistry, tbh if I hadnt posted here I never would have thought that chemistry would be so important for radiography, thought it would be more relevant for medicine & pharmacy....so thanks

Also crasp, you say biology is essential for both??and jumpguy if you don't mind me asking, what other subjects do you do for the leaving?:)

Crasp · 10-01-2011 11:03pm

niaroh1x96 wrote: »

thanks ,

yup i do like science but still think that three science subjects for the leaving would be a bit too much .....was hoping to do business aswell and can only do seven subjects .....so I think i'll go with physics and chemistry, tbh if I hadnt posted here I never would have thought that chemistry would be so important for radiography, thought it would be more relevant for medicine & pharmacy....so thanks

Also crasp, you say biology is essential for both??and jumpguy if you don't mind me asking, what other subjects do you do for the leaving?:)

imo you can't study subjects so close to the function of the human body without having first studied biology.

As said already though, it is the easiest to pick up after LC.

Wait til you learn about contrast materials, you will need chemistry for that

Business is a waste of time, don't do it. Biology is the easiest A1 that you will get in Leaving cert, especially as the level required for Chem and Phys is much higher, biology is a cinch to learn.

jumpguy · 10-01-2011 11:18pm

niaroh1x96 wrote: »

thanks ,

yup i do like science but still think that three science subjects for the leaving would be a bit too much .....was hoping to do business aswell and can only do seven subjects .....so I think i'll go with physics and chemistry, tbh if I hadnt posted here I never would have thought that chemistry would be so important for radiography, thought it would be more relevant for medicine & pharmacy....so thanks

Also crasp, you say biology is essential for both??and jumpguy if you don't mind me asking, what other subjects do you do for the leaving?:)

I'm doing phys, chem, bio, German, maths, English and Irish, all honours except for Irish.

The "too much science" thing was an argument I encountered when I was choosing subjects but if you like something then you really can't study it too much tbh. That said, I'm going for medicine so I just felt it was a good choice anyway, both because I liked science and it's handy for the course as I don't wanna do pre-med.

Do you prefer maths or English?

partyatmygaff · 10-01-2011 11:34pm

Doing three sciences isn't as bad as it seems. Personally my options are Biology, Chemistry and Engineering. I would have picked Physics but it bored me throughout JC so I chose not to. There is some overlap between Physics/Chemistry and Chemistry/Biology so you'll often relearn the same topic from differing scientific viewpoints.

Chuchoter · 11-01-2011 4:52pm

Three sciences is great if you really like science. I really like science, so spending half the week in a lab is great! I think having the three perspectives is helpful also.

niaroh1x96 · 11-01-2011 5:10pm

jumpguy wrote: »

I'm doing phys, chem, bio, German, maths, English and Irish, all honours except for Irish.

The "too much science" thing was an argument I encountered when I was choosing subjects but if you like something then you really can't study it too much tbh. That said, I'm going for medicine so I just felt it was a good choice anyway, both because I liked science and it's handy for the course as I don't wanna do pre-med.

Do you prefer maths or English?

Id prefer maths more than English...y so??

Thanks guys but I think ill still just do the two science

.... really think three would be a bit too much

and I really like business too. So im thinking physics and chem?...well i was thinking physics and chem

...until I saw this :

imo you can't study subjects so close to the function of the human body without having first studied biology.

how much harder does biology get after j.c. ??? also I head that there is quite a lot of plant biology (which I HATE :P ) that obviously would be irrelevant after the l.c.

What about if I chose biology and chemistry, or is physics a very important part of radiography?? so basically I've picked chem because everyone here is sayings its essential, so physics or biology?? I want to pick the one that will help me get a good result in the l.c. (btw both the biology & physics teachers in my school are AMAZING, always get brilliant results), and will make college that little bit easier for me

Chuchoter · 11-01-2011 5:46pm

I would have always though physics was important for radiography, but that might not be the case. It is quite mathsy (not super maths, but theres a fair bit) so if you find maths really hard or boring I wouldn't do it. There are so many graphs :O But its really interesting and really applicable to real life (you see mirrors, heat and water every day!). It also has the best toys (like fiber optic space lamps!). Your class will also be small so you will get a lot of individual attention. I really like it.

Biology I don't like as much. Theres a fair bit of plants (I just hate plants so maybe it just feels like there is more than there actually is :P) and loads and loads of learning off. Its not difficult at all though, just work at it at you'll be grand. Theres no understanding , just read the book and you'll get it.

QueenOfLeon · 11-01-2011 7:32pm

niaroh1x96 wrote: »

how much harder does biology get after j.c. ??? also I head that there is quite a lot of plant biology (which I HATE :P ) that obviously would be irrelevant after the l.c.

What about if I chose biology and chemistry, or is physics a very important part of radiography?? so basically I've picked chem because everyone here is sayings its essential, so physics or biology?? I want to pick the one that will help me get a good result in the l.c. (btw both the biology & physics teachers in my school are AMAZING, always get brilliant results), and will make college that little bit easier for me

I did barely any plant biology for LC, the paper has a lot of choice so if you knew most of it you can afford to leave some small parts out. I didn't do physics and I've never had a problem with anything physics related in medicine, but then we haven't come across too much of it in comparison with a course like radiography. I'm glad I did biology as most of our modules are building onto LC biology in further detail, its nice not to be seeing completely new concepts at the start of a topic.

Crasp · 11-01-2011 8:30pm

Physics IS essential for radiology. It'll make thermoset much easier.

I also hated plant biology and ecology in biology, no interest in it. So I learned enough to get by and that with learning the human stuff and genetics well got me an A1. Biology is the easiest A1 out of the 3 by far.

niaroh1x96 · 11-01-2011 9:03pm

QueenOfLeon wrote: »

I did barely any plant biology for LC, the paper has a lot of choice so if you knew most of it you can afford to leave some small parts out. I didn't do physics and I've never had a problem with anything physics related in medicine, but then we haven't come across too much of it in comparison with a course like radiography. I'm glad I did biology as most of our modules are building onto LC biology in further detail, its nice not to be seeing completely new concepts at the start of a topic.

so do you think i would be better off doing biology and physics??, these would probably be my two favourite but everyone is saying chemistry, chemistry, chemistry... :P. also there is a chance that i'd like to do pharmacy, maybe even medicine, so I want to keep my options open and to do this I need chemistry :-/ ....I really dont think I want to do three sciences. soo Physics vs Biology

...

Also, people are saying that you really need physics for radiography, why is this so?? tbh I thought biology would be more beneficial...

partyatmygaff · 11-01-2011 9:10pm

niaroh1x96 wrote: »

so do you think i would be better off doing biology and physics??, these would probably be my two favourite but everyone is saying chemistry, chemistry, chemistry... :P. also there is a chance that i'd like to do pharmacy, maybe even medicine, so I want to keep my options open and to do this I need chemistry :-/ ....I really dont think I want to do three sciences. soo Physics vs Biology ...

Also, people are saying that you really need physics for radiography, why is this so?? tbh I thought biology would be more beneficial...

To be honest, ANYTHING health related absolutely needs chemistry.

In radiography you need physics for understanding the principles of the different imaging procedures and chemistry for the chemicals involved in imaging.

Biology really isn't necessary oddly enough as most of it is relearned once you begin university. That said though, if you need an easier A go for Biology over physics.

Crasp · 11-01-2011 9:10pm

IMO if you really can't do all 3 (which you should, all will help you infinitely more than business), then drop biology.

It is essential to any health science, but it's easy to pick up and i'm sure you will be taught it in college.

The clue to physics being important is in the name: RADIOgraphy. It's all about how we exploit the different properties of media and the different types of radiation (ionising, electromagnetic) etc to produce medical images so it strongly involves physics.

Crasp · 11-01-2011 9:17pm

Check out this video on YouTube on how an MRI machine works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aRKAXD4dAg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I think you'll find there's plenty of physics in it!

niaroh1x96 · 11-01-2011 9:33pm

Crasp wrote: »

Check out this video on YouTube on how an MRI machine works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aRKAXD4dAg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I think you'll find there's plenty of physics in it!

Thanks a lot for that, very very interesting, going to go through all his videos

. So Chemistry and Physics it is

, thanks everyone for all your help, just one morequestion (if you dont mind:o) is physics used much in pharmacy??

QueenOfLeon · 11-01-2011 9:35pm

niaroh1x96 wrote: »

so do you think i would be better off doing biology and physics??, these would probably be my two favourite but everyone is saying chemistry, chemistry, chemistry... :P. also there is a chance that i'd like to do pharmacy, maybe even medicine, so I want to keep my options open and to do this I need chemistry :-/ ....I really dont think I want to do three sciences. soo Physics vs Biology ...

Also, people are saying that you really need physics for radiography, why is this so?? tbh I thought biology would be more beneficial...

No, definitely stick with chemistry. I found it harder than biology but then I had a terrible teacher for both and biology was much easier to learn by yourself. Chemistry is also a requirement for a few of the medical courses and pharmacy in trinity and UCC.

I don't think its any harm to do something completely outside of science (business in your case) as its a break from the same type of studying all the time. If you're good at it it'll be good for points since you're looking at all high points courses.

niaroh1x96 · 11-01-2011 9:39pm

QueenOfLeon wrote: »

I don't think its any harm to do something completely outside of science (business in your case) as its a break from the same type of studying all the time. If you're good at it it'll be good for points since you're looking at all high points courses.

Thanks

, just what I wanted to hear

jumpguy · 11-01-2011 10:00pm

Crasp wrote: »

I also hated plant biology and ecology in biology, no interest in it. So I learned enough to get by and that with learning the human stuff and genetics well got me an A1. Biology is the easiest A1 out of the 3 by far.

Tbh dude, they're all easy to get an A1 in if you're good at them. Saying biology is the easiest A1 of them all is a matter of personal opinion.

If you want to do 2 sciences then I'd choose physics and chemistry. Biology is handy, but it's probably the easiest to pick up and learn in college, as there are far less concepts that require in-depth 'understanding' to learn (however, this is compensated as the biology course contains far more material than physics and chemistry), whereas with chemistry and physics there are concepts you really must understand to succeed, and it'd be far more beneficial to have the basics of them before you go into college.

EDIT: Oh, I never read page 3 of the thread. >.< Good choice!

Picking science subjects :/

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