science choice in UL

dunphylad

well lads. I'm thinking about doing science choice when I finish school and would like to get information from people who done this course or are currently doing the course on like lectures and personal experience on science choice ? Thanks

Chris Martin

As close as a Science Choice student you're going to get on here I'd say,
On UL website you've probably seen the video yeah..
As you're aware I'd say, the Science Choice course is like the Arts of the Science world, try and test some of the science modules and pick which route you want to go down then..
Now I'm doing Pharmaceutical and Industrial Chemistry, which is one of the routes you can go down with Science Choice,
I share modules with people from Science Choice as well, along with a few other courses, so what they're going to do at first I'd say is throw you into all the Sciences, Chem Bio Phy and Science Maths..
The B3 minimum requirement for OL Maths isn't just a necessity to get into any Science Course and that's that, you are going to be doing Maths in your course, if mine is anything to go by.
I've seen quite a few people in SC in my modules too, now whether or not you get the option to take or skip this route or otherwise I'm unsure, but I can inform you about my modules anyway, which chances are you'll end up into at least one, but probably more.
Depending how good you are at Maths, I found this module the hardest.
It's HL Maths from the LC with added bits and pieces..
Doing OL Maths for the LC, and granted, being quite good at it, helped me none here.. A fish out of water, and luckily the test wasn't that impossible on the last day, and a scraped a Comp Fail (D1) (30% beforehand for 2 in class tests)
Chem - A nice enough subject, basic early LC stuff with a few added bits and pieces, don't neglect it though, as you'll need to attend a few because there are new bits added that aren't in LC. Not the hardest module though, Multi Choice Questions but there is negative marking too now.. (30% for labs and a mid-term test)
Bio - It'll all be plant bio, but not incredibly hard, again multiple choice questions and you can get a lot of marks before you do the test (30% going for labs and online tests) so if you put your mind to it, should be alright.
Physics - You'll probably get the lecturer I had, who knows his stuff, but assumes you do too, regardless of whether or not you've done it before..
(I hadn't) and flies through it. If you understand Physics and are decent enough at using and remembering formulae you shouldn't have that big a problem, I'd never done Physics before but luckily enough, 2 solid days and nights study before test and questions weren't that bad...

Now I've just put down modules I'm doing, there's the chance that you'll have the option to pick different ones, but if you do choose to go down the Phar. & Ind. Chem. route, you'll be doing these anyway, so just to let you know beforehand.. I wish I had :rolleyes:
Not that bad a course though if you put your mind to it, but turn up for lectures and when you've time do a few sample questions, just to make sure you know what you're doing. If you do it successfully, you'll be fine.
Saying this, don't neglect your social life, it's not college without it..
Be sure to turn up at the first BULBS

dunphylad

wouldnt be great at the mathes now , dropped back to ordinary at end of 5th year but after you talked about the mathes , i feel kind of iffy about my knowledge of it and being able to do it.. thanks for the great info on the course and is there any websites and stuff where i can get UL to send me out some science choice information too ?? Thanks again Chris , feel even more intrested in the course now ... any clue if points are going to go up or down ??

Chris Martin

Went up 20 points last year to 380,
I was the same,
Dropped to OL Maths at end of 5th Year,
I'll send you some of the notes we've gotten this year and some sample tests if you want.
Sem 1 They covered Functions, Differentiation, Vectors, Matrices Integers and Exponentials..
Again, I'll send you notes although they'll be Sem 2 notes, we got the Sem 1 notes in a book..
I've notes on some of the other modules as well,
Depends how interested you are too :P

dunphylad

I'd love anything you can give me really if anyone can give me more information I'd really be grateful

Chris Martin

If you PM me your email, I'll send you what I've got when I get some time,
Can make up your mind then..