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URGENT: GEOGRAPHY VS CHEMISTRY

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  • 03-02-2014 10:29pm
    #1
    glitzandbits
    Registered Users Posts: 113 ✭✭


    My subject choice is due tomorrow, I'm freaking out. At the moment I'm picking
    -Biology
    -Chemistry
    -Business
    -German

    But I'm really torn between Chemistry and Geography. I love geography as a subject but don't want to be caught without two science subjects if I need them for a college course (Such as pharmacy). I'd say I will probably do something law or business related in college though. Will someone please give me some advice? And if I found Geography really easy for the junior cert, is it the same format? I know I shouldn't be leaving this so late..........

    Any help is appreciated!!!!!!


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    #2
    Mr Pseudonym
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭Mr Pseudonym


    glitzandbits wrote: »
    My subject choice is due tomorrow, I'm freaking out. At the moment I'm picking
    -Biology
    -Chemistry
    -Business
    -German

    But I'm really torn between Chemistry and Geography. I love geography as a subject but don't want to be caught without two science subjects if I need them for a college course (Such as pharmacy). I'd say I will probably do something law or business related in college though. Will someone please give me some advice? And if I found Geography really easy for the junior cert, is it the same format? I know I shouldn't be leaving this so late..........

    Any help is appreciated!!!!!!

    I wouldn't fret...if you change your mind, just send a begging letter, and I'm sure they'll let you switch!

    As for your dilemma: I would definitely chose Geog. From memory, Chem has an A-rate of 20%, whereas Geog's is around about 8%, but that is definitely because of a much smaller cohort size, and more capable students. I did Accounting, App Maths, Chem, Geog, and Phys, and spent considerably more time on Chem than any other of my electives. There is nothing challenging about Geog, and, if you put the same amount of effort into Geog as you would have into Chem, you will get a better result in the former.

    The content of LC Geography is embarrassingly similar to JC (have a look at past papers), and the marking scheme is really generous.

    Hope everything works out.


    Edit: Geog is accepted as a science for quite a lot of uni courses, e.g. TCD Science.


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    #3
    Bellaxo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19 ✭Bellaxo


    glitzandbits wrote: »
    My subject choice is due tomorrow, I'm freaking out. At the moment I'm picking
    -Biology
    -Chemistry
    -Business
    -German

    But I'm really torn between Chemistry and Geography. I love geography as a subject but don't want to be caught without two science subjects if I need them for a college course (Such as pharmacy). I'd say I will probably do something law or business related in college though. Will someone please give me some advice? And if I found Geography really easy for the junior cert, is it the same format? I know I shouldn't be leaving this so late..........

    Any help is appreciated!!!!!!

    You sound like me back in TY! I was stuck between Geography and Chemistry also! I picked Chem in the end. (worst decision ever).Chemistry can be very tricky to get your head around, theres a lot of work to be done and the thing is with Chemistry you need to UNDERSTAND it. There's a lot of math in Chemistry too and equations to solve!

    I would go with Geography if you want to do anything business related in college! You can always pick Chemistry up at the beginning of 6th if you decide you want to do a course that requires 2 sciences also!

    and on the plus size Geography is easier to learn ( well i've heard from friends) and you also have your project!

    Hope this helped!


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    #4
    glitzandbits
    Registered Users Posts: 113 ✭✭glitzandbits


    Thank you so much for your help, I picked geography! :D


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    #5
    DK man
    Registered Users Posts: 456 ✭✭DK man


    Did you do the dats aptitude test with your guidance counsellor?

    Abstract reasoning is one of the tests and if your score is very strong in this test it would indicate that you have a high level of abstract reasoning skills - hence you will have a strong ability to cope with the challenges that chemistry poses

    Chemistry class is usually very small and you'd get very close attention - geography class will be very big and will have a very mixed ability group and probably some messers!

    Chemistry is needed for very few courses.

    Veterinary
    Dietetics

    You can do med and pharmacy with only one science in some universities...

    Just check but one university has very recently announced that geography will be accepted as a science - I'm hazy on details but did read something somewhere..

    Best of luck in 5th yr


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    #6
    Mr Pseudonym
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭Mr Pseudonym


    DK man wrote: »
    Just check but one university has very recently announced that geography will be accepted as a science - I'm hazy on details but did read something somewhere..

    UCD!!


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    #7
    rorrissey
    Registered Users Posts: 583 ✭✭✭rorrissey


    You made the right choice, I do both of them and I'd do anything to give up Chemistry. :')


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    #8
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    I did geography in a year and got an A1. If you study it there is no reason why you shouldn't get an A


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    #9
    Yink4
    Registered Users Posts: 10 ✭Yink4


    Lol, I was in the same situation as you last year. Chemistry is a very very difficult subject. Unless you are very good at higher level maths, i would not reccommend Chemistry. Geography requires less understanding and mathematical ability


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    #10
    AtomicKoala
    Registered Users Posts: 881 ✭✭✭AtomicKoala


    rorrissey wrote: »
    You made the right choice, I do both of them and I'd do anything to give up Chemistry. :')
    Ah now, Chem is greaaat.
    Yink4 wrote: »
    Lol, I was in the same situation as you last year. Chemistry is a very very difficult subject. Unless you are very good at higher level maths, i would not reccommend Chemistry. Geography requires less understanding and mathematical ability

    However I would say that if you can understand the stuff, even vaguely, Chemistry is less work, less rote learning. I look at what my friends do for geography - basically learning off perfect answers, and I am fairly glad I didn't pick it.

    Geography is easier to pass, to get an honour in, sure. But for a lot of people, Chem is probably easier to get an A in.


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    #11
    Yink4
    Registered Users Posts: 10 ✭Yink4


    Yes, you're right


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    #12
    Mr Pseudonym
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭Mr Pseudonym


    Yink4 wrote: »
    Lol, I was in the same situation as you last year. Chemistry is a very very difficult subject. Unless you are very good at higher level maths, i would not reccommend Chemistry. Geography requires less understanding and mathematical ability

    Yink4, without wishing to minimise your point, my opinion is that it is completely wrong. There is no mathematics on the Chemistry course that is beyond JC-level. And, while it could be argued that the skills developed through the studying of Higher LC Maths may benefit one doing Chemistry, it is an argument I would emphatically repudiate. Apart from the fact that much of the course is non-mathematical, that which is is either basic algebra, formulaic, or both.

    AtomicKoala wrote: »
    However I would say that if you can understand the stuff, even vaguely, Chemistry is less work, less rote learning. I look at what my friends do for geography - basically learning off perfect answers, and I am fairly glad I didn't pick it.

    Geography is easier to pass, to get an honour in, sure. But for a lot of people, Chem is probably easier to get an A in.

    As an essay-based subject, it would be expected that Geography would require more learning. However, I would argue the opposite to AtomicKoala: to be successful at Chemistry, one must rote-learn - at least to some extent. The volume of definitions and the stringency with which they are marked requires that one learns them, almost verbatim. The experiment questions don't test the understanding of the concepts, and instead, emphasis is put on the procedure: the majority of students know these incredibly basic procedures, so the only way to differentiate is to mark them like Nazis.


    There is clearly a differing of opinion, and I thought it appropriate that I give the other side.


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