Should I switch subjects?

shajos

Hey! I'm in fifth year and I picked art as one of my subjects but I am not sure if I want to keep it on or switch to biology. I already have one science but my problem is that I want to do well in the leaving but so little people get high results for art and I'm not sure if I'm better off with biology. I was wondering if anyone here who has done art or biology can offer any advice. Thanks!

cathalio11

I would advise you to stick with Art if you enjoy it.

I do have one thing to say though. Of all the people who sit Art for the Leaving Cert, a lower percentage get an A than Biology or Physics for example. But I wouldn't take those percentages as an indication of how you will do.

Last time I checked, Art had an A1 percentage of just under 2% and Applied Maths had an A1 percentage of around 15%. This doesn't mean that art is much harder.

Now, I'm not trying to disrespect those who do Art but I do know that in my school, which is an all male school, all 20 people in the art class also sit ordinary level maths and at least half of them are messers who only took up art for the doss of it.
Compare that to the Applied Maths where the general population of students who take it would be naturally intelligent.

Once again, I'm not trying to belittle those who do Art but there are definitely a lot of people who take it for totally different reasons, and perhaps that goes some way to explaining why very few get an A in it.

shajos

I do enjoy it and I was happy with my art result in the Junior Cert and I still don't know what I want to do yet so I thought it would be a good option but I started having small doubts.
Yeah, I understand what you mean about people taking art because a lot of people see it as a doss subject or an easy one. I certainly don't think the small percentage of high grades means that art is harder than biology or any other subject. What daunts me is that I feel that for some subjects if you work hard, it should pay off whereas art is one of those subjects where it all depends on the examiner's opinion, if somethings goes wrong on the day,etc. (I know that applies to other subjects too though)
Thank you for replying. Your answer was helpful and though I'm still not 100% sure, I'm more positive about art now

cathalio11

You're very welcome!

I can relate to what you're saying about how frustrating it is to put so much into a subject and know at the back your mind that it just might not pay off.

I'm repeating this year and one of the many reasons that led to me under-performing last year was getting frequently frustrated at Economics, French and Applied Maths because I kept running into questions that no textbook could prepare me for.

The reality is that you're just going to have to deal with that and I've learned to do just that.

ellsaboo_

Sat the leaving this year, and I was in your exact position in 5th year - I thought that biology would be easy points and that I wouldn't do well in Art. However, after two weeks of Biology I knew it wasn't for me and decided to change to Art. It was probably one of the best decisions of my leaving cert and I enjoyed every single minute of Art class.

In the end, I got a B1 in Art and while I was aiming for the A, it was still a good result. But given how much I disliked biology, I probably would have failed that.

That aside, my advice would be to do what you like more - if you're interested in a subject, you won't mind the workload and it won't feel like study.. You're in it for 2 years afterall. While getting the elusive A1 in Art is hard, it is possible if you have a natural talent and if you are willing to put the work in to Art History. For me personally, given that the practical exam was sat in May, I found myself less stressed when it came to the written exam in June.

Hope this has been somewhat helpful to you - best of luck in making your decision!

naughtysmurf

ellsaboo_ wrote: »

That aside, my advice would be to do what you like more - if you're interested in a subject, you won't mind the workload and it won't feel like study

I'm a long time out of school but this is great advice

shajos

Yeah, I have the same worry for english, irish and french. When it comes to languages, you might have your poetry and learning work studied and prepared for but when it comes to essays the examiners opinion can make all the difference. Earlier today, our irish teacher was telling us how most examiners like lots of seanfhocals in essays but some find it kind of clichéd.
To elsaboo well done on your B1! Yeah, I'm not sure if I could handle biology. I hated it in the junior cert despite the fact it is the one most people prefer. Also, I hear it has a very long course and if I'm not interested I will probably fall behind whereas I enjoy art.
Thank you both again! Your answers have been very very helpful. I was very worried about this and talking about it really helped clear my head and made me more positive.