Is is really hard doing all science subjects for LC?

missrish001

I was curious if doing all three science subjects for LC is hard, everybody gives me the face of shock even my own teachers!! I really like science and get A and B grades most of the time. I'm currently doing my JC and I'm now worried if I picked the wrong subject choices. By the way is physics really hard at LC? All my friends think it is but for me it's alright. Opinions??

Frigating

Ask your teacher for a look at some lc textbooks, have a look at the questions and topics, and see whether you like them. The only thing I'll say is that it could get a bit monotonous doing 3 sciences.

Can't speak for either of the others, but I find the only tricky part of physics is getting your head around some of the initial concepts, but there are all sorts of resources online for those (we were watching Brian Cox videos the other day, for example). The maths isn't too bad, just basic algebra and manipulation of formulae. Another large part is learning off experiments and definitions, and that can be easily done if you know the concepts and formulae, just remember a few key words.

Basically, if you like it, and you find it interesting, go for it.

emersyn

If you love science, then I would say to go ahead with the three as you'll probably enjoy them. To be honest I don't really understand people's hesitations towards doing all of them, but I think some of it comes from the expectation that all of the science subjects will involve the same sort of work. However, I don't know about physics but I do biology and chemistry - they're hugely different subjects from each other, and from what I've heard physics also seems to be very different from either subject, so if you're confident that you'll enjoy them I don't see a reason why you shouldn't do all of them. It can be nice to have variation by including an essay-style subject like history or geography, especially if you're not sure what you want to do after school in university etc, but again, if you love science I would encourage you to go with your own initial choices rather than doing a subject you have no interest in for the sake of variation.

There isn't a way to properly measure the difficulty of a subject as everyone is good at different things, so it's hard to answer the question about physics. I've heard that physics requires a lot of logical thinking, and there's also a lot of maths involved (all of the maths is basic enough though), so if you're skilled in those areas then you'll be fine. If you know anyone in 5th/6th year doing physics at the moment you could ask to have a look at their textbook to see the sort of information that's required.

Troxck

If you like Science and have an interest/aptitude for it, why not keep on all three?

With regards to Physics, I got a C in both HL Maths and Science for the JC. I got a B2 in my HL Physics mock and will be aiming for an A2+ in the real exam. It is not as difficult as it is made out to be. The Maths is not difficult (basic algebra and manipulation of formulae) BUT it requires a logical thinker to determine what you must do. It's a highly enjoyable subject and it's the only class I enjoy going to. You learn how and why things work in the world around us. Along with that, the exam gives you a lot of choice so if you don't enjoy a topic, chances are you won't have to answer on it.

Take a look at a few past papers/LC Physics textbook. Maybe ask the Physics teacher in your school, teachers (especially Science) love it when you show interest for their subject.

I feel that with Physics, there are many other ways to learn outside the textbook. We often watch documentaries etc. in class to understand and grasp topics.

I really regret not doing a 2nd or 3rd Science. I kept it safe by doing the usual "One science, one language, one artistic and one humanities" and doing all of those is a chore now at this stage.

DarraghF197

I don't think there's a major problem doing all the three major sciences on the course. I don't know what your fourth one is, but I would suggest that Chemistry, Physics and Applied Maths are very good to do in a bundle. Chemistry overlaps with Physics and Physics overlaps with Applied Maths.

I don't do Biology or Chemistry, but it looks to me that Biology is a heavy learning subject, whereas Chemistry is more understanding and therefore probably more enjoyable (could be wrong about Biology).

I like Physics a good bit. It gets horribly confusing at times, and really requires a good understanding to achieve a good result. Electricity is a b****, never liked it, but Physics gives you a good option to choose which topics to study. Topics would include maths involved with gravity, planetary motion, moments about points (where applied maths overlaps); radioactivity and all that nuclear activity (where Chemistry would overlap), and others such as light, heat, sound, wave motion. Overall, it's a really nice subject, probably more orientated for more mathematical persons.

If you want all three, go for it. I think it's a bit rubbish the whole one science, one business, one language, one humanities subject. Do what you enjoy, as that is what you'll most likely end up doing in college.

Peregrine

No, lots of people do it. If you really like science and find it interesting, there's no reason why you shouldn't do three sciences.

Leaving Cert Physics isn't hard at all. You'll need an interest for physics and be able to do basic algebra (JC level mostly, LC OL at best).

Seaaan

I do all 3 Sciences, and it's not any harder than doing different subjects. Honestly a huge.. burden is the experiments. There's just so many between the three courses, but meh.

Physics isn't hard at all. Some aspects may be confusing but once you understand the method/rule you'll be flying!
Also to backup the other poster, electricity is a bitch. But modern physics is crazily interesting!

Also a little bit overlaps in phys and chem, which is nice