Lc subject choices

mynygma

This is a bit long whoops sorry
Basic questions are at the end
excuse any typos my phone is a bit broken

im currently halfway through 4th year and we're going to have to pick our subjects for leaving cert soon
Ive put a lot of thought into which ones I'll choose, but I still havent come to a definite conclusion

the subjects I definitely know ill be doing are:
Maths, English, Irish, French, and art

I originally planned to do 8 subjects, but ive talked to a few people and some said go fpr it while others are a bit sceptic, so im slightly stressed now

the ones im trying to decide between are:
Bio, Chem, Physics, either History or classics (I wouldnt do both)

Im considering doing bio, Chem, and physics but some people have said itd be way too much work ,too hard n stuff like that which threw me off as they made it sound quite daunting,
I really like science and Id love a career in but forensics or like, something to do with space etc.

my other option is to do 2 sciences and either History or classics. The dilemma this decision puts me in is which sciences to choose
Both Chem and bio are kinda essential to forensics, but that wpuld mean leaving behind physics, which I enjoy nd would probably mean cutting a career in like astrophysics or some **** like that (if there are any jobs lmao)

The thing is, as much as id like to do a physics thing in college, Physics degrees are not very employable in much except like, nasa, and the economics sector, and I cannot stand business. so for me a job in science would most likely be through Chem&bio (mostly chem since I dont much fancy being a gp)
a solution to this would be to just take all 3, but as I said above, people have made it sound quite daunting to me

So, what im basically asking is:
Is 8 subjects too many/too hard to handle??
Would taking Chem, phys, and bio be too much of a workload??
Which is better for leaving, history or classics??
If I left out one science, would I be able to catch up on it in college?? Im considering doing tcd's undergrad science course which has modules in all 3 but I dont think thatd be a very good plan
tbh

Martina1991

mynygma wrote: »

So, what im basically asking is:
Is 8 subjects too many/too hard to handle??
Would taking Chem, phys, and bio be too much of a workload??
Which is better for leaving, history or classics??
If I left out one science, would I be able to catch up on it in college?? Im considering doing tcd's undergrad science course which has modules in all 3 but I dont think thatd be a very good plan
tbh

If you are sure you want to do a science based course in college why do you want to study History/ Classics?

Most science courses cover Biology, Chemistry and Physics at a basic level in first year to ensure everyone is on the same page. So you wouldn't have to do all 3 science subjects if you don't want to.

Celtron

I would have loved to do the three sciences but I only got one the way the school timetabled work. If you like science and want to study a science in college then definitely go for them!! As for the work load, it isnt that bad, history will be more work than any of the science, the three are very doable, a lad from my school got 625 doing them and another got 613. Would highly recommend you give applied maths a shot too!!

stargazing123

mynygma wrote: »

This is a bit long whoops sorry
Basic questions are at the end
excuse any typos my phone is a bit broken

im currently halfway through 4th year and we're going to have to pick our subjects for leaving cert soon
Ive put a lot of thought into which ones I'll choose, but I still havent come to a definite conclusion

the subjects I definitely know ill be doing are:
Maths, English, Irish, French, and art

I originally planned to do 8 subjects, but ive talked to a few people and some said go fpr it while others are a bit sceptic, so im slightly stressed now

the ones im trying to decide between are:
Bio, Chem, Physics, either History or classics (I wouldnt do both)

Im considering doing bio, Chem, and physics but some people have said itd be way too much work ,too hard n stuff like that which threw me off as they made it sound quite daunting,
I really like science and Id love a career in but forensics or like, something to do with space etc.

my other option is to do 2 sciences and either History or classics. The dilemma this decision puts me in is which sciences to choose
Both Chem and bio are kinda essential to forensics, but that wpuld mean leaving behind physics, which I enjoy nd would probably mean cutting a career in like astrophysics or some **** like that (if there are any jobs lmao)

The thing is, as much as id like to do a physics thing in college, Physics degrees are not very employable in much except like, nasa, and the economics sector, and I cannot stand business. so for me a job in science would most likely be through Chem&bio (mostly chem since I dont much fancy being a gp)
a solution to this would be to just take all 3, but as I said above, people have made it sound quite daunting to me

So, what im basically asking is:
Is 8 subjects too many/too hard to handle??
Would taking Chem, phys, and bio be too much of a workload??
Which is better for leaving, history or classics??
If I left out one science, would I be able to catch up on it in college?? Im considering doing tcd's undergrad science course which has modules in all 3 but I dont think thatd be a very good plan
tbh

8 subjects is definitely a lot to handle. You should only focus on getting your best grades or doing your best for 7 subjects only. Taking all three sciences is also way too much to handle. I do both physics and biology and learning the stuff off for tests is a lot by itself so I definetely, if I was you just keep it to 7 subjects and pick a maximum of 2 sciences. You want to keep things best as possible so that half way through 5th year you don't grow completely stressed and fatigued.
For leaving cert, history is pretty good, however, there is a lot of writing. There are certain other routes that you can do to help you get where you want to be. Leaving out one science subject isn't going to make a huge difference as long as you do the necessary ones needed for your course of choice. Hope this helps x

Mr Rhode Island Red

If you like science, and you're good at science and decent at maths (got a C or better in JCHL Maths) then the 3 sciences won't be a problem. I did Bio, Chem and Physics and found it grand, they complement each other in a funny way and I found them enjoyable to study. The only thing is towards the end of leaving cert you may find that with 3 sciences there isn't much variety to your timetable, which isn't really a massive issue but may be a reason to consider a different subject if you think that it's something that will bother you.

mynygma

Martina1991 wrote: »

If you are sure you want to do a science based course in college why do you want to study History/ Classics?

Most science courses cover Biology, Chemistry and Physics at a basic level in first year to ensure everyone is on the same page. So you wouldn't have to do all 3 science subjects if you don't want to.

I still really enjoy the history/classics side of things, I think it's very interesting, and the lc classics teacher in my school is an absolute sweetheart to his classes
Thanks for the advice

mynygma

Celtron wrote: »

I would have loved to do the three sciences but I only got one the way the school timetabled work. If you like science and want to study a science in college then definitely go for them!! As for the work load, it isnt that bad, history will be more work than any of the science, the three are very doable, a lad from my school got 625 doing them and another got 613. Would highly recommend you give applied maths a shot too!!

Thanks for the advice! I'm actually doing an applied maths module right now, its really interesting but I dont think I'll be keeping it on for the leaving

Celtron

mynygma wrote: »

Thanks for the advice! I'm actually doing an applied maths module right now, its really interesting but I dont think I'll be keeping it on for the leaving

It will make a lot of the mechanics in physics easier and will make trig in maths a piece of piss! And the fact that it is a really enjoyable subject is just the icing on the cake

Bazinga_N

mynygma wrote: »

So, what im basically asking is:
Is 8 subjects too many/too hard to handle??
Would taking Chem, phys, and bio be too much of a workload??
Which is better for leaving, history or classics??
If I left out one science, would I be able to catch up on it in college?? Im considering doing tcd's undergrad science course which has modules in all 3 but I dont think thatd be a very good plan
tbh

Firstly don't worry so much about careers and jobs at this stage. You've no idea what the economy will be like in the next 6 years. Something major could happen tomorrow that'll require a new wave of physics graduates. Who knows? Study something you enjoy and you'll find a career in it.

8 subjects isn't too bad tbh. 8 Higher Level subjects is a bit pointless in the sense that the time you have to spend on all 8 could be better spent on 7 but it's not much more of a leap in terms of workload. You can always start with 8 and drop one then.

Taking all 3 sciences is in no way too much of a workload to handle. From JC you might think that the sciences are all really similar but at LC there is little to no overlap between. This probably sounds like they're even more work but what I'm actually getting at is that they're just 3 different subjects. Studying Biology, Chemistry and Physics is no different to studying Geography, History and Accounting or any other 3 subjects. ALSO, studying subjects you actually enjoy and have an interest in significantly reduce any workload you'll ever have to do cause you'll naturally pay attention in class and probably enjoy studying them (as much as one can enjoy studying anyways).

I didn't study history or classics so I can't really comment on those I'm afraid.

I also don't study science at 3rd level either but as far as I know first year science courses tend to cover everything at leaving cert level to ensure that everyone's on the same footing heading onto the more advanced topics. That being said, Trinity have changed their general science course this year so that you no longer just enter general science. Instead you now pick from one of four streams: https://www.tcd.ie/Science/streams/

tinabelcher99

Current Leaving Cert here. I recommend you just do 7. Your 6 best subjects go towards your points, so doing 8 would be kind of pointless, unless you really want to. I'm not much of a science person, but I find Biology really easy. It's probably my best subject. Yes, there is a lot in the he course, but it's pretty easy information. It's the sort of subject where you just learn, you don't really have to "understand" things. I don't do Chemistry but it's supposed to be fairly easy, compared to Physics. Apparently, Bio & Chem overlap a bit, so they would compliment each other well, if you're scientifically orientated at all.

Classics isn't offered at my school, so no comment there. I would be weary of recommending History to anyone. I loved History in my Junior Cert, got an A in it with little study, but LC History is totally different. You have to learn off masses of information, often on some fairly boring topics & then vomit out 3, five page essays in 2.5 hours, as well as a series of questions about historical documents you have studied. I guess, if you're the sort of person that reads history books in your time, do it, otherwise I wouldn't.