classics or history ??

mynygma

We've to pick our subjects soon, and I'm trying to decide between history or classics as an 8th subject

jc history was one of my best subjects- I would constantly get 90+% in tests and got an A in my results, and really just enjoyed it as a class
My favourite bits were the American & French revolution and Irish history 1900-1950 or whatever the dates were

I didn't do classics for the jc, I did it in first year and really liked it but dropped it when we chose subjects bc I didn't have room in my timetable
I know it's quite like a mix of history and English, both of which I'm reasonably good at and enjoy
The lc classics teacher in my school is also an absolute sweetheart, I had him in first year and he was great. You can tell he loves what hes teaching which would probably be good for the students I guess

Like I said, Im struggling to choose which to do. I love history, but some bits can bore me (usually early Ireland/medieval stuff if you know what I mean. I'm more interested in 1700s onwards)
and classics seems cool and the teacher is great, but since ive never had a proper class (im not counting first yr since that was just Greek gods etc) Im afraid that I might not like it?? Or that it might be too much like English with the dramas n stuff??

spurious

Unless you are in one of the very few schools that do the early course in History, you won't be hitting anything medieval.

History at LC is nothing like for JC. Have a look at the past papers for both subjects and talk to the teachers involved.

Leavinggirl29

Hi I'm in sixth year and I do history, classics and geography. Both history and classics are obviously heavy essays throughout the two years, the difference being that classics essays are more subjective. You can include your own opinion a lot of the time and the marking scheme allows for a persuasive viewpoint, while history needs to be factual and unbiased. I wouldn't compare the two courses though because classics is much more like English in the sense you study plays, epics and either Alexander the Great or Greek/roman philosophers! It's a lot more subjective than history so if you prefer learning off information that can guarantee you high grades over a personal opinion you're probably better to pick history! On the other hand if you enjoy English and drama and, like you say, have a passionate teacher, classics would be better! Also, a bonus with classics, in my school anyway, there's a very small class ie a lot of inside jokes,banter,less pressure. Each class resembles a grind bc the teacher knows everyone's ability and style, and can provide one on one help if you're struggling with any area... History is quite popular😬😅 hope this helps😊😊

Hanley29

I did both, really enjoyed classics and history! Also, I only took classics up in 5th year. Very do-able !

shortgirl0

mynygma wrote: »

We've to pick our subjects soon, and I'm trying to decide between history or classics as an 8th subject

jc history was one of my best subjects- I would constantly get 90+% in tests and got an A in my results, and really just enjoyed it as a class
My favourite bits were the American & French revolution and Irish history 1900-1950 or whatever the dates were

I didn't do classics for the jc, I did it in first year and really liked it but dropped it when we chose subjects bc I didn't have room in my timetable
I know it's quite like a mix of history and English, both of which I'm reasonably good at and enjoy
The lc classics teacher in my school is also an absolute sweetheart, I had him in first year and he was great. You can tell he loves what hes teaching which would probably be good for the students I guess

Like I said, Im struggling to choose which to do. I love history, but some bits can bore me (usually early Ireland/medieval stuff if you know what I mean. I'm more interested in 1700s onwards)
and classics seems cool and the teacher is great, but since ive never had a proper class (im not counting first yr since that was just Greek gods etc) Im afraid that I might not like it?? Or that it might be too much like English with the dramas n stuff??

Currently in 5th year doing both classics and history. I too dropped classics after 1st year and honestly starting in 5th year was fine. We have studied some greek plays which i found quite interesting especially Medea and its take on women. History mainly focus' on the 1900's which you say you like. So far we have done our documents questions (RTE in the 60's, Economic expansion in Ireland in the 60's/70's, and we have yet to do the fisheries in Ireland). These are basically just short essays (4 pages). We have also done Weimar Germany, How hitler came to power, Hitlers foreign policy, the rise of fascism in both Germany and Italy, Mussolini, and have now started on the troubles. Just warning you that for both these questions you have very little time in the lc for a lot of essays. Also these subjects KILL your fingers from writing.