Choosing the right subjects is crucial, and there are many factors to consider (besides simply adding up to 12 in Year 11 and 10 in Year 12!). As a general rule, scaling should be considered, alongside the student’s passion for that subject, career goals, previous marks, and capacity to improve in that subject. Let’s take a deeper dive into it! Here’s what to consider:
When planning HSC subject selections, it’s also important to look ahead to university (if you’re planning to study a particular course) and understand the difference between prerequisites and recommended studies for university courses. While both can influence your university experience, they serve different purposes and should be weighed carefully when making decisions about your future.
If you don’t meet a university’s prerequisite requirements, you may need to take a bridging course before your degree starts. These short, intensive courses (usually held in summer) cover essential content to help you catch up.
Most NSW universities offer bridging courses, including:
If you’re set on a university course that has prerequisites, it’s best to try taking the required subject in high school. However, if you think it will drag your marks down and hurt your ATAR, a bridging course is much easier to tackle than a bad ATAR or burnout!
If you absolutely hate a subject that’s a prerequisite for your dream course, it’s worth reconsidering if that degree is truly for you. Prerequisites exist for a reason—they reflect what you’ll be studying for at least 3-5 years at uni (and likely in your future career). If you despise physics but want to be an engineer, or dislike biology but plan on doing medicine, it’s important to reflect on whether that field is the right fit for you in the long run.
There are many different approaches to dropping subjects, and opinions vary on both when and what to drop. Ultimately, the best decision depends on individual circumstances, including workload, strengths, career aspirations, and subject enjoyment.
Deciding when to drop a subject depends on whether you want to keep your total number of units the same or reduce your overall workload.
On the other hand, it is a good idea to study at least 12 units for the HSC - that way, if you underperform in a particular subject, or strongly dislike it in later parts of the course, you have flexibility to drop it.
We strongly advise against keeping a subject but deliberately underperforming in it if you dislike it. Struggling with a subject not only takes up valuable time and effort but can also drag down your overall performance, increase stress, and lower your morale. Seeing poor results can be discouraging, especially when you are forced to engage with a subject you don’t enjoy or need. And your school cohort will not appreciate your lower scores dragging down the overall worth of their school assessments and rankings with your lower scores in the external exams. This is especially important for subjects which are prerequisites for university courses (e.g., Maths Advanced or Chemistry) - if you are significantly struggling but forcing yourself to keep the subject (sometimes in spite of, or deliberately obtaining, bad marks but keeping the subject to meet prerequisites), it may be worth reconsidering whether that career path is the right fit for you rather than disadvantaging yourself, your friends, and your teachers.
There are three common ways students reduce their subject load:
Here are some real-world examples of how students approach dropping subjects:
Rachel took English Advanced in Year 11, but she felt she underperformed and did not enjoy many aspects of the subject. In Year 12, she decided to drop down to English Standard while keeping the same number of total units. At the same time, she picked up Maths Extension 2, which is only offered in Year 12. As a result, her overall units increased from 11 in Year 11* to 12 in Year 12.
(You might be wondering how it’s possible that Rachel did only 11 units in Year 11, and 12 in Year 12 - this is because she accelerated a subject! The next article covers this unique case.)
Scott took Economics in Year 11 but realised it wasn’t for him. In Year 12, he decided to drop it completely. However, he also wanted to take History Extension, which is a 1-unit subject. As a result, he reduced his workload from 12 units in Year 11 to 11 units in Year 12, allowing him to focus on subjects he enjoyed more.
Mohammed took Economics, Maths Advanced and Maths Extension 1 (3U Maths) in Year 11 (meaning he studied 13 units), but he found that the extra unit was taking time away from his other commitments. To balance his workload, he dropped Economics and Maths Extension 1 in Year 12 and continued with Maths Advanced. This allowed him to focus on his strongest subjects without overloading himself.
Ultimately, the decision to drop a subject should be made carefully, considering both academic performance and personal well-being. While taking more subjects in Year 11 can be beneficial, dropping wisely in Year 12 allows students to focus on their best-performing and most relevant subjects. Balancing interest, ATAR goals, and workload is key to a successful HSC experience.
That’s it for this (short) guide! In the next one, we’ll look at some more interesting and unusual HSC situations and circumstances, and the best way to navigate them to get the most out of your time and effort!