H2 Biology or Physics???
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Hi all, i just entered JC and have to choose my subj combi soon, but i'm lost choosing btw physics and biology. I got the same grade for both of them in Olvl. Personally, i like bio more bcos i find it more interesting, but i heard there's alot to memorise and i fear i may not be able to cope. Also, i always find bio easier than phy, but i often score better in phy. So which one will you recommend me to take?
Also, bio seems to be a more popular choice than phy, so will it be harder to score well for it? And likewise, will it be easier to score for phy in alvl? Last year's phy olvl was really tough (like always, i think) and i thought i will surely score badly for it since i did not finish the paper, but i still scored an A1 for it.
I would also like to know, how much different are H2 bio and phy from the olvl ones?
Thanks in advance (:
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both phy and bio are popular, but i always thought that phy was more popular. but dont worry too much abt the bell curve, i heard from a lecturer that its better than the olevels bell curve. phy olvl paper was tougher so maybe some students couldnt score at it and so was easier to get A but chem was easy so it was more difficult to get A.
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If you're like 90% of humans on this planet, then you're either more physics inclined, or your're more bio inclined (just like 90% of humans either prefer cats or dogs, few humans love or hate both equally). In other words, it's already in your DNA (or soul karma, whichever concept you prefer). It's unwise to choose based on what others say which is 'easier' for themselves, coz born biologists find biology naturally easier than physics, while born physicists find physics naturally easier than biology.
So don't listen to other pple, but decide for yourself. Two things you should take note :
#1 - Uni course prerequisites :
#2 - H2 Bio has more content to memorize than H2 Phys + H2 Chem combined. I'm not exaggerating. Be warned.
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Use these resources to help you preview the H2 Phys and H2 Bio : http://h2physics.org/ http://jc-biology.blogspot.sg/ http://www.youtube.com/user/openlecturesSG/videos
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For the alevel bell curve, it's better as in more candidates can get good grades? I guess I was kinda worried that for the less popular subject, there will be fewer teachers in the sch teaching tht subj and hence few good teachers >< and bio is definitely more popular in my sch cos my sch mentioned that only a small class takes phy, and they recommend students to take bio too.
I've looked at the prerequisites for the uni courses before and those courses I'm more interested in are bio related. I really like bio but many ppl say that I should take phy instead bcos I'm good at maths and phy, unlike bio which I'd scored badly at the beginning of sec3. But Is alevel phy still maths-related?
In addition, I'm not very good in English, and that's another reason why ppl tell me to not take bio cos I may have problems phrasing my answers for the essay questions correctly.
Bio being content-heavy is also another concern. I often study for tests and exams t the last minute, so I'm afraid that I'll not be able to finish studying. I couldn't even finish studying for olvl bio, with a few chapters left.
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Originally posted by Newcomer99:
Hi all, i just entered JC and have to choose my subj combi soon, but i'm lost choosing btw physics and biology. I got the same grade for both of them in Olvl. Personally, i like bio more bcos i find it more interesting, but i heard there's alot to memorise and i fear i may not be able to cope. Also, i always find bio easier than phy, but i often score better in phy. So which one will you recommend me to take?
Also, bio seems to be a more popular choice than phy, so will it be harder to score well for it? And likewise, will it be easier to score for phy in alvl? Last year's phy olvl was really tough (like always, i think) and i thought i will surely score badly for it since i did not finish the paper, but i still scored an A1 for it.
I would also like to know, how much different are H2 bio and phy from the olvl ones?
Thanks in advance (:
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Originally posted by Newcomer99:
For the alevel bell curve, it's better as in more candidates can get good grades? I guess I was kinda worried that for the less popular subject, there will be fewer teachers in the sch teaching tht subj and hence few good teachers >< and bio is definitely more popular in my sch cos my sch mentioned that only a small class takes phy, and they recommend students to take bio too.
I've looked at the prerequisites for the uni courses before and those courses I'm more interested in are bio related. I really like bio but many ppl say that I should take phy instead bcos I'm good at maths and phy, unlike bio which I'd scored badly at the beginning of sec3. But Is alevel phy still maths-related?
In addition, I'm not very good in English, and that's another reason why ppl tell me to not take bio cos I may have problems phrasing my answers for the essay questions correctly.
Bio being content-heavy is also another concern. I often study for tests and exams t the last minute, so I'm afraid that I'll not be able to finish studying. I couldn't even finish studying for olvl bio, with a few chapters left.
You've strong reasons to go either way. I suggest you carefully preview both H2 Phys and H2 Bio materials now, and judge for yourself which subject you'll be more confident in succeeding (not merely passing, which can't get you into a good Uni course) in.
http://jc-biology.blogspot.sg/
http://www.youtube.com/user/openlecturesSG/videos
OpenLecturesSg has ALL the JC subjects in their several hundred videos on YouTube. Scan through all their videos and pick out the H2 Phys and H2 Bio ones to preview.
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I dont know whether it can be called better but its like a lot of ppl can get B but few get A for the bell curve.
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Originally posted by bloom130:
I dont know whether it can be called better but its like a lot of ppl can get B but few get A for the bell curve.
Every year, nation-wide, H2 Chem has the least number of distinctions amongst the 3 Sciences. And every year the H2 Chem exam paper gets increasingly tougher. -
Originally posted by UltimaOnline:
You've strong reasons to go either way. I suggest you carefully preview both H2 Phys and H2 Bio materials now, and judge for yourself which subject you'll be more confident in succeeding (not merely passing, which can't get you into a good Uni course) in.
http://jc-biology.blogspot.sg/
http://www.youtube.com/user/openlecturesSG/videos
OpenLecturesSg has ALL the JC subjects in their several hundred videos on YouTube. Scan through all their videos and pick out the H2 Phys and H2 Bio ones to preview.
Ok. Thank you for your advice and the links
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Anyway why are there more females taking bio and more males taking phy?
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Originally posted by Newcomer99:
Anyway why are there more females taking bio and more males taking phy?
It's a sexual thing. Same for why most girls prefer dogs (symbol of masculinity) while most guys prefer cats (symbol of femininity). -
Do you intend to eventually take up a career in science? If so, I'd encourage you to go for physics. Scientists are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, the result is that chemistry and biology are becoming more quantitative and model-driven in their approaches. It is never easy for one to learn a new discipline, but it seems to me that the transition is easier for a physicist moving into biology than for a biologist moving into physics.
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oh same case as mine.I am deciding between Bio or physics but since I got B3 for my phy and C5 for Bio for O's.I decided on taking Physics instead
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Originally posted by UltimaOnline:
It's a sexual thing. Same for why most girls prefer dogs (symbol of masculinity) while most guys prefer cats (symbol of femininity).Ohh I see.. I thought it was bcos girls just do better for bio than for phy and guys do better for phy
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Originally posted by 8light:
Do you intend to eventually take up a career in science? If so, I'd encourage you to go for physics. Scientists are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, the result is that chemistry and biology are becoming more quantitative and model-driven in their approaches. It is never easy for one to learn a new discipline, but it seems to me that the transition is easier for a physicist moving into biology than for a biologist moving into physics.
Ya I'm planning to. I don't really get what you mean by that scientists are becoming more interdisciplinary.. Are you saying that chemistry and bio are quite similar to one another?
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Originally posted by a mugger:
oh same case as mine.I am deciding between Bio or physics but since I got B3 for my phy and C5 for Bio for O's.I decided on taking Physics instead
Oh yeah I saw your topic too (: I got the same grade for both of them so up till now I'm still not sure which one I'm better at. But I think I'll most probably take phy since 8light says that it's easier to transfer to bio from phy
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I meant that chemists and biologists are dealing more and more with physics, and physicists too are venturing into other areas.
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Originally posted by 8light:
I meant that chemists and biologists are dealing more and more with physics, and physicists too are venturing into other areas.
Ohh i see (:
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Bio and chem are quite similar right? Like for olvl, enzymes is taught for both bio and chem, but more detailed for bio. So if I don't take bio will I be at a disadvantage?
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Originally posted by Newcomer99:
Bio and chem are quite similar right? Like for olvl, enzymes is taught for both bio and chem, but more detailed for bio. So if I don't take bio will I be at a disadvantage?
There are biochemistry topics (in both biology and chemistry H2 syllabuses), just as there are physical chemistry / chemical physics topics (in both physics and chemistry H2 syllabuses), so you cannot say either bio students or physics students have any advantage in chemistry, because Chemistry (there's a good reason why it's known as the Central Science, required by both physicists and biologists in their work) is the bridge by which both Physics and Biology relate to and work with each other.
In some (physical chem) topics for the H2 Chem syllabus, H2 Phys students have an advantage. For some other topics (biochem), H2 Bio students have an advantage. The advantage is approximately equal, so no worries there.
If you're pretty sure you're going to do Medicine, BioMed, LifeScience, or other related courses in the University, then go for Biology. If you're pretty sure you're going to do Engineering based courses in the Uni, then go for Physics.
Either way, be sure you have a good grasp (ideally an A grade) for your H2 Chemistry, as many Physics and Biology courses in the Uni both require a good grounding in Chemistry.
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Originally posted by UltimaOnline:
There are biochemistry topics (in both biology and chemistry H2 syllabuses), just as there are physical chemistry / chemical physics topics (in both physics and chemistry H2 syllabuses), so you cannot say either bio students or physics students have any advantage in chemistry, because Chemistry (there's a good reason why it's known as the Central Science, required by both physicists and biologists in their work) is the bridge by which both Physics and Biology relate to and work with each other.
In some (physical chem) topics for the H2 Chem syllabus, H2 Phys students have an advantage. For some other topics (biochem), H2 Bio students have an advantage. The advantage is approximately equal, so no worries there.
If you're pretty sure you're going to do Medicine, BioMed, LifeScience, or other related courses in the University, then go for Biology. If you're pretty sure you're going to do Engineering based courses in the Uni, then go for Physics.
Either way, be sure you have a good grasp (ideally an A grade) for your H2 Chemistry, as many Physics and Biology courses in the Uni both require a good grounding in Chemistry.
How about doing phy h2 if i am still planning to go to med?
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Originally posted by a mugger:
How about doing phy h2 if i am still planning to go to med?
Officially, the Medicine admission requirements (for both NUS and NTU) say either H2 Phys or H2 Bio is fine. But anecdotal evidence (ie. hearsay) suggests that the admission panel will (unofficially) favour H2 Bio students over H2 Phys students, when deciding who gets into Medicine. Majority of Medical students are Bio students, while a minority are Phys students. This could be due to either because students who are sure they wanna do Medicine would themselves be more inclined to take Bio in the first place, or it could be due to an actual bias in the admission panel, or more likely a bit of both. -
Originally posted by UltimaOnline:
Officially, the Medicine admission requirements (for both NUS and NTU) say either H2 Phys or H2 Bio is fine. But anecdotal evidence (ie. hearsay) suggests that the admission panel will (unofficially) favour H2 Bio students over H2 Phys students, when deciding who gets into Medicine. Majority of Medical students are Bio students, while a minority are Phys students. This could be due to either because students who are sure they wanna do Medicine would themselves be more inclined to take Bio in the first place, or it could be due to an actual bias in the admission panel, or more likely a bit of both.A risk I must take as I am not able to cope well with Bio in O levels,I am not sure whether I can do so for A levels
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Originally posted by UltimaOnline:
There are biochemistry topics (in both biology and chemistry H2 syllabuses), just as there are physical chemistry / chemical physics topics (in both physics and chemistry H2 syllabuses), so you cannot say either bio students or physics students have any advantage in chemistry, because Chemistry (there's a good reason why it's known as the Central Science, required by both physicists and biologists in their work) is the bridge by which both Physics and Biology relate to and work with each other.
In some (physical chem) topics for the H2 Chem syllabus, H2 Phys students have an advantage. For some other topics (biochem), H2 Bio students have an advantage. The advantage is approximately equal, so no worries there.
If you're pretty sure you're going to do Medicine, BioMed, LifeScience, or other related courses in the University, then go for Biology. If you're pretty sure you're going to do Engineering based courses in the Uni, then go for Physics.
Either way, be sure you have a good grasp (ideally an A grade) for your H2 Chemistry, as many Physics and Biology courses in the Uni both require a good grounding in Chemistry.
I want to take up bio course in uni. Not really interested in engineering. So if I take H2 physics now and get into a bio course, will I be at a disadvantage with others that take H2 bio? I’m not confident that I will do well in H2 bio, with so much stuff to memorize.