13 Oct 2020

Biology was the bane of my existence. Between too many big words (what even is photosynthesis?) and dissecting dead amphibians, bio just wasn't my cup of tea.

No offense... but I didn't want to be a biologist, or any sort of scientist for that matter. I knew my knowledge of cell reproduction wasn't going to impact the course I wanted to do at uni. I also knew that coming last in my class and barely scraping through wasn't going to get me the ATAR I needed. 

 

One rotten egg can spoil the lot, and it's the same with HSC subjects. I was wasting time studying for a subject I was inevitably going to fail. So what was the point?

From "it scales well" to "you won't have a safety net", I had heard just about every reason not to drop it as a subject.

But it didn't stop me. Dropping biology was the best decision I have ever made. 

I knew it was time when I spent the entire double period doing work for other subjects but the tipping point was failing literally every (seriously, every) biology assessment and exam.

I was doing thirteen units, so I knew that biology certainly wouldn't be counting towards my ATAR, but it was just a waste of my time. 

As soon as I dropped a subject, I had more time to focus on the subjects I cared about, was passionate about and did well in. I also had more time to live my best life, play sport, see friends and work at my hospo job. 

If you're considering dropping a subject, sit down and ask yourself:

"What are you passionate about? What subjects make sense for you to study? What will lead you towards your dream career?"

I knew I wanted to study media, and biology has zero affiliation with that. If you're wanting to study engineering or architecture at uni, maybe dropping maths is an unwise decision. It's important to not only ensure that dropping a subject leave you with enough units to qualify for an ATAR, but to ensure your desired uni degree doesn't have any prerequisites. 

Most importantly, will dropping this subject add to my happiness and mental health and well being? 

It's normal to feel drained and burnt out. At the end of the day you have to do what's best for you.