Look to the future when choosing Year 12 subjects

Picking “easy” subjects in the hope of an high ATAR or keeping options open with a broad range of subjects could backfire on students, a career expert warns.

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School students increasingly are picking “easy’’ subjects to achieve a higher ATAR but a careers expert says it is a risky move that could later backfire.

Students who pick a broad range of subjects, believing it will keep their post-school options open, may also put themselves at a disadvantage by studying topics they have no interest in, says Prue Wilkosz, pathways co-ordinator at Sacred Heart College in Adelaide.

“What are you keeping your options open for? If it’s something you don’t like doing, then you’re probably not going to choose it (as a career option),’’ Wilkosz says.

“I see kids who have struggled through maths and science, for example, and haven’t really loved it but will continue on with them just to keep their options open.

“If your strengths are in humanities and in creative arts then that’s probably the direction you are going to go down post-school so you should be exploring those options while you’re at school.

“Of course, the counter to that is that it’s important to challenge yourself — so you need to ask why you’re not doing well in those other subjects. Is it because you’re not asking questions or not listening (to the information presented in class) or is it genuinely just not your thing.’’

Students should think carefully about the reasons behind their subject choices. Picture: Supplied

Research by online platform Year13 last year revealed 35 per cent of students choose subjects based on what they believe will get them the highest ATAR results, rather than what they actually enjoy.

Wilkosz advises students to look at the post-school courses they are interested in, examine the topics covered in those courses and then choose school subjects that will best prepare them for that pathway.

“While you can do those less academically rigorous subjects, it may not necessarily be the best preparation for what you are going to do later,’’ she says. “If you look at nursing, for example, they don’t have any prerequisites but there’s a lot of biology involved so students would be a lot better off if they do biology at school. Even if you end up getting a C or a C-minus for (Year 12 biology) you are going to be better prepared to do that course (than a student with no biology background).’’

Similarly, if students are looking at doing maths, English or other subjects where there are different degrees of difficulty, Wilkosz suggests always choosing the highest level a student can manage.

If senior students start a subject and find it does not match their expectations, they should be reassured that most schools offer the opportunity to swap to a different subject, Wilkosz says.

Originally published as Look to the future when choosing Year 12 subjects