When you find yourself choosing subjects for Year 12, there are a number of questions you must ask yourself. The first relates to the story of Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll.

 

If you are unfamiliar with the story, it goes like this:

 

Alice goes on an adventure through a land of make believe meeting such characters on her journey including the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit and the Queen of Hearts.

 

But the always smiling Cheshire Cat has the most insight in my opinion.

 

Can you remember him?

 

There’s a time in the story when Alice is walking along and reaches a fork in the road. She has the option of going left or right.

 

She didn’t know which way to go and was in a state of panic. Looking upwards towards the heavens she looked for some form of direction. Her eyes met with those of the smiling Cheshire Cat casually sitting above her in the tree.

 

Almost instantly Alice spoke out glancing at the divided road: “Which way should I go?” After a moment of silence, the Cheshire cat said, “That depends…”

 

Alice said, “Depends on what?”

 

The cat said, “It depends on your destination. Where are you going?”

 

“I don’t know….I just don’t know….” answered a confused Alice.

 

“Then,” said the Cheshire cat, while grinning broadly….“It really does not matter.”

Before you select subjects for VCE ask yourself, what outcome do you want to achieve?

 

Think about that for a moment. Get clear on it.

 

Although it sounds simple, don’t brush this question off because it pays to get really clear.

 

Our goal is to help you attain the highest possible ATAR so you have your pick of tertiary courses when the time comes and in most cases, the best subjects to choose in order to achieve the highest possible ATAR are subjects you enjoy and subjects you can study for.

 

Do you enjoy writing? Can you see yourself writing as a career option? Are you interested in money matters and finance? Do you enjoy business and current events? Do you have an interest in the latest gadgets and seek out the latest in technological advancements? Perhaps you are more logical and enjoy mathematics and science.

 

Your answers to these questions will help you decide which subjects to choose for your VCE.

For example, if you are interested in business studies and commerce, choosing subjects like Chemistry, Physics and Specialist Maths just because they scale up probably wouldn’t be your best option.

 

English, Maths Methods, accounting, economics, further maths and business studies might be a better fit.

Similarly, you may enjoy singing, but if after years of practice are no closer to being the next Mariah Carey or Michael Jackson, it might be a good idea to leave music performance as a hobby, and choose subjects that you can study for.

The first step is to get really clear on your outcome. Of course, that’s only the first step.

For more information about how the ATAR is calculated, study scores and scaling, visit www.vtac.edu.au or book a free assessment and consultation by calling 1800 668 177.