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How can someone choose what science they take at IGCSE level?
LikeWhen students begin their IGCSE/GCSEs, they are often required to take at least one science. For many students, this is an issue. They may not enjoy science or may otherwise not need it for their future. For example, artists, musicians, and other prospective careers do not require science, and students who plan to go down these careers must take time out of their studies for the subjects they need to study a subject they have no interest or need in.
This may give the impression to many students that they are wasting their time. Whilst for a student, this is a perfectly reasonable and understandable stance, how can one choose which science to take? Well to answer this, we must confront reality. If this subject is mandatory, then they must take it, there is no way around it, and from there one must gain all the value they can from their chosen subject. It may not further their career, but perhaps they can get a high grade and learn a valuable skill.
How then, does one choose such a subject for themselves? I believe that choosing the correct subject involves asking oneself some questions:
1. The most important is, do I find any of this interesting at all?
Are any of these disciplines to my liking? This is the most obvious and arguably, important question that one may ask themselves when choosing a science. If you can find an answer to this, then perhaps you know what science to take.
2. What are some skills I can gain from this course that may eventually help me in my career?
For example, physics teaches critical thinking, formula manipulation, and learning to link the mathematical realm to the real world, there are several different ones for this discipline, perhaps critical thinking would be beneficial for a student who plans to take pure mathematics in the future or plans to compose music in the future, for which learning about wave and sound phenomena may be beneficial.
Otherwise, these questions can also be raised for other disciplines such as Biology or Chemistry. What skills will I learn from this course? How could this benefit me in the future? If you find no practical application for this in the future right away, ask yourself these questions and decide what benefits you the most.
3. What do university courses require?
If your future career involves STEM or Medicine, consult several universities and find what your course asks, cross-referencing different requirements, this point is quite straightforward.
Hopefully, these points are useful to someone who may be conflicted about what science they want to take for their GCSE course.