Hello,
I did not too bad for my JC1 Promotional Examinations and I was offered H3 Molecular Biology in NTU.
NTU also accepted my application and I started the course just a few days ago ;)
I was just wondering...
Should I continue on H3 Molecular Biology if I don't have a lot of interest towards it?
What are the pros and cons of taking a H3 Subject?
Is H3 Molecular Biology hard?
Thank You! :)
PS: The name of my account seems a little unfitting because I created this years ago. :x
Originally posted by OLevelDespo:Should I continue on H3 Molecular Biology if I don't have a lot of interest towards it?
What are the pros and cons of taking a H3 Subject?
Is H3 Molecular Biology hard?
No, it doesn't make sense to do a subject, especially an optional subject like H3, if you've little interest for it, or if it's unrelated to your intended Uni subject.
Pros : helps you when applying into elite Uni courses eg. Medicine, and also helps your chances if you're applying for scholarships.
Cons : it cannot be used for Uni Admission Score calculation, so unless you're going for elite Uni courses or scholarships, H3 subjects are just a waste of your valuable time.
H3 subjects, including Molecular Biology, is simply a Uni level course or module. The difficulty does vary among H3 subjects, some being simply an extension of the H2 syllabus (meaning you just learn more stuff, but it's not necessarily harder), while others are indeed a lot tougher than their H2 equivalent.
If you're intending to take a Uni course that's related to your H3 subject, then it could be useful as a means of self-preparation (apart from scholarship purposes). Of course, if it's just self-preparation that you want, you can always self-learn H3 subjects yourself (via online resources, NUS/NTU bookshops, libraries, etc).
For instance, in my BedokFunland JC tuition for H2 Chemistry, I teach my BedokFunland JC students quite a bit of H3 Chemistry content, to provide them with a strategic advantage over their H2 peers in the A Level exam. I personally find it's more stimulating, for H2 students (not officially enrolled in a H3 course) to covertly learn H3 stuff (during my tuition), to give them a clandestine advantage over their H2 peers in the A Levels.
Thank You for your reply Sir/Ma'am :)
Well... I can do the subject but I'm not exactly interested in it....
Do you happen to know if H3 Bio is more of the "extension from H2" type or a completely new thing? Because so far we only had a lesson and there's no specific syallabus given to us.
Also, do you happen to know where can I read up more on H3 Chem? Cause Chemistry IS my favourite subject :) I did better for Chem than Bio but my JC just don't offer it... (PS I'm not from a very "good" JC)
Originally posted by OLevelDespo:Thank You for your reply Sir/Ma'am :)
Well... I can do the subject but I'm not exactly interested in it....
Do you happen to know if H3 Bio is more of the "extension from H2" type or a completely new thing? Because so far we only had a lesson and there's no specific syallabus given to us.
Also, do you happen to know where can I read up more on H3 Chem? Cause Chemistry IS my favourite subject :) I did better for Chem than Bio but my JC just don't offer it... (PS I'm not from a very "good" JC)
H3 Molecular Biology is a mixture of both, in terms of scope and difficulty relative to H2 Bio.
If you're more interested in Chem than Bio, than you should certainly rather take H3 Chem instead of H3 Bio, that is, if you decide it's worth your time to take any H3 subject at all.
There are two H3 Chem options : H3 Pharmaceutical Chem by Cambridge-MOE, and H3 Organic Synthesis & Mechanisms by NTU.
H3 Pharmaceutical Chem is primarily for those interested in taking Medicine or (obviously) Pharmacy. It is 1/3 Organic Chem, 1/3 Analytical Chem, and 1/3 Drugs.
H3 Organic Synthesis & Mechanisms introduces the different types of syntheses and reaction mechanisms for organic chemistry. It is 2/3 Organic Chem, and 1/3 Analytical Chem.
For the Triple Sciences, including Bio and Chem, the H3 subjects are both an extension in terms of content, and in terms of difficulty, compared to the H2 subjects.
Final word of advice : you should only seriously consider taking H3 subjects, if you're already scoring As for all 3 or 4 of your H2 subjects, as no matter how you look at it (eg. whether you're applying for Medicine or for scholarships), it's still more important to get all As for your H2s and have no H3 subject, rather than not having all As for your H2s and having a H3 subject.
Every year, for those of my BedokFunland JC students who qualify for H3 subjects, I'll always advise them against taking up any H3 subject (and to spend time more wisely on their H2 subjects instead to confirm all As), and most of them heed my advice, understanding that even though they did well enough to qualify for H3 subjects, it's mostly a waste of valuable time (especially since the vast majority of JC students already feel badly squeezed for time).
I'll encourage all students to self-learn H3 stuff (for any subject) on their own (or via their tuition, eg. my BedokFunland JC tuition) for the sake of having an advantage in their H2 subjects, rather than learning H3 stuff for the sake of taking a H3 exam (unless you're already getting all As for your H2s, and you absolutely intend to apply into Medicine or a scholarship).
Just to add to Ultimaonline, you need to be confident of scoring at least 6A's in your A level exams this year for you to take H3 Bio. If you are thinking of taking a good scholarship, H3 subject may help, or may or may not help in entering Medicine faculty in NUS/NTU.
Are you going for a life science degree? Or is it just for interest? BTW, H3 chem is quite challenging, IMHO. I am not so sure about H3 Bio.
You will be competing with the cream of the crop if you take H3 Bio. H3 subject should take up a lot of time, and it depends also on the teaching quality of your lecturers.
It is also necessary to do well in your CCA. All these require time.
Well, one of the reason why I took H3 is because I only have a 3H2+1H1 combi and that I need scholarship (Since i'm sort of poor) so my friends told me that I should take it since it'll "level up" to 4H2 in terms of academic units when applying for scholarships.
My subjects are okay, not SURE i can get so many As but its okay... well except for GP. My GP is definitely not an A grade. Will not getting A for GP affect the chances for scholarships as well?
GP is a very important subject for entry to university and obtaining scholarships. Nowadays, scholarship panelists are looking for the X-factor in candidates. So it may not necessarily be the all-A's students who get the scholarship. Having 4 H2's, 1 H3 and outstanding CCA leadership records can help.
Best regards.
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Mr Chong
My blog: alevelchemistrysg.blogspot.sg