The NGC Way

The New Generation College takes a particular view of subject choice.

The focus of subject choice must be to do as well as possible at VCE and, more importantly, build an excellent ENTER. A secondary issue is choosing subjects that are required by the university course (pre-requisites) but the subjects required are generally English and Maths (and perhaps Chemistry) and these are taken by our students.

All our students are required to take Maths Methods and Specialist Maths at Year 12. This may seem tough but we have proved that ALL students can achieve in these subjects. Even students who claim to be average at maths have found success. These subjects are scaled very positively in the ENTER process and hence give an important bonus – Maths will generally always be counted in the best three for all students. Remembering that the average VCE mark in these subjects is 30 (out of 50) it is within everyone's grasp to gain at least 35. If a student scored just 35 in both of these it adds an extra 97 to the ENTER. In practice, our students score better than 35. One big advantage of studying both subjects together is that the courses overlap: we finish teaching the two courses about mid-year and then have over a term to revise and polish the skills. Remember that we also offer free coaching in these subjects.

Secondly all our students take Physics at Year 11. Besides being an excellent and interesting Science subject, it is also very helpful to Maths. Some students drop the subject at the end of Year 11. It scales up well at Year 12.

Thirdly, all our students take Accounting at Year 11. Although Accounting does not scale up appreciably, it is a subject in which our students can do very well indeed. It is not a prerequisite for most accounting courses but students with an interest in business find it interesting and challenging. Some Science students continue with the subject in Year 12.

The only choice we offer is between Chemistry and Economics. Usually business students choose economics. Chemistry is a significant pre-requisite so students should be aware that some courses require Chemistry to be studied at Year 12. A search through the VTAC Guide will help with this decision. Economics is not an easy option: it requires students to read, write well, be well informed about the world and be able to argue a case. Economics scales up but not as much as Chemistry.

In addition, many of our students take Chinese and most complete Units 3 & 4 at Year 11.

We do encourage students, where possible, to complete six subjects as this is maximum that can be counted in the ENTER. This is usually achieved by taking Units 3 & 4 Chinese at Year 11 and taking five more subjects at Year 12 – English, two maths and two others. However students can take six at Year 12 or concentrate on doing extra well at just five. Remember that the sixth subject will only add about four marks (about 2%) to the ENTER yet it will take up 16% of a student's time so it might be better to put the time to improving the best four by at least four marks.