Coronavirus outbreak

[ianbarton]

Mind you I don't know what the O level RE class studied, I wasn't doing it for O level but it was compulsory nevertheless, and led into the (also compulsory) General Studies we had to do in 6th form.

That wasn't Sandbach School? Sounds very much like our teacher. I got fed up with General Studies so skipped most of the classes. Despite this I managed to get an "A" at A level

 

[KnittyNorah]

That wasn't Sandbach School? Sounds very much like our teacher. I got fed up with General Studies so skipped most of the classes. Despite this I managed to get an "A" at A level

No - but that's basically what happened to me during General Studies!

 

[Svendo]

Same at my independent in Chester, at the time RE once a week was the only compulsory lesson in non-state schools, and pretty much everyone did General Studies A level. I think as it was an easy win ( although oxbridge and red brick universities were generally wise to this) but also it widened the curriculum for the pure sciences or humanities types.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Same at my independent in Chester, at the time RE once a week was the only compulsory lesson in non-state schools, and pretty much everyone did General Studies A level. I think as it was an easy win ( although oxbridge and red brick universities were generally wise to this) but also it widened the curriculum for the pure sciences or humanities types.

Yes, at my school all of us in 6th form had to do GS and anyone doing 3 sciences had to do a new-to-them arts/humanities subject - very wide choice available - and anyone doing 3 humanities had do one of a selection of science or science orientated subjects. I did the three straight sciences, and took O-level Russian, and a friend who was doing double maths and physics took O-level Ancient Greek. Another pal who was doing French, German and English Lit took Human Biology - and ended up changing from wanting to be a language teacher into going into nursing!
I found Russian surprisingly useful in adult life - not with Russians, but as a helpful introduction to other Slavic languages and especially to those which use the Cyrillic alphabet.

 

[mjr]

I did the three straight sciences,

Which are those, why do you regard the other sciences as bent and is that in the corrupt sense or worse?

 

[KnittyNorah]

Which are those, why do you regard the other sciences as bent and is that in the corrupt sense or worse?

Chemistry, physics and biology, 'straight' in that none were combined with others or separated into what might be called their component parts (which was - and possibly still is - a choice offered by some examination boards).

 

[winjim]

Chemistry, physics and biology, 'straight' in that none were combined with others or separated into what might be called their component parts (which was - and possibly still is - a choice offered by some examination boards).

Quite right too, I mean biochemistry, what kind of made up nonsense is that?

My advice to anyone considering taking 'the' three sciences at A level especially, would be don't. Two sciences plus maths is a much better combination. My first attempt at a chemistry degree went really hardcore quantum and left me absolutely flummoxed. Even for biology, which let's face it is essentially academic birdwatching, maths is extremely useful, especially statistics.

And of course as we know, 'science' is a different thing to 'the sciences', they're just a convenient way of packaging together some of the core concepts. They do overlap and blur into themselves and other things.

 

[tom73]

Quite right too, I mean biochemistry, what kind of made up nonsense is that?

My advice to anyone considering taking 'the' three sciences at A level especially, would be don't. Two sciences plus maths is a much better combination. My first attempt at a chemistry degree went really hardcore quantum and left me absolutely flummoxed. Even for biology, which let's face it is essentially academic birdwatching, maths is extremely useful, especially statistics.

And of course as we know, 'science' is a different thing to 'the sciences', they're just a convenient way of packaging together some of the core concepts. They do overlap and blur into themselves and other things.

True try physics without good grounding in maths. You soon get in a right mess. Log graphs are fun too.

 

[lazybloke]

I gave up one of my A Level subjects, but still passed three- General Studies being one of them; it was compulosry at my 6th form.
Just as well; I wouldn't have met uni entry requirements otherwise.

The brainiacs did 5 A Levels. I was more interested in having fun; and thus the bar was set.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Em what does any of the above have to do with the coronavirus outbreak?

 

[lazybloke]

Need some of your Loctite, @Ming the Merciless

 

[Dogtrousers]

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

If the thread could be steered back on topic now, that would be great.

Thanks.

 

[cyberknight]

Quite right too, I mean biochemistry, what kind of made up nonsense is that?

My advice to anyone considering taking 'the' three sciences at A level especially, would be don't. Two sciences plus maths is a much better combination. My first attempt at a chemistry degree went really hardcore quantum and left me absolutely flummoxed. Even for biology, which let's face it is essentially academic birdwatching, maths is extremely useful, especially statistics.

And of course as we know, 'science' is a different thing to 'the sciences', they're just a convenient way of packaging together some of the core concepts. They do overlap and blur into themselves and other things.

ck younger bro has a PHD in theoretical chemistry , he did maths and chemistry degrees and currently a prof at Lancs uni

 

[Milzy]

Yes yes we have all these brilliant people with PHD’s but we still got everything wrong. No humans have ever been able to contain a virus. It looks like China haven’t given up yet. Florida & Texas got it right and carried on as normal which didn’t ruin the economy. We should have accepted this pandemic as a bad thing & let it just burn through & burn out.