By Valerie Tan (20A01E)

Maybe you haven’t thought much of your matriculation form since the day you submitted it. Or maybe there’s been a persistent nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach since you confirmed your subject combination as a JAE student. Either way, you’re presented with a shiny new timetable and class one day in February, and are informed that you’ll have to stick with them for the next month or so.

You go to your Physics lecture for the first time and zone out to the lecturer’s rambling on measurements, wondering what on earth you’re doing here. You think back to that form you submitted during JIP, or filled in during your JAE exercise. H2 Physics, you’d written, thinking that all would be well. What a fool you were! For now the only connection you feel to Physics is that it makes you physically ill, and you want out.

Sounds like you? You’ll be glad to know not all hope’s lost just yet, with the help of an appeal form that’ll appear on the student’s portal towards the end of February. You’ll then be free to change your subject combination—subject (haha) to the timetable committee’s ability to fit you in somewhere, of course.

But of course, decisions should never be made rashly. Changing your subject combination has the potential for regret, too. There are a few things to consider before you decide to do so.

By Kelly Leong (20S07C)

All opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and are no substitute for formal academic advice.

Ah, selecting a subject combination: a time of great distress for those not yet certain of their aspirations, or those with so many passions that selecting just four subjects becomes a daunting task. Many will be familiar with the two distinct streams, Arts and Science, and might even be torn between both, but few would stop to consider staying in the middle.