Subject Choices

Have you ever heard the trick question: ‘Would you rather run a mile, climb a stile or eat a country pancake?’ It's an old joke, playing on the meaning of ‘country pancake’, which in most people’s minds would be a pancake made on a farm, but is in fact a slang term for cowpat. Yuck.

Thankfully, cowpat wasn't put in front of me this week when my mum rustled up some tasty pancakes. In the spirit of Shrove Tuesday, I made these treats a staple of my diet for the past five days, eating them at breakfast, lunch and supper. I estimate to have consumed around thirty in all, which means I really should pursue some kind of abstinence during Lent.

For me, the best thing about pancakes is the flavours you can put on them. After some rummaging around in the cupboard, I found a whole host of sauces and toppings, including lemon juice, lemon and sugar, banana, Nutella, Nutella and banana, salted caramel, lime juice (not great), strawberry jam and fudge. I felt like I was six again, standing in front of the pick n’ mix cabinet agonising over which sweets to pick.

Sometimes, this can be the problem with too much variety: it creates dilemmas, and then regrets if you choose poorly. But overall, choice is a good thing. It means you have a better chance of finding something you really like.

Having to decide between two or more things is part of everyday life. At school, everyone faces the same choices every day, such as: ‘shall I do my EWs before or after supper?’, ‘shall I go into Windsor or watch a film?’ or ‘shall I play tennis or cricket in the summer half?’

In truth, these choices are rather trivial, but occasionally there are moments when the decisions we make affect the rest of our lives. The best example of this at school is choosing which subjects to continue with for the following year, or alternatively which subjects to take up.

Even before arriving at Eton in F block there is a decision to be made, as new boys are required to choose two modern languages from a list of French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Russian. These can either be studied as a continuation of what was learnt at prep school, or started ab initio (from scratch).

The next transition, from F to E block, is more significant. This is when you decide which subjects you wish to do for GCSE, and involves a complicated system of choice. Maths and English are compulsory for all, and must be joined by at least two sciences and one modern language. Out of design, art and drama only one subject is permitted (or none if you so wish) with the rest of the timetable being filled by the remaining options, such as history, geography and Latin. Most people work towards 11 GCSEs in total, a number which can be dropped to 10 in D block depending on one's circumstances.

After GCSEs come A Levels or Pre Us, which is where things get really serious. The ten or so subjects studied before are now slashed to four, and lectures are given to all D blockers on how to arrive at a sensible choice. We are reminded that the subjects we study from hereon in will form the basis of our degrees, which makes it advisable to choose a combination which complement each other. For example, a set of subjects which focuses mainly on the sciences, such as Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Maths will demonstrate a clear train of thought, as would one emphasising the humanities, which might include English, Latin, divinity and history. However, a real hodgepodge of subjects, for instance biology, English, economics and design, might seem a bit random.

Of course, the ultimate decision lies with each individual, and it is better to study something you like rather than dislike, but it is useful guidance nonetheless.

One trap people often fall into is the temptation of the ‘grass is greener on the other side’ with regard to new subjects. A negative experiences is what puts people off continuing with a subject more than anything else, and so when you don't have one in, for example, economics or politics, because you have never studied them before, then it can be easy to be sucked into a rash decision. As it happens, these two departments are both very good, but if you are the type of person who hates maths for instance, and are unaware that economics depends on it, then you may not find it much fun.

Fortunately, there is a certain amount of leeway for people who realise they have made the wrong choice. If you go to your house master within the first two weeks of Michaelmas and tell him you wish to switch subjects then it is usually possible to do so. It may not be greeted too enthusiastically, but it is better than being stuck with something you don't enjoy.

Back in September Runty was considering whether to switch from maths to a lighter subject. I’ve described already how he spent the first few weeks of the Michaelmas half moaning about how tough the jump from GCSE was. He explained his dilemma to our house master, who was sympathetic at first but soon got pretty cheesed off when Runty wouldn't make a firm decision. I remember him lecturing Runty with, ‘when you make a decision in life, stick by it!’

In a few months’ time the shoe will be on the other foot however, as he will have to decide which one of us to appoint house captain for the following year. Based on this evidence, he does not appreciate irresoluteness, so I will be making every effort to appear as strong-minded as possible. 

This shouldn't be too hard, although let's hope I don’t the mistake of saying something stupid as I did last week at lunch. We were talking about speed in physics, and I claimed that Usain Bolt could probably run faster than most horses. Obviously, with the benefit of hindsight I realise this was ridiculous, but how can I be sure not to repeat the error in future? I guess I'll have to stick to the mantra someone once told me about expressing strange ideas: better to shut up than muck up.