The especially important and difficult thing that students will ever have to do in their time at school is to decide which subjects to take. The concerns of students are always about: “Do I choose subjects in which I know I will perform and of which I am capable?”, “Do I choose subjects which will be compulsory for my tertiary studies?”, or “I have a favorite subject at school but I’m not sure where it can take me.” Students may become passionate about their areas of interest or find areas of specialty as a focus for learning and collecting when they enter high school. It is reasonable and necessary to encourage students to pursue their passions with focused interest and “get into” subjects that may transfer to areas of learning and work in the future. A series of activities named “Subject and Your Future” has been proceeding in grade 9 since the beginning of this semester and will last as a long-term guidance until the end of grade 9. This activity prepares students to choose AP and IB courses and make successful transitions to postsecondary destinations as they investigate specific postsecondary options based on their skills, interests, and personal characteristics.
The arrangement of the first series of activities so far was as follows:
Activity
| Descriptions
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1
Biology
| A biology speech was given by Mr. Zhang Li as the first stop of the journey of "subject and your future". The speech presented a biology overview involving “the field”, “preparation”, “specialty areas”, “day in the life”, “earnings”, “employment”, “career path forecast”, and “professional organizations”.
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2
Chemistry
| The second stop of the journey of "subject and your future" 9 arrived at the subject of Chemistry, where a wonderful speech full of passion was given by Mr. Sun Hao in the annex auditorium. Chemistry is good future choice as its qualification could open doors to almost all sorts of jobs that you may be interested in. People who study chemistry work in a huge variety of careers both in and out of the lab, such as the development of new medicines, the design of new energy sources, the safeguard of food supply，the protection of environment and so on. There're different branches of Chemistry, connecting with different subjects at the same time.
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3
Economics
| The speech about the future subject choice of Economics was give by Ms. Danye Ma as the 3rd stop of the journey of "subject and your future". Economics, a dynamic social science, has been attracting more and more students as the study of economics is essential about dealing with resource allocation, scarcity and making choice in the satisfaction of human wants.
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4
Mathematics
| The speech given by Ms. Qingtian Hu about the subject choice of Mathematics was presented as the 4th stop of the journey of “subject and your future”. Mathematics, a logical subject which is the base of all scientific subjects, teaches students to think mathematically, clearly and concisely, and prepares students for a wide variety of occupations in sectors of jobs like educators, actuarial consultants, investment analysts, and software developers.
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5
Visual Arts
| Mr. Anthony Kelly presented a wonderful speech to students of grade 9 at the fifth stop of the journey of "subject and your future" - Visual Arts. The subject of visual arts, where students are explorers, critiquers, and inventors to acquire knowledge and experience through spectacle and imagination, is for students interested in making meaning from images, objects or diverse contexts.
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6
Psychology
| Mr. Noah J Lehman presented the students a wonderful speech about the subject of psychology at the sixth stop of the journey of "subject and your future". Psychology, described as a "hub science", is an academic, experimental and applied subject that explores concepts such as perception, cognition, attention, emotion, personality, behavior, brain function, and interpersonal relationship, and appeals to students who are interested in studying behavior, enjoy the process of conducting scientific research, or is in pursuit of a career as a psychologist.
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7
Physics
| The seventh stop of the journey of "subject and your future" arrived at the subject of physics, where a wonderful speech involving such parts like "Achievement in condensed matter physics", "Frontiers in condensed matter physics research", "Achievements in optics", "Relation with other subjects", "Career path of a physicist" and "Undergraduate course structure" was given by Ms. xiaoyan Zheng in the Annex.
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8.
History
| Mr. Todd Ferguson presented students a speech about the subject of history at the eighth stop of the journey of “subject and your future”. History is a social science course that studies the histories of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, the United States and Canada, from ancient times to the present, seeking to find connections between events and explore aspects of human society. There are many career options for history majors like government, archiving, library services, think tanks, and historian.
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In the coming activities next semester, students will explore the realities of the subject and examine factors that affect success, while taking an in-depth look at various subjects by visiting different colleges and institutes. In this process, students will analyze the results of a variety of experience, and develop an action plan for future choice and success with a focus on their interest and targeted destination.
(Written by Sophia Yang; Picture by Sophia Yang)