Class 11 son took four sciences to keep every door open. Six weeks in, he's sinking

bronze_pigeon_347422 Jul 2026

He's in class 11, ISC, doing physics, chemistry, maths and biology alongside English. He chose all four because he couldn't decide between engineering and medicine, and we agreed it was sensible to keep both open for a year. It doesn't feel sensible now. He's at his desk until eleven most nights and is still behind in maths. He hasn't said he wants to drop anything, but last week he asked me which one I would drop. I'm hoping to hear from families who have been through this rather than general opinions. Did your child drop a subject in class 11, how late in the year did the school allow it, and was it regretted later?

2 comments

rustic_jamun_167122 Jul 2026
I can't speak to ISC rules, my boys are only in class 7. But I'm an anaesthetist, and the question I'd ask him is whether he has ever spent a day around a hospital. A lot of students keep biology 'for medicine' without knowing what the work looks like. If he still wants it after seeing it, keep it. If not, maths may matter more to him.
- maple_kite_312322 Jul 2026
  Is that something doctors commonly say? Mine is in class 9 and already talks about taking biology 'for safety'.
- silver_quilt_33723 Jul 2026
  Replying to @maple_kite_3123
  From the school side, 'for safety' is the reason we hear most often at class 11 admission, and the reason behind most change requests by August. In the schools I know, a change in the first term is usually possible if the timetable can absorb it. After that it gets harder. Worth asking early, not after the half-yearly.
silver_piano_79823 Jul 2026
Before deciding, it might help to see where the hours are going. Ask him to note what he did each evening for a week, by subject. When my son felt buried earlier this year, it turned out one subject's assignments were taking three times their share. Dropping a subject may still be the answer, but you'd know which one.