Potato's VCE Journey

[homeworkisapotato]

The Bio exam is DONE! I can't even believe it! I feel so relieved and happy, and the exam was weirdly easy! However, I think I messed up that 5 marker and definitely lost a couple of marks there. I'm hoping that I did well and that I still have a chance of getting a 40+ study score. Ngl I'm really nervous and with each passing moment my hopes of getting 40+ are decreasing because of the 5 marker but I'm just crossing my fingers and praying at this point. Although I am a little scared, I'm mostly extremely proud of how I went and happy that it's over and I don't need to do any more practice exams or remember the steps of speciation or natural selection! Thank you AN for helping me with my paranoia and here's to hoping that I'll get 40+!!

[caffinatedloz]

Congratulations Potato!

I feel exactly the same as you, but mostly I am just super glad it's over! It sounds like you've been working really hard and you absolutely deserve an incredible study score! Have you got any plans to celebrate this weekend?

Do you still have exams for your Year 11 subjects to come?

[homeworkisapotato]

Congratulations Potato!

I feel exactly the same as you, but mostly I am just super glad it's over! It sounds like you've been working really hard and you absolutely deserve an incredible study score! Have you got any plans to celebrate this weekend?

Do you still have exams for your Year 11 subjects to come?

Aww thank ypu so much laura and congratulations back!! I'm just a bit down that I didn't really get to 'show off' my knowledge but ehhh WOOP it's over!! I got a puppy a few weeks ago so I'm gonna spend more time with him like with training, and I actually can't rest too much as I have like 3 1/2 sacs next week which is a bummer. However, yesterday after the exam me and my friend went to Werribee Plaza and had a blast there for 6 hours just walking around and talking, it was very therapeutic! No exams for Year 11 stuff thankfully-my school cancelled them- but 3 sacs hjglafjghfgj

Thank you for reading my journal, you're very kind! Do you have any plans for the weekend and any exams?

[caffinatedloz]

I'm just a bit down that I didn't really get to 'show off' my knowledge but ehhh WOOP it's over!!

I think that that was the only disappointing thing- I'd have loved to get to explain bacterial transformation, allopatric speciation, inflammation, allergies or transcription.... the things I worked really hard on. But, I am just relieved it's over!

I got a puppy a few weeks ago so I'm gonna spend more time with him like with training, and I actually can't rest too much as I have like 3 1/2 sacs next week which is a bummer. However, yesterday after the exam me and my friend went to Werribee Plaza and had a blast there for 6 hours just walking around and talking, it was very therapeutic!

That sounds amazing! What breed is your puppy? Do you have photos? After the exam some friends and I got pizza at a cafe which was really nice, but because we have 1/2 exams starting on Monday everyone was a bit on edge. So as for my plans, just studying. Next weekend, however, I'll be taking some kids I care for to the zoo which should be awesome!

Best of luck with the sacs next week.

Thank you for reading my journal, you're very kind!

It's my pleasure! Thank you for sharing!

[Geoo]

AHHH! Congratulations potato! Super proud of you, you've worked crazy hard this year for bio, and I have no doubt you'll get that 40! That's so exciting with the puppy! You'll have all summer to go to puppy school and hang out with it. I'm sure he'll be a great year 12 buddy as well for next year.

Good luck with your remaining SACs!

[homeworkisapotato]

I think that that was the only disappointing thing- I'd have loved to get to explain bacterial transformation, allopatric speciation, inflammation, allergies or transcription.... the things I worked really hard on. But, I am just relieved it's over!

LITERALLY same!!!

That sounds amazing! What breed is your puppy? Do you have photos?

He's a labrador retriever, 10 weeks old as of today!! I'll find some and upload them here asap!

After the exam some friends and I got pizza at a cafe which was really nice, but because we have 1/2 exams starting on Monday everyone was a bit on edge. So as for my plans, just studying. Next weekend, however, I'll be taking some kids I care for to the zoo which should be awesome!

That's so good!! It's good that our Bio exam was the week BEFORE exams rather than after (feel sorry for those legal studies kids)

Best of luck with the sacs next week.
It's my pleasure! Thank you for sharing!

Thank you so much! Have a great week <3

AHHH! Congratulations potato! Super proud of you, you've worked crazy hard this year for bio, and I have no doubt you'll get that 40! That's so exciting with the puppy! You'll have all summer to go to puppy school and hang out with it. I'm sure he'll be a great year 12 buddy as well for next year.

Good luck with your remaining SACs!

Heya Geoo!! Thank you sososoos much for those positive words!! Crossing fingers about that 40 but the more I think the more I got wrong bahaha I'm expecting to lose at least 8 marks so really praying here! YESS I'm sooo excited for the summer holidays so I can take him to the beach and stuff. He's currently lying in his playpen on his back chewing his toys lmao. Thank you Geoo!!

[whys]

Congrats on finishing your bio exam!! It’s normal to have those feelings after an exam - nothing is in our control anymore so the best we can do is forget about it until results day.

Omg - you’ve definitely got to upload some pictures of your puppy!! I used to have a lab too, and they’re just the best aren’t they? So adorable, funny and smart. Have fun with your new puppy!! You’ve got the whole summer holidays to hang out together.

[homeworkisapotato]

Congrats on finishing your bio exam!! It’s normal to have those feelings after an exam - nothing is in our control anymore so the best we can do is forget about it until results day.

Thank you so much whys <3 Gahhh I'm such a control freak so it's so hard bahahahah
 

Omg - you’ve definitely got to upload some pictures of your puppy!! I used to have a lab too, and they’re just the best aren’t they? So adorable, funny and smart. Have fun with your new puppy!! You’ve got the whole summer holidays to hang out together.

Yess will do! He's so smart, he picked up sit and shake hand after only one practice! Yess I'm so excited! I'll get a good picture of him and upload asap 
Thank you for popping by <3

[ThunderDragon]

Congrats on finishing your first 3/4 exam!!! I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised with how you did.

[homeworkisapotato]

Congrats on finishing your first 3/4 exam!!! I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised with how you did.

Hey ThunderDragon, thank you so much!! I hope so too ahahaha and all the best with your exams!

[homeworkisapotato]

Hey everyone! I hope you guys are doing well in this exam period and pumping through <3

This week was a highly unproductive week as I had absolutely no energy after the exam. All I wanted to do was watch movies everyday (which I did lol). I had like 3 sacs this week which went well and I'm so happy that all my 1/2 stuff finished last week so I can do 3/4. I'm going to draw up a timetable to follow now that 3 hours of my day aren't blocked doing praccy exams and do some research on how to best study for each of my subjects. I'm really excited to start my 5 3/4's and if you guys have any tips for my subjects (HHD, English, Methods, Chem, and Further) that would be amazing and a life saver! I'm also really happy as I have time to work on my app!

Have a nice one guys, we're nearly at the end!

[The Cat In The Hat]

Hey everyone! I hope you guys are doing well in this exam period and pumping through <3

This week was a highly unproductive week as I had absolutely no energy after the exam. All I wanted to do was watch movies everyday (which I did lol). I had like 3 sacs this week which went well and I'm so happy that all my 1/2 stuff finished last week so I can do 3/4. I'm going to draw up a timetable to follow now that 3 hours of my day aren't blocked doing praccy exams and do some research on how to best study for each of my subjects. I'm really excited to start my 5 3/4's and if you guys have any tips for my subjects (HHD, English, Methods, Chem, and Further) that would be amazing and a life saver! I'm also really happy as I have time to work on my app!

Have a nice one guys, we're nearly at the end!

HHD - don't get behind, and practise lots of past questions. All the stuff I didn't do.... Practise hard past questions, especially the longer ones, and know the study design, and get stuff marked by the teacher.
English - work hard and you'll enjoy it if you didn't already. Keep rereading your texts, or watching them. Write practise essays often. It is not overrated to write practise essays. Make use of AN for this.
Methods - I cannot emphasise enough, don't get behind. The content is rather heavy and go through it quickly, but you need to keep up. Also do exam questions, probably Checkpoints as well - doing the year over again I might've seen if I could pick up a secondhand copy of some Checkpoints for some year. Do exam questions throughout the year, so that when you get to exam preparation you don't suddenly drop in scores because you don't know how to synthesise the question. Make sure you understand things. Also if you're going to make your own bound book (highly recommend) make it throughout the year; I made mine for the first SAC, then updated for the second SAC, then for the exam all I needed to do was add the probability content (which you'll presumably have a SAC on anyway, which I didn't). Don't underestimate how much time you need to use on Methods.
(Those are the only subjects we have in common.)

[homeworkisapotato]

Hey Cat In The Hat,
Thank you so much for the helpful tips, it means a lot! I'll definitely take your advice and work hard, especially to keep up and not get behind. You're such a legend, thank you 

All the best for your Texts exam <3

[Evolio]

I just wanted to say: congrats on finishing your Bio exam!

Okay, I'm totally jealous right now that you have a puppy! My parents won't let us get one.  You've got to show us him!!
That's also great that you have oodles of time to work on your app!

I'm not an expert at chem or anything but the below helped me and so hopefully they help you too:
- Practice questions are honestly the way to go for this application-heavy subject! Doing questions, especially difficult ones, will force you to think in more lateral ways and this will really help you to tackle those really complex questions that you face. Also, practice questions were a great diagnostic in helping me identify what I needed to work on.
- Drawing concept maps really helped me link all the AOSs together and it also allowed me to see what gaps I had in my knowledge.
- For the fuels stuff: I found that writing a list of advantages/disadvantages/ for each of them and constantly reading over them really helped me answer those questions in the exam.
- Making an error book. I wished I had done this throughout the year but for exams, I made one and it helped me become more aware of my mistakes whenever I was doing exams. For example, I always made mistakes with converting between units for calculation questions, so whenever I came across that question in the exam, I would think back to what errors I had made (in the past) and made sure to not make them again in that specific q.
- Teaching someone. I taught my brother some of the content and it really helped me solidify some of my knowledge + identify gaps in my knowledge so that was useful (although, he wasn't really paying attention)

[homeworkisapotato]

Thank you SO much Evolio for your advice and positivity! It means a lot, and I'll definitely follow them too! Unit 3/4 Chem sounds terrifying so I'm feeling a lot more confident with your advice. I will definitely upload a photo, I keep forgetting to do that! I will do my best to upload one today bahahaha
What breed do you want?
Congratulations for finishing Year 12, I'm so happy for you but also terrified that's gonna be me next year!