HEY! Want to succeed in VCE/HSC?

[Joseph41]

Hi, I'd just like to ask if you did any extracurricular activities, and if you did, what were they?

Hi Individu,

Not as many as I would have liked, primarily due to not being able to play sport (due to injuries). This was a big change for me, so I had a bit more time on my hands than I was used to. I held a leadership role during Year 12, which took up a bit of time, and was also on a couple of committees. I tutored after school some nights, which was (is) a decent source of income, but didn't have a 'normal' part-time job.

Aside from that, not too much, I'm afraid. My studies were my priority at that point in time. I think it's important to understand that everybody will be different in this regard; some will have part-time jobs whilst others won't, some will be playing sport whilst others won't, some will be debating whilst others won't, and so on. Balancing one's life between school, work, family, friends, sport, music and other commitments can sometimes be a struggle. This is where time management is very important.

All the best. 

[Individu]

I appreciate your response.

[PsychoT]

Hi Individu,

Not as many as I would have liked, primarily due to not being able to play sport (due to injuries). This was a big change for me, so I had a bit more time on my hands than I was used to. I held a leadership role during Year 12, which took up a bit of time, and was also on a couple of committees. I tutored after school some nights, which was (is) a decent source of income, but didn't have a 'normal' part-time job.

Aside from that, not too much, I'm afraid. My studies were my priority at that point in time. I think it's important to understand that everybody will be different in this regard; some will have part-time jobs whilst others won't, some will be playing sport whilst others won't, some will be debating whilst others won't, and so on. Balancing one's life between school, work, family, friends, sport, music and other commitments can sometimes be a struggle. This is where time management is very important.

All the best. 

Best decision I ever made to go for a House Captain role. Don't have second thoughts if you're pondering it, do it.

[Joseph41]

Best decision I ever made to go for a House Captain role. Don't have second thoughts if you're pondering it, do it.

Yep, great call, PsychoT! I was borderline, too, as to whether or not I would apply. I definitely do not regret the decision. 

[24bauer12]

Hi Joseph,
I will be in year 11 next year;do you think I should complete Bus man 3/4 and legal 3/4 or Legal 3/4 and HHD 3/4? My issue is that I think Bus man may be boring; did you think it was a boring subject?

[Joseph41]

Hi Joseph,
I will be in year 11 next year;do you think I should complete Bus man 3/4 and legal 3/4 or Legal 3/4 and HHD 3/4? My issue is that I think Bus man may be boring; did you think it was a boring subject?

Hi 24bauer12,

Firstly, well done for undertaking at least one 3/4 subject next year.

These questions are always difficult to answer, for a subject that I find very interesting, you could find boring, and the other way around. However, I will give you my thoughts. HHD and BM are similar in terms of workload, from my experience. There is quite a lot of information for both, but nothing particularly difficult. I didn't really enjoy BusMan - I definitely found it try, but possibly more so in hindsight. Health, on the other hand, I very much enjoyed, and continue to enjoy studying relevant concepts at uni.

That's the thing, though - I have no real interest in Business Management. I had a choice of two 3/4 subjects to do in Year 11 (funnily enough, the other one was HHD), so I didn't have a great range of choice, and I know people who absolutely loved Business.

So in summary, this is a difficult question to answer, and I fear that I haven't done a very good job of it. Considering you are also going to do Legal 3/4 next year, perhaps Business would be more relevant to what you want to do (again, that's hard for me to comment on!).

I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Feel free to ask any subject-specific questions if you want more information. 

[LiquidPaperz]

In terms of difficulty, im the only one in the whole cohort who hasnt done 1/2 business and im rank 1 in the whole cohort siting on 99/100 for unit and full marks so far for unit 4. I do find it really boring and my only motivation is having no regrets after the exam!

[Joseph41]

In terms of difficulty, im the only one in the whole cohort who hasnt done 1/2 business and im rank 1 in the whole cohort siting on 99/100 for unit and full marks so far for unit 4. I do find it really boring and my only motivation is having no regrets after the exam!

Hi LiquidPaperz,

Well done - they are fantastic scores thus far. Keep working hard; it doesn't matter what motivates you, so long as you are motivated!

All the best. 

[Joseph41]

Hi all,

It's getting toward exam time again (everybody's favourite time of year!), so I thought I would emphasise a couple of my more relevant tips:

To all present Year 12s, remember that study is all about quality rather than quantity. It's easy to get caught up in number of practice exams and whatnot, but what's really important is your depth of understanding. After each practice exam, go through it, correct it, make sure you understand what you did wrong, make sure you understand what you did right, get your teacher to look over it if possible, take a break, and then maybe try it again a few days (or weeks) later. Don't feel as though it's pointless to re-do exams; I did most of the VCAA ones a few times each.

To all future Year 12s, it's also subject-selection time of year. A few of my students have asked me recently for subject advice, and this is what I tell them: do what you like. Consider scaling and what your friends are doing if you must, but I cannot emphasise enough how much more you will enjoy VCE if you do subjects that you like. Do well enough in those subjects, and scaling is rendered irrelevant.

All the best,
Nick. 

[InNeedForHelp]

Hi Individu,

Not as many as I would have liked, primarily due to not being able to play sport (due to injuries). This was a big change for me, so I had a bit more time on my hands than I was used to. I held a leadership role during Year 12, which took up a bit of time, and was also on a couple of committees. I tutored after school some nights, which was (is) a decent source of income, but didn't have a 'normal' part-time job.

Aside from that, not too much, I'm afraid. My studies were my priority at that point in time. I think it's important to understand that everybody will be different in this regard; some will have part-time jobs whilst others won't, some will be playing sport whilst others won't, some will be debating whilst others won't, and so on. Balancing one's life between school, work, family, friends, sport, music and other commitments can sometimes be a struggle. This is where time management is very important.

All the best. 

Hey, can I ask what sports you played? I have a hard time finding people in real life/online that like sport and can take school seriously as well.

It's probably because I go to Box Hill anyway...

[Joseph41]

Hey, can I ask what sports you played? I have a hard time finding people in real life/online that like sport and can take school seriously as well.

It's probably because I go to Box Hill anyway...

Hi there, InNeedForHelp.

Primarily cricket - extremely close to your school, coincidentally - but I'm also passionate about footy. I played table-tennis for school, too. But really, give me any sport and I will happily watch it. 

[scandin9]

Hi Joseph,
How did you avoid procrastination in Year 11 and 12? In year 11 when you completed Business Management did you study for it during the holidays? What study guides did you use?
Thanks in advance!

[Jono_CP]

Hi Joseph,

How did you cope with pressure and nerves and yet still obtain beyond outstanding scores?

Also, what should I be doing to acquire 40+ study scores for English and Business Management?

[Joseph41]

Hi Joseph,
How did you avoid procrastination in Year 11 and 12? In year 11 when you completed Business Management did you study for it during the holidays? What study guides did you use?
Thanks in advance!

Hi scandin9,

A big part of avoiding procrastination for me was limiting distractions. To do this, I tried to study at school as much as possible - I found it hard to study at home, what with all of the potential for more enjoyable activities. BusMan was a good three years ago, so it's getting a little hazy, but I certainly did study throughout the holidays. From memory, I didn't use any study guides at all for Business.

In saying that, I think it's important to take a lot of breaks for a) a way of avoiding procrastination (if you have enough breaks, you're less likely to want to procrastinate in the first place), and b) for effective study. The key is finding a good balance, which I'm aware can sometimes be difficult.

Hi Joseph,

How did you cope with pressure and nerves and yet still obtain beyond outstanding scores?

Also, what should I be doing to acquire 40+ study scores for English and Business Management?

Hi Contrarian,

Thank you for those kind words.

I was still nervous, don't get me wrong, but I think the main thing with nerves is that, should you prepare well enough, there's not much to be nervous about. For basically every SAC and exam, I knew that I had prepared well, so in some ways I even looked forward to assessments (to get them out of the way, basically). I also used previous experiences and applied them to the examination process - personally, I compared sitting an exam to opening the batting.

I didn't do English, so I won't be much help there. In regard to Business, I think there is a lot of content, but no content that is particularly difficult to get one's head around. As such, clear and concise notes are important for exam revision, and, like always, practice exams are essential. If you can work a nice structure of answering questions, and feel confident with the content, then you should be more than fine. 


All the best,
Nick. 

[Jono_CP]

Hi scandin9,

A big part of avoiding procrastination for me was limiting distractions. To do this, I tried to study at school as much as possible - I found it hard to study at home, what with all of the potential for more enjoyable activities. BusMan was a good three years ago, so it's getting a little hazy, but I certainly did study throughout the holidays. From memory, I didn't use any study guides at all for Business.

In saying that, I think it's important to take a lot of breaks for a) a way of avoiding procrastination (if you have enough breaks, you're less likely to want to procrastinate in the first place), and b) for effective study. The key is finding a good balance, which I'm aware can sometimes be difficult.

Hi Contrarian,

Thank you for those kind words.

I was still nervous, don't get me wrong, but I think the main thing with nerves is that, should you prepare well enough, there's not much to be nervous about. For basically every SAC and exam, I knew that I had prepared well, so in some ways I even looked forward to assessments (to get them out of the way, basically). I also used previous experiences and applied them to the examination process - personally, I compared sitting an exam to opening the batting.

I didn't do English, so I won't be much help there. In regard to Business, I think there is a lot of content, but no content that is particularly difficult to get one's head around. As such, clear and concise notes are important for exam revision, and, like always, practice exams are essential. If you can work a nice structure of answering questions, and feel confident with the content, then you should be more than fine. 


All the best,
Nick. 

thanks for the advice! I always get nervous no matter how much I study. For me the only certainty is uncertainty and knowing that anything can happen on a given sac or exam day.