Hey, this Q&A thing is really cool - it's like a nerd's version of a Reddit AMA haha
Did you go to a "good" (academically oriented) school or get tutoring or anything like that? And do you think that having those kinds of resources is as relevant to your ATAR as many say it is?
How much of a role does sucking up to your teachers and writing what the examiners want to hear have on the total result? Do you think that in any of the subjects you did that there was a bias towards certain ideas and ways of answer questions?
Have you watched the show "My Year 12 Life"? If so, what did you think of it?
Hey! Glad you're enjoying it - thanks for your questions.
Did you go to a "good" (academically oriented) school or get tutoring or anything like that?Depends what you classify as "good". Traditionally it gets a median study score of like 31, which I guess it technically very slightly above average? It's nothing special, but not the worst - very similar I'd imagine to many other public schools. My graduation year was one of the best in the school's history, and we just snuck into the top 100 according to Better Education. So in summary, yeah, I consider it a good school, but it's far from being a
good school, if you know what I mean (not trying to be obtuse - just difficult to portray that it's a fine school without being incredible via text haha).
I didn't get any tutoring in Year 12, no. I had a Methods 1/2 tutor briefly in Year 11 but that was my only experience receiving tutoring throughout high school. Is it necessary to do well? No, definitely not. Can it really help a lot of people? Yeah, absolutely. I think tutoring, like a lot of other things, is a very personal thing - and it would be irresponsible of me to say that it's absolutely necessary or absolutely pointless, because it means different things to different people. Despite not getting tutoring at all throughout Year 12 and doing fine without it, I see the benefits of it almost every day.
And do you think that having those kinds of resources is as relevant to your ATAR as many say it is?Depends who you're listening to and what they're saying. But for context, I think it's more than possible to do extremely well without going to a school that gets amazing results and without paying hundreds of dollars per hour for additional resources. There are many instances of this, including on these forums. I think it's hard to deny that going to certain schools has a strong correlation with higher ATARs, but what does this mean, really? I honestly don't know if my ATAR would have been slightly higher or considerably lower had I gone to a "better" school.
In ~Year 9/10, I flirted with the idea of going for selective schools and stuff, but ultimately decided against it, and honestly I think that was a great decision. Come Year 12, I loved being at my school, being involved with leadership and all that jazz. Honestly, I think high school is about
way more than marks, and you have to make an educated decision about what's best for
you.
How much of a role does sucking up to your teachers and writing what the examiners want to hear have on the total result?I don't think you need to "suck up" to your teachers; I think you just need to demonstrate diligence and a willingness to improve, and be respectful. Basically, just don't make their job unnecessarily difficult, because it's difficult enough as is. They just want to help you, and being respectful of that is really all it takes. No need to compliment them all the time and take apples to class lol. They're the ones marking your assessments, so if nothing else, it just wouldn't make sense to be ratty toward them.
Writing what the examiners want to hear - yeah, I think this would play a big part. Basically your question is, "how big an impact does writing the correct answers have on the exam?" And when put like that, the answer is obviously, "quite a lot". If VCAA/NESA specify definitions, you've got to use those definitions. If there are buzz words that'll get you marks, use those buzz words. To me, this is all part of "playing the game". Sometimes it sucks, and sometimes I felt like I was just regurgitating information a bit, but it's all part of it and just something that has to be done.
Do you think that in any of the subjects you did that there was a bias towards certain ideas and ways of answer questions?Yeah, I'd say so - but I learnt which ways were preferred, and then used those ways. Seemed to work okay! Haha. I think there are a couple of parts to doing well in Year 12 subjects:
* Learning the content
* Answering questions in a suitable manner
It's all well and good to know the syllabus like the back of your hand, but if you don't use that knowledge/content in an appropriate (according to VCAA/NESA) way, the whole thing is pretty fruitless. That's why it's so important to inspect examination reports, work closely with your teachers etc. to perfect your answer structure.
Have you watched the show "My Year 12 Life"? If so, what did you think of it?I have absolutely no idea how this is the case, but no, I honestly haven't seen a single minute of it. Blows my mind to this day haha - it's high on my to-do list but I just haven't got around to it. I don't even know why I didn't watch it when it was on initially; the times must have been inconvenient for me.
Have you watched it? If so, what did
you think of it?
Questions... so many questions..... hmmmm.
Well here goes nothing a series of questions that are varying, interesting and thought-provoking for you .
- What is the book (or books) you've given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that you have greatly influenced your life?
- How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a "favorite failure" of yours?
- What is the one of the best or most worthwhile investments you've ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)
- What advice would you give to a smart, driven highschool and/or university student about to enter the "real world"? What advice should they ignore?
- When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?)
G'day zofro! Thanks for your questions.
What is the book (or books) you've given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that you have greatly influenced your life?I seldom give books as a gift, and even if I did, they probably wouldn't strongly reflect my personal preferences. I'll speak briefly about the book I most recently finished, plus my favourite book.
* I just finished
After Bali by Jason McCartney. McCartney was a professional footballer who survived the Bali bombings. He suffered burns to 50% of his body, was in a seriously critical condition for a period, and then somehow made it back to play again at the highest level. This book has been sitting on my bookshelves for like five years but I hadn't picked it up until recently. Couldn't put it down. I was only eight at the time of the Bali bombings, so my understanding of it was pretty limited, and this book gave a pretty comprehensive run-down of them. Definitely gave me perspective and in an unexpected way, has helped me personally over the last little while.
* Throw a blanket over a bunch of George Orwell texts, but my favourite is
Keep the Aspidistra Flying. On first reading, it really hit home that societal structure isn't inherent, and the way we are is largely a result of conditioning - not nature. I enjoyed the Comstock's war on money dependence, and also could identify with parts of his personality, which is perhaps why I like it so much. If I
were to gift a book based on my own preferences, it would probably be this one. It's one of Orwell's lesser-known novels, but I really enjoyed it, and have read it on multiple occasions.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a "favorite failure" of yours?Difficult question to answer, just because I'm not really sure what constitutes a failure.
I mean, I've had some pretty difficult periods personally, and I certainly think I'm stronger as a person now as a result. Being in difficult situations has helped me to be more objective, and to be able to detach myself from situations I'd previously have been drawn into.
I was in a relationship for just under two years before ending it through Year 12, and I struggled with that "failure" for quite some time. Now, I'm very happily with the love of my life, and we're approaching 4.5 years together. I definitely learnt a lot about that first relationship in terms of communication and honesty, I think (in the not bottling up emotions sense).
I was always pretty good at school tbh, but "failed" in my own eyes in some respects. My school had this thing where the top like 20 students or something from each cohort were awarded with a prize at the end of the year, and I was never selected in that group. This was pretty weird for me coming out of primary school, where I'd always been one of the top few in the class. I think this made me work harder and figure out how I studied best, which put me in good stead for VCE. I ended up being the Year 12 dux, and also achieving the highest ATAR my school had ever had at that time (since usurped).
I don't think I have a favourite failure, to answer your question directly. There are very many things I've learnt from in my life, and I'm sure there'll be many more in the future. I make mistakes regularly - numerous times daily - but I think everybody does, and that's just part of life. Perhaps what I'm working on most actively at the moment is relevant here: not taking mistakes to heart too much, and taking a step back from them to see that mistakes are not the end of the world.
What is the one of the best or most worthwhile investments you've ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)Relationships of all sorts comes immediately to mind. I don't think you can make a better investment of time than in relationships.
Thinking pragmatically, working hard through high school has paid off for me, I'd say. I've tutored, worked several jobs and received scholarships as a result.
What advice would you give to a smart, driven highschool and/or university student about to enter the "real world"? What advice should they ignore?I don't think you should ignore any advice. That's not to say you should act on everything you hear, but thinking about advice is a good process IMO. Taking something in and deciding against it isn't the same as ignoring it IMO.
For high school students:
* If you're planning to study at uni, think carefully about what you actually enjoy, and what you want to pursue in your life.
* Try to get involved where you can, and don't just cruise through uni like I did in a sense. Some of the most important traits for the workforce are things you'll pick up in non-academic parts of university life.
* If you're at uni, I'd really recommend working part-time. Seriously.
* Don't be afraid to reach out for help if you're having a tough time making the transition to uni/work. This can be really difficult, and it can honestly creep up on you heaps. It's important to take care of yourself first and foremost.
For uni students, largely the same, but:
* Experience is experience, and your first job certainly doesn't need to be your last one.
* Organise your finances. The sooner the better.
* Don't be afraid to reach out for help if you're having a tough time making the transition to work. This can be really difficult, and it can honestly creep up on you heaps. It's important to take care of yourself first and foremost.
I'll also note here that I'm only in my second year of full-time work myself, so take all of this with a grain of salt haha.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?)* Go for a walk
* Drink water
* Mindfulness
* Take a break and just do whatever
* Draw
* Write
* Sport
* Read
Depends on the situation a bit, but those things about are good circuit-breakers for me. I think the key is to just take your mind off things and try to focus on something else for a short period.
Hey Joseph41 !
Any tips for what to do on mid-sem break for uni??
Hey nice!
Laws/Biomed would obviously be pretty hectic, so I think the number one thing I'd recommend is, if possible, take a genuine break for a few days. Work permitting, give yourself permission to get away for a bit. You still have a bit of the semester to go, and then SWOTVAC, and then exams, and trust me: you don't want to start breaking down come the end of the semester (physically or otherwise). So yeah, I think it's probably in your best interests to genuinely recuperate if you can. But what's your workload like at the moment in terms of assignments and readings and revision and everything else? How are you finding first year so far?
In terms of revision, I usually found mid-sem a good time to either catch up or get ahead a bit, depending on the situation. I'd forecast a few weeks ahead and see what was on the horizon. For example, if I had three essays due within the same week in like a month, I'd get started on one or two of those - even if it was just dot-pointing potential topics or resources to use. Doing this gave me a bit of breathing space later on, and this was helpful.
In saying that, I spent my entire mid-sem in my final undergraduate semester in Japan, so I definitely didn't study all the time or anything like that haha.
Hey I am in year 11 and I am stuck on my biology assignment.
Do you know what a hydrophilic channel is and what the function of a alpha helix structure.
Hey, welcome to ATAR Notes.
I'll just agree with what K888 has said above. I didn't study Bio myself (a regret!), so I've never even
heard of a hydrophilic channel haha. But I really recommend asking in the
HSC Biology Question Thread if in New South Wales or the
VCE Biology Question Thread if in Victoria, because somebody there will definitely be able to help you.
Looking forward to seeing you around the forums!
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