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March 29, 2024, 05:05:12 pm

Author Topic: log's VCE Journey  (Read 17059 times)

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|log|

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log's VCE Journey
« on: July 23, 2020, 05:52:59 pm »
+14
Hey all!
This is my VCE documentation post I guess! Really looking forward to the challenge of VCE over the next two years, as I will have to learn to study from scratch - for context, I've always been one of those "gifted" kids who doesn't study and cruises, gets decent results and moves on. Well hopefully that changes now!! Remote learning really showed me how I can actually use my time, and really gave me the kick up the bum I needed.
Subjects:
Currently doing General 1/2. SAC 1 98 and SAC 2 94
Just dropped Bio (Didn't do so bad but found it horribly boring.)
Next year,
English, Physics, Methods, Specialist, Further.
Sounds fun right?!  :o

I really have to start working on my English. Been getting B's and the occasional A for the last year or so and would really like to change that. I wouldn't say I'm horrible at English, but not great either honestly.
A big question I have is, should I start learning some methods now? Would that actually accelerate me, or would the knowledge be gone before it would be useful?
For context by the way, I go to a relatively disadvantaged school. I'm on top of our maths cohort by a fair bit, and have gotten A's in science for the last while. Biology was also an interesting introduction to VCE science.

Hopefully you can answer my questions and I look forward to whatever you have to say!
Logan
2021 - Further
2022 - Eng | Physics | Methods | Specialist

Bri MT

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2020, 06:23:09 pm »
+11
Hey,

Welcome to the forums :)

What is your class doing atm in year 10 maths? Some classes act more as a pre-methods class than others so you might already be learning methods prep things atm. Imo if you have the time and are clearly on top of everything else then looking at the study design and gaining some exposure to those topics now could be helpful; just make sure you focus on having a strong foundation before you try to build on top of that.

angrybiscuit

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2020, 06:29:02 pm »
+6
Hey Logan ;D
Wow three maths! Is there a reason why you're doing all three?

As for getting a headstart in methods, it's not necessary but don't feel inclined not to. Your knowledge would definitely still remain by next year, heck in two years. Methods is one of those subjects where the skills never really leave you (if learnt properly). For context, Year 10 maths for me was all about preparation for Methods 1/2. My school covered exponentials, logs, linear and quadratics. I still remember those topics and during 1/2 and 3/4, I never had to relearn those topics because my basic skills are already there. It's good to get those skills down pat, but don't feel that you'll be disadvantaged if you don't get a headstart.
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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2020, 06:52:21 pm »
+5
Hey,

Welcome to the forums :)

What is your class doing atm in year 10 maths? Some classes act more as a pre-methods class than others so you might already be learning methods prep things atm. Imo if you have the time and are clearly on top of everything else then looking at the study design and gaining some exposure to those topics now could be helpful; just make sure you focus on having a strong foundation before you try to build on top of that.
Hi Bri,
Thanks! Currently I am actually in a bit of an unusual maths class, being general 1/2 for 5 periods a week, plus two that are supposed to be year 10, so unfortunately means I am missing out on a bit of the foundation methods that would have been taught.  I think we are planning to go over that at the end of the year though. Thanks for that advice however! I am thinking of working on some mathspace (similar to khan) methods questions and learning some of the concepts in my free time. My teacher also borrowed me a specialist 3/4 textbook to look through, which is something I'm doing.
Hey Logan ;D
Wow three maths! Is there a reason why you're doing all three?

As for getting a headstart in methods, it's not necessary but don't feel inclined not to. Your knowledge would definitely still remain by next year, heck in two years. Methods is one of those subjects where the skills never really leave you (if learnt properly). For context, Year 10 maths for me was all about preparation for Methods 1/2. My school covered exponentials, logs, linear and quadratics. I still remember those topics and during 1/2 and 3/4, I never had to relearn those topics because my basic skills are already there. It's good to get those skills down pat, but don't feel that you'll be disadvantaged if you don't get a headstart.
Hi!
For me the three maths are purely out of interest, and I wanted to keep further to lessen the year 12 workload as I would finish it next year. Upon lengthy talks with my current general teacher (also teaches/taught methods and specialist) he thinks that the combination of methods, physics and specialist would probably be what I would enjoy most.
Thanks for the tips on methods! I will definitely try to sharpen my skills on those 4 topics, while extending my study into a bit of methods! As I understand it is important to grasp the concepts first before anything.
Cheers,
Logan
2021 - Further
2022 - Eng | Physics | Methods | Specialist

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2020, 08:10:46 pm »
+10
I thought I should also probably give a bit of context about myself, aspiration and career ideas too!
I'll be 16 tomorrow and have always been a science focused person, just for fun mostly but I think the ability to suck up knowledge to a great degree has always helped me. I am hoping to do really well in VCE as I'm a bit of a perfectionist  ;D
I have a huge passion for astronomy and actually take photos of the sky, and have even been recognized internationally for some of them in competitions - see here for some of my pictures: https://www.astrobin.com/users/Lognic04/ . I'm also a bit of a maker, into 3d printing, have built a few computers, and even a few telescopes from scratch.

For university I would love to study engineering, or maybe physics/astrophysics but those seem a bit abstract for me. I'm looking at mechanical engineering or aero, but aero seems a bit restrictive in terms of jobs in Australia from what I have seen. Mostly I would love to be able to make things for a job, and continue learning throughout my life. It would be awesome to work for some place like NASA or spacex, or the Australian space agency if that picks up  :D

I think that the subjects I have chosen for VCE cater most to my interests, and I really look forward to studying them for the next two years!
2021 - Further
2022 - Eng | Physics | Methods | Specialist

Ionic Doc

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2020, 08:20:22 pm »
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Those pictures are amazing 🤤, no surprise you've been recognised internationally! What camera do you use to take them and how long have you been taking photos for? I also have a bit of an interest in astronomy and space, so fun to learn about all the stuff out there. I look forward to your updates  8)

Edit: Your subjects look great as well and I can see you're doing all 3 maths +physics (damn). Are you planning to replace bio with anything or are you leaving your subjects as they are  :D ?
« Last Edit: July 23, 2020, 08:23:51 pm by Ionic Doc »
2019/2020 - Psychology | Biology | Chemistry | Methods | Further | English
2021 - Science @ Melbourne University

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2020, 08:28:11 pm »
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Those pictures are amazing 🤤, no surprise you've been recognised internationally! What camera do you use to take them and how long have you been taking photos for? I also have a bit of an interest in astronomy and space, so fun to learn about all the stuff out there. I look forward to your updates  8)

Edit: Your subjects look great as well and I can see you're doing all 3 maths +physics (damn). Are you planning to replace bio with anything or are you leaving your subjects as they are  :D ?
Hi!
Thanks for that man! I use a specialized astronomy camera, which uses a thermoelectric cooler to cool down the sensor to about -20c, to lower the noise created from heat. I've been taking photos for maybe 3 or 4 years now? A fun hobby for sure, and there is so much to know in the field!!
I'm dropping Bio to make room for other subjects as our school is changing to 5 periods a day meaning other subjects would have to be out of school(blegh!). Definitely will be challenging next year!
Cheers,
Logan
2021 - Further
2022 - Eng | Physics | Methods | Specialist

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #7 on: July 25, 2020, 02:52:28 pm »
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Today I did my first practice exam for maths I think...ever  :-[ and it turns out, I had no idea what was even going to be on it lol. At least now I know what to expect, and how much more I still have to complete of the work set!! But, once I am closer to completion I think it will be really helpful to revisit.

I am at some point going to ask for my english teacher who taught me to see if he could tutor me once a week, but unfortunately he took leave to go see the olympics(which obviously aren't going ahead  :-\ ) so I will have to ask when he gets back. I don't find english terribly boring, but the work set in class sort of sucks the fun out of it.

Otherwise, all is pretty well!
2021 - Further
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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #8 on: July 26, 2020, 12:06:51 am »
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While I have this thread here with this lovely community, does anyone have any tips for someone who is a bit of an ape in terms of English on how to improve? Or at least, maybe some fun activities I can do in my spare time that will bring up my English? I know that that's going to be a real uphill battle for me, especially if I want a high atar! I definitely think I have the capacity to both improve and perfect my english skills over the next year and a half or so...I just need to know where to start!
Cheers!
2021 - Further
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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2020, 09:45:06 pm »
+5
Weekly update: 31/7/20
Hi all,
Thought I would write a quick update. With this being my first week back to complete home learning (school shut down! annoying!) I thought I would mess around with some possible study techniques I would pick up next year. I have been trying first, to map out everything I need to do, day to day, and WOW. What a difference it makes! The lumps of work set at the start of the week seem to dissolve away into a simple task list, and they really aren't much.

Next, the pomodoro technique, I used forest for this mostly to time my blocks of work. This worked amazingly well during the writing of a practice English essay, which I still managed to somehow procrastinate into a whole day affair. But what matters is, with the help of some classical music and proper study time management I was able to do it the day after it was set! Quite the feat for a procrastinator like me, and I was especially proud that I put in the effort for it considering it was quite a struggle, not being used to writing essays. But I think it will come with time!

Maths wise, all is well. I learnt the financial maths bit of the recursion sac (which includes the further textbook parts) within this week and it leaves me wondering is this really a whole core section of the exam? I don't want to seem too naive but I think I could attempt most if not all of the further exam questions. I also found it fun to learn about the real implications of sequences and recursion, and how important they are.

That's all from me for now!
Cheers,
Logan
2021 - Further
2022 - Eng | Physics | Methods | Specialist

Ionic Doc

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #10 on: August 01, 2020, 07:06:42 pm »
+3
Weekly update: 31/7/20
Hi all,
Thought I would write a quick update. With this being my first week back to complete home learning (school shut down! annoying!) I thought I would mess around with some possible study techniques I would pick up next year. I have been trying first, to map out everything I need to do, day to day, and WOW. What a difference it makes! The lumps of work set at the start of the week seem to dissolve away into a simple task list, and they really aren't much.

Next, the pomodoro technique, I used forest for this mostly to time my blocks of work. This worked amazingly well during the writing of a practice English essay, which I still managed to somehow procrastinate into a whole day affair. But what matters is, with the help of some classical music and proper study time management I was able to do it the day after it was set! Quite the feat for a procrastinator like me, and I was especially proud that I put in the effort for it considering it was quite a struggle, not being used to writing essays. But I think it will come with time!

Maths wise, all is well. I learnt the financial maths bit of the recursion sac (which includes the further textbook parts) within this week and it leaves me wondering is this really a whole core section of the exam? I don't want to seem too naive but I think I could attempt most if not all of the further exam questions. I also found it fun to learn about the real implications of sequences and recursion, and how important they are.

That's all from me for now!
Cheers,
Logan

Hey Logan,
Great that you've found something that works for you! I've tried the pomodoro technique in the past . . .but yeah that failed  :'(  lol, hopefully, it can help you to write your essays even quicker.
Regarding further maths, it's great that you're so confident in the subject. Finance has been my favourite part of further so far and I'm generally great at it except for those questions where it's worded in a way in which you don't know if you should round up or down (idk if that makes sense but you'll know for sure next year). Anyways good luck with your recursion SAC and have a great week.  :D
2019/2020 - Psychology | Biology | Chemistry | Methods | Further | English
2021 - Science @ Melbourne University

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #11 on: August 01, 2020, 10:15:51 pm »
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Hi,
Thanks for that! I know what you mean! I make so many rounding errors that I've started writing messages to myself in the bound reference, lol. Next after this sac we have statistics which is...ok? Not too sure how I feel about statistics. I did well last year in it though.
Anyways thanks and hopefully you have a great week also!
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mi-xao-14

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2020, 11:50:23 am »
+8
Hey Logan!

Welcome to the world of VCE journaling!!!! I hope you'll continue with it throughout the rest of your years in high school, unlike me, who doesn't update my journal consistently hahah. Geez, three maths, damn, you'll be sitting so many exams since all maths subjects have 2 exams each, good luck with that lmao.

Regarding methods, honestly, in yr 11 methods, most stuff, apart from probability, are just yr 10 advanced maths, but a teeny bit more challenging (idk if it's just me or not). If you're really good at yr 10 maths, go ahead with yr 11 methods, especially by doing textbook work. 

I've got a few tips in English:

TEXT RESPONSE:
*Read and annotate the text as you go along. When it comes to annotation, I use yellow as important info about events or characters, or facts, and other colours for different themes explored in a text that I'm studying.
* It'd be good if you read the text for the second time just to consolidate your knowledge of the text.
* It's fine to sit on the fence, but don't do that in the middle of a paragraph, be clear with your idea in every paragraph. If you don't wholly agree or disagree with a prompt, do one or two paragraph/s on one of your sides, then the rest on the other side, which I normally do.
* Ik it's not an argument piece, but since you're providing your opinion/s about a prompt, argue. What I mean is: ask why you believe that way (using third person, not first person obv). How can you prove your points? Essentially: explain WHY and provide evidence.
* Try incorporating at least one quote per paragraph. This gives you an advantage as you are showing that you know the text well.

ARGUMENT ANALYSIS
* Be specific about your target audience, don't just simply say 'the audience' or 'the reader'. It's never a general audience. For example, if it's targeted to Australian readers, you say 'Australian public', 'Australians', 'Australian readers', something like that.
* Don't just identify the techniques and tell stories, i.e. what happens in the article, and think you're done. So many students do that, which isn't right. Do identify the techniques, then provide an example (it'd be good if you use quotes from the given article/s), and keep nailing the how's and why's when discussing the likelihood of the effect on the target audience. For example, when discussing the effect, you say something like: the writer builds up [target audience]'s agitation of [blah blah blah blah].

OVERALL - PRACTICE ESSAYS!!!!
* Very important, the more you practise, the better you get.
* When doing a couple of first practice essays, just use your notes, and make a very detailed plan, so you'll know what you're writing.
* Once you feel more comfortable with them, try doing them without your notes, and do them under timed conditions. It is hard to do it under timed conditions, so I reckon that you should give yourself around extra 30 min, then gradually decrease the time as you practise more.

I can't help you that much with comparative yet as I've just started that area. I hope those tips are helpful, and enjoy the rest of you high school life!!!!

From mi-xao-14 ^^
« Last Edit: August 03, 2020, 12:23:38 am by mi-xao-14 »

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2020, 04:59:18 pm »
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Hey Mi-xao,
Thanks so much for that! Means a lot to get your detailed help on English!! I'm sure those tips will be incredibly useful, especially considering I'm basically on my own going into remote learning for the third time! It's really hard to get actual advice from a teacher, when you aren't in the classroom  :'( . I appreciate that you've broken down the ideas for me to try with English! I'll have to also work on writing practice essays yup!

Re: maths, haha yep! Going to be uhh, fun during exams. I think I'm really good at picking up concepts which is of critical importance for spesh, so as crazy as it sounds I'm really looking forward to learning more advanced topics!
Cheers,
Logan
 
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2022 - Eng | Physics | Methods | Specialist

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Re: log's VCE Journey
« Reply #14 on: August 03, 2020, 08:43:48 am »
+4
Hey log! Sorry i'm late to the party. Read your journal!
Your photos are absolutely amazing!
And about your English, I dont consider myself an A student but I LOVE English and Literature, so if you ever want some help feel free to shoot me a message! :)

Again welcome to AN, Its an awesome place to have a journal! and the best community :)

- Lexie