usual: "lets forget that i forgot about this for a hot second" tidbit21/07/2020hello i hope we are all doing quite well during these trying times, especially to the vce kids out there (dandrews really said "vce kids who?"). lets just get straight into what I've been doing for the past three months in each subject
biology 3/4:since we have completed unit 3 and began unit 4 this semester (which is quite late compared to some other schools), i thought i would give a rating out of ten for each topic we did:
cell membrane + transport: 7, basic easy stuff from 1/2
biomacromolecules: 9.5, super easy to grasp imo
gene expression: 6, it's just quite a bit
enzymes/biochemical pathways: 9, also quite easy to grasp
cellular respiration: 7, not that bad uwu
photosynthesis: 6, what even is a GAP molecule idk
cellular signals: 8, easy to get, kind of boring
immunity (overall): 3, there's so much content and it took me forever to understand bc I'm dumb
so what have i done for the past three months in bio? "good question" - Shrek. jk i made summary sheets for each and every chapter and decided to memorise them. i know i knOW, rote learning is apparently forbidden but it just helps me sm more in answering questions. i also did every single chapter review question in the Heinemann textbook (idk why we don't use the textbook but yeah haha) and just a few vcaa practice exams. my sac's went pretty ok, but i don't really want to talk about those since it just stresses me out way too much (you can pm me since I'm more comfortable talking about it there).
I've just been doing my tutoring homework and for anyone who is considering doing tutoring for bio 3/4, please remember it's as if you're taking on an extra subject (if you do it seriously). but so far it's going great. at tutoring we're basically halfway done with unit 4? I'm so shook because we just started unit 4 this semester. i thought evolution was great at first then we moved on to gene technology and my god, what was wrong with me? evolution really is just a pain in the ass.
chemistry 1/2:i hated chemistry in year 9 and 10, mainly because my teacher wasn't the greatest and i couldn't fully learn from him. now in year 11 (and because of tutoring oOp) i actually understand? even my chem teacher that i said confused me even more isn't confusing me anymore? this is acc amazing right now I'm so happy about this. lets do a quick review of each topic it from chem:
elements + the periodic table: 8, it's quite standard but a bit boring imo
metals + ionic compounds: 8, also same reason as above
moles and other calculations: 11, yes 11/10, it's such an easy idea to grasp
non-metals: 6, confused me so much when we first did them
organic chemistry + polymers: 9.5, a lot to remember but it's quite interesting
again, i feel like if you do tutoring, you should take it as seriously as you would for another subject to get the best outcome if you do struggle in the subject. my chem tutor is amazing and helped me learn everything that i could have possibly missed in year 9 and 10 and i don't think my school could've helped me with that so i greatly appreciate her for spending time with me <33
methods 1/2:honestly... i hate methods. it's not that it's bad. i just hate it i have no idea why. my teacher is a literal god, like he explains a concept and it's just stuck with me for the rest of my life, but i really don't like methods. "then why are you doing it". prerequisites unfortunately
. topic run down again:
linear + quadratic relationships: 10, just consolidation uwu
domain, range + transformations: 5, just eh
functions and relations: -1, i hate this so much even though i have to use this until 3/4 methods, i just hate it
polynomials: 6.5, year 10 extension work, not even
circular functions + index laws: 5, i didn't like this in year 10, and i tried to like the unit circle, but no <3
exponentials and logarithms (cont. into semester 2): 9, logs are really interesting to me
yeah, i have no idea why i hate methods so much. in comparison to spesh it's absolute garbage imo. but for the uni prereq, i just gotta plow through (@ my future self, did you drop methods you loser?)
specialist 1/2:remember when i said i wanted to drop spesh? yeah, i don't want to drop it anymore. like as the year went on, i actually found myself understanding spesh and being able to apply my knowledge to the questions. and i was enjoying it so much? like this is absolutely fantastic. i think i just needed to get on top of my shit and I'm so glad i did. topic run down:
trigonometry: 7, again, similar stuff in year 10
algebra: 10, nothing new, except it is more challenging which makes it more fun hehe
variation: 8, a new concept, but quite easy to grasp
sequences and series: 7.5, it's alright but there are much more interesting things in spesh
circle geometry: 5, it was just ok, i don't necessarily enjoy geometry
polar coordinates + complex numbers: 9, i never knew i could be interested in fake numbers
vectors: 7, not that hard to get, but it is quite confusing at times
kinematics (cont. into semester 2): 9, i know it's basically physics, but it's an easy concept to get and fun to apply in questions
i know i did a full 180 on my opinions of spesh, but I'm so glad i didn't drop this subject and gave it a chance because it's currently one of my favourites. anyone thinking of doing spesh, go for it!!
english mainstream 1/2:english has just been ok so far. let's look at the topic rundown so maybe i can explain it a bit better:
the wife of martin guerre: 2, an absolute horrible book. if you haven't read this and you're excited to, don't. give up.
creative writing: 4, this was in regards to WoMG and because of my incredible dislike for this book, i hated creative writing.
Spoiler
why is martin filled with sm toxic masculinity it's so overbearing like yoU LEFT BERTRANDE FOR MORE THAN A DECADE WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHINGggGGgg
stolen: 7, a play regarding the stolen generation. there was at a point where i related to one of the characters (not going to say who sorry) that i almost started crying. even if you aren't studying this, you should try and read this
language analysis: 6, i typically don't like language analysis but i don't hate it. nevertheless, it makes me want to pick up literature instead
for me in semester 1, it really depended on what text we studied. WoMG was such an infuriating read for me. i know that during the time it had set place society was different, but it just bothered me so much. in conclusion, if i met martin, i probably would've punched him-. stolen is a bit confusing when you read it because the setting out is much more different than any other piece I've seen before (i sound like I have a PhD in english and i know what im talking about) but it is so moving to me. watch my friends read my post and make fun of me for almost crying. semester 2 is going to be a comparative writing pieces between jane austen's persuasion (50 words and we get absolutely nowhere ugh) and crazy rich asians (yes the movie, finally we can stop reading).
accounting 1/2:have absolutely no idea what to pick as a sixth subject when your school makes you pick six? i picked spesh, but if you want an "easy" subject, go for accounting. it's very straightforward with hardly any theory (plus if you go to the same school as i do, there's only one teacher and he is amazing). quick topic rundown:
basic book-keeping: 10, anyone can do this with their eyes closed, seriously
adding GST: 10, again, nothing too different from the basics
bank reconciliations: 8, slightly confusing at first but easy after
accounts receivable + accounts payable: 8, also confusing at first but it gets better
classifying reports: 9, a bit boring but again, not the hard to get
KPI's: 7, a bit complicated, again, it becomes a breeze once you know how to do it
breakeven (cont. semester 2): 8.5, much more different than the previous accounting exercises, but not a difficult concept
for some people, accounting is incredibly boring and it becomes frustrating if you can't complete the balance sheet at the end (trust me it's so satisfying if you can do it on your first try) but if you really don't know what to do, try and give accounting a go
anyways, i hope you and your loved ones are doing well. please stay safe and hydrated <33