Post by: kauac on January 13, 2018, 06:42:40 pm
I am finally in my last year of school! Thought I might try this journal. (Also, so sorry if this is long!) As mentioned in my thread title, I really wish I could skip to the end of this year and go straight to university - it would sooooo much easier and wayyyy more fun.
About me:
- I am a pretty active person: fav sports are x-country running and netball
- I also enjoy playing piano, cooking and photography
- Favourite book: UAC Guide
School:
So pretty much, I go to a really, really and I mean really small private school. As in, there are currently a total of two people in my grade! To allow more subject choices, our school runs the compressed model - doing some of our HSC subjects in year 11, as well as year 12, so composite classes can be run. Here's a sort of schedule for my subjects over the two years:
2017
Adv Eng (prelim)
Maths 2U (prelim)
PDHPE (prelim & HSC)
Chem (prelim & HSC)
2018
Adv Eng (HSC)
Maths 2U (HSC)
Bio (prelim & HSC)
Food Tech (prelim, undecided whether I will drop it for HSC or keep it as a safety net)
I was really happy with my results for PDHPE and chem - they were pretty much what I expected them to be. It feels good to have them out of the way now, especially chem, as it was arguably my most important subject for uni.
Uni:
For years, I have had my heart set on becoming a dietician. My dream course is the B Nutrition and Dietetics (Hons) at UOW. The atar cutoff is 93, which I think could be achievable, but I will have to work really hard this year to keep my marks on track for this goal.
Also, thanks to the UAC guide, I have spent so much time perusing its pages that I turned my stable career path into about 10 other options! I guess I use this time to remind myself of why I need to work hard for the next year - it will all (hopefully) pay off at the end.
Not sure how regularly I will update.. (And sorry for the essay ;D)
See you around!
Post by: Natasha.97 on January 13, 2018, 07:31:45 pm
Hi, I am Katie...
I am finally in my last year of school! Thought I might try this journal. (Also, so sorry if this is long!) As mentioned in my thread title, I really wish I could skip to the end of this year and go straight to university - it would sooooo much easier and wayyyy more fun.
About me:
- I am a pretty active person: fav sports are x-country running and netball
- I also enjoy playing piano, cooking and photography
- Favourite book: UAC Guide
School:
So pretty much, I go to a really, really and I mean really small private school. As in, there are currently a total of two people in my grade! To allow more subject choices, our school runs the compressed model - doing some of our HSC subjects in year 11, as well as year 12, so composite classes can be run. Here's a sort of schedule for my subjects over the two years:
2017
Adv Eng (prelim)
Maths 2U (prelim)
PDHPE (prelim & HSC)
Chem (prelim & HSC)
2018
Adv Eng (HSC)
Maths 2U (HSC)
Bio (prelim & HSC)
Food Tech (prelim, undecided whether I will drop it for HSC or keep it as a safety net)
I was really happy with my results for PDHPE and chem - they were pretty much what I expected them to be. It feels good to have them out of the way now, especially chem, as it was arguably my most important subject for uni.
Uni:
For years, I have had my heart set on becoming a dietician. My dream course is the B Nutrition and Dietetics (Hons) at UOW. The atar cutoff is 93, which I think could be achievable, but I will have to work really hard this year to keep my marks on track for this goal.
Also, thanks to the UAC guide, I have spent so much time perusing its pages that I turned my stable career path into about 10 other options! I guess I use this time to remind myself of why I need to work hard for the next year - it will all (hopefully) pay off at the end.
Not sure how regularly I will update.. (And sorry for the essay ;D)
See you around!
Hi Katie, welcome to the journals :)
I also wish to become a dietician too! Not a lifelong dream but a recent one :D did you choose uon because of location or the shorter duration?
Post by: kauac on January 13, 2018, 08:18:31 pm
I also wish to become a dietician too! Not a lifelong dream but a recent one :D did you choose uon because of location or the shorter duration?
Yay! A fellow aspiring dietician! ;D I haven't come across many...
I really liked that the UOW course gives accreditation as an APD in the one degree. A bit different to the undergrad/masters program as it ends up being a year shorter. Also really liked the look of the campus and facilities.
Post by: Natasha.97 on January 13, 2018, 09:48:48 pm
Yay! A fellow aspiring dietician! ;D I haven't come across many...
I really liked that the UOW course gives accreditation as an APD in the one degree. A bit different to the undergrad/masters program as it ends up being a year shorter. Also really liked the look of the campus and facilities.
Neither have I :P
Aha whoops, I meant uow :3 seems like we’ll be finishing in the same year! I’m doing the UG —> M pathway :)
Post by: DoubleZo7 on January 14, 2018, 09:46:47 am
Post by: fantasticbeasts3 on January 14, 2018, 11:34:20 am
it's really exciting to see a new journal writer, and i'm so excited to read about your hsc journey! i was exactly the same with the uni thing - all i wanted in year 11 and 12 was to go to uni without doing the hsc. as cliche as this sounds, this year will fly, and before you know it, you'll be at uni. :-)
just out of curiosity, what made you want to be a dietitian? anyway, best of luck for the rest of this year, stay motivated, and you'll reach your goals!
Post by: kauac on January 14, 2018, 03:58:23 pm
what made you want to be a dietitian? anyway, best of luck for the rest of this year, stay motivated, and you'll reach your goals!
I have been interested in the health scene for a while, but I'm not good with gore! So it kind of just made sense to me to choose dietetics, as it combines my passion for food + physical activity, and it compliments the way I have been brought up.
Thanks! Hope uni goes well for you! ;D
What a wonderful goal! Since you're interested in diet and nutrition, perhaps you should research the McDougall diet. Watch Forks over Knives and What the Health on Netflix, and look up some of Dr McDougall's presentations on YouTube. It's really worthwhile and will change your whole perspective.
Sounds intriguing! I will check it out. :D
Post by: kauac on January 20, 2018, 08:04:30 pm
For the holidays, I made a conscious decision to limit my holiday school work load. I just needed to find a balance between relaxing + studying to put me in the right place for the start of term 1 - avoiding feeling burnt out and over-stressed. And I guess, doing the compressed model means I am actually only doing two HSC subjects this term, so I'm not going to feel like I am that behind from the holidays...
Anyways, with my extensive spare time, I think I have finally created a draft UAC preference list. :o (Yes, I know, I am super early hahaha)
1. B Nutrition & Dietetics - UOW
2. B Nutrition & Dietetics - UON
3. B Science (majors undecided) - USYD
4. B Nutrition Science - UOW
5. B Biotechnology (Medical) - UTS
I was kind of annoyed that they shortened the applications to 5 preferences last year - as narrowing it down to five courses is extremely difficult for me! I also added the biotechnology course as I thought it sounded really cool and futuristic (I didn't really look into it that much, and I'm not sure if there is many jobs outlooks for it outside of research...) Also interested to see how much I will end up changing the list as the year goes on - and whether I will have a career epiphany... (low-key always thought I'd really enjoy architecture because I liked using sketch-up and taking photos of buildings ;D)
On a HSC note, pretty nervous to get my marks back for my English AOS creative assessment. I put a ton of effort into it and I definitely think it was unique, but I wish I had a better understanding of the discovery concept when I wrote it. I have to wait the whole holidays for the marks. :(
Hope this will be remotely interesting to read - if not, it is a good progress reflection for me!
Post by: fantasticbeasts3 on January 20, 2018, 08:49:54 pm
first, good on you for trying to find the balance between school and holidays - this is probably your last real break (although who am i kidding, half yearlies were a killer and i took a break in the april holidays).
about the early UAC preferences, i was the same hahaha. i went through mine around march-ish and had a decent list by the end of april. on the subject of career epiphanies, you might have them because lots of people find something they really love unexpectedly.
as for your english marks, it's done and dusted now, and you'll know what to improve on when you get them back. don't be disheartened with a mark that mightn't be that great, because there's always room for improvement.
best of luck for the rest of this year!
Post by: kauac on January 20, 2018, 09:14:22 pm
as for your english marks, it's done and dusted now, and you'll know what to improve on when you get them back. don't be disheartened with a mark that mightn't be that great, because there's always room for improvement.
Hi....
Yeah, that's so true about the marks! English had been a bit shaky after having a sub teacher for most of term 4, but from the bit of revision I have done over the holidays, I've felt my understanding for the concept is a lot better! Plus my new English teacher has been super helpful! I'm excited to really push myself to improve in English this year!
Post by: kauac on February 04, 2018, 08:59:43 pm
I'm back again! First week of school done and dusted... I totally forgot that it was my last first day of school on Monday oops :'( ... This year is going to be full of 'lasts', so I have to make sure to remember them when they come haha. ;D As for the holidays, I am actually pretty satisfied with my relax + study balance. I felt like I had a pretty chill time, and I even managed to complete my list of holiday homework (some of it self-appointed), which was good! A quick recap of my subjects this week:
English: Got my creative writing assessment back! Pleasantly surprised with my results, but there is definitely heaps of room for improvement - might post in the marking section when I have tweaked it some more (and I have the guts to see what you guys think of it ;D). Also learnt some helpful tips in attacking past paper questions...
Maths: Things have been pretty sweet, just cruising through the chapter without any major issues... I have actually been really enjoying doing my maths homework haha. (Must be the satisfaction of getting tricky question right!)
Biology: Pretty intense, but we are getting through the content pretty quickly. On a side note, fiddling with my sister's camera has actually helped me in learning how the different types of microscopes work! Active procrastination at its finest. ;)
Food Tech: We learnt about microbial food spoilage...It's actually pretty interesting and goes hand-in-hand with our bio unit at the moment. Also spent 3 hrs whipping gelato custard over a stove for a gelato fundraiser this week! Fun! I think I earned a PhD in using a whisk!
I've actually been feeling strangely energised to do school work lately (hehe, we'll see how long that stays for!). I'll milk it while it lasts... ;D
Post by: kauac on February 18, 2018, 09:08:43 am
I haven't really written for a while because honestly not a lot has been happening lately (school-wise).
I am feeling a bit more confident with AOS for English. Especially short answers, as they were my biggest downfall last year in English. I am actually really enjoying editing my creative, it's just really time consuming.... And the essay, well, it's an essay. They tend to be fairlyyyy straight forward for me (most of the time). The annoying thing about English seems to be, there's always more you can work on, editing your writing, doing past papers, memorising quotes etc. As a perfectionist, it can be pretty hard to know when enough's enough, especially since I don't want to neglect my other subjects...But then I remind myself, two of my subjects are still prelim, Maths is going ok, and English will be the only subject guaranteed to go on my ATAR... So my concentration on English is somewhat justified...
Have a maths test on Tuesday...Not too worried about it because it only has a 10% weighting, but it is a bit of a milestone, because its my first HSC assessment for the subject (My maths teacher doesn't believe in doing a 4th term assessment, because apparently everyone never does well in it ;D). Anyways, I'll see how I feel about it after it's done.
It always seems like I have 20 periods of bio (actually have 10 a week), even though I'm really enjoying the subject... Perhaps because a lot of the content we are doing now I already covered last year in my biochemistry option for chem... Food Tech has been pretty interesting... I've decided that my only reason to drop it will be if I can't handle the workload of an extra subject, so I'll see how things go...
Ooh, and I had a 'last' photo day last week.
Spoiler
It was really funny because I didn't know we had a year 12 muck up photo until we got to school. So, because there are only two of us in year 12 (yep, mind-blowing!), we went into the principal's office and did a reverse role photo. Our teachers and principal pretended to be scared students, and we pretended to be the teachers and sat behind the desk and 'yelled' at them.
Hopefully the photo will turn out well!
Hopefully the photo will turn out well!
Post by: kauac on March 01, 2018, 05:36:56 pm
Last few weeks have been pretty hectic...
I cooked a lemon meringue pie for my Food Tech prac assessment yesterday! It didn't actually look too bad, especially since my practice one at home was a flop!
Also pretty surprised to get MotM!
My maths test went alright, and I am content with my mark... It was just one of those tests that threw you off a bit, no matter how little or how much you studied... Anyways, have been focusing more on English lately (I mean, when have I ever not put more a lot more time into English than necessary? ;D), and hoping to be able to have my polished creative done soon. I have actually been enjoying English a lot, lately. :)
The eternal struggle is trying to work out whether I like maths or english more (and which one I am better at)... Whenever I have a bad day in maths, it switches to English... Then switches back to Maths when English is just too confusing and overwhelming. This should be my goal for the rest of this year - work out which one I enjoy/ am better at. But knowing me, I will probably pick after doing each of their HSC exams, and then the results will be opposite to what I was expecting ;D.
Post by: kauac on March 14, 2018, 06:07:06 pm
A bit of a short one for today...
This term has gone pretty well so far, but I feel like its a bit of a 'calm before the storm' moments... ;D I just have a few more assessments to complete and a 4 exam coming up in week 10 and 11. I'm really hoping I will be able to smash them, because I have been/will continue to prepare for them vigorously - well, for Maths and English, at least.
Does anyone else have an 11 week term (because it seems really long, as Easter is in the middle of the term)?
In other news, I made it to 100 posts! I was going to post here for my 100th, but then forgot and accidentally made another post. :'( Oh well! ;D
On a side note,
Spoiler
I wonder if there is a way to change the name of this thread? When I orgiinally named it, I was trying to think of something cool and witty,
but ended up settling on what I have now, because I couldn't think of anything else.... It low-key looks like it's supposed to be in the university journey journal board ;D.
but ended up settling on what I have now, because I couldn't think of anything else.... It low-key looks like it's supposed to be in the university journey journal board ;D.
A few weeks done, closer to the HSC, closer to finishing. Mixed feelings, for now! ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on March 14, 2018, 09:25:01 pm
In other news, I made it to 100 posts! I was going to post here for my 100th, but then forgot and accidentally made another post. :'( Oh well! ;D
Congrats on 100 posts!! Definitely en route to win one of our end of year awards, you are such an awesome member of the community ;D
I can change the name of your thread, if you like? :)
Best of luck for exams!!
Post by: Joseph41 on March 23, 2018, 04:25:17 pm
Hi...
A bit of a short one for today...
This term has gone pretty well so far, but I feel like its a bit of a 'calm before the storm' moments... ;D I just have a few more assessments to complete and a 4 exam coming up in week 10 and 11. I'm really hoping I will be able to smash them, because I have been/will continue to prepare for them vigorously - well, for Maths and English, at least.
Does anyone else have an 11 week term (because it seems really long, as Easter is in the middle of the term)?
In other news, I made it to 100 posts! I was going to post here for my 100th, but then forgot and accidentally made another post. :'( Oh well! ;D
On a side note,SpoilerI wonder if there is a way to change the name of this thread? When I orgiinally named it, I was trying to think of something cool and witty,
but ended up settling on what I have now, because I couldn't think of anything else.... It low-key looks like it's supposed to be in the university journey journal board ;D.
A few weeks done, closer to the HSC, closer to finishing. Mixed feelings, for now! ;D
100 of the best! :)
Post by: kauac on March 25, 2018, 01:29:43 pm
This week has been a bit of a doozy...
Just been trying to juggle exam prep and my ADF gap year application proceedings...
I kept going from feeling chill, to stressed, and back to chill again, but now I think I have settled on feeling fairly normal (go figure).
My teacher ran a practice exam for the discovery creative in English last lesson, and it actually went surprisingly well. I hadn't really done any prep yet, but I managed to remember and finish my story in the time limit - with a decent mark too ;D. This has given me a bit more confidence in English for the upcoming exam (as sometimes it feels like you can study hours of English and literally get nowhere).
For maths, I have almost finished my formula notes. I have found making them really helpful in working out which formulas I need to memorise, all in the one place. Thanks to owidjaja for the inspiration!
So glad there are only a few weeks left of school... It's not that I feel burnt out or anything, I just get into some weird hyper-crazy moods towards this end of a term haha! :D
Post by: kauac on April 04, 2018, 03:57:36 pm
Half-way through my exams! Woooo!! ;D Honestly, I haven't been that stressed for them... I think I just have been in a good mind set lately and have a good routine going!
Had Maths on tuesday, which was surprisingly straighforward. I found a mistake in one of the multiple choice questions, so I got a free mark haha.
Food tech was today, and it was just as easy as well. It was only the prelim final exam, but it was good to finish another prelim subject...
Just have English Paper 1 on Friday, and Biology next Thursday (haven't started studying for haha). I feel pretty prepared for English... I did a full past paper in the Easter Break under exam conditions for the first time, and finished everything. I was pretty glad, because over the past couple of weeks, I had lost my confidence a bit in being able to write fast/neat enough.
Hoping the rest of my exams will go just as well (probs not likely for English, but one can dream ;D)... Then I have a nice holiday break to look forward to!
Post by: Joseph41 on April 04, 2018, 04:25:37 pm
Post by: kauac on April 12, 2018, 03:51:01 pm
Exams are overrrrrrr. I mean, technically the important ones finished last friday - because the bio exam today was only prelim... Katie's exam logic: prelim = less important, so she doesn't need to stress over it.
Anyways, I have most of my marks back (except for bio)... Food Tech was pretty mint, but then again, it was only prelim (and its pretty much my bludge subject shhhhhh ;D) Maths and English were both decent but not anything spectacular. My creative writing was my downfall in English - but it was the one that I have spent the most time preparing for RIP!
Here's to a few weeks of less intense school work (and making drastic changes to my creative haha)!
Post by: Opengangs on April 12, 2018, 08:10:52 pm
My creative writing was my downfall in English - but it was the one that I have spent the most time preparing for RIP!Relatable haha!! Except it was for Module B ;w; the 2017 question for Eliot was horrendous because they chose "Journey of the Magi" (ew)
Enjoy the holidays! (damn all you high schoolers; still have 6 weeks until some break ;~;)
Post by: kauac on May 03, 2018, 08:01:56 pm
So it's been a while... Holidays were pretty intense (in a good way) as I was away a lot...I went to a conference in Katoomba for one weekend, and then my duke of ed hike was in the second week of the holidays... The hike was really fun! We went to a place called Newnes, which is an old coal mining town. In addition to the strenuous hours of walking duke of ed requires, we visited a glow worm tunnel, historic ruins, and a cool abandoned property (which we didn't realise was private property until we left it, oops! ;D)
I did manage to get a bit of study done - I structured my notes for bio and food tech - a real time saver. Did a bit of English, finished my AOS notes, a little maths. Nothing too consuming... Kinda didn't get around to my creative though, but I have a few ideas brewing.
This week has been pretty hectic! I got my bio prelim exam back, and super happy with that. We started the HSC component for bio and food tech, and I am really enjoying bio atm! On Wednesday, our food tech class went to Sydney tower buffet for a tour and a meal - as we are learning about the Australian Food Industry. It was super fun, and the food was pretty cool! I even got to try an oyster (and it was actually pretty ok :)). Today I had my assessment day for ADF. It has been a long day - I got up at 5am to catch train, didn't get home til 5.30pm rip! I think it went well - the interviewer recommended me for the next stage, just have to send a few medical reports back before anything can progress.
So I actually haven't had that much time this week to do school work, but I am planning on catching up this weekend hopefully. Not too much stuff to do atm, just have a food tech assignment and an english listening task in a few weeks... Have been in a pretty good rhythm with balancing school work lately, so I don't want upset it back procrastinating too much haha. And of course, I want to use my less busy periods to brush up on my weaknesses (enter: the creative).
;D Keen for an early night, my brain and eyes are fading as I write this. Doei!
Post by: kauac on May 30, 2018, 06:53:06 pm
Feel like I haven't been on AN in ages!
I have been tracking pretty well lately, nothing major has happened recently...
English has been a bit funny lately, because it seems that the less I try, the better I do (classic sign of an over-thinker ;)). I would like to eventually see some improvement in my English marks, as they have been consistent since my first HSC assessment (just got marks back for my 3rd), but I need to remind myself that they are actually pretty good marks, and consistency can be a good thing. I have made some progress on my creative and am pumped to continue yet, however I haven't had as much time to spend on it as I would have liked...
Food tech is going alright (pretty straight-forwards, as usual). We made oreos yesterday to compare domestic vs industrial manufacture, and they are so moreish! Really loving the content for Bio lately, and I have developed an amazing ability to crank out bio research assessments. Maths is going well, almost finished all of the content. Have a test in a week and a bit, feeling pretty confident about it (but just hope I don't make too many silly mistakes - seems to be about 99% of where I lose my marks in a test).
In other news, I decided to withdraw my application for the ADF gap year. Because I wasn't able to get my first preference due to a medical condition, I came to the conclusion that I didn't want to take the other jobs away from those who would be really passionate for them (whilst they would have been a great opportunity). Keen for early applications for my preferred uni courses, but why does august seem like an eternity away??
And something really exciting: Have confirmed that my graduation trip will be to JAPAN for 2 weeks!! So excited for this, and I have been binge-watching Japan travel blogs!! Also, my school formal date was confirmed today, and it is the day after my last exam - food tech. I literally don't finish the exam until 5pm, and then have my formal in less than 24 hours! YAY! - but eek, cause its going to be very hectic!!
So yeah, a random bunch of my thoughts lately - hope what I have written actually makes sense!
Only 6 months till freedom! :)
Post by: kauac on June 16, 2018, 08:33:51 pm
School hasn't been too intense lately, which is good! I have finished most of my assessments for this term, except for an English speech and a bio prac. I am hoping to use the next few weeks to focus on revising content and other specific areas i.e. creative writing for English.
I thought I was making progress again with creative writing, as I had come up with a whole new story, but then, my teacher didn't think it would work. So, it's back to the start again. Funny thing is, it's not that I am that bad at creative writing. In fact, I would consider myself a very creative person (it's probably hard to believe by my subject choice, but I'm a hardcore perfectionist, so any major works would have been problematic). I think the issue for me is coming up with a good plot, and science fiction is not helping the process (even though it's my fav genre to read). So my teacher has just asked me to change genres :'(. I'm just hoping that the next one I write will be a) not cheesy, b) 'knock-your-socks-off' worthy, and c) the one I will be able to use for the rest of the year.
Enough about creative writing, really happy about my recent maths test. It was just a topic test for trig and exponential/logarithmic functions, but I wasn't expecting the mark I got, so it was a lovely surprise! Brings my average up to where I would like it to be heading into trials (and hopefully I can maintain this). But best of all, my maths average is finally > my english average, reflecting how confident I feel in each subject.
Bio is going well, I have found the latter half of the genetics topic really interesting! For my research assignment, I turned Watson, Crick, Franklin and Wilkins into the Fantastic Four, for some random reason. I have this weird knack for making analogies for bio, but it actually really helps me to remember things. I think I should definitely do this more often, since bio can be a bit of a content dump at times!
Food tech is, well food tech. I enjoy it, and getting to cook something each week is a nice break from the rest of my subjects. I don't spend too much time on it, as the content is pretty self-explanatory. Though, I probably do need to start doing more practice questions - and write my study notes for Food Manufacture.
Keen for monday, as our class is running 'Cultural Day' at school, where we are selling lunch orders from different cuisines, and also dressing up in traditional costumes - I'm wearing a kimono. Our class will be going on a cultural trip in the july holidays to Vanuatu, so the day will be raising money for some of the local schools we will be visiting. The trip is 5 days long, with about a day on either side including travel, but's its in the last week, right before school starts. Although it takes up a big chunk of the holidays, I'm not too worried that I won't be able to study as much. I still have the other two weeks for my four subjects, and my trials should be spaced apart. Maths and english will be first, as they are not compressed, then the other two. Anyways, it hasn't really sunk in that I am going yet, but I know it will be an awesome time! And it will be a good (but intense) week to rejuvenate before the chaos of term 3 & beyond.
Post by: kauac on June 26, 2018, 09:02:59 pm
School has been pretty basic, and I just went to an UOW info session, so I have given myself the rest of the night off. :)
At the session, I was fortunate enough to be able to have a good chat with a fourth-year student doing the exact degree I am aiming for (B Nutrition & Dietetics), so it was great to hear some insight into this particular degree, instead of generic info from a careers rep. Definitely will apply for early entry, as I don't want to take any risks - and I mean, who doesn't love early relief? ;D On a side note, I went to USYD for the first time last week for an ETA English day, so it was good to scope the place out. Though one thing that annoyed me was that the benches in the lecture rooms (chemistry and 1 other building I can't remember the name of) were really far away from the seats and I had to really stretch to be able to write! Not sure if I could survive 5 years worth of those lecture rooms :o (as an alternative course).
Keen for the ATAR notes lectures in the holidays! Definitely going for english and bio, not sure about maths yet (gotta check the dates). Trying to convince some others in my class to go, but they are not very interested, oops.
A random fact I found out last week: HSC results release day will be my last day in Japan, and ATAR results release will be when I am literally on the plane on the way back. Not sure if I will look at these straight away, I would rather have a chilled end to my holiday :) - and of course, I want a day in between finding out each, so I can fiddle with ATAR calculators to my heart's content. :)
Post by: kauac on July 16, 2018, 11:12:10 am
Holidays have been pretty neat so far!
1 week in, and I am actually surprised at how much I have achieved! Have written a few english essays, my mod b notes, revised my other english notes, have done maths past papers, a bio past paper, and worked on my food tech assignment, which btw, has been a real pain! Its due early next term, on food product development, but we had go through the whole design process, including multiple surveys, making three different pie recipes with sensory evaluations, before optimising the product and then having an in class practical the make it again! I'm glad this is the last food tech assignment (except the trial, of course), as I find the practical assessments slightly stressful! I mean, they are pretty fun, (but tedious).
I have been trying to pace myself in the holidays though... Have a good routine where I do all of my school work in the mornings and then relax in the afternoons, so it doesn't feel like each day is clogged up with studying. In my spare time, I also found a formal dress, which is pretty exciting. Though I must say, its kind of sad that the formal shop industry is dying from all of these online stores! I always prefer to try something on before I buy it, so I honestly don't understand how people can just buy their formal dress online haha.
Also got my mod b speech back at the end of last term, and I am really, really happy with my results. :) I kinda knew that I would do better in this assessment than my others because I'm pretty practiced in speeches/performing, so glad that my marks reflected my confidence towards it.
Finally, less than one week count down until I leave for Vanuatu. ;D We were given the itinerary at the end of last term, and it's actually pretty cool. We will be visiting some local schools and villages, a hospital, a Bible translator, as well as doing a bit of sight seeing too! I actually mostly packed already, so feeling pretty prepared and pumped to go! So keen to have like a whole week where I don't have to think about schoolwork at all!
Will be at the lectures tomorrow! Though, no one knows what I look like, so I will be there incognito. ;D
Post by: kauac on July 20, 2018, 08:41:44 pm
It's come to that time - my flight is in less than 24 hours!! Still feels pretty surreal to be going, so I think I will get a bit of a shock when I arrive haha - in the middle of the night!
I am actually really proud of myself for knuckling done this holidays to do some of the study tasks I have put off for ages. Really happy with how my creative is tracking... Especially with some lovely positive feedback from my friend who was a 4 unit English student last year! :) All my notes are up to date and even managed some past papers for each of my subjects. Now I won't have to feel a single inch of guilt for not studying for entire week, since I have already worked so hard. ;D
I went to the ATAR Notes lectures on Tuesday, and was a pretty sweet day! Didn't even get lost getting to UTS from central, which is astounding, considering my sense of direction ( I will definitely be getting 'Lost in Japan' in a few months hahaha). Loved the interactive marking that Emily did, and it was cool to hear the study methods from someone who topped the state. Naomi had some great insight onto the tricky parts of Bio, and had some nice revision for Malaria - which is lovely, considering I am going to a country that is full of it!! :o A bit disappointed I didn't have time to get to Jamon's Maths lecture, I'm sure it would have been bomb!
So that's it for me tonight. I won't be around the forums for a while - definitely will have no wifi while I'm there. For those of you who have school next week, and if your trials start next week, I am deeply sorry! I will send you all some chill island vibes from Vanuatu. ;D
Post by: kauac on August 04, 2018, 11:20:25 am
Back from Vanuatu, launched straight back into the hectic course of term 3! I officially got back last Saturday, but haven't been on the forums really much since... Had a bit of reverse culture shock coming back to Australia, and I needed to get my act together for school!
Was such a wonderful experience for the short time we were there! I learned so much about the Ni-Van culture and everyone was so friendly and easy to talk to! One thing I loved about being there was that it was probably one of the only places in the world where you can visit as foreigners, but the locals treat you like family. :) It probably also helped that we lived like the locals - more than just your typical 'tourists' haha. It was pretty freeing travelling on the back of a truck everywhere we went - the locals would always smile and wave to us (yes, no seatbelts and basically no road rules in Vanuatu ahahaha!)
I've really been missing the sense of community, and the simple, yet fulfilling lifestyle they have. Makes me wonder a lot of my own concerns are really not important in the scheme of life...
Anyways, my trials are not until week six. :o So, I still have plenty of time to prepare, though I still have a few assessments for my compressed courses due before then... I am not too concerned about anything at this stage, (we'll see about that when I get closer to trials haha), as long as I keep consistently on my game in revising. I also have to be super careful on the forums ATM, cause I am pretty sure we will be using the CSSA papers, but after the official CSSA trial period, so I don't want to accidentally come across any info from the exams!!
Also, super pumped for university-related stuff! I've already submitted my UAC application. I actually put USYD's B Science/M Nutrition & Dietetics on my preference list, (even though the ATAR was previously 97) because the 2018 UAC guide showed they still let people in under the cut-off - around 92, from memory. And I will hopefully be accepted for the Future Leaders Scheme as well. So, I do have a chance, which is nice. :D
I have started my UOW early admission application, which opened on the same day as UAC, but I have been chasing some biology marks. It's pretty annoying, because I haven't received any results back from HSC biology, even though I did two assessments last term. So I basically have no idea how I am tracking in the subject at ALL, 4 weeks out from trials - eek! Anyways, hoping to get that application done soon, well-before the cut-off date. Also not sure whether I should apply for scholarships now, as I will likely be taking a gap year - or whether I should wait until just before I start at the end of the gap year? I'll have to look further into it.
So yeah, a mixture of hype from Vanuatu and uni stuff, and a bit of anticipation leading up to trials. Oh, and of course, some nostalgia as my last term of school goes by. ;D
Post by: PhoenixxFire on August 04, 2018, 01:16:27 pm
Quote
Also not sure whether I should apply for scholarships now, as I will likely be taking a gap year - or whether I should wait until just before I start at the end of the gap year? I'll have to look further into it.There are a lot of scholarships that can be deferred if you take a gap year, but also some that can’t so definitely take a look at the terms and conditions for the scholarships you want to apply for.
Post by: kauac on August 04, 2018, 04:57:43 pm
There are a lot of scholarships that can be deferred if you take a gap year, but also some that can’t so definitely take a look at the terms and conditions for the scholarships you want to apply for.
Ah, ok! Thanks for clarifying. Will definitely have a thorough look back at the requirements when I have finished juggling my other applications. :)
Post by: kauac on September 09, 2018, 11:15:31 am
Haven't really updated here in a while, as things have been pretty hectic with trials and all, and I was half scared I would accidentally come across discussion about the trial papers I would have (when I hadn't sat mine yet). Yeah, so long that I got the 30-day warning before I posted this.
So here's where I am up to at the moment: I have done all of my trial exams bar paper 2, which is tomorrow. My school did our trials late so we could get through all of the content for compressed. The english exams were not first because they catered our timetable to the days where we normally would have the subjects....
How did I think I went?
- Bio: um, felt pretty confident before/after the exam. Thinking that I might have scraped something in the 90s. But then, my teacher just randomly came up to me and announced that I had gotten 95%. Super duper stoked for that, and so surprised that I couldn't stop laughing for ages.
- Maths: hmmmm, it was pretty bad. I haven't got my marks back yet, but I know I did pretty atrociously. As my teacher handed out the paper in the exam, they admitted that it was probably a bit too long, but then declared that we needed ' a challenge'. I'm not too worried about the mark, because I know that my average for past papers is a lot higher than what it will be (thus, I know I will do better in the actual HSC). It just kinda bugs me why they set the difficulty for trials so much higher than the actual HSC, because it really shakes everyone up.
- Food Tech: It was fairly okay...the multiple choice was a bit poorly written, and the short answer section was longer than HSC past papers. I still think I performed pretty reasonably, though I find in food tech that I always do better than I expect.... We'll see.
- English P1: Um, I actually think I did pretty well in this! My half-yearly results (a P1 exam) were pretty decent, except for my creative. But my creative has improved so much since then, and I felt really confident in the other sections too, so fingers-crossed for a pleasant mark.
- English P2: That's tomorrow! Feeling decently prepared, but not too sure. I lost a lot of confidence a few weeks back when I received some pretty critical and contradictory feedback... But slowly have been regaining it. I am paranoid in the trial and/or HSC exam that they will change the text type and make us write a feature article or something, instead of an essay, since its the last year for this syllabus. Hoping the exam writers will be nice to us, though.
Enough about thinking about trials, though... I booked a UOW early admission interview, so pretty keen (but nervous) for that! I'm just hoping they won't be too critical about my maths marks (they were decent before trials, but not sure about after haha). I applied for two different degrees that were very similar to each other, and at first, I thought they were going to make me do an interview for each of them, which would have been pretty tedious. But when I logged into my admissions account, it said I could do them together, which makes things a lot nicer!
Also, I have an interview for a gap year program this week, too. It seems I am pretty adamant on taking a gap year, but whatever I do next year, I just want to make the most of it, and not regret my decision. Classic Katie: the over-analyser.
Post by: kauac on September 12, 2018, 04:37:06 pm
Trials: DONE.
A little about Paper 2: So, so glad they didn't specify a speech for Module B. Like, I had prepared and all, but it would have taken me so much longer to write that essay... I really liked the Mod C question, but the Mod A was a bit of a curveball, and the question was super duper weird. Also low-key disappointed they didn't ask for two related texts for Mod C, as I found some really intriguing comparisons between the three texts when I was revising the module.
I have gotten back all of my marks except for English (which is tomorrow!). I always find teachers are so much quicker to mark exams than assignments haha. Maths was pretty much as bad as I had expected... Food tech was nice, happy with that. Just would have rather waited a bit longer for my English marks because I don't want to get my hopes up and then be disappointed.
Oh yeah, and that interview I was supposed to go to this week was rescheduled... Don't mind really, means I can have some more time to relax. Haven't done any study outside of school this week, just trying to rejuvenate some energy and motivation. For leisure, I did start learning some Japanese. Pretty basic stuff - I have been learning Hiragana, and now have all the vowels memorised and learning the other sounds... I tend to be someone who thrives on active relaxation. ;D
Post by: jamonwindeyer on September 12, 2018, 06:24:02 pm
Post by: kauac on September 12, 2018, 06:35:43 pm
Noiiiice Kauac!! Sounds like things are going pretty well overall, so cool that you are learning Japanese, definitely a great call to try and recharge the battery. Let us know if we can be of any help with Maths or anything else
Thanks Jamon! For sure. :)
Post by: kauac on September 15, 2018, 11:41:25 am
English always surprises me because I never do how I expect. I thought I had done way better in Paper 1 than 2, but turns out, it was actually the other way around. Paper 2 was astonishing good, and it was funny, because I procrastinated so hard leading up to the exam, and I was super tired on the actual day. My teacher was joking around before the exam saying that I my essays would be really good - because I have this tendency that I do better when I don't try as hard. And she was right, haha! There was actually a 10% difference between my two marks.
Paper 1 was alright, but definitely room for improvement. But because of the mark allocation for each paper, my overall mark was pretty decent! And the spooky thing is, my half-yearly exam, overall trial exam, and overall assessment mark for English was the exact same. Hopefully that isn't a bad thing that I haven't "improved", but hey, consistency is key, right?
Feeling pretty good about English now. And when I started doing a past paper for maths, it was pretty refreshing compared to my trial haha. I felt like actually knew what I was doing haha. I still like to joke with my maths teacher about my trials mark, saying that's why I am doing 12 units. ;D Still in a bit of a post-trials utopia, which probably isn't great, because I don't have much motivation to study, whoops!
Post by: clovvy on September 15, 2018, 10:41:30 pm
So, got my English marks back!Oddly enough this happens to me too lol.... it is frustrating though when you care about it a lot but then it didn't go well... and if you don't care too much and just do merely what you need you somehow did a lot better than expected (it's weird but I am seeing this pattern as well this year)
English always surprises me because I never do how I expect. I thought I had done way better in Paper 1 than 2, but turns out, it was actually the other way around. Paper 2 was astonishing good, and it was funny, because I procrastinated so hard leading up to the exam, and I was super tired on the actual day. My teacher was joking around before the exam saying that I my essays would be really good - because I have this tendency that I do better when I don't try as hard. And she was right, haha! There was actually a 10% difference between my two marks.
Paper 1 was alright, but definitely room for improvement. But because of the mark allocation for each paper, my overall mark was pretty decent! And the spooky thing is, my half-yearly exam, overall trial exam, and overall assessment mark for English was the exact same. Hopefully that isn't a bad thing that I haven't "improved", but hey, consistency is key, right?
Feeling pretty good about English now. And when I started doing a past paper for maths, it was pretty refreshing compared to my trial haha. I felt like actually knew what I was doing haha. I still like to joke with my maths teacher about my trials mark, saying that's why I am doing 12 units. ;D Still in a bit of a post-trials utopia, which probably isn't great, because I don't have much motivation to study, whoops!
BTW back then I used to attempt learning japanese too but I procrastinated too much back in the day so haven't pick up too much (however I remember all of hiragana and most of katakana and a few kanji words... but only using them for really basic stuff or for cursing lol)
Post by: kauac on September 16, 2018, 09:26:46 am
Oddly enough this happens to me too lol.... it is frustrating though when you care about it a lot but then it didn't go well... and if you don't care too much and just do merely what you need you somehow did a lot better than expected (it's weird but I am seeing this pattern as well this year)
Yeah I think it must be a thing for science/maths minded people when we do English haha!
BTW back then I used to attempt learning japanese too but I procrastinated too much back in the day so haven't pick up too much (however I remember all of hiragana and most of katakana and a few kanji words... but only using them for really basic stuff or for cursing lol)
Nice! You probably still know much more than me - I am still trying to remember my a-u, ka-ku, and sa-su in hiragana. But I was so excited when I learnt how to write "sushi" haha.
Post by: kauac on September 22, 2018, 03:16:06 pm
I have had a pretty basic week, and liking how chill studying has been since the trials have finished. Cranked out some Mod B essays because there a gazillion combinations I could be asked for the speeches, and glad that my teacher thinks they are going well. Also made a point of telling my maths teacher what I am now scoring in past papers, to prove that the mark I got in trials did not reflect what I am likely to get in the HSC haha.
Just wanted to make a point out of the fact that there is ONE WEEK LEFT OF SCHOOL! Like, I have been looking forward to this moment all of this year, and then suddenly, as it approaches, I'm getting all sentimental, and now I don't want to leave. It's not even because of the HSC exams, I just don't think I am ready to give something up that has been a major part of my routine for 13 years. I guess I'm just a bit of a wimp when it comes to change haha. ;D
Post by: clovvy on September 22, 2018, 08:04:21 pm
Hi...I am certain that you are not the only one who felt this way.. I do too... Not because I miss the school or being together with schoolmates, simply because sometimes I felt that I am not ready to get out to the real world just yet..
I have had a pretty basic week, and liking how chill studying has been since the trials have finished. Cranked out some Mod B essays because there a gazillion combinations I could be asked for the speeches, and glad that my teacher thinks they are going well. Also made a point of telling my maths teacher what I am now scoring in past papers, to prove that the mark I got in trials did not reflect what I am likely to get in the HSC haha.
Just wanted to make a point out of the fact that there is ONE WEEK LEFT OF SCHOOL! Like, I have been looking forward to this moment all of this year, and then suddenly, as it approaches, I'm getting all sentimental, and now I don't want to leave. It's not even because of the HSC exams, I just don't think I am ready to give something up that has been a major part of my routine for 13 years. I guess I'm just a bit of a wimp when it comes to change haha. ;D
Post by: kauac on October 01, 2018, 01:01:49 pm
At the moment, feeling pretty happy with how I am tracking. 0% stressed, which is pretty good, considering I used to be a 'stress head'! Honestly, I kinda would have liked to get the exams over and done with while I still had everything fresh in my memory from trials, but I guess these last remaining weeks I can use to fix my errors/weaknesses.
Last week turned out to be pretty spectacular! On Tuesday, I had my last ever athletics competition (at least for school-aged competitions), so that was fun! My times were pretty good for this season, though I have always said that my improvement in cross-country is because I developed more slow twitch fibres, so that's why my athletics times (using fast-twitch) have not been as good as when I was younger! A little PDHPE for y'all, soz! Also I looked up some photos from the day, and I am basically the most un-photogenic runner ever, haha. ;D
Anyways, Thursday was awesome! We had planned a little party for recess with year 11 and some of the teachers, so there was some good food and games. Then my old PDHPE teacher spontaneously invited us to go to a high ropes park with 9/10 PASS, which we immediately accepted (over biology revision, oops!). I was in my normal school uniform, so I raced home and back to change into the sports uniform - without signing out.
With the whole 'parent permission' thing for excursions, my parents wouldn't respond to my phone calls. So I didn't actually end up getting permission from my parents until after I had done the safety course, right before I was about to climb up for the first real course - a bit late!! In that sense, I officially wagged school on my second last day. ;D But the afternoon was so fun, completed the three hardest courses and the zip lines were insane!
Last day was nice, I helped with the invitations for my formal in English. In the afternoon, we had a whole school assembly, so I worked the coffee machine for that. We had a little send off at the end, but nothing official, because we have to come back next term after exams to run a whole assembly, fun!
So that's been my week and a bit! I have a UOW interview this week, just hoping I will do well enough to be accepted! It would be such a relief (yet would not help my procrastination levels in any sort of way). Trying to keep a good balance of studying, exercise, family, and a little bit of fun times these 'holidays'. The last thing I would want is to burn out just before my exams!
Well, we are only a few kilometres off finishing this massive, 2-year-long marathon!
(And I've just realised how many exclamation marks I have used in this post! ;D).
Post by: kauac on October 05, 2018, 09:06:33 pm
So a few things have happened over the last few days:
1. UOW Early Admission Interview:
Spoiler
I had a nice little (actually quite big, though) roadtrip to Wollongong. I had been to campus once before, so it was nice to be back. I got to wear a groovy lanyard that kind of looked like a VIP pass, so I was impressed.
The interview itself was actually super quick! Like, I had read somewhere that it would only be 10 - 15 minutes. But after I came out, it felt like it was only 8 minutes max. Anyways, it went pretty smoothly and the questions were super basic. The interviewers were two ladies: one an academic, one a faculty staff, I think? Makes sense, since, the proportion of dietitians who are female is something staggering like 95%. I was surprised they didn't even ask why I wanted to study at UOW. The question I did not anticipate was "What are your thoughts on chemistry being a major part of this degree?", so I continued to talk about how chemistry has been my favourite subject and I really enjoyed doing the biochemistry option. They said they were really impressed with my chemistry HSC results, so that's a bonus!
So yeah, a bit unsure about if I will get the offer, because even though I seemed to present pretty well, I'm guessing they only give out very few offers because the degree is so small (50 people, I remember reading), and it is an unconditional offer. We'll see in a week and a bit's time.
The interview itself was actually super quick! Like, I had read somewhere that it would only be 10 - 15 minutes. But after I came out, it felt like it was only 8 minutes max. Anyways, it went pretty smoothly and the questions were super basic. The interviewers were two ladies: one an academic, one a faculty staff, I think? Makes sense, since, the proportion of dietitians who are female is something staggering like 95%. I was surprised they didn't even ask why I wanted to study at UOW. The question I did not anticipate was "What are your thoughts on chemistry being a major part of this degree?", so I continued to talk about how chemistry has been my favourite subject and I really enjoyed doing the biochemistry option. They said they were really impressed with my chemistry HSC results, so that's a bonus!
So yeah, a bit unsure about if I will get the offer, because even though I seemed to present pretty well, I'm guessing they only give out very few offers because the degree is so small (50 people, I remember reading), and it is an unconditional offer. We'll see in a week and a bit's time.
2. Saw a dietician today:
Spoiler
Not for me personally, but my Dad was referred to one for his health issues, so I jumped at the offer of tagging along. But literally the first thing she said to me after I said I was applying for dietetics at uni was: "I WILL TRY AND CONVINCE YOU NOT TO BECOME A DIETICIAN!" She wasn't actually yelling, I am just conveying a bit of my emotions towards the comment.
Her reasoning was that there wasn't a lot of jobs for just-graduated dieticians, but, imo, it is a health occupation that is growing exponentially in demand and jobs available - so many people have reassured me with this. And once I have graduated, I will be a young professional with no commitments, and willing to travel wherever I need in Australia (and overseas, if necessary) to score that first job. So despite being slightly salty, it hasn't really impacted my thoughts on my career.
Now to my thoughts on the actual consultation: It was a private practice, and the room had an interesting set-up. Some comfy arm chairs, her personal desk, a set of scales, a thing to measure height, a cabinet and bookshelf: one layer recipe books and one layer biological textbooks and encyclopedias. The purpose of the cabinet was revealed when she spontaneously retrieved a packaging of a food product that we were talking about. A cabinet full of used food packaging, just for the sake of the packaging - THAT is SOOOO me on every level! ;D
What she did was basically took my Dad's medical history, discussed what my Dad was currently eating, gave a meal plan and suggested meals hand-out, and then explained the chemical point of view of some of the nutrients. She was super in-depth and I actually learnt a lot of new things just from the one hour we were there. I could definitely see myself doing something similar in the future. So yeah, overall, an insightful experience!
Her reasoning was that there wasn't a lot of jobs for just-graduated dieticians, but, imo, it is a health occupation that is growing exponentially in demand and jobs available - so many people have reassured me with this. And once I have graduated, I will be a young professional with no commitments, and willing to travel wherever I need in Australia (and overseas, if necessary) to score that first job. So despite being slightly salty, it hasn't really impacted my thoughts on my career.
Now to my thoughts on the actual consultation: It was a private practice, and the room had an interesting set-up. Some comfy arm chairs, her personal desk, a set of scales, a thing to measure height, a cabinet and bookshelf: one layer recipe books and one layer biological textbooks and encyclopedias. The purpose of the cabinet was revealed when she spontaneously retrieved a packaging of a food product that we were talking about. A cabinet full of used food packaging, just for the sake of the packaging - THAT is SOOOO me on every level! ;D
What she did was basically took my Dad's medical history, discussed what my Dad was currently eating, gave a meal plan and suggested meals hand-out, and then explained the chemical point of view of some of the nutrients. She was super in-depth and I actually learnt a lot of new things just from the one hour we were there. I could definitely see myself doing something similar in the future. So yeah, overall, an insightful experience!
3. And finally, some study.
Spoiler
Meh. I have found it helpful sticking to a daily routine for when I have my breaks (probably in lieu of school), so I can help my brain distinguish when it is time to work, and when it is time to rest. So I normally do 8 hours each day, which I think is pretty decent, considering I only have 4 subjects. I feel that if I did anymore, I would likely burn out, so I'll stick with the 8. And despite going into these holidays thinking it would be the hardest, longest and most boring 2 weeks of my life, it hasn't turned out this way, which is miraculous!
I have cranked out so many English essays, and I feel now that I am adequately prepared for any module b question thrown at me. Maths past papers have been plentiful, and consistently ~10% higher results than before trials - not to mention about ~30% more than in my actual trial, itself, haha. I have been making some flashcards for bio, particularly the bits I find hard to remember, and doing the odd past paper. Haven't really touched food tech much, because I will have a whopping two whole weeks to study solely for it. And perhaps, the nerves for the exam, since I haven't studied much for it, will make sure I won't slack off in the last two weeks. Though I do expect to decrease my load significantly after I have finished the other exams, because: One cannot simply study food tech for 8 hours/ day for 2 weeks straight. ;D
On top of my study, I have been happy with my holiday balance: I have kept up my 30+ min/exercise each day, and sometimes, just sometimes, I forget about the impending exams. I had a bunch of fun playing tennis with my sister, and reminded myself of what a lousy server I am! ;D I'm also loving how much flexibility I can have in home study vs when I studied during the school term. Because I am a morning person, I finish up each night ~8pm, giving me plenty of time to chill, hang out with the fam, watch TV, and, of course, browse AN. :)
I think that's it for today. It feels good to release my random jumble of thoughts into a slightly-less jumbled written form. :D
I have cranked out so many English essays, and I feel now that I am adequately prepared for any module b question thrown at me. Maths past papers have been plentiful, and consistently ~10% higher results than before trials - not to mention about ~30% more than in my actual trial, itself, haha. I have been making some flashcards for bio, particularly the bits I find hard to remember, and doing the odd past paper. Haven't really touched food tech much, because I will have a whopping two whole weeks to study solely for it. And perhaps, the nerves for the exam, since I haven't studied much for it, will make sure I won't slack off in the last two weeks. Though I do expect to decrease my load significantly after I have finished the other exams, because: One cannot simply study food tech for 8 hours/ day for 2 weeks straight. ;D
On top of my study, I have been happy with my holiday balance: I have kept up my 30+ min/exercise each day, and sometimes, just sometimes, I forget about the impending exams. I had a bunch of fun playing tennis with my sister, and reminded myself of what a lousy server I am! ;D I'm also loving how much flexibility I can have in home study vs when I studied during the school term. Because I am a morning person, I finish up each night ~8pm, giving me plenty of time to chill, hang out with the fam, watch TV, and, of course, browse AN. :)
I think that's it for today. It feels good to release my random jumble of thoughts into a slightly-less jumbled written form. :D
Post by: kauac on October 12, 2018, 12:11:19 pm
I have managed to maintain my chill until, well, today. Perhaps because the exams are drawer closing, the reality of actually having to do them has set in. I know I am well prepared for the exams from a logical point of view, so I think its the little things that have made me a bit stressed. Like being able to write neat/fast enough in English. My hand is always tense in English exams, from nerves, so it makes writing legibly really difficult! I also did a pretty old past paper for Maths which rattled my confidence a bit. Eeek!
I just hope I can get out of this mindset. I know I shouldn't be scared about the exams, because I have already conquered two, and I know they weren't as scary as I thought. ;D I am really happy with how well I have prepared these holidays, and my hard work throughout the year has put in a great place in this final stretch. But still, today I have felt really uneasy.
Just needed to get some of these thoughts out to try and make myself feel more confident. :)
Post by: dcesaona on October 14, 2018, 12:22:16 pm
Hi...
I have managed to maintain my chill until, well, today. Perhaps because the exams are drawer closing, the reality of actually having to do them has set in. I know I am well prepared for the exams from a logical point of view, so I think its the little things that have made me a bit stressed. Like being able to write neat/fast enough in English. My hand is always tense in English exams, from nerves, so it makes writing legibly really difficult! I also did a pretty old past paper for Maths which rattled my confidence a bit. Eeek!
I just hope I can get out of this mindset. I know I shouldn't be scared about the exams, because I have already conquered two, and I know they weren't as scary as I thought. ;D I am really happy with how well I have prepared these holidays, and my hard work throughout the year has put in a great place in this final stretch. But still, today I have felt really uneasy.
Just needed to get some of these thoughts out to try and make myself feel more confident. :)
This is exactly how I feel! I basically had a mental breakdown last night because I'm terrified of the thought of having to actually sit these exams, but I did well in the trials and I have worked so hard. I did a discovery past paper yesterday from Sydney Boy's school, which was tricky as one might imagine, but was actually pleased with what I wrote! So I have no idea why I'm so scared!!!! I have 0 confidence in myself.
Post by: kauac on October 19, 2018, 02:28:33 pm
Just a quick update since I have a busy afternoon ahead of me.
English is forever done! "Never will I ever have to write an English essay again" - as my Mum reminded me after my exam. Glad to not have to think about for a while. I finished each exam with ~15 min to spare - normally only have around 5-10 minutes, so that was pretty good. Enough time to go through my intro's and conclusions, trying to resurrect my messy writing, rip! Adrenaline is unfortunately not very helpful, when trying to hold a pen. ;D
I'm not trying to reflect on the exams too much, because I will never find out where I went well/ not so well, and there is no point speculating...I don't think I did spectacularly, but good enough for what I need for uni.
Speaking of uni, got a lovely email Monday morning with an Early Offer for both B Nutrition & Dietetics and B Nutrition Science at UOW!
I wasn't too sure if I would get it, but it was a nice surprise - definitely gave me an extra confidence boost heading into the exams. Helped me slowly edge my way out of that fearful mindset I had previously.
So next is exam is Biology - Wednesday. Feeling super confident for that, especially since trials. Maths the day after, though - uggggh. I thought I was feeling ok for it, but it seems some of the English fear rubbed off on it, so will definitely be focusing on this in the coming days. And food tech is spectacularly a long time away. I did a bit of study for it in the holidays, but not too much. Not at all worried about it - 13 days is plenty of time for exceptional preparation for food tech (or exceptional preparation for this new subject, called 'Procrastination [2 units]' ) ;D
Post by: Maya24 on October 20, 2018, 11:48:24 am
Post by: kauac on October 20, 2018, 12:39:00 pm
Good luck for the rest of your exams!
Thanks! Hope your preparation for exams is going well. :)
Post by: kauac on October 24, 2018, 01:53:52 pm
Biology was this morning. Kinda got used to the two hour exams for English, so 3 hours definitely seemed like a long time! I had plenty of time to do the exam, and had about ~45 min to check over, which was good.
I'll just quote myself from the discussion thread for a record:
Spoiler
Quote
MC was definitely the hardest part of the exam imo, I definitely took a lot longer to complete them than I normally would in practice exams. Definitely think this was the section where I dropped the most marks.
SA: fairly nice, though I didn't like the question on co-dominance for the fur mammalians. It was difficult to interpret whether the question meant that the natural resistance resulted from the co-dominance (which is what I assumed) or not.
Option - Communication: Brilliant! Generally my strongest area as well, so not surprised. Especially liked part d), where we had to draw the diagrams of correcting myopia. I think I overwrote for part e) though, because I needed another booklet, but I think I addressed the question really well and in-depth, so that's that.
Overall: considering it was the last year of the current syllabus, NESA hasn't managed to do anything drastic for biology, so that's a positive. Just hoping I did enough to achieve the mark I am aiming for, considering my MC game was weak. :)
On a random note, the supervisors forgot to hand out the question booklet until reading time, oops! (The one with the MC and option questions).
And another: I was so eager to leave that I forgot my bag from the exam room. I started freaking out, and had to run from one side of the school to the other because I thought they would have already locked up, but thankfully, the supervisors were still in there. There wasn't actually anything important in my bag, because I didn't bring my phone or anything, but nevertheless, it was a good feeling being able to retrieve it anyway, haha. ;D
Maths is tomorrow: kinda not worried at this stage. I have all the knowledge and methods, just need to be able to apply that to the questions. - Something that you can't really study for as much, apart from looking at past papers. Really hoping they will nice to us with MC, as I am usually atrocious at it, lucky to get more than 5/10.
But then again, my expectations for maths are lower than that for bio/food tech, so of course I will probably feel that I didn't do as well as I did in bio. :) Keen to finish maths, because that's when the real fun begins. I think I might drop in at school every so often for food tech just to add a bit of variety to my study! I'm in a good mood, hopefully will be that way tomorrow after the exam! (No pressure Katie - just your whole HSC mark for mathematics depending on this one exam, because I am the only 2U student, ahahahaha ;D). Nah should be good - after all, that's why I do 12 units. :)
Post by: headsup on October 24, 2018, 02:04:47 pm
Good job with bio!!!!
ATVVVVB with maths and the other exams to follow!!!!!
Not long now ;)
Post by: kauac on October 24, 2018, 02:14:56 pm
Heyy!!!
Good job with bio!!!!
ATVVVVB with maths and the other exams to follow!!!!!
Not long now ;)
Thanks! Good luck for maths tomorrow too - we'll see whether the maths gods have been kindly to us poor HSC students haha.
Also, is it sad I had to look up that what that acronym means haha? I'm just a kid who doesn't get millennial talk. :)
Post by: Joseph41 on October 24, 2018, 02:33:24 pm
And another: I was so eager to leave that I forgot my bag from the exam room. I started freaking out, and had to run from one side of the school to the other because I thought they would have already locked up, but thankfully, the supervisors were still in there. There wasn't actually anything important in my bag, because I didn't bring my phone or anything, but nevertheless, it was a good feeling being able to retrieve it anyway, haha. ;D
Golly, I know this feeling well haha. Glad it all worked out for you.
Good luck for maths tomorrow!
Post by: kauac on October 25, 2018, 05:56:06 pm
How did I go: ugggh, it was like trials all over again. Like, there were so many questions where I knew mostly what I was doing, but couldn't get the full marks for it. The only better thing about it then trials was that I did have more time to check over my work (but potentially because I couldn't do as much for the harder questions :-[).
I am actually quite disappointed, but not in my own performance. I know I did the best that I could today. It just felt like a really hard test - harder than any of the HSC past papers I have done. Potentially could have been nerves that threw me, or it may actually have been a lot more difficult than previous years'. I just thought that I had a chance to achieve a decent mark in maths, but now I know that's not really likely.
Mostly scared I might get kicked out of early entry if my mark is as bad as I expect, since they can actually revoke the offer if your HSC marks are a lot lower than trials. Having said that, my trial mark was pretty terrible as well, so even if I did do as bad as trials, it would be a scaled mark, and thus,a lot higher.
A nice thing came out of the exam though... Once we had finished, and I was sorting through my extra writing booklets (3 extra, whoops!), the supervisor made a passing comment that they thought I was the smartest in the room (because I had used the 3 extra writing booklets, and didn't leave early ;D). As I was the only girl in the exam, I felt honoured to represent the minority of women conquering the male domination of STEM haha.
So, I mean, that's it for the intense week of HSC! It is smooth sailing from here - let's see how well I can study to smash Food tech to salvage my ATAR, yay! (Wow - that sounded really sarcastic, but it wasn't meant to be...) ;)
Post by: kauac on November 06, 2018, 04:29:27 pm
Definitely going to make sure I get into a good routine after this has finished, because I think I function better that way. Keen to get out and about heaps more too - do all of things that I wanted to do in these last few years, but had to decline, with the common phrase, 'I'm studying'. Been trying to get a second job (the one I have at the moment, get about 1 shift/week), so I applied for one place, and another place I was suppose to drop my resume into was closed when I went. I don't think I will get that first job, so will definitely make an effort to drop resume in at the second place.
All steam ahead for Japan, need to finalise itinerary (everything's booked, but need to work out what activities to do each day). I have been on a "chopstick diet" to try and improve my chopstick skills, since I have always been dreadful. It has seem to have payed off - though I still find banana hard to pick up because it is slippery when cut into pieces haha. Really keen to meet my friend in Kyushu, as I haven't seen her for years! Also just found out a few days ago that there are multiple active volcanoes on Kyushu, so that's fun! I wouldn't be complaining too much if flights got cancelled due to volcanic activity, because who wouldn't want to spend a couple more days in Japan, right? Also, really, really hope that it will snow when we are there! Unfortunately won't be going to the Northern island of Hokkaido, which is known to be one of the coldest parts of Japan, but I still have faith.
That's it for now! I don't think I will update for a few days at least, despite the milestone accomplishments, because things will get pretty hectic with formal and all. Oh, and thanks Poet for the shout out (if you are reading this :) ).
Post by: kauac on November 12, 2018, 04:23:39 pm
Predict what I am about to write? Yep, you're correct - I have finished HSC. ;)
Will definitely have some fun memories from my last exam, food tech. Since we had our exams at a different local school, there were only students from our school at the exam - which is what I expected. But considerately, the school had a lock-down during the middle of the exam :o! They never actually said it was a drill, so it could have actually been real, oops. But when the siren started going, we just looked at the supervisors and they had no idea what to do, so, we just continued to do the exam, pretending that there wasn't a massive siren blaring. At least it wasn't a fire evacuation - that would have been even more inconvenient! ;D
A little recap from the exam content itself:
Spoiler
Quote
So, the MC was a bit strange. Like some were dead easy, others were worded badly, others kind of missing the syllabus a bit. So reasonably difficult.
Short answer was lovely! I really liked the meal plan for active non-nutrients. The ethical advertising 6 marker was a bit difficult to interpret what they were asking for - so my examples were both health-related and non-health related for that. Suprising amount of 6 markers though - 5 overall.
Section III: Good! Questions on a food van at a music event were a bit unorthodox, but pretty straightforward, neverthelesss.
Section IV: Awesome! Got to talk about my Sanitarium case study, probably one of the easiest 15 marker questions I have seen. Did a similar practice response a few days beforehand so I was set!
Overall: A good one to finish.
Had a great time at my formal on Thursday! My sister drove me to the photos in my grandpa's convertible, which was fun. We only opened the roof up about 200m from the place, because I didn't want to mess up my hair haha. My friend who is training to be a florist made a corsage for me, and it was sooo pretty! Gosh, I have never worn that much makeup in my life before, but it was nice to dress up. Plenty of dancing and silly photo booth pics.
Things have been pretty chill since last week. I have a graduation assembly at school on Wednesday, so that will be officially the last time I have to wear my uniform. Have been pretty busy though, and my to-do lists are getting quite long. I don't mind the busyness though, because otherwise I would get really bored haha.
Post by: kauac on November 15, 2018, 01:33:56 pm
Officially got my offer for B Nutrition and Dietetics at UOW today!
Was freaking out last week because the early admissions people tried to contact me while I was out and I didn't hear my phone, and then when I called back, the office was closed. Turns out they just wanted to go through the details of accepting the offer, rather than that there had been a mistake for my offer or something, which was what I thought it was about. ;D
I was invited to the UOW Early Admission Congratulations Event (lol- a bit of a random event) that is tonight. As much as I would have loved to go, I don't think it was worth the total of 4hrs travel just for a 2hr event haha. And it was also designed for meeting people that you would be studying with next year, which is irrelevant to me now, because:
I am taking a gap year. :) No surprises there, I have been thinking about it doing a gap year most of this year, but I have officially found a program that will work for me. It's called Year 13, and it is a Christian discipleship program run by the Anglican Youthworks College. I will be studying a Diploma of Christian Studies, with a month-long mission trip to Fiji in July. So next year, my basic week will involve staying 1 night at campus for my classes, as well as ministry placements at my Church each week.
It will be a challenging but exciting year, and I am definitely looking forward to Fiji! Conveniently, it is sort of like a test run for what my uni experience would be like, since for uni, it is likely that I will be staying part time at Wollongong, part time at home (Sydney), to complete the degree. Definitely a less intense version of getting acquainted to "the uni life" though, since the diploma is obviously not as consuming as a bachelor's degree, and I only need to be on campus for two days a week (vs a potential 5 at Wollongong :o).
For the job scene, haven't been successful at getting a second job, yet. It's not crucial since I am still doing a little bit of work at my current job (salon assistant), but it would definitely be a big help for me at the moment.
Also had my graduation assembly yesterday. It was nice, I gave a devotions talk, my classmate ran a lip-synch battle, some classic small-school rituals like running through the human archway. ;D I also received the Long Tan Award, which I was pretty stoked about!
So yeah, an interesting few days. :)
Post by: fantasticbeasts3 on November 15, 2018, 01:57:28 pm
Post by: kauac on November 15, 2018, 02:14:15 pm
Congrats on the uni offer!!! That's so exciting :-) Hope the rest of your break is amazing!!
Thanks! It definitely has been amazing so far. :)
Post by: kauac on November 30, 2018, 12:47:27 pm
Just popped in to say a little goodbye (for two weeks) before heading off to Japan tonight. :)
A few things have passed since my last entry...I got my other early admission offer yesterday (B Nutrition Science UOW), so still working out how to deal with that. My birthday was on Sunday, so I had a cute mocktail and garden party on Saturday. Still don't feel 18 yet haha. Applied for a part-time job at my own school - that's was a bit of a weird experience!. It was a support staff position for food tech, so basically the ideal job for me.
Haven't decided whether I will look at my results while I am in Japan, or wait til I get home (results are released on my last day, atar comes out the day I get back). Might lurk AN if my data sim card works. Nevertheless, I am keen to get lost several times in incidentally the biggest and busiest city in the world!
- Katie
Post by: jazcstuart on November 30, 2018, 03:33:09 pm
Also happy birthday, and hope you have an awesome time in Japan!
Post by: kauac on December 14, 2018, 04:37:01 pm
Crongrats on both your offers!!! They sound fairly similar, what is the difference between them? Do you know which one you are leaning towards?
Also happy birthday, and hope you have an awesome time in Japan!
Thanks! :). The Nutrition & Dietetics is my preferred course (as it provides accreditation for becoming a dietitian in the one degree - rather than having to do an undergrad and post-grad).
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Wow, what a crazy few weeks have gone by!
For starters, Japan! (I won't write too much about this for the sake of boring any readers to death, but some highlights:)
- Disneyland
- Catching up with my friend who I haven't seen for over 2 years!
- Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine and the Golden Pavilion Temple - both really pretty spots to explore.
- Free hotsprings footbaths in Oita!
Just got back today, from an overnight flight. Very interesting: our flight was delayed for 3hrs, and we had to change planes after boarding the first one because the engines had problems. :o Flight didn't leave until 1.30am, but I am surprisingly not that tired (yet!!!)
And, of course, results & ATAR release. A little anecdote:
Spoiler
Though technically I could have looked at my results from 4am (due to time differences), I didn't look at my results until lunch time, when my sister convinced me. My hands were shaking as I logged into my email, and I checked the bands first. I was relieved to see 2 band 5's and 2 band 6's, as I had been dreading my Maths mark would fall under my band 5 goal. I knew instantly that bio and food tech were the 6's seeing as they had been my best subjects all year. But I was surprised that food tech was 94, and bio was 90, as I thought it may have been the other way around - due to scaling.
English I was really happy about, as an 88 was a lot higher than I was anticipating. Maths, 82 was a solid mark. A little higher than the band 5 minimum, so that was a nice finale. :)
English I was really happy about, as an 88 was a lot higher than I was anticipating. Maths, 82 was a solid mark. A little higher than the band 5 minimum, so that was a nice finale. :)
And I can finally confirm that according to these results, one would say that I am better at Maths than English, even though I prefer the former over the latter.
ATAR today! I didn't get out of the airport until about 1.30pm, so I ended up checking it in the car. But, before I even had a chance to do so, out of the blue, I got a call from USYD with an invitation to Dalyell Scholars. So was NOT expecting that hahaha, and also a little bit confusing, because I thought that this program was for like 98+ ATAR people, and no way would I have gotten that ATAR.
I finally checked UAC to find that I had received an ATAR of 95.75! (I worked out that the Dalyell invitation was due to my future leaders scheme nomination, as the ATAR needed for that was 95. This solved the mystery!) So I guess I will probably go to the USYD info day tomorrow for the Dalyell session. Too bad there aren't any bullet trains in Sydney - that would make the 1.5hr commute a lot faster. ;D
So, since all this USYD craziness, I still prefer the UOW course at this stage. But having the option to study at USYD, as a Sydney-sider, would be more convenient. So who knows what will be my final pick.
Post by: kauac on January 19, 2019, 05:28:33 pm
It's been a while, and I guess this shall be my last post in this HSC journey journal.
Officially got the B Sci / M Nutrition & Dietetics @ USYD in the first round offers. Never expected to get this at the start of the year, oh how the tides have changed! Which leaves me with decision of choosing between USYD & UOW - uggh! I hate making decisions, so good thing I have a year to think about it!
This year I begin my Year 13 gap year on the 4th of February - a little earlier than uni time. O-week constitutes a week-long camp at a conference centre. It will be pretty intense, with lots of extra classes and having to get to know 60 odd people, but I guess I like a challenge every now and then. I am pretty terrified about it though, as I get socially drained very easily, but hopefully it will be better than I expect.
I might start a gap year journal, if I am inclined. I would definitely have a lot of content to write about in the Fiji mission in July, but I don't know if I would have internet access there.
Nevertheless, I have run the HSC marathon, jumped over many hurdles, and made it to the end, being very proud of what I have achieved and learnt along the way. It seems that what looms ahead is a giant decathlon, as life becomes busy and pulls me in a dozen different directions.
[Insert squeaking of the PA system at the athletics centre]
Katie has passed the finish line and is signing off on her HSC Journey Journal. Please give a round of applause as she runs her victory lap. :)
Post by: katie,rinos on January 19, 2019, 08:25:49 pm
I would love to read your gap year journal if you make one! I have a few friends who did year 13 last year and it looked amazing!! ;D
Post by: kauac on January 21, 2019, 08:20:52 pm
Congrats on both of your offers!! :D
I would love to read your gap year journal if you make one! I have a few friends who did year 13 last year and it looked amazing!! ;D
Thanks Katie!
It's definitely going to be a massive but rewarding year, so having an outlet to write and reflect through may be a good idea. Stay tuned, I guess. :)