Post by: jamonwindeyer on March 14, 2019, 11:33:51 am
This Q+A is now closed!!
Welcome to Mikaela's Q+A!
(https://i.imgur.com/XBsbyVp.jpg)
Some things you might want to know about Mikaela:
- Achieved 6th in NSW for Studies of Relgion II
- Band 6's across a variety of subjects; MX1/MX2, English, Music 1 and of course SOR
- An insanely high ATAR of 99.80
- Currently studying Dentistry at USYD
Mikaela is also our Tutesmart Tutor for Studies of Religion. Want to be taught by a state ranker every week? Click here to learn more!
To ask a question...
1. If you haven't already, register for an ATAR Notes account by clicking here!
2. Scroll down to the Quick Reply window at the bottom of this page
3. Type your reply and click Post!
(https://i.imgur.com/x69g4zM.png)
Welcome to Mikaela's Q+A!
(https://i.imgur.com/XBsbyVp.jpg)
Some things you might want to know about Mikaela:
- Achieved 6th in NSW for Studies of Relgion II
- Band 6's across a variety of subjects; MX1/MX2, English, Music 1 and of course SOR
- An insanely high ATAR of 99.80
- Currently studying Dentistry at USYD
Mikaela is also our Tutesmart Tutor for Studies of Religion. Want to be taught by a state ranker every week? Click here to learn more!
To ask a question...
1. If you haven't already, register for an ATAR Notes account by clicking here!
2. Scroll down to the Quick Reply window at the bottom of this page
3. Type your reply and click Post!
(https://i.imgur.com/x69g4zM.png)
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 07:00:11 pm
Welcome to the Studies of Religion Q&A!
I'll be here for the next 2 hours so feel free to ask as many questions as you want :)
Comment away!
Post by: beatroot on March 26, 2019, 07:15:46 pm
You’ll probably get heaps of SOR questions so I’m just gonna ask this instead- what’s your favourite part about studying dentistry ? And what got you into it in the first place?
Post by: jamonwindeyer on March 26, 2019, 07:19:07 pm
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 07:23:13 pm
Hello Mikaela!
You’ll probably get heaps of SOR questions so I’m just gonna ask this instead- what’s your favourite part about studying dentistry ? And what got you into it in the first place?
Hey!
So as part of my degree I haven't actually completed any dentistry units yet. As I'm doing a combined science and dentistry degree, the first year is purely science but I am very excited to start dentistry! When I was in year 12, thinking of different career options, I wanted to do something that would have a direct impact on someone else's life. I realised that many people overlook the importance oral hygiene in maintaining good health (something most of us take for granted), so to be able to do something so small for someone else (i.e. clean their teeth), and make a positive impact on their life, will be really rewarding!
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 07:27:06 pm
If you had to pick one thing you did that got you a state rank in SOR, what would it be??
Be able to apply your knowledge BEYOND the syllabus! I made a conscious effort throughout year 12 to use plenty of contemporary examples that relate to the modern world. It's one thing being able to regurgitate information for SOR (as it is a very content heavy subject) but it's another thing to be able to put that knowledge into practice.
Plus ... plenty of references and quotes from sacred texts AND important people (the more the merrier I like to think for SOR!)
Post by: RuiAce on March 26, 2019, 07:35:56 pm
Not-serious question: Where do you said on the USyd/UNSW ‘rivalries’?
Post by: james_cam123 on March 26, 2019, 07:36:24 pm
1- Is there some secret to structuring sor essays? No matter what I try I can't get decent marks :(
2- How many bible verses per essay?
thank you! and congrats on such a great score!
Post by: angewina_naguen on March 26, 2019, 07:40:05 pm
Post by: queenbeesknees on March 26, 2019, 07:42:33 pm
I was just wondering how much work you normally put into SOR? I'm getting pretty good marks but not really putting too much time into it and I'm worried there's something I'm missing? Like, what do you do to study?
ALSO since you did Music do you have any performance tips? I'm doing all four performances and I'm dying...
Thank you for doing this Q+A!
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 07:50:10 pm
hello I have two questions!
1- Is there some secret to structuring sor essays? No matter what I try I can't get decent marks :(
2- How many bible verses per essay?
thank you! and congrats on such a great score!
Hey James!
1. I'll break down a bit on how I personally structured my SOR responses but I know plenty of people who structured their responses differently and received amazing results as well so it's important to try find a way that gets the information down succinctly and clearly!
- For an essay on Significant Person, I planned to do 1 paragraph = 1 contribution and/or impact (+ impact). I found this allowed me to structure my response in a way that did not confuse me and enabled the examiner to understand my different points. Another point is, at the end of each paragraph, I would always link it back to how the person's legacy remains today. (i.e. how did they influence the beliefs, teachings, practice of the present day religion).
- For an essay on Ethics I typically did intro paragraph, 1 paragraph on the ethical teachings of the religion and link in sacred texts/principal beliefs, then 1 paragraph = 1 Ethical issue. Within these ethical issue paragraphs (i.e. abortion, euthanasia, contraception, deforestation etc), I would clearly define the issue, state how it relates to an ethical teaching, and what the various denominations say about this issue. Using a variety of scripture references and also quotes from important people really help your essay stand out from the crowd as well as contrasting/comparing different denominational viewpoints (e.g. Orthodox vs Catholic vs Uniting)
- For an essay on practice, I typically did introduction, 1 paragraph explaining what it is (and how it expresses the beliefs of Christianity) and then focus on exploring the significance for individuals and the community !
Be sure however, that these are very general essay structures! SOR essay questions can be super broad or very specific so it's important to have essay PLANS (not essays) prepared for all the different options. The more practice you get writing these types of essays, the easier it becomes so don't worry if it's a bit daunting at first ;)
2. In terms of quotes, I typically did 2 quotes per paragraph, however some paragraphs used more and others less - again, it's going to depend on what your argument is and if that quote supports and extends your point! -- there's no point putting a quote in for the sake of putting a quote in, I'd always try link it back to my main argument :)
Hope this helps and good luck!
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 07:54:45 pm
Serious question: In the exam, how would you pick which of the religious traditions to write your essay on?
Not-serious question: Where do you said on the USyd/UNSW ‘rivalries’?
I'd recommend picking the religion that you feel most confident in! At the end of the day, you've got to be able to write 20 marks worth of information so definitely choose the option in which you think you'll be best able to answer the question and get the most marks. For me, as I attended a Christian school since Kindy, I was by far the most familiar and confident with Christianity as I had been technically preparing for SOR with bible quotes for 13 years!
USYD and UNSW are both great uni's however in saying that, I have a big differentiating factor --> can you find Harry Potter at UNSW? I think not, so for that reason I'm going to say USYD (as it's the closet thing to Hogwarts in Australia) is a beautiful and THE BEST place to study :)
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 07:58:04 pm
I have more of an opinion based question than anything ;D I've met many people who are doing SOR who are irked by the subject because it's compulsory in their school. Do you have any advice for students who are in those situations on how they can grow to love and appreciate it like you do? :)
For sure! That was a similar situation with me as SOR or catholic studies was compulsory for all students. However I found SOR to be such a welcoming relief from my other subjects. I found my other subjects were often very fixed and the syllabus' quite rigid and I often felt they didn't have relevance beyond HSC. However SOR makes you a much more well rounded person - from ethical debates, significant people and knowledge on important religions. This is knowledge that I guarantee you will use throughout your life, whether it be in travelling, university or just life in general!
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 08:07:32 pm
Hi! I hope I'm doing this right...
I was just wondering how much work you normally put into SOR? I'm getting pretty good marks but not really putting too much time into it and I'm worried there's something I'm missing? Like, what do you do to study?
ALSO since you did Music do you have any performance tips? I'm doing all four performances and I'm dying...
Thank you for doing this Q+A!
Hey! You certainly are :)
I found just practicing responses throughout the year very helpful. I didn't spend as much time on SOR as my other subjects but just dedicating 20 mins a day to practice some short answers or even 5 minutes to run through multiple choice really really helps the knowledge stick. I never studied SOR for long periods of time, I found breaking it into smaller chunks really helpful! I'd also recommend writing essay plans - there's wayyyy too much knowledge in SOR to memorise so writing succint essay plans really helped me.
I also did four performances for Music so I completely sympathise with you! For music, it's important to be practicing consistently and effectively every day. There's no point sitting on the piano for 20 minutes and just run through your repertoire with no breaks. I would spend maybe 20-30 minutes unpacking my pieces and working again on those smaller details. I don't think I even ran through my entire performances until a couple of weeks before HSC. For Music, I often felt I wasn't achieving much as learning a piece takes so much time and is such a slow process. However, it was also one of my most rewarding subjects and it's amazing to walk into your HSC final exam already have completed 75% (I think!) of your HSC mark! So what kept me going was that I'll work hard now and then after August I'll really gain the benefits.
And for all those rumours that Music 1 doesn't scale well...that's not true as music was one of my best subjects :)
Post by: Rohit Bhat on March 26, 2019, 08:10:36 pm
So I am finding it quite difficult to memorize the content so do you have any tips/ strategies that you used to remember the content?
Anddd any possibilities to get your notes please?
Thanks,
Rohit
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 08:17:50 pm
Hey Mikaela,
So I am finding it quite difficult to memorize the content so do you have any tips/ strategies that you used to remember the content?
Anddd any possibilities to get your notes please?
Thanks,
Rohit
Hey Rohit,
SOR has soo much knowledge and it can get overwhelming at times. I found making flash cards with the important information really helped. Closer to the actual HSC, I stopped going through knowledge and started using my time to make essay plans and short-answer responses. Actually sitting down and writing those plans and/or responses was a great way to memorise information as well as giving me exam preparation. Another idea is to link the SOR content to contemporary and modern examples. As for quotes, try to use SHORT references (you get the same amount of marks for using a short quote and a long quote, so might as well use short, simple ones :))
My notes are not for sale however all my TuteSmart students get access to weekly content powerpoints, summary sheets, online marking and much more!
If you are interested please click the link in my bio!
Post by: KC181 on March 26, 2019, 08:20:06 pm
Thank you!
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 08:29:41 pm
Hello Mikaela! Just wondering, when it comes to Studies of religion, how many practice essays should I be doing and how often? Like one a week? Also what are some tips for integrating a stimulus into an essay effectively, that's something I can find quite difficult.
Thank you!
Hey,
Practicing essays under exam conditions is very important however I completely understand if you have time restraints (I mean spending 40-50 minutes writing an essay is a long time!!). If that's the case, then I would recommend writing essay plans. Closer to exams, I found setting myself a different topic/religion each day and spending 15-20 minutes figuring out how I would structure a response really useful. (I.e. Monday - significant person (Christianity), Tuesday - significant practice (Christianity) etc..). After writing an essay plan/response I can't stress how important it is though to go back through your response and also look at the NESA marking guidelines/ sample response. From there, anything I didn't included in my response I would write down in a separate book so next time I would remember!!
For integrating a stimulus, I recommend firstly really try understand what the stimulus is telling you. So many SOR students just use the stimulus/quote blindly without taking the time to understand it. In reading time, I would spend 2-3 minutes just looking at the stimulus and internally brainstorming various ways of incorporating it into my response. Also, be aware to use the stimulus THROUGHOUT your response. In doing so, you are telling the marker that you understand the question and that you haven't just regurgitated a pre-prepared essay (SOR markers hate this!). So yes, use the stimulus in your introduction and conclusion but ALSO throughout your essay. This can involve just using key terms from the quote - there is no nee to continually restate the entire quote - pick the most important parts and scatter those throughout your response!
Hope that helps
Post by: therese07 on March 26, 2019, 08:47:21 pm
My name's also Mikaela (i actually found someone with the same spelling as my name ;) )
I was wondering, in an essay marked out of 20, how can you reach getting a 19-20/20? Whenever I did essays, whether it'd be for practice or an actual exam, I always seem to get 17-18/20. I never knew what to improve to get higher marks, because my teacher would just say "add more depth", as an overall comment. In saying this, what does a student incorporate in their response, that makes them get the 19-20/20? Do they go beyond the syllabus? what is your advice attaining those high marks.
Thank you!!
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 08:53:51 pm
Hey Mikaela!
My name's also Mikaela (i actually found someone with the same spelling as my name ;) )
I was wondering, in an essay marked out of 20, how can you reach getting a 19-20/20? Whenever I did essays, whether it'd be for practice or an actual exam, I always seem to get 17-18/20. I never knew what to improve to get higher marks, because my teacher would just say "add more depth", as an overall comment. In saying this, what does a student incorporate in their response, that makes them get the 19-20/20? Do they go beyond the syllabus? what is your advice attaining those high marks.
Thank you!!
Hey fellow Mikaela - what a great name and spelling to have :)
So to attain those high marks in SOR it is really important that you answer the question correctly. An examiner will immediately know if you have simply rewritten a memorised essay, however by effectively incorporating the stimulus and question into your response, you are automatically setting yourself apart from the rest of the cohort! Another important thing to remember is to keep your essay structured - each paragraph should have a clear and distinct point that you maintain throughout - lumping too much content or too many ideas into one paragraph can often make your essay appear a bit unrefined.
Another idea is to move beyond the syllabus. The syllabus is there to give you a guideline but in no means is it supposed to constrict you. You should be always be thinking and linking the syllabus to the modern world and how it impacts adherent's today! Using current and contemporary examples is just one way of doing this.
And lastly, don't underestimate the power of quotes and references. Try to use as many relevant ones as you can and inocprorate them into your response, rather than simply 'dumping' them.
Hope this was useful and gave you a few ideas :)
Post by: mikaelajackson on March 26, 2019, 09:05:27 pm
The 'Studies of Religion Q&A' is going to be closing soon.
I wanted to say a massive thank you for everyone who asked a question, I really enjoyed everyone's answers and I hope I gave you some new and informative tips :)
If you have any further questions, please don't to ask and I'll do my very best to get back to you as soon as possible. Good luck for the rest of year 12 - remember have that whilst study is important it's even more important to have fun and enjoy your final year of school.
Mikaela