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VCE Stuff => Victorian Education Discussion => The VCE Journey Journal => Topic started by: homeworkisapotato on August 01, 2020, 08:39:30 pm

Title: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on August 01, 2020, 08:39:30 pm
Introduction
Hello everyone! I've been stalking everyone's VCE Journals and after a 6 month contemplation I've decided to make my own VCE Journal! I'm in Year 11 and I'm going to graduate from Cory in 2021, and I really want to be able to come back, read my journey, and see how far I've grown. I also want to contribute more to AN as I have always been the one to ask questions, and honestly I just want to develop more confidence in myself so this VCE journal is a great way to put myself out there as you all are generally so supportive and positive!!
Anyways, a little about what subjects I'm doing:

Bio 3/4
I love it so much! It's so much fun just learning content which you can apply to yourself and the world around you! We're currently doing evolution right now and it's so much fun! That being said, immunity was definitely my favourite aos. In Unit 3, I think I did okay.. my sac average is 88% and I'm around rank 10. In Unit 4 my performance dropped a little in the aos 3 sac with an 80% (I have no idea what my rank is but from many conversations I think it's around rank 15-20). I just did the aos 2 sac on Wednesday and I'm pretty upset with how I went... I had a panic attack during the sac and to the point where I couldn't read the words sometimes. I lost two easy marks which everyone else got, and it was a relatively easy sac so I'm expecting a low mark. Anyways, it's all about picking yourself back up and doing better next time, so I've contacted a psychologist to help me manage my anxiety better!

English
I've always been a B+ student in English and tbh I never liked it much, but something changed this year and I really love English! I probably sound dumb but I love how you can just analyse and judge intricacies in texts and just put it on paper. I'm happy with my progress in English and I'm excited to become a better writer! We're doing Into the Wild and Tracks which tbh I found really boring at the start but now I find analysing the protagonists' psyche really fun!

Methods
Maths has always been my strength so methods has been so much fun! I love how structured maths is and I find a certain beauty to graphs. Am I a nerd? We're doing trigonometric functions right now and I love it!

General Maths
As much as I love maths, GM is really dry and easy. I wish it was more challenging! Financial maths is coming up some day or another so I'm excited for that.

Chemistry
Love Chem! It's a strength for me and similar to Bio I love how you can apply minute details to our everyday world. Right now, we're doing water and redox reactions, and we're moving so fast through the content!

Health and Human Development
1/2 is pretty cool but also kinda dry. I'm really excited for 3/4 though, where we'll learn about how organisations help make the entire world a better place and such!

A little bit about me: I love reading books, writing stories, and I'm currently working on an app for the first time! Like many AN users out here, my dream is to get into medicine and become a paediatrician or ob/gyn. If I don't get into med, I'll go into physio, radiography (I'm really interested in sonography), or another allied health course. The reason why the allied health courses are my back up and not my first preference is because physicians get to diagnose and lead the patient recovery, and I love leading and problem solving (but this isn't my main motive for aiming for med)

My goals for 2020 are:

1. Get 40+ study score for Biology
2. Finish and upload my app to the App Store
3. Learn to cook at least 10 Indian dishes
4. Be able to manage my anxiety and develop a more positive thought pattern
5. Handle at least five house chores a day (I know this is not a lot, but I'm not really good at maintaining these kind of habits lol)
6. Contribute more to AN and answer more questions on the Bio thread
7. Exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes (I have a feeling this is going to be the hardest. I'm so lazy lol)

 Anyways, I'm so excited to start this journey and I hope you also achieve your goals for the year!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Justin_L on August 01, 2020, 08:55:00 pm
Hey Potato!

Congrats on starting your VCE Journal! I don't usually post on the VCE forum, but I saw that one of your goals was to develop an app which sounds super cool! Are you planning on going onto computer science by any chance?

Also about your subjects, why not choose to do a higher level of maths and perhaps a technology course? It seems like it would suit your skills a bit better? Otherwise, it seems like a really well rounded and enjoyable selection!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: scientificllama on August 01, 2020, 08:57:54 pm
Welcome to the VCE journal side of AN :)

Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on August 01, 2020, 09:06:39 pm
Hey Potato!

Congrats on starting your VCE Journal! I don't usually post on the VCE forum, but I saw that one of your goals was to develop an app which sounds super cool! Are you planning on going onto computer science by any chance?

Also about your subjects, why not choose to do a higher level of maths and perhaps a technology course? It seems like it would suit your skills a bit better? Otherwise, it seems like a really well rounded and enjoyable selection!
Hi Justin_L! Computer science is definitely a backup! My passion is to mix computer science and a health science/ med to improve the technological aspect of medicine. I'm developing an app for parents of autistic children in Australia so they can receive support when raising their children after diagnosis. A relative of mine was diagnosed when I was 9/10 and their parents when through hell trying to navigate through funds and learning how to raise a child. For now, I'm prioritising a science related degree but I've also got my eyes on computer science!
I didn't pick Specialist Maths because I felt that to balance my extracurriculars I needed a chill subject (so I picked GM). I really wanted to do software dev for a 6th vce subject but our school took it off the options last year. I was really annoyed when I opened this year's options and they reintroduced software dev. Thank you for your warm welcome!!  ;D

Welcome to the VCE journal side of AN :)


Thank you!  :D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Chocolatemilkshake on August 02, 2020, 06:44:04 am
Hey, looks like this is going to be an awesome journal and congratulations on your first VCE journal entry!

Hi Justin_L! Computer science is definitely a backup! My passion is to mix computer science and a health science/ med to improve the technological aspect of medicine. I'm developing an app for parents of autistic children in Australia so they can receive support when raising their children after diagnosis. A relative of mine was diagnosed when I was 9/10 and their parents when through hell trying to navigate through funds and learning how to raise a child. For now, I'm prioritising a science related degree but I've also got my eyes on computer science!
I didn't pick Specialist Maths because I felt that to balance my extracurriculars I needed a chill subject (so I picked GM). I really wanted to do software dev for a 6th vce subject but our school took it off the options last year. I was really annoyed when I opened this year's options and they reintroduced software dev. Thank you for your warm welcome!!  ;D
Thank you!  :D
This is actually amazing! How long have you been working on the app and when do you think you will finish it? It sucks that they took software off the list as a subject (it looks like it would have really suited you!), hopefully you'll get a chance to explore more about computer software development and computer science after high school (even if you do end up going into a science/med course).

What type of extracurricular activities do you do? Also are you inspired to cook Indian dishes because you simply like their food or do you have an Indian heritage?

Can't wait to follow more of this journal, have a great week!  ;D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Evolio on August 02, 2020, 08:58:24 am
Hello homeworkisapotato! (I love your username by the way, very cool  8))
So glad that you started a VCE Journal!

Quote
We're currently doing evolution right now and it's so much fun!
I'm so happy I found someone who loves evolution because sadly everyone I know doesn't.  :( Which aspect of evolution interests you? I really love human evolution because I think it's super cool that we can trace the human species so far back in time.
Quote
Anyways, it's all about picking yourself back up and doing better next time, so I've contacted a psychologist to help me manage my anxiety better!
This is so good that you're trying to improve for your next sac! With that mindful improvement and resilence I'm sure you can get that 40+!  ;D

Quote
I'm currently working on an app for the first time!
Like people above me have said, this is super cool!! It's amazing how you're combining your interests with helping people to achieve a great product!

Quote
3. Learn to cook at least 10 Indian dishes
Indian food's my favourite, maybe I'm slightly biased lol  8). Which Indian dishes are you thinking of making? Does that mean you like really spicy food?

I can't wait to see your future updates and follow you on your VCE Journey!!  ;D
Have a good day!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on August 02, 2020, 11:00:25 am
Hey, looks like this is going to be an awesome journal and congratulations on your first VCE journal entry!
This is actually amazing! How long have you been working on the app and when do you think you will finish it? It sucks that they took software off the list as a subject (it looks like it would have really suited you!), hopefully you'll get a chance to explore more about computer software development and computer science after high school (even if you do end up going into a science/med course).

What type of extracurricular activities do you do? Also are you inspired to cook Indian dishes because you simply like their food or do you have an Indian heritage?

Can't wait to follow more of this journal, have a great week!  ;D
Thank you for reading my journal!! It means a lot  ;D
I started this app a bit before the term holidays and I really want to finish the app before the end of the year but we'll see how it goes as I'm trying really hard to find a work life balance. I used to play the piano and I was studying for the AMEB Grade 3 exams but covid happened so I've put it on a hold for now. I love baking and now that my school is in lockdown I can do more! I also love reading fantasy books and writing my own stories every now and then while listening to music. I'm currently planning an urban fantasy novel right now so hopefully when I finally hit that perfect balance between studying and chill time I can start writing again! I'm Indian and my parents are trying to get me to cook food that is tasty AND healthy, so unfortunately they won't let me cook butter chicken everyday. Btw I love your vce journal and your guide to Bio..literally saved my sac marks!

Hello homeworkisapotato! (I love your username by the way, very cool  8))
Ahahahaha thank you!
So glad that you started a VCE Journal!
I'm so happy I found someone who loves evolution because sadly everyone I know doesn't.  :( Which aspect of evolution interests you? I really love human evolution because I think it's super cool that we can trace the human species so far back in time. This is so good that you're trying to improve for your next sac! With that mindful improvement and resilence I'm sure you can get that 40+!  ;D
Thank you for reading my journal and your kind words! Hopefully 40 is still not too out of reach haha! We did aos 2 before aos 1 so I think we're quite behind and we haven't reached human evolution yet (but I'm SO excited for that). To be honest the whole ethical issues stuff in aos 2 was kinda dry and I'm really happy we're kinda done with that until exam revision time. We're up to fossils now and honestly I love it all equally. When I was young I was a HUGE dinosaur nerd and evolution is really interesting because I can apply it to dinosaurs lol.
Like people above me have said, this is super cool!! It's amazing how you're combining your interests with helping people to achieve a great product!
Indian food's my favourite, maybe I'm slightly biased lol  8). Which Indian dishes are you thinking of making? Does that mean you like really spicy food?

I can't wait to see your future updates and follow you on your VCE Journey!!  ;D
Have a good day!
Thank you! Honestly it's kind of daunting to make an app because there are quite a few good apps for parents of autistic children already. Unfortunately a lot of the good apps cost money and I don't think it's really fair to charge money for areas of mental health.
I love spicy food but for some reason my tolerance for spicy food has decreased significantly. My parents think I only pretend to find the vegetarian food spicy so I don't have to eat it but I seriously cannot eat spicy food  :'(
I want to start easy with:
1. Indian tea and coffee (idek if there's such a thing called Indian coffee but everyone loves my mum's filter coffee so I want to master it)
2. malai kofta (paneer balls in curry)
3. Channa curry (chickpea in curry) and rice (I seriously don't know how to make rice. I know it's sad but I have never been interested to cook Indian food until recently)
4. Everyday south indian meals (south indian food that we actually eat everyday contains a lot of vegetables cooked in different ways and I have always been put off from eating them because I don't like the way it's cooked. I really want to change that so I'm going to learn how to cook it and gain a better sense of appreciation for the food)
5. Chicken 65 (South indian spicy fried chicken. So good.)
6. Chilli chicken (my favourite. so good)

I look forward to continuing my vce journal with you guys! Thank you for reading  :D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: mi-xao-14 on August 03, 2020, 10:31:12 pm
Introduction
Hello everyone! I've been stalking everyone's VCE Journals and after a 6 month contemplation I've decided to make my own VCE Journal! I'm in Year 11 and I'm going to graduate from Cory in 2021, and I really want to be able to come back, read my journey, and see how far I've grown. I also want to contribute more to AN as I have always been the one to ask questions, and honestly I just want to develop more confidence in myself so this VCE journal is a great way to put myself out there as you all are generally so supportive and positive!!
Anyways, a little about what subjects I'm doing:

Bio 3/4
I love it so much! It's so much fun just learning content which you can apply to yourself and the world around you! We're currently doing evolution right now and it's so much fun! That being said, immunity was definitely my favourite aos. In Unit 3, I think I did okay.. my sac average is 88% and I'm around rank 10. In Unit 4 my performance dropped a little in the aos 3 sac with an 80% (I have no idea what my rank is but from many conversations I think it's around rank 15-20). I just did the aos 2 sac on Wednesday and I'm pretty upset with how I went... I had a panic attack during the sac and to the point where I couldn't read the words sometimes. I lost two easy marks which everyone else got, and it was a relatively easy sac so I'm expecting a low mark. Anyways, it's all about picking yourself back up and doing better next time, so I've contacted a psychologist to help me manage my anxiety better!

English
I've always been a B+ student in English and tbh I never liked it much, but something changed this year and I really love English! I probably sound dumb but I love how you can just analyse and judge intricacies in texts and just put it on paper. I'm happy with my progress in English and I'm excited to become a better writer! We're doing Into the Wild and Tracks which tbh I found really boring at the start but now I find analysing the protagonists' psyche really fun!

Methods
Maths has always been my strength so methods has been so much fun! I love how structured maths is and I find a certain beauty to graphs. Am I a nerd? We're doing trigonometric functions right now and I love it!

General Maths
As much as I love maths, GM is really dry and easy. I wish it was more challenging! Financial maths is coming up some day or another so I'm excited for that.

Chemistry
Love Chem! It's a strength for me and similar to Bio I love how you can apply minute details to our everyday world. Right now, we're doing water and redox reactions, and we're moving so fast through the content!

Health and Human Development
1/2 is pretty cool but also kinda dry. I'm really excited for 3/4 though, where we'll learn about how organisations help make the entire world a better place and such!

A little bit about me: I love reading books, writing stories, and I'm currently working on an app for the first time! Like many AN users out here, my dream is to get into medicine and become a paediatrician or ob/gyn. If I don't get into med, I'll go into physio, radiography (I'm really interested in sonography), or another allied health course. The reason why the allied health courses are my back up and not my first preference is because physicians get to diagnose and lead the patient recovery, and I love leading and problem solving (but this isn't my main motive for aiming for med)

My goals for 2020 are:

1. Get 40+ study score for Biology
2. Finish and upload my app to the App Store
3. Learn to cook at least 10 Indian dishes
4. Be able to manage my anxiety and develop a more positive thought pattern
5. Handle at least five house chores a day (I know this is not a lot, but I'm not really good at maintaining these kind of habits lol)
6. Contribute more to AN and answer more questions on the Bio thread
7. Exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes (I have a feeling this is going to be the hardest. I'm so lazy lol)

 Anyways, I'm so excited to start this journey and I hope you also achieve your goals for the year!


Whoaaaaaa, you're so ambitious!!!! I rlly hope you'll maintain your outstanding work to achieve them, unlike me who kinda slacks off while halfway there hahah. That's a rlly great reason of staring your journal! It would be rlly great to be able to look back and see how much you've matured, and that can be a valuable source for your learning journey in life.

Honestly, I can relate heaps to you, particularly your 4th and 7th goal, those two aren't that easy to be managed.

GOAL 4:
Since yr 11, I occasionally have a RLLY bad anxiety and panic attacks when it comes to school stuff (won't go into the deets), but I'm not sure if I still have it as I haven't been having it lately for the first time in two years, so I should be good for now. I can offer you a few tips to help you manage your anxiety whenever you do have one.

Tips:
* Whenever you have one, you should talk to a very close friend about it, don't keep it to yourself, otherwise you'll just bring more burden to yourself, which you wouldn't want. It doesn't matter how many times you have anxiety, it'd be a good idea if you do always tell them about it cuz it has helped me heaps, given that I have rlly bad anxiety.
* It'd be a good idea if you do tell your parents about it, and it has worked for me well. If your relationship with your parents isn't too stable, it'd be good to slowly work on it and discuss it with them, then it'll eventually work. They're the ones who'll be there for your 24/7 (unless you don't live with them), and they'll be there to offer you support in real life. I used to not have a very opening relationship with them (only to some extent), but now I'm a bit more open to them than before, and my mental health has become a lot better than before, tho there are times I do feel p shit, but yeah.
* If you have an anxiety while doing work, take a break, and distract yourself, such as doing something you enjoy or talking to someone who you trust, as aforementioned. It's not worth doing work while having it cuz you'll only just hold yourself up while not being able to think clearly.
* It probably doesn't make sense, but it's true: make sure to have enough sleep cuz you're more prone to having it with little sleep, and that normally happens to me when I don't receive enough sleep, where I do end up having a bit of anxiety while at school, tho I try v hard to hide it.
* Reward yourself over the weekend, such as having foods you like to eat. For me, I rlly love boba and I enjoy eating out. Now this is tricky due to COVID-19. If there's a fast-food place or drink store near your home, lucky you. If not, probs have to find an alternative way to reward yourself.

GOAL 7:
I used to exercise everyday, but for the past week, due to my abdominal pain, I couldn't do any exercises unfortunately. Exercising is very beneficial for you for a number of reasons, such as making you feel happy due to the release of serotonin and endorphin, allowing you to improve on your cardiovascular fitness, uhhhhh I forgot what else. I learnt this in psych last year ahahah.

I hope these help, and good luck with living in this hard lockdown!!!!! Ik it'll be very difficult, but we're in the same boat, so we got this!!!!

From mi-xao-14 ^^

P.S. thank you so much for your reply to my journal, I appreciate heaps!!!! : )))))))
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on August 04, 2020, 10:06:02 am
Whoaaaaaa, you're so ambitious!!!! I rlly hope you'll maintain your outstanding work to achieve them, unlike me who kinda slacks off while halfway there hahah. That's a rlly great reason of staring your journal! It would be rlly great to be able to look back and see how much you've matured, and that can be a valuable source for your learning journey in life.
Thank you for reading my journal and your sweet and positive attitude!!!

Honestly, I can relate heaps to you, particularly your 4th and 7th goal, those two aren't that easy to be managed.

GOAL 4:
Since yr 11, I occasionally have a RLLY bad anxiety and panic attacks when it comes to school stuff (won't go into the deets), but I'm not sure if I still have it as I haven't been having it lately for the first time in two years, so I should be good for now. I can offer you a few tips to help you manage your anxiety whenever you do have one.

Tips:
* Whenever you have one, you should talk to a very close friend about it, don't keep it to yourself, otherwise you'll just bring more burden to yourself, which you wouldn't want. It doesn't matter how many times you have anxiety, it'd be a good idea if you do always tell them about it cuz it has helped me heaps, given that I have rlly bad anxiety.
* It'd be a good idea if you do tell your parents about it, and it has worked for me well. If your relationship with your parents isn't too stable, it'd be good to slowly work on it and discuss it with them, then it'll eventually work. They're the ones who'll be there for your 24/7 (unless you don't live with them), and they'll be there to offer you support in real life. I used to not have a very opening relationship with them (only to some extent), but now I'm a bit more open to them than before, and my mental health has become a lot better than before, tho there are times I do feel p shit, but yeah.
* If you have an anxiety while doing work, take a break, and distract yourself, such as doing something you enjoy or talking to someone who you trust, as aforementioned. It's not worth doing work while having it cuz you'll only just hold yourself up while not being able to think clearly.
* It probably doesn't make sense, but it's true: make sure to have enough sleep cuz you're more prone to having it with little sleep, and that normally happens to me when I don't receive enough sleep, where I do end up having a bit of anxiety while at school, tho I try v hard to hide it.
* Reward yourself over the weekend, such as having foods you like to eat. For me, I rlly love boba and I enjoy eating out. Now this is tricky due to COVID-19. If there's a fast-food place or drink store near your home, lucky you. If not, probs have to find an alternative way to reward yourself.

GOAL 7:
I used to exercise everyday, but for the past week, due to my abdominal pain, I couldn't do any exercises unfortunately. Exercising is very beneficial for you for a number of reasons, such as making you feel happy due to the release of serotonin and endorphin, allowing you to improve on your cardiovascular fitness, uhhhhh I forgot what else. I learnt this in psych last year ahahah.

I hope these help, and good luck with living in this hard lockdown!!!!! Ik it'll be very difficult, but we're in the same boat, so we got this!!!!

From mi-xao-14 ^^

P.S. thank you so much for your reply to my journal, I appreciate heaps!!!! : )))))))
Thank you so much for those amazing tips! All of those tips are so helpful and I can definitely see areas of improvement for me to work on to reduce my anxiety  ;D I can't put into words on how much that advice means to me!! I hope you are doing well in these difficult times and don't hesitate to message me if you ever want to talk about well anything haha! Your kind words mean a lot and I look forward to reading your journal  :)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Marylen on August 04, 2020, 10:17:51 am
Hello Potato!  :)
I love methods too! Seems like you're achieving so much in VCE. As someone who is taking further this year, you'll love financial maths (I found the core data the most hardest to learn out of the course so far because there's so much reading and understanding of the terminology involved)! Financial maths involves a lot more understanding of the number recursions and exponentials in general.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of your endeavours. (And please, let me know the day you've learnt to cook 10 indian dishes because I love to eat  ;))

- Mary
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on August 04, 2020, 10:29:26 am
Hello Potato!  :)
I love methods too! Seems like you're achieving so much in VCE. As someone who is taking further this year, you'll love financial maths (I found the core data the most hardest to learn out of the course so far because there's so much reading and understanding of the terminology involved)! Financial maths involves a lot more understanding of the number recursions and exponentials in general.
Hi Mary!
Great to see another fan of methods! A lot of people complain about methods which makes me sad because I feel that maths has a beauty to it.. but to each their own! Wow, I'm a lot more excited to start financial maths now ahaha how is further going? I've heard it's super competitive so I'm excited to start it next year.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of your endeavours. (And please, let me know the day you've learnt to cook 10 indian dishes because I love to eat  ;))

- Mary
Bahaha I will definitely let you know as I tick each Indian food off and if I take a photo before I devour the food I will upload it on this journal. Thank you for reading my journal, it means a lot!! I'm excited to read your VCE Journal as well (I haven't had a chance to yet but I will definitely read it by today :))
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on August 04, 2020, 10:38:07 pm
Term 3 Week 4
First week of online learning and it started off a bit bleary tbh but I've picked up in terms of productivity!

English
English is kinda hard to do without a teacher constantly spitting out deadlines lol. However, in our zoom call our teacher made us do an analysis of a theme (btw I'm doing Into the Wild and Tracks) and it went alright. I've made a document full of themes, quotes, issues, and other stuff for both texts and tomorrow I'm going to write a paragraph comparing the theme of Identity and Self Discovery to ease into comparative.

 Methods
I did a few subchapters in Trigonometric Functions and thankfully it's pretty easy so far. Going to do more of that tomorrow and go a bit ahead of class. Our sac in methods is coming in a few weeks but I think but this is probably one of my most chillest subject rn.

General Maths
Hella behind in this subject because I had other sacs to study for. We have a sac for matrices and networks which was scheduled for this friday but I think it's been postponed. I need to do these chapters by the end of the week oof. Matrices is easy but networks has stuff to remember. Memorising networks is definitely not hard but it's dry and I'd rather use those brain cells to memorise types of fossils haha. Praying for financial maths to come quickly lol

Chemistry
We have a sac coming up next week covering Unit 2 AOS 1 (all the water stuff) so I need to quickly finish the chapter review questions for Acids and Bases, take notes for Redox, and finish the chapter questions for Redox. I'm aiming to get up to finishing notes for Redox tomorrow, and the chapter questions can be done on Thursday as I want to focus on other subjects tomorrow as well! Chemistry is probably one of my favourite subjects atm as the whole chemical reactions stuff is so interesting. We've had some overlaps with Physics, and my friend talking about what she's learning in physics makes me wish I picked Physics as well. Honestly given a choice I'd want to do almost all subjects hahaha

HHD
I'm so tired I spent ten minutes staring at the page thinking what subject I haven't written about yet lmao. HHD is another neglected subject which needs attention ASAP! We're learning about the human lifespan (I think!). Given that I don't even know what we are learning it's enough to say that this subject is barely in the back of my mind.  Thankfully I have a zoom class tomorrow, and I will spend most of the morning working on the HHD hw our teacher set for us. It's only due on friday but I HATE leaving things to the last minute and I don't want to fall down into the procrastination spiral lmaooo

Biology
I spent early morning writing notes and learning fossil stuff, and the late evening revising fossils. Every second thought I'm having is the word fossil. Help. I'll do my best to take notes on Determining Human Relatedness Between Species from my textbook so I can be prepared for my zoom lesson on Thursday. Our sac on evolution has been moved to around week 7 but I'm unsure on how it's going to be formatted because of online learning. Super excited for human evolution I wish it would come faster.

App
Things are going a bit slow with this because I'm still trying to find the perfect balance between school and me-time but I had a zoom call with my cousin on Sunday (she's like my partner in crime and I usually delegate her tasks she's interested in every now and then). I've finished the users journey for a few different features such as:
- the quiz which narrows down articles me and my cousin wrote for parents who use the app regarding different aspects of autism diagnosis
- location feature: an integrated google maps which shows different services such as occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, special schools, near the address entered
I'm now working on the users journey and a basic sketch for a Daily Schedule feature, Goal Tracker, and Habit Tracker for parents to use to find tracking their child's appointments and goals with different medical professionals easier to manage. I want to get this done by Friday night so I can zoom my cousin again and discuss the community section (which I'm planning to be like a forum for parents of autistic children to discuss and support with each other with raising their children in a judgement-free zone). After this, I'll only have the resource section to go which is basically a section where parents, teachers, and other medical professionals can post different worksheets and resources for other parents to access. Once I finish the users journey I get to start designing what the app looks like (prototyping) which I'm really excited for!

Personal Life
I've started meditation this week and it was tough at the start to stop stressing about school, as my mind is always thinking/ stressing about something. However, I've gotten a better control of my mind and I really enjoy just thinking about nothing. Having a blank mind and feeling the music echo within you feels great! Btw I usually sit on my bed cross-legged and meditate to the Spotify playlist called Peaceful Meditation. I have not done any exercise today (I usually go on walks with my parents but because of the new restrictions only two people can go :'(). Butttttt me and 5-6 other friends have made a pact to work out at 8am everyday so I'm hoping that'll work out! I also had a dream of a memory of me volunteering to tutor my family friend to get into the accelerated program in different schools, which reignited my passion to teach again haha. I'm starting to collect different resources so maybe if I get a decent study score in Bio I can tutor my family friends. In terms of stress levels thank you so much mi-xao-14!! I took your advice to just take a break when feeling stressed and I felt great for the whole day!!

I'm so sleepy and I have to wake up tomorrow to work out (nooo) so good night! I hope this entry isn't too big and you enjoyed reading my journal!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on August 20, 2020, 07:13:08 am
Hi guys! I hope you are all doing well and are feeling motivated in these dark times  :)
Let's get to it!

English
I'm going to start writing my comparative essay today. We had a zoom call yesterday to start the essay but I was so tired and my brain just wasn't working ahaha.

Methods
I'm kind of behind in this subject but my sac is only in week 8 so I have a lot more time to play catch up. Feeling less motivated to do this subject as it drains a lot of my brain power.  Trigonometric Functions is still really interesting though!

General
General: My sac is getting uploaded online, so today I'm going to do the chapter questions for networks. Tbh so far this subject has been dry, so I'm waiting for financial maths to come around! I'm thinking of doing RMIT's bio uni extension subject but I'm not sure whether to take the leap or not.

HHD
We had a zoom lesson about the physical development from youth into adulthood (basically puberty) and it was hella awkward since I always study in the living room and my parents were sitting near me AHAH. My sac is in week 7 but I'm haven't started studying for it yet

Chemistry
My sac is on monday, so gotta prep for that! I'll be spending the weekend on it and getting those formulae in my head

Biology
My evolution sac got postponed to week 8, which is annoying because I wanted to get it over and done with, so I could start exam revision. However, I enjoy studying evolution so it's not completely horrible.

App
I've finished the user's journey for my goal tracker and I'm planning to zoom my cousin this weekend so we can finish the user's journey for the other pending features. I really want to start working on new features from next week!

Personal
I'm really happy to say that I've been exercising for about 30 minutes everyday in the mornings! Working on it with my friends gives me a lot of motivation. I'm using Nike Training App and we're mostly working on core. I cooked malai kofta (I took a picture to attach, but it says the picture is bigger than 2500KB  :( ), apple pie pudding, and fried rice. This weekend I'm planning to make Chicken 65, so we'll see how it goes. I hope everyone has had a positive two weeks and if you want to vent/ talk about anything feel free to post on this journal or PM me!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 01, 2020, 09:19:15 pm
Hey everyone  ;D
I hope everyone has had a great two weeks!
I had my final Bio 3/4 sac yesterday on evolution and I think it actually went pretty well. Exam revision always seemed ages away so it's so daunting that we're finally starting exam revision. I was so confused on how to approach exam revision but some legends on AN helped me out. Shoutout to ThunderDragon, scientificllama, chocolatepistacchio, Coolmate, J_Rho, Sine, and Chocolatemilkshake! Thank you so much guys!
So far this is my plan for exam revision:
 Exam revision action plan
1. Revise notes for each AOS
2. Edrolo questions for each AOS
repeat steps 1 and 2 for every AOS
1. draw diagrams for everything and stick it on the wall across desk
2. timed 2017 exam. Use as a diagnostic
3. all of teacher’s resources including company exam papers
4. NEAP question banks and other study room resources
5. ATARnotes exams and any online free exams
6. NEAP smart study 12 exams
7. Northern Hemisphere exams
8. 2018 and 2019 exams week before exam.

I've finished the user's journey for the habit tracker, and the scheduling and notes section with my cousin which took like 2 hours. God, I thought the actual coding part would be the hardest, but it's actually making our theoretical ideas more practical. It's all worth it though, because if this app is a success then many parents of autistic children will benefit. I made Chicken 65 like 3 times in the past fortnight and deep frying it was so fun. My dad's birthday is coming up in a week so I'm planning to make my signature coffee cake and some other dish that he really likes ahahaha.

Bye guys!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 02, 2020, 11:57:15 am
Just realised I've been blabbering about user's journeys without explaining what they are ahaha oops. So basically it's like a flowchart which documents what the user has to do to use the app, and we break it down to the app's features. This is my location feature's user's journey.
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Justin_L on September 02, 2020, 05:06:06 pm
That's so cool! That definitely sounds like something which will be really useful for a lot of people. Seems like researching for the app will help you get a much better idea of the medicine as well (services like occupation therapy are so often forgotten). Looking forward to hearing more about it!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 02, 2020, 06:16:35 pm
That's so cool! That definitely sounds like something which will be really useful for a lot of people. Seems like researching for the app will help you get a much better idea of the medicine as well (services like occupation therapy are so often forgotten). Looking forward to hearing more about it!
Yay, a response! I didn't know that people were even reading this journal ahahaha
Thank you! You're definitely right about getting a better idea of the medicine behind autism, and it's definitely upsetting that some allied health services are neglected so I'm hoping to give it some love in my articles in the app. It's shocking how many parents divorce in our country because they aren't made aware of different services available for them, so being able to connect them to those services as well as introducing overlaps between different services is also one of our targets.
 Thank you for your support  ;D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Justin_L on September 02, 2020, 07:49:46 pm
Yay, a response! I didn't know that people were even reading this journal ahahaha
Thank you! You're definitely right about getting a better idea of the medicine behind autism, and it's definitely upsetting that some allied health services are neglected so I'm hoping to give it some love in my articles in the app. It's shocking how many parents divorce in our country because they aren't made aware of different services available for them, so being able to connect them to those services as well as introducing overlaps between different services is also one of our targets.
 Thank you for your support  ;D

That's true, it does feel like you're just typing into the void sometimes. I think that most people tend to be shy and and just read entries, and only really respond if someone directly asks for advice or writes something that really resonates with them. That's just the way these things are, I suppose, since typing out a response does take more effort than most people are probably willing to put in if they're just browsing.

EDIT: If you look at the view count at the top of the page it'll probably give you a better idea of how many people are reading it
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 02, 2020, 08:59:37 pm
That's true! Thank you for clarifying, I was feeling a bit lonely here ahahaha!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: somethingeevee on September 02, 2020, 09:11:42 pm
Hey! I'm new to AN so i'm still getting used to things. I'm taking general maths and methods too! I see one of your goals are to start exercising everyday... same  :P I need to start being more active. Can't wait for more of your updates!!  ;)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Evolio on September 02, 2020, 09:52:19 pm
Hey homeworkisapotato!  :D

Congratulations on completing all your sacs! Looks like a solid exam prep plan! All the best.

Very nice to hear about your app progress! It's so great that you're helping so many families.

Yes, Chicken 65 is the bomb! Whenever we go to restaurants, that's literally the first thing we order, and of course, we make it at home regularly as well.

Have a great week!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 03, 2020, 06:58:31 am
Hey! I'm new to AN so i'm still getting used to things.

Hey! Welcome to AN  ;D

I'm taking general maths and methods too!
Do you like general or methods more?

I see one of your goals are to start exercising everyday... same  :P I need to start being more active.
BAHAHAHA you can do it! The thirty minutes are painful but the aftermath feels great.

Can't wait for more of your updates!!  ;)
Thank you for reading my journal!! <3

Hey homeworkisapotato!  :D

Congratulations on completing all your sacs! Looks like a solid exam prep plan! All the best.

Very nice to hear about your app progress! It's so great that you're helping so many families.

Thank you!!! All the best for your exam prep as well, I know you'll exceed your expectations  ;D


Yes, Chicken 65 is the bomb! Whenever we go to restaurants, that's literally the first thing we order, and of course, we make it at home regularly as well.

Have a great week!
BAHAHA same! Nice to see another fan here, some of my south Indian friends don't know what Chicken 65 even is  :'(
Have a great week Evolio  :D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: somethingeevee on September 03, 2020, 09:27:19 am

Do you like general or methods more?

I like general overall because it's fairly simple and we are allowed to use a bound reference, hehe. Methods on the other hand.... it can be very challenging at times, and I feel like it's really overwhelming. But, it is actually kinda fun when you actually know what's going on  :) What about you?
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 03, 2020, 10:18:03 am
To be honest I like both of them equally for the same reasons as you. General is more simple but Methods is fun when you understand it. I like the Calculus portion a lot!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: bluebird on September 18, 2020, 08:32:31 am
wow homeworkisapotato i loved reading your journal and keeping up with the running chicken 65 trend, it's the absolute besttttt from a fellow south indian ;D ill be doing pretty similar subjects nxt year and i may or may not be going to a selective school toooo soooo....

anyway, i look forward to hearing more from you thru this journal. and all the best for ur exam prep and exams this year, i'm sure you'll do gr8  :) :)
- maria
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 18, 2020, 05:16:24 pm
wow homeworkisapotato i loved reading your journal and keeping up with the running chicken 65 trend, it's the absolute besttttt from a fellow south indian ;D ill be doing pretty similar subjects nxt year and i may or may not be going to a selective school toooo soooo....

anyway, i look forward to hearing more from you thru this journal. and all the best for ur exam prep and exams this year, i'm sure you'll do gr8  :) :)
- maria
Hi maria! Thank you so much for reading my journal and your kind words, you're so sweet <3
Wow, we have a lot in common! What language do you speak? It's great to see another Bio and HHD enthusiast, I absolutely adore those subjects. Maybe if you come to Suzanne Cory we may see each other next year!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: bluebird on September 18, 2020, 05:53:31 pm
Wow, we have a lot in common! What language do you speak? It's great to see another Bio and HHD enthusiast, I absolutely adore those subjects. Maybe if you come to Suzanne Cory we may see each other next year!
(first of all, wow I just learnt how to quote lol  ;D) well maybe namaskaram may give a clue... what about you? but no i don't think i'll be coming to suzanne cory as much as i would love to meet u bc i'm in the better school ::) ;D ;D just kidding  :D i love hhd so much, and i'm sure you will ace biology this year!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 20, 2020, 07:05:58 pm
(first of all, wow I just learnt how to quote lol  ;D) well maybe namaskaram may give a clue... what about you? but no i don't think i'll be coming to suzanne cory as much as i would love to meet u bc i'm in the better school ::) ;D ;D just kidding  :D i love hhd so much, and i'm sure you will ace biology this year!
I speak Tamil! Aww you're so sweet, I'm sure you'll ace bio and hhd next year <3

Update
Hey everyone! I finally got some time to update this journal so here ya go!

Bio
I did the 2017 VCAA exam last friday and marked it super harshly and I was so disappointed as I got 68%! I asked my super strict Bio teacher to mark it and turns out I had taken out 16 marks for no reason, and I actually ended up getting 84%. What a shocker. I've noticed my weaknesses are experimental design, changes in genetic makeup of population, enzymes and proteins so I've decided to target those areas during my revision. I did the A+ Biol exam after some revision and I only moved up by 4% and I feel like even though I'm working on my weaknesses it's not really making a difference, so I've decided to use my NEAP question bank for revision instead of topic tests which I had initially planned to do.

1/2 Subjects
I finally got my solubility, acid/base, redox, latent heat chem sac back and got 45/47!! What a shocker! I also got my general sac marks back with a 23/27. I'm really not that motivated to do 1/2 atm as I really want to just focus on Bio

Other Tests
I've finally gotten Medify and I did a Mock test to 'diagnose' where I stand, following the advice of a guy in my school who got 98th percentile this year, and I did so bad lmaoo. I got somewhere around 2500 smh but at least I have something to work towards. I'm planning to incorporate 30 minutes of practice questions every day, with 15 minutes of two sections each everyday during the weekdays to get used to the questions. I'm also planning to do a Bio practice exam every day for the week and a couple of GATs for the exposure to the structure.

App
I finally presented my user's journey to my mentors and this week my goal is to research other apps dedicated to parents of autistic children and dot down their strengths and weaknesses. I've already done this before but I didn't do it to a large variety of apps so I've got to do specific research. After this, I will design the looks of the app and trial it to a small group of parents for feedback. I also want to survey parents whose children go to a special school near my neighbourhood and ask them what they want most in an app so I can dedicate my time to a feature which will definitely help.

I also binged the entire Harry Potter book series which was GREAT and gave me such nostalgia to year 7 when I was obsessed. When I mean obsessed, I mean like make a Harry Potter reference to literally everything. It's also inspired me to write this urban fantasy book I actually planned out a bit and really wanted to write last lockdown so I want to dedicate some time to that. My holidays is going to be spent mostly working on bio exams, ucat, practice GATs, the app, writing, and video calling my three friends. I know lockdown has been very demotivating for many people, but personally I'm really happy I got to spend so many months at home. I've learnt to trust and form closer friendships and I actually zoom three of my close friends everyday for about 20 minutes and we talk about our goals for the day and just destress. I hope everyone has a great term holidays <3
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: whys on September 20, 2020, 07:26:31 pm
I did the 2017 VCAA exam last friday and marked it super harshly and I was so disappointed as I got 68%! I asked my super strict Bio teacher to mark it and turns out I had taken out 16 marks for no reason, and I actually ended up getting 84%. What a shocker. I've noticed my weaknesses are experimental design, changes in genetic makeup of population, enzymes and proteins so I've decided to target those areas during my revision. I did the A+ Biol exam after some revision and I only moved up by 4% and I feel like even though I'm working on my weaknesses it's not really making a difference, so I've decided to use my NEAP question bank for revision instead of topic tests which I had initially planned to do.

Other Tests
I've finally gotten Medify and I did a Mock test to 'diagnose' where I stand, following the advice of a guy in my school who got 98th percentile this year, and I did so bad lmaoo. I got somewhere around 2500 smh but at least I have something to work towards. I'm planning to incorporate 30 minutes of practice questions every day, with 15 minutes of two sections each everyday during the weekdays to get used to the questions. I'm also planning to do a Bio practice exam every day for the week and a couple of GATs for the exposure to the structure.
Hey homeworkisapotato!

84% is amazing for your first bio exam, keep up the good work! Once you know all the content well, improvement is very slow, so don't worry if you haven't been improving by a great amount - all that matters is if your revision is productive, you learn from your mistakes and you're using practice exams efficiently. Slowly but surely, you will improve as time goes on. :)

Haha, my first UCAT mock exam wasn't the best either - I still remember feeling pretty sad after doing it. You've started UCAT preparation really early, so make sure you don't burn out and keep the practice slow and steady - it'll serve you well in year 12.

All the best for exam revision. :)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: bluebird on September 20, 2020, 07:32:04 pm
yay another update!!! (can u tell i'm addicted to AN ::)) great job on your biology practice exam... sounds like ur revision is super structured and you'll do great. congratulations for your chem sac that's an amazing score!!! i reread harry potter too last lockdown and i lovvvvved the nostalgia from year 7. which one's your favourite? it's amazing that you've been able to enjoy lockdown and accomplish so much. it's quite inspiring for me and others trying to make it through this weird time. ur doing gr8 homeworkisapotato.
-maria
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on September 21, 2020, 08:16:57 pm
Hey homeworkisapotato!
Hey whys!! Thank you for reading my journal it means so much <3

84% is amazing for your first bio exam, keep up the good work! Once you know all the content well, improvement is very slow, so don't worry if you haven't been improving by a great amount - all that matters is if your revision is productive, you learn from your mistakes and you're using practice exams efficiently. Slowly but surely, you will improve as time goes on. :)
Thank you so much for the positive words, encouragement, and tips! I'll keep that in mind  ;D
Have a splendid and productive holiday <3

Haha, my first UCAT mock exam wasn't the best either - I still remember feeling pretty sad after doing it. You've started UCAT preparation really early, so make sure you don't burn out and keep the practice slow and steady - it'll serve you well in year 12.
All the best for exam revision. :)
Thank you, you're such a legend! All the best for your exam revision, I'm sure you'll smash it  ;D

yay another update!!! (can u tell i'm addicted to AN ::)) great job on your biology practice exam... sounds like ur revision is super structured and you'll do great. congratulations for your chem sac that's an amazing score!!! i reread harry potter too last lockdown and i lovvvvved the nostalgia from year 7. which one's your favourite?
Thank you so much maria for your kind words and your positivity! It's so hard to pick a favourite, I love them all! If I had to pick one, it would probably be Goblet of Fire by a small margin. My least favourite one (even though I really do love it) is Order of the Phoenix. That book is just 900 pages of sadness and frustration, but Rowling wrote some hilarious scenes. It's also my least favourite because Sirius dies (spoilers if anyone hasn't read it). I wish we got to read more of Dumbledore before his death in the next book (spoilers again) but I suppose keeping him in a cloud of mystery is what made Deathly Hallows so intriguing.  What about you?

it's amazing that you've been able to enjoy lockdown and accomplish so much. it's quite inspiring for me and others trying to make it through this weird time. ur doing gr8 homeworkisapotato.
-maria
Thank you!! That's so kind of you to say, maria <3 I hope you have an amazing holiday  ;D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on October 03, 2020, 07:13:47 pm
Mini Update:  If you don't want to read some negativity please don't read this ahahhaaha

I've spent the term holidays spamming exams and mostly trying to perfect an exam technique using Choco's amazing tips. I'm doing a Bio exam everyday and revising everyday and I'm averaging around 95% in my exams and losing marks due to mostly silly mistakes and misinterpreting the company papers' wording, so I took a tiny break today to do a practice GAT. I spent most of the day just chilling and not doing much but I feel so guilty and as if I'm not putting enough energy into studying for the exam, especially because we're at home most of the time. This is especially true when my friends have like 3 hour Bio tuitions and talk about how they're gonna do 2 exams per day meanwhile I'm at home watching an episode of Friends while eating lunch and taking an hour nap. My subconscious is telling me there's no point of me fully grinding exams right now and I should trust my exam plan but I feel really insecure, especially when my friends tell me they're improving my 5-10% with each exam. It's not that I want them to do bad, it's just that I'm scared that I'm being too complacent even though I put hours everyday. Throughout the year I've been losing marks due to silly mistakes caused by stress during the actual sac and I'm kinda scared this'll happen in the actual exam. I feel like I had significantly more hair a year ago and if my stress levels continue to be this high, by the end of Year 12 I'll be completely bald. I'm usually not this invested in getting the highest marks but I really do love Bio and it would be devastating to not get a high study score. I'm trying so hard to just focus on exam revision, but we're getting our Unit 4 sacs when school reopens and every time I'm not studying Bio my mind just goes back to spiralling whether my Unit 4 sac average is at least rank 20. I can't wait for the GAT to be over and my Bio class zoom lesson next week, hopefully I can also talk to my teacher about this.

Sorry for the whole negativity! I just really needed it out of my head ahahaha
If you've read this far thank you so much for reading all of that and I hope it didn't ruin your day or anything.
I hope you all have had a safe and very productive holidays with many healthy breaks and all the best for Term 4 ahead!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Geoo on October 03, 2020, 07:38:29 pm
Hey hey Potato!

I don't think what you have written is negative at all, I think that throughout our time during VCE, there are going to be many times where everything just seems compounding crazy. It's also hard not to compare yourself to others, the advice is always there that you shouldn't, but in practice it's certainly difficult. You are doing amazing at the moment to be getting in the mid 90's for your exam practice, that's fantastic, and you should be super proud of it. Keep in mind to, that even though the exam is only a bit over a month away, that you can only do so many exams where it is actually helpful.

I remember always hearing how people did 50 exams for one subject, or only 10 exams and got the same scores. It all about quality, and from the sounds of it, you've got that part nailed down! Please try enjoy just having a few days to chill out, I know the brain says otherwise, I go through this whole thing of that if I haven't done any work that day, I beat myself up about it for the rest of the night (thanks brain). So I get where your coming from and it's never easy to turn off. I think your grand exam plan will work perfectly, and I know you'll end up with an amazing score. Super proud of you for getting into the grove of practice exams, but remember it's not a race and try not to compare yourself to others. I hope you can have a bit of a rest, and good luck for term 4!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on October 03, 2020, 07:49:06 pm
Yayay Geoo!! Seriously thank you so much for your encouragement it means SO much to me! You're so sweet and absolutely right that it's not a race and I really shouldn't compare myself with others.
Quote
I go through this whole thing of that if I haven't done any work that day, I beat myself up about it for the rest of the night (thanks brain)
BAHAHA mood! Literally same though! I wish my brain wasn't on hyperactive mode 24/7 ahaha

I'll definitely follow your advice and try to incorporate some chill time into my days and actually feel proud of my achievements. There's always a pessimistic voice going 'The actual exam might be much harder than this so your mark doesn't matter' which I should probably extinguish. Once again, thank you sooo much for your kind words and for actually stopping by. It means so much <3
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: ashmi on October 03, 2020, 08:05:30 pm
Hey Potato!!🥔🥰

It looks like Geoo beat me to it, but I also agree that:
1. Definitely nothing negative here. It is a journey journal for a reason, to mark out your emotions and overall progress!😊
2. Quality over quantity anyday~

This is especially true when my friends have like 3 hour Bio tuitions and talk about how they're gonna do 2 exams per day meanwhile I'm at home watching an episode of Friends while eating lunch and taking an hour nap. My subconscious is telling me there's no point of me fully grinding exams right now and I should trust my exam plan but I feel really insecure, especially when my friends tell me they're improving my 5-10% with each exam.
I completely understand where you are coming from here so don't worry, it is fine to feel this way.
All my friends get tutored/have outside help [I don't have any help outside of school sadly for any of my subjects] and peer pressure can most definitely get to you at times. I'm pretty sure myself and others on AN have all experienced this 'insecurity' feeling before at some point during exam season and it does get overwhelming. It is tough to deal with, especially if you are one of those that don't have those extra resources outside of what your school provides and sometimes, you just can't avoid comparing yourself to others. It is totally fine to feel worried and that you are not doing enough, but trust me, so long as you have a plan, you will be alright💯.

[On a side note, if your friends are improving 5-10% on each exam and they do 2 a day, one week ago they ummm....I'll let you do the maths]

You also have to remember that everyone works in a different way! One thing to note is that the amount of exams you do isn't always proportional to the score you will receive. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is not do anything at all and just let things slowly 'settle' in your head instead of squeezing hours of your day just for one subject. So yes you go watch that episode of Friends!! Get your brain nice and rejuvenated before you attempt to do more.

Great to see a journal update and I'm looking forward to hearing more soon!! Good luck😃
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: whys on October 03, 2020, 08:14:49 pm
Hi homeworkisapotato,

Spamming praccy exams definitely is not the way to go, doing 2 exams a day starting from now sounds like a recipe for burnout and it doesn't seem like you're going to get much out of doing them. You shouldn't be worried about the number of practice exams you do, but rather, how confident you feel about going into that exam room and smashing the exam (and you still have quite a while to reach that confidence!). I know what you mean about tuition, hearing my friends going to 5-hour lessons while I don't have a tutor stresses me out a bit, but the best you can do is forget about that and focus on what you can do to improve yourself in time for the exam. People can project whatever they want to (not saying your friends are lying, of course!) but I think it's best to block out what everyone else is doing if it makes you stressed.

You seem to be doing high-quality practice so I wouldn't worry too much about other people (easier said than done). Like Geoo said, it's not a race, and oftentimes the people who do 50+ practice exams are not the ones who end up with the high study scores.

Good luck for term 4.
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Chocolatemilkshake on October 04, 2020, 07:21:34 am
I've spent the term holidays spamming exams and mostly trying to perfect an exam technique using Choco's amazing tips.
AHA a mention in Potato's journal, I'm honoured  ;D Also I'm so proud of your bio work and your work ethic is amazing! Everyone else has pretty much said it above but I feel that it's quite normal for a high achieving student to not realise how much work they've put in and also to be nervous about this hard work not "paying off" in the exam. I'd be lying if I said I was completely confident walking into my bio exam: I was not and I envy anyone who can achieve such confidence. Most importantly though, you have done so much revision and you are passionate about the subject, this certainly sets you up for success.

The fact that you are taking breaks is one, completely normal, and two, will prevent burnout. Also, I think you realise this already but a 3 hour bio tuition probably wouldn't be that helpful for you. I think tutoring can be really useful for some students but at the level you are working (where you are very comfortable with the content), it probably wouldn't be that useful for you anyway and working through your own revision for an hour a day is much more effective  8)
All the best, keep up the good work and you'll do amazing ;)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Evolio on October 04, 2020, 11:18:51 am
Hey homeworkisapotato!
I just want to echo what everyone else has said above.

I've realised this the hard way but doing the highest number of practice exams possible is not the best way to go about exam revision. Quality > Quantity. Last year in Biology, I did quite a lot of exams but it seems I was more focused on doing as much practice questions as possible rather than mindfully reflecting on my weaknesses. As a result, I didn't target my weaknesses which were the most important things to focus on! My friend who did less than half the amount of exams I did scored a 47 while I scored a 41. Reflecting is super important and as others have said, it looks like you're targeting your weaknesses and truly reflecting on them which is fantastic! Keep up the amazing work and you will definitely be rewarded!
Also, don't forget to take a break now and then as you don't want to suffer from burnout this close to the exam. Taking a break will also clear your mind and help you think better when you do exams and it works wonders!

It was great reading your update and all the best for exams and beyond!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on October 04, 2020, 04:10:11 pm
Hey Potato!!🥔🥰

It looks like Geoo beat me to it, but I also agree that:
1. Definitely nothing negative here. It is a journey journal for a reason, to mark out your emotions and overall progress!😊
2. Quality over quantity anyday~
It is totally fine to feel worried and that you are not doing enough, but trust me, so long as you have a plan, you will be alright💯.
Hey ashmi!!! Thank you so much for reading my journal it's such an honour <3

So yes you go watch that episode of Friends!! Get your brain nice and rejuvenated before you attempt to do more.
Great to see a journal update and I'm looking forward to hearing more soon!! Good luck😃
Bahaha thank you so so much for your positive words and sweet encouragement, it means sosososo much to me! All the best for your studies and thank you for reading my journal  ;D

Hi homeworkisapotato,
Hey whys!!

You seem to be doing high-quality practice so I wouldn't worry too much about other people (easier said than done). Like Geoo said, it's not a race, and oftentimes the people who do 50+ practice exams are not the ones who end up with the high study scores.

Good luck for term 4.
Thank you so so much for your advice and positivity, it means so much that you've responded to my post, and you're absolutely right that number of exams is not equal to the study score at the end of the day. I'll definitely take your kind advice to heart and work on not getting affected by others' progress. Thank you again and have a great Term 4!! You're so smart you're gonna smash VCE <3

AHA a mention in Potato's journal, I'm honoured  ;D
AHAHA nooo the honour is mine  ;D

Also I'm so proud of your bio work and your work ethic is amazing! Everyone else has pretty much said it above but I feel that it's quite normal for a high achieving student to not realise how much work they've put in and also to be nervous about this hard work not "paying off" in the exam. I'd be lying if I said I was completely confident walking into my bio exam: I was not and I envy anyone who can achieve such confidence. Most importantly though, you have done so much revision and you are passionate about the subject, this certainly sets you up for success.

All the best, keep up the good work and you'll do amazing ;)
Aww thank you SOO much for your belief in me and your passionate words, you're the sweetest <3
You're absolutely right that tuition does not equate to a higher study score and that it's okay to be nervous and take breaks. It's an honour having you read and respond to my journal, seriously. Thank you so much for the advice you've given me throughout the holidays, it means so much. Sending lots of love virtually.

Hey homeworkisapotato!
Heyaa Evolio, what a delightful surprise. Thank you for reading my journal <3

I've realised this the hard way but doing the highest number of practice exams possible is not the best way to go about exam revision. Quality > Quantity. Last year in Biology, I did quite a lot of exams but it seems I was more focused on doing as much practice questions as possible rather than mindfully reflecting on my weaknesses. As a result, I didn't target my weaknesses which were the most important things to focus on! My friend who did less than half the amount of exams I did scored a 47 while I scored a 41. Reflecting is super important and as others have said, it looks like you're targeting your weaknesses and truly reflecting on them which is fantastic! Keep up the amazing work and you will definitely be rewarded!
Also, don't forget to take a break now and then as you don't want to suffer from burnout this close to the exam. Taking a break will also clear your mind and help you think better when you do exams and it works wonders!

It was great reading your update and all the best for exams and beyond!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your very very thoughtful advice, especially regarding the reflecting on weaknesses part. and the quality over quantity. You're so smart and dedicated, I know you're going to shoot above and beyond your expectations in VCE!! All the best for Term 4 and looking forward to your updates <3


Geoo, Ashmi, whys, Chocolatemilkshake, and Evolio thank you so so much for responding to my update. I have read your messages like over and over again before typing this response and every time I read your responses I get a surge of positivity and peacefulness. You guys are such an inspiration to the VCE Journal community, and I aspire to work as hard as you guys everyday. You're like my VCE role models (kinda weird because I've never seen your face but I have kind of given you guys fantasy appearances so when I do imagine you guys it's not like I'm just visualising the name of your AN account).
Sending lots of love your way <3
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: angrybiscuit on October 05, 2020, 09:15:30 am
Hi potato!
I'm a bit late to the party but better late than never :)

I'm sure others have said various forms of the advice I'm about to give you but I just wanted to give you some personal experiences.

I know a friend who did Bio in Year 11 and she did a lot of practice exams. Like 40+ exams, but still didn't achieve the score she wanted (I think she got high 30s) because she literally spammed exams. Every time I saw her, she was doing exams. Personally, I started seeing the same mistakes of mine happen over and over again in. But I didn't do anything about them and instead continued to do practice exams. My 'downfall' was that I didn't properly reflect on where I lost my marks in and didn't do anything about them. Most importantly, don't compare yourself to others. Everyone is different and what works for others may necessarily not work for you. It's important to realise that this year is the year where you try out different approaches and see what works and what doesn't which you can then apply for next year. 

Regardless, thank you for sharing your thoughts. It's natural to have times like these during our VCE journeys and it's important to convey them however "negative" they are. All the best for term 4 :)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on October 05, 2020, 10:21:32 am
Hi potato!
I'm a bit late to the party but better late than never :)
Hi angrybiscuit! Thank you so much for reading my journal  ;D

I'm sure others have said various forms of the advice I'm about to give you but I just wanted to give you some personal experiences.

I know a friend who did Bio in Year 11 and she did a lot of practice exams. Like 40+ exams, but still didn't achieve the score she wanted (I think she got high 30s) because she literally spammed exams. Every time I saw her, she was doing exams. Personally, I started seeing the same mistakes of mine happen over and over again in. But I didn't do anything about them and instead continued to do practice exams. My 'downfall' was that I didn't properly reflect on where I lost my marks in and didn't do anything about them. Most importantly, don't compare yourself to others. Everyone is different and what works for others may necessarily not work for you. It's important to realise that this year is the year where you try out different approaches and see what works and what doesn't which you can then apply for next year. 

Regardless, thank you for sharing your thoughts. It's natural to have times like these during our VCE journeys and it's important to convey them however "negative" they are. All the best for term 4 :)
Thank you so much for your input and anecdote!! You're absolutely right that different people have different approaches and that Year 11 is mainly about finding what works for me. Thank you again for your helpful advice and reading my journal! Have a great Term 4 <3
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on October 16, 2020, 07:11:12 pm
Hey! Thought I should give a quick update as I might not update until my exam is over :)

27 days until the exam!
Before I dive into 3/4 I'll give a quick update for 1/2. I finally got my Comparative SAC back and I got A+ (18/20)!! I was shocked! Of course, there's still room for a lot of improvement and my teacher said that I should've gone more into authorial intent and compared the texts a bit more. I also got 39/40 for my HHD sac which was super annoying as I lost a mark because I forgot to write 'such as.' Whyyyyyy. That being said I am really proud of my achievements, I just find it a teensy bit annoying hehehe

Now for Bio. I finally got my sac marks back- 82% for Evolution and 88% for DNA Manipulation. Am I happy with my marks? Not really. I could've gotten those marks if I felt more confident in myself when walking into the exam hall, but a good thing is I've already fixed the mistakes and gaps I had when writing those sacs, so those sacs boosted my confidence a bit. This brings my Unit 4 average to 83% (I also got 80% on my experimental design sac like 6 months ago). Quite a few people got above 90% for both the previously mentioned sac so I'm definitely not in the top 10. This is a bit saddening but I'm not too worried as I'm confident I can make up for it in my exam. Exam revision is going pretty good, I'm averaging around 95-100% and my mark drops to 93% in harder papers, but majority of people I've talked to at school are averaging 70's to 80's so I guess I'm doing alright. It's hard not to think that each exam is just a 'fluke' and the real exam is going to be really hard, but I'm starting to feel proud of myself. I'm doing about one exam per day, and I'm waking up at 5am to do the praccy exam in the morning so when I come home I can chill a little, do some non-exam revision and do dumb dumb 1/2 work. I've asked my study score prediction quite a few times on the threads here (thanks Sine and keltingmeith) and I think maybe a safe guess is at least 39 or 40. I don't even know what the max I can get is...maybe 43? 44 if I'm lucky? My ultimate goal is as high as I can get but predicting is fun!

Now for my personal health. This week I have been neglecting my personal health to fit back into a school timetable so this weekend I'm going to fit time for my personal health. I'm thinking of doing a coffee scrub, a couple of face masks, and to restart exercising but I don't know where to fit it in my day. I should definitely not be eating Macca's but they've released this new burger called the McSpicy and as a typical brown person who loves spicy anything I HAD to buy it today. I feel like a blob because I have eaten so many comfort foods to keep my energy up in the evening and I crave so much spicy and sweet foods when I'm sleepy. I'm planning to cook some form of salmon and mashed potatoes this weekend. Also I've started listening to this Harry Potter podcast in my free time called Witch Please which is amazing. The hosts are so funny and they've changed my perspective on so many issues in the book hehe, it's a good way for destressing.

Stay safe everyone! Until next post :D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Bri MT on October 16, 2020, 08:18:43 pm
I'm jumping in late but I didn't get tutoring or buy a bunch of extra resources and I duxed all my subjects and got my goal ATAR (98+). I definitely remember the pressure of thinking "how can I compete with all these people who go to private or selecrive schools rather than underrep ones and have tutoring etc." It's a really difficult mindset to step out of but even when you've got some extra hurdles it's very possible to succeed :)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on October 16, 2020, 09:22:06 pm
Hi Bri! Thank you so much for reading my journal  ;D
Wow, that's amazing, thank you so much for your motivational words! You're a true inspiration and amazing on the forums. Thank you so much again!! I'm feeling a lot more motivated than before because of your kind words :D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Bri MT on October 16, 2020, 10:34:19 pm
Hi Bri! Thank you so much for reading my journal  ;D
Wow, that's amazing, thank you so much for your motivational words! You're a true inspiration and amazing on the forums. Thank you so much again!! I'm feeling a lot more motivated than before because of your kind words :D

No worries!

Thank you for your kind words :D

Glad to be able to help :)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 13, 2020, 11:30:20 pm
The Bio exam is DONE! I can't even believe it! I feel so relieved and happy, and the exam was weirdly easy! However, I think I messed up that 5 marker and definitely lost a couple of marks there. I'm hoping that I did well and that I still have a chance of getting a 40+ study score. Ngl I'm really nervous and with each passing moment my hopes of getting 40+ are decreasing because of the 5 marker but I'm just crossing my fingers and praying at this point. Although I am a little scared, I'm mostly extremely proud of how I went and happy that it's over and I don't need to do any more practice exams or remember the steps of speciation or natural selection! Thank you AN for helping me with my paranoia and here's to hoping that I'll get 40+!!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: caffinatedloz on November 14, 2020, 06:29:59 am
Congratulations Potato! ;D

I feel exactly the same as you, but mostly I am just super glad it's over! It sounds like you've been working really hard and you absolutely deserve an incredible study score! Have you got any plans to celebrate this weekend?

Do you still have exams for your Year 11 subjects to come?
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 14, 2020, 07:47:30 am
Congratulations Potato! ;D

I feel exactly the same as you, but mostly I am just super glad it's over! It sounds like you've been working really hard and you absolutely deserve an incredible study score! Have you got any plans to celebrate this weekend?

Do you still have exams for your Year 11 subjects to come?
Aww thank ypu so much laura and congratulations back!! I'm just a bit down that I didn't really get to 'show off' my knowledge but ehhh WOOP it's over!! I got a puppy a few weeks ago so I'm gonna spend more time with him like with training, and I actually can't rest too much as I have like 3 1/2 sacs next week which is a bummer. However, yesterday after the exam me and my friend went to Werribee Plaza and had a blast there for 6 hours just walking around and talking, it was very therapeutic! No exams for Year 11 stuff thankfully-my school cancelled them- but 3 sacs hjglafjghfgj

Thank you for reading my journal, you're very kind! Do you have any plans for the weekend and any exams?
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: caffinatedloz on November 14, 2020, 10:18:36 am
I'm just a bit down that I didn't really get to 'show off' my knowledge but ehhh WOOP it's over!!
I think that that was the only disappointing thing- I'd have loved to get to explain bacterial transformation, allopatric speciation, inflammation, allergies or transcription.... the things I worked really hard on. But, I am just relieved it's over!

I got a puppy a few weeks ago so I'm gonna spend more time with him like with training, and I actually can't rest too much as I have like 3 1/2 sacs next week which is a bummer. However, yesterday after the exam me and my friend went to Werribee Plaza and had a blast there for 6 hours just walking around and talking, it was very therapeutic!
That sounds amazing! What breed is your puppy? Do you have photos? After the exam some friends and I got pizza at a cafe which was really nice, but because we have 1/2 exams starting on Monday everyone was a bit on edge. So as for my plans, just studying. Next weekend, however, I'll be taking some kids I care for to the zoo which should be awesome!

Best of luck with the sacs next week.

Thank you for reading my journal, you're very kind!
It's my pleasure! Thank you for sharing!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Geoo on November 14, 2020, 12:01:18 pm
AHHH! Congratulations potato! Super proud of you, you've worked crazy hard this year for bio, and I have no doubt you'll get that 40! That's so exciting with the puppy! You'll have all summer to go to puppy school and hang out with it. I'm sure he'll be a great year 12 buddy as well for next year.

Good luck with your remaining SACs!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 15, 2020, 07:54:02 am
I think that that was the only disappointing thing- I'd have loved to get to explain bacterial transformation, allopatric speciation, inflammation, allergies or transcription.... the things I worked really hard on. But, I am just relieved it's over!
LITERALLY same!!!

That sounds amazing! What breed is your puppy? Do you have photos?
He's a labrador retriever, 10 weeks old as of today!! I'll find some and upload them here asap!

After the exam some friends and I got pizza at a cafe which was really nice, but because we have 1/2 exams starting on Monday everyone was a bit on edge. So as for my plans, just studying. Next weekend, however, I'll be taking some kids I care for to the zoo which should be awesome!
That's so good!! It's good that our Bio exam was the week BEFORE exams rather than after (feel sorry for those legal studies kids)

Best of luck with the sacs next week.
It's my pleasure! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much! Have a great week <3

AHHH! Congratulations potato! Super proud of you, you've worked crazy hard this year for bio, and I have no doubt you'll get that 40! That's so exciting with the puppy! You'll have all summer to go to puppy school and hang out with it. I'm sure he'll be a great year 12 buddy as well for next year.

Good luck with your remaining SACs!
Heya Geoo!! Thank you sososoos much for those positive words!! Crossing fingers about that 40 but the more I think the more I got wrong bahaha I'm expecting to lose at least 8 marks so really praying here! YESS I'm sooo excited for the summer holidays so I can take him to the beach and stuff. He's currently lying in his playpen on his back chewing his toys lmao. Thank you Geoo!!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: whys on November 15, 2020, 08:26:51 am
Congrats on finishing your bio exam!! It’s normal to have those feelings after an exam - nothing is in our control anymore so the best we can do is forget about it until results day.

Omg - you’ve definitely got to upload some pictures of your puppy!! I used to have a lab too, and they’re just the best aren’t they? So adorable, funny and smart. Have fun with your new puppy!! You’ve got the whole summer holidays to hang out together.
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 15, 2020, 08:33:29 am
Congrats on finishing your bio exam!! It’s normal to have those feelings after an exam - nothing is in our control anymore so the best we can do is forget about it until results day.
Thank you so much whys <3 Gahhh I'm such a control freak so it's so hard bahahahah
 
Omg - you’ve definitely got to upload some pictures of your puppy!! I used to have a lab too, and they’re just the best aren’t they? So adorable, funny and smart. Have fun with your new puppy!! You’ve got the whole summer holidays to hang out together.
Yess will do! He's so smart, he picked up sit and shake hand after only one practice! Yess I'm so excited! I'll get a good picture of him and upload asap  ;D
Thank you for popping by <3
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: ThunderDragon on November 15, 2020, 09:25:21 am
Congrats on finishing your first 3/4 exam!!! I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised with how you did.
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 15, 2020, 09:30:02 am
Congrats on finishing your first 3/4 exam!!! I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised with how you did.
Hey ThunderDragon, thank you so much!! I hope so too ahahaha and all the best with your exams!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 22, 2020, 01:19:02 pm
Hey everyone! I hope you guys are doing well in this exam period and pumping through <3

This week was a highly unproductive week as I had absolutely no energy after the exam. All I wanted to do was watch movies everyday (which I did lol). I had like 3 sacs this week which went well and I'm so happy that all my 1/2 stuff finished last week so I can do 3/4. I'm going to draw up a timetable to follow now that 3 hours of my day aren't blocked doing praccy exams and do some research on how to best study for each of my subjects. I'm really excited to start my 5 3/4's and if you guys have any tips for my subjects (HHD, English, Methods, Chem, and Further) that would be amazing and a life saver! I'm also really happy as I have time to work on my app!

Have a nice one guys, we're nearly at the end!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: The Cat In The Hat on November 22, 2020, 04:36:46 pm
Hey everyone! I hope you guys are doing well in this exam period and pumping through <3

This week was a highly unproductive week as I had absolutely no energy after the exam. All I wanted to do was watch movies everyday (which I did lol). I had like 3 sacs this week which went well and I'm so happy that all my 1/2 stuff finished last week so I can do 3/4. I'm going to draw up a timetable to follow now that 3 hours of my day aren't blocked doing praccy exams and do some research on how to best study for each of my subjects. I'm really excited to start my 5 3/4's and if you guys have any tips for my subjects (HHD, English, Methods, Chem, and Further) that would be amazing and a life saver! I'm also really happy as I have time to work on my app!

Have a nice one guys, we're nearly at the end!
HHD - don't get behind, and practise lots of past questions. All the stuff I didn't do.... Practise hard past questions, especially the longer ones, and know the study design, and get stuff marked by the teacher.
English - work hard and you'll enjoy it if you didn't already. Keep rereading your texts, or watching them. Write practise essays often. It is not overrated to write practise essays. Make use of AN for this.
Methods - I cannot emphasise enough, don't get behind. The content is rather heavy and go through it quickly, but you need to keep up. Also do exam questions, probably Checkpoints as well - doing the year over again I might've seen if I could pick up a secondhand copy of some Checkpoints for some year. Do exam questions throughout the year, so that when you get to exam preparation you don't suddenly drop in scores because you don't know how to synthesise the question. Make sure you understand things. Also if you're going to make your own bound book (highly recommend) make it throughout the year; I made mine for the first SAC, then updated for the second SAC, then for the exam all I needed to do was add the probability content (which you'll presumably have a SAC on anyway, which I didn't). Don't underestimate how much time you need to use on Methods.
(Those are the only subjects we have in common.)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 22, 2020, 06:27:31 pm
Hey Cat In The Hat,
Thank you so much for the helpful tips, it means a lot! I'll definitely take your advice and work hard, especially to keep up and not get behind. You're such a legend, thank you  ;D

All the best for your Texts exam <3
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Evolio on November 23, 2020, 08:51:24 pm
I just wanted to say: congrats on finishing your Bio exam!

Okay, I'm totally jealous right now that you have a puppy! My parents won't let us get one.  :'( You've got to show us him!!
That's also great that you have oodles of time to work on your app!

I'm not an expert at chem or anything but the below helped me and so hopefully they help you too:
- Practice questions are honestly the way to go for this application-heavy subject! Doing questions, especially difficult ones, will force you to think in more lateral ways and this will really help you to tackle those really complex questions that you face. Also, practice questions were a great diagnostic in helping me identify what I needed to work on.
- Drawing concept maps really helped me link all the AOSs together and it also allowed me to see what gaps I had in my knowledge.
- For the fuels stuff: I found that writing a list of advantages/disadvantages/ for each of them and constantly reading over them really helped me answer those questions in the exam.
- Making an error book. I wished I had done this throughout the year but for exams, I made one and it helped me become more aware of my mistakes whenever I was doing exams. For example, I always made mistakes with converting between units for calculation questions, so whenever I came across that question in the exam, I would think back to what errors I had made (in the past) and made sure to not make them again in that specific q.
- Teaching someone. I taught my brother some of the content and it really helped me solidify some of my knowledge + identify gaps in my knowledge so that was useful (although, he wasn't really paying attention)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 24, 2020, 07:33:52 am
Thank you SO much Evolio for your advice and positivity! It means a lot, and I'll definitely follow them too! Unit 3/4 Chem sounds terrifying so I'm feeling a lot more confident with your advice. I will definitely upload a photo, I keep forgetting to do that! I will do my best to upload one today bahahaha
What breed do you want?
Congratulations for finishing Year 12, I'm so happy for you but also terrified that's gonna be me next year!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 30, 2020, 06:51:08 pm
Hey peeps I hope you are all having a great and relaxing time! I just started Year 12 transition and it isn't actually going that great.
I think I've been in a burnout phase ever since the end of the Bio exam because I have not opened my books since (except for the English creative book and working on that). I feel really guilty but I just have been going in a spiral of sorts as well as going in a junk food fest. I know that you are what you eat and all but I'm having difficulty pulling myself back up. Every time I open my books I keep remembering that I have my study score coming in a month and I keep thinking 'If I didn't do that well when I was just doing ONE 3/4, what's the chance of doing well with FIVE?' That being said all of my subjects seem SOO fun but I'm just not having the right mindset atm!
Any advice?
Edit: Attached is a pic of my puppy :D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: waterangel82 on November 30, 2020, 07:23:43 pm
Hey peeps I hope you are all having a great and relaxing time! I just started Year 12 transition and it isn't actually going that great.
I think I've been in a burnout phase ever since the end of the Bio exam because I have not opened my books since (except for the English creative book and working on that). I feel really guilty but I just have been going in a spiral of sorts as well as going in a junk food fest. I know that you are what you eat and all but I'm having difficulty pulling myself back up. Every time I open my books I keep remembering that I have my study score coming in a month and I keep thinking 'If I didn't do that well when I was just doing ONE 3/4, what's the chance of doing well with FIVE?' That being said all of my subjects seem SOO fun but I'm just not having the right mindset atm!
Any advice?

Hey, I think it's ok to have a rest atm! It's definitely good to give yourself a break, especially after working so hard this year!

Personally, I didn't touch my books much until January, since I knew I needed a break after my first 3/4 subject. I found one month was more than enough to get ahead, and I think your motivation levels definitely increase after December! So I wouldn't really feel guilty, because it's really important to give yourself a good break at the end of year 11 so you can be refreshed for year 12!

In terms of waiting for the study score, I do agree I also experienced the same feeling. I remember thinking 'If I don't do well in my 3/4 subject, at least I have 5 other subjects to make up for it next year', so I think that mindset kinda helped me. Of course, I was in a slightly different situation, because I knew the 3/4 subject I did in year 11 wasn't my strongest, so I was slightly less anxious. But maybe adopting a similar mindset might be useful!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on November 30, 2020, 07:32:02 pm
Hey waterangel, thank you so much for the reassurance! I think I'll follow what you did and take a fresh breather and start 3/4 properly in the holidays.
I'll also do my best to adopt your mindset :D
Thank you!!
<3
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: The Cat In The Hat on November 30, 2020, 08:16:50 pm
Hey waterangel, thank you so much for the reassurance! I think I'll follow what you did and take a fresh breather and start 3/4 properly in the holidays.
I'll also do my best to adopt your mindset :D
Thank you!!
<3
Over the holidays, I did precisely no study between end-of-year-11 and start-of-year-12. I didn't even open my books. It worked fine.
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Chocolatemilkshake on November 30, 2020, 10:41:35 pm
Hey peeps I hope you are all having a great and relaxing time! I just started Year 12 transition and it isn't actually going that great.
I think I've been in a burnout phase ever since the end of the Bio exam because I have not opened my books since (except for the English creative book and working on that). I feel really guilty but I just have been going in a spiral of sorts as well as going in a junk food fest. I know that you are what you eat and all but I'm having difficulty pulling myself back up. Every time I open my books I keep remembering that I have my study score coming in a month and I keep thinking 'If I didn't do that well when I was just doing ONE 3/4, what's the chance of doing well with FIVE?' That being said all of my subjects seem SOO fun but I'm just not having the right mindset atm!
Any advice?
Edit: Attached is a pic of my puppy :D

Hi Potato,
I think it's totally normal to feel burnt out after doing so much preparation for the bio exam! I'd suggest taking a break by surrounding yourself with other people, playing sports or hanging out with friends. For me, this was a way I could have fun, forget about the bio exam and relax without feeling guilty about having done minimal work. Also, try to do SIMPLE but still productive things to get your mind slowly into year 12 study (whilst no study over the holidays may work for some people, I would have felt really guilty and just would have beat myself up for it. I feel like you are probably similar and that you actually function a lot better when you're productively working at something during your free time). So, start by just reading your english books, don't even take notes or highlight quotes, just read them. Or perhaps just read some of a textbook, without worrying whether you know or understand the content. By slowly lowering myself into year 12 (as well as completing all my holiday homework early) I found myself becoming a lot more motivated overtime. That's another thing, whilst occasionally it does happen, usually motivation doesn't hit in full force and is something that slowly makes itself apparent with time. I'm sure it will for you too!

In regards to overcoming a negative mindset (surrounding receiving your first study score) I think different things/thoughts work for different people. For me, the thought of receiving a study score that didn't reflect my aims was at first very difficult! But eventually it became MORE of a motivator to do well in my other subjects - like waterangel has said (and I'm sure, with time, it will for you too. You're persistent and hard working, it's normal to feel disappointment or guilt that prevents you from working at your best, but eventually your positive attitude will take over!) In general, if you don't do well in your first 3/4 then there's even more of a reason to try harder in the next ones, because you CAN do it, I promise (and you will have learnt some very useful things from doing an early VCE subject for 2021). Plus, try to not overthink the upcoming date (because chances are you're under rather than over estimating your performance) but enjoy the holidays and maintain a steady but very manageable workload that suits YOUR needs (try to avoid comparing yourself to others because they are different people and will have different needs). I remember being told by a teacher that I would not be able to do the amount of work I did for bio for my yr 12 subjects the following year. I dismissed it at the time but it turned out to definitely be true! 2021 will be a big year for you so it's actually really important that you take a break and try not to feel guilty for "not working" - this guilt will only breed unproductively and mental fatigue. Instead, it's okay that you let your guard down for the last few weeks and enjoyed not having to do bio, you deserved it and if you tell yourself this, it will be easier to move on and become more productive in the following weeks.

Anyway, the best thing you can do is try your hardest to keep the bio study score out of your mind. I know it's hard to truly believe but, ultimately, it's your hard work, dedication and passion for the subject that you should be proud of and your study score only makes up a very small part of this.

All the best :) CM

EDIT: Sorry that's kind of a very long dump of words but hopefully it was a little bit helpful
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on December 01, 2020, 06:59:00 pm
Over the holidays, I did precisely no study between end-of-year-11 and start-of-year-12. I didn't even open my books. It worked fine.
Thank you for the reassurance The Cat In The Hat! Also, congrats regarding winning NaNoWriMo!

Anyway, the best thing you can do is try your hardest to keep the bio study score out of your mind. I know it's hard to truly believe but, ultimately, it's your hard work, dedication and passion for the subject that you should be proud of and your study score only makes up a very small part of this.

All the best :) CM

EDIT: Sorry that's kind of a very long dump of words but hopefully it was a little bit helpful
Hey Choco! Thank you SOSO much for taking the time to write your post, it was really helpful and really calmed me down. I'm feeling a lot better and much more optimistic about Year 12. You're absolutely right that it's more about my passion for the subject and less about the actual study score. Once again THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU LEGEND!  <3 <3 <3

Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on December 31, 2020, 07:55:11 am
It's Finally Over
Hey guys! I had prepared myself to get my marks at 7am on the dot so when I was browsing mindlessly and got a notification 'VCE FINAL RESULTS' at 6:50 I choked on my breath and nearly died. This was my mark:

A+   A+    A+   43

Thank you soo much fellow readers for being so beautiful and so supportive. I could not have gotten through the year and the one month waiting period alive if it wasn't for you guys reassuring me and giving me feedback. Special shout out to Chocolatemilkshake for being my Bio role model as well as such a lovely, funny, and wise mentor and for patiently answering my annoying many questions so kindly and helping me through the rocky Bio road despite having their own covid vce journey.

Now for my goals I made earlier:
1. Get 40+ study score for Biology [yay]
2. Finish and upload my app to the App Store  [nope]
3. Learn to cook at least 10 Indian dishes [lol]
4. Be able to manage my anxiety and develop a more positive thought pattern [hoorah! I still do get some anxiety but now I ask for feedback so I don't just wallow in self-pity ahahaha ]
5. Handle at least five house chores a day (I know this is not a lot, but I'm not really good at maintaining these kind of habits lol) [hahahaha no]
6. Contribute more to AN and answer more questions on the Bio thread [I think so? I got MOTM once, wrote a tips thread, and  talked to amazing people from the vce journal community. Should I write a Bio tips thread as well?? I feel like there are a lot though... let me know if you think I should :D]
7. Exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes (I have a feeling this is going to be the hardest. I'm so lazy lol) [I did in quarantine..then school started and then I got a puppy so I had no time BUT I have been taking my pup on a walk everyday so this is semi-done]

My academic goal for the summer holidays is to finish Unit 3 AOS 1 of all my five subjects (HHD, Chem, Methods, and Further) and finish Stasiland and NLMG as well as get halfway through my draft for my creative. Usually people do up to Unit 3 but  I'm trusting my gut and my past experience of just doing one section but knowing it thoroughly rather than learning the entirety of Unit 3 for all five subjects. I feel like it would be impossible for me to do the Unit 3 of five subjects and still feel relaxed and view this as a holiday. Let me know if I should do Unit 3 for all subjects or just one subject in particular though, I would love some feedback!

My personal goals include: going vegetarian because it's a healthier lifestyle, starting self care routines (like beauty stuff but no make up I don't like) as well as exercising more in the holidays and also stressing about everything less. I stress about EVERYTHING. VERY BAD.

I hope you all are happy with your results and proud of the hard work you have shown over the years! Please let me know if you think I should write a Bio tips thread as well as if you think there's a subject for which I should do the entire Unit 3 notes :D

Thank you guys!! Have a happy holidays and congratulations yet again to the Year 12s for finishing your journey in a covid year and all the best for your next chapter. Congratulations Year 11s for finishing your first 3/4 and all the best for Year 12.
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Chocolatemilkshake on December 31, 2020, 09:38:29 am
A MASSIVE CONGRATS homeworkisapotato, I've loved following your journal throughout this year! I'm so proud of your study score and I'm sure you'll smash 2021.
Thank you soo much fellow readers for being so beautiful and so supportive. I could not have gotten through the year and the one month waiting period alive if it wasn't for you guys reassuring me and giving me feedback. Special shout out to Chocolatemilkshake for being my Bio role model as well as such a lovely, funny, and wise mentor and for patiently answering my annoying many questions so kindly and helping me through the rocky Bio road despite having their own covid vce journey.
AHH thank you!! I loved helping you out and you absolutely smashed bio this year, plus you have so much passion for the subject! Congrats on achieving so many of your goals this year as well.
6. Contribute more to AN and answer more questions on the Bio thread [I think so? I got MOTM once, wrote a tips thread, and  talked to amazing people from the vce journal community. Should I write a Bio tips thread as well?? I feel like there are a lot though... let me know if you think I should :D]
Yes you definitely achieved this one! I think if you have the time many people would benefit from a thread and sharing different studying perspectives can be beneficial to many other users.

Anyway, sounds like you've got a super positive outlook for 2021 and I'm certain you'll achieve many of your goals. Thanks for an awesome year  8) 8)

Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: dedformed on December 31, 2020, 10:08:54 am
Great job on your score, you should be proud!

I think doing AOS1 is good enough, because that's quite some work for 5 subjects. You don't want to burn out this early in the year and have a fresh start in Jan! Although I would still recommend lightly skimming over the study design and textbook chapters to be mentally prepared about the year to come.

I wish you good luck!

Yeeing my haws
Penelope
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: whys on December 31, 2020, 06:52:55 pm
Heya Potato!

I am so proud of how far you've come!!! A massive congratulations on your biology score - you did amazing and I know how passionate you are about this subject. Also nice to see you've met most of your goals for the year, which is a huge accomplishment (I usually never meet any of my goals and resolutions I set for the year lol). I'm excited to read your year 12 journey too - all the best for the future. I also really commend you on your dedication, I never even had the motivation to do any holiday homework at the start of year 12 haha, so good to hear you're wanting to get ahead on top of homework! I definitely would not recommend getting through all of unit 3 for every subject - there simply isn't enough time to do it in any sort of meaningful, productive way and still have enough time to relax and have fun. This is exactly what year 12 is for - learning the content. It's okay to want to get ahead, but I think all of unit 3 is too much. Try out a smaller chunk of content if you absolutely must get ahead is my recommendation!

Again, congratulations on that amazing bio score - you've worked hard in this weird pandemic year and pulled through!

Enjoy your new year!!!!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: eloisegrace on December 31, 2020, 07:08:21 pm
OMG CONGRATS!! A 43 in bio is incredible 🤩🤩

Good job for being so positive throughout this less than ideal year and I look forward to seeing your journey next year as a fellow Class of 21’er!!

Have the best holidays 🥰
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: angrybiscuit on December 31, 2020, 09:35:17 pm
Hi potato,
CONGRATS on your amazing SS. Rest assure this experience will be incredibly invaluable to you for next year :) Take it easy these holidays and be sure not to over do it <3

- biscuit :)
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Marylen on January 04, 2021, 01:08:49 pm
Heya potato! 🥔
OMG OMG WOWOWOWOOW I could never with a 43 in bio! You should be so proud of yourself! I'm confident that you will do well in year 12. I know that sometimes we fall into a spiral of self doubt but it's normal! This was pretty much me during the year for psych ahahhaah.

Best of luck for next year!! You will do so well trust me!

PS: Your doggo is so cute!

- Mary
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on January 08, 2021, 03:50:33 pm
Choco!
Spoiler
THANK YOU SOO MUCH CHOCO It's been such an honour having you read my journal and thank you for the suggestion to write my own thread! Your thread was actually one of the main things that fuelled my passion for VCE bio <3 I hope you have an amazing break and all the best for your future endeavours.
All the best for 2021 :D

dedformed!
Spoiler
Thank you dedformed and CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOUR AMAZING SCORES :D Thank you for the amazing advice, I'm following your advice and doing only AOS 1 which is already quite tiring ahaha. I'm looking forward to reading your journal and adventuring through Year 12 with you :D

Whys!
Spoiler
THANK YOU SOO MUCH WHYS! It's been such an honour having you read my journal and your very whys advice has saved my life and sanity throughout the year. CONGRATULATIONS on finish Year 12 with such an amazing ATAR I'm soo happy for you :D. But more on that in your journal :D
All the best for 2021 you're going to do amazing <3

eloisegrace!
Spoiler
THANK YOU ELOISEGRACE for the well wishes and I look forward to journeying through Year 12 together! We can do this! Have a well-rested and fun break <3

angrybiscuit!
Spoiler
THANK YOU angrybiscuit! Thank you for your amazing advice throughout the year which has been invaluable and I will continue to follow your advice throughout the next years coming. Have an amazing holiday!

Marylen!
Spoiler
THANK YOU SO MUCHH MARYLEN for your vote of confidence and your sweet advice! Ahahah thank you, he's growing up so fast like he's twice the height he was when I posted the pic! Looking forward to getting through Year 12 together!

Thank you everyone for your well-wishes, Year 11 has been so much fun with you all by my internet side giving so much support and advice throughout the journey. I look forward to continuing this journey with you all this year too!
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Evolio on January 08, 2021, 04:41:09 pm
Hey Potato!

I'm VERY late to the party but congrats on that bio score! You worked incredibly hard and all that hard work and effort has paid off. I'm so glad that you've achieved your goal and I can't wait to follow the rest of your vce journey!

Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: bluebird on January 11, 2021, 07:04:30 pm
Hi Potato,
I am EXTREMELY late to the party but your journal has been so inspiring to read and you should be so proud of your biology score and your amazing journey throughout a weird year!!! Can't wait to see the amazing things you'll achieve in 2021  ;D

- bluebird
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: homeworkisapotato on February 17, 2021, 04:14:09 pm
Yikes, extremely late reply but:

Evolio!
Spoiler
Thank you so much Evolio! Sorry for the very late reply from me, but congratulations on finishing Year 12 successfully and all the best!

Bluebird!
Spoiler
Thank you so much for those kind words bluebird! Yeah, it sure was a really really weird year, I'm just happy it's over! Thank you for the support and I'm very excited to see your journey in VCE :D

I've been putting this off for a while because nothing interesting happened yet but now that Year 12 has started it's time for a few updates. I just finished the English creative sac last week and handed it in, and hopefully that went well. Got a chemistry sac next week followed by hhd, then further, then english again. It's like the sacs are never ending and school just began bahaha. UCAT prep is going okay, but it's quite disorganised rn, so I'm trying to work on a schedule where I can do an hour of UCAT every day.  And also, any tips on the fuels sac for chem? I'm very very nervous for that ahaha

Personal life wise it sucks because I haven't had time to participate in my hobbies and extracurriculars. I haven't touched my app in a month which is bad because I was meant to finish it in January. Past Year 12's- any tips on maintaining a work-life balance? 

This update was kinda mellow bahah so I have to work on getting my life sorted and following a schedule properly. I was going kind of okay and then this lockdown happened and I've been slacking off. Sorry for the mellow update and I hope you all have a good week! All the best to the fellow Year 11's and 12's :D
Title: Re: Potato's VCE Journey
Post by: Marylen on February 28, 2021, 10:15:45 pm
HEYYY Potato!! 🍠 (gotta insert that roasted sweet potato emoji)
Omg dont apologise I grew super slack during the lockdown period (cue the never ending pile of methods homework which has ought to be touched)

My life's a bit mundane too - I was so excited to see my friends on the first day of school and then reality settled in and then I got jumped on by my homework again. I really wanted to get back to playing bass again and spending more time for reading but I haven't been able to keep up that consistency because of extremely poor time management.

gotta say this before I go but you have one damn sexy study score 😍😋 Can't wait to see more amazing scores raining on you this year!

Love,
Mary