ATAR Notes: Forum
VCE Stuff => Victorian Education Discussion => The VCE Journey Journal => Topic started by: rkjthguakj on December 16, 2019, 05:47:12 pm
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After finishing my first academic year into VCE and receiving my first study score, I've decided to start a VCE journal, to keep my motivation on track!!
This year I was pleasantly surprised to have received a raw 43 in Business Management, after expecting no higher than a 38 (because of my extremely bad SAC average). Business Management was considered my worst subject throughout year 11, so I'm absolutely thrilled with my score!!
2020 Goals:
I will be graduating from high school next year!! After receiving my honour roll score, it was honestly a boost to my confidence in my abilities, and I've decided to aim higher than my original aims at the beginning of 2019!
I hope to achieve a 99 (99.8 would be my ultimate goal) ATAR after all my studies and receive entry into University of Melbourne's Bachelor of Commerce and into their Juris Doctor program, after.
English
I think without a doubt, English is will be my worst subject and will give me the most grief, due to the fact that it must remain in the top four. Nonetheless, I will try my best in English, because I know English will be a huge factor into my ATAR and hope to achieve a +42 SS.
Methods
I definitely wouldn't say I'm particularly good at maths, but its a subject I enjoy. Tbh I was failing methods at the beginning of the year (and even year ten) but after finding a good tuition my grades definitely improved. I know Methods is definitely a competitive subject and I'm not exactly the strongest, so I'm not sure what to expect for a study score. Despite this, I will continue to aim high and hope to receive a 45+ SS (although I think realistically I should aim around 42+)
Economics
Economics is my favourite subject and a subject I enjoy studying, simply out of interest. I didn't do extremely well this year, however I won't let that deter me! I hope to achieve in the high 40s and perhaps maybe a raw 50!
Legal Studies
I found legal studies pretty similar to business management tbh, in terms of the structure of the questions and found it to be definitely one of my easier subjects (however I did terrible in my unit 2 exam). After building my studying techniques from business management, I believe these could help with legal studies and perhaps help me to achieve a 45+ study score.
Global Politics
Global Politics is only offered as a 3/4 at my school, so I've never done 1/2. However, I've heard extremely good things about this subject and will be looking forward to undertaking it! Since I haven't really touched the subject, I will hope for maybe a 42+ SS, but who knows, maybe I'll higher or lower half way through the year.
Year 11 Regrets
Before my year 11 subject selections were due, I had no idea what subjects I wanted to do. This led to me making some rash decisions, in terms of subject selection. I ended up picking subjects that were considered 'easier' and more relevant to what I wanted to do in university. Unfortunately this lead to some poor choices and regrets :(.
This year my subjects were:
- English 1/2
- Methods 1/2
- Economics 1/2
- Legal Studies 1/2
- History 1/2
- Business Management 3/4
However, these were the subject selections I wish I made:
- English 1/2
- Methods 1/2
- Economics 1/2
- Specialist 1/2
- Japanese 1/2
- Global Politics 3/4
However, I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out, so I guess it doesn't hurt a bad (although I do occasionally think about spesh). But advice to year 10s: really think about your subject choices.
Anyways, looking forward to continuing this journal and actually looking forward to year 12 too tbh (I know its an unpopular opinion). Bye.
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hi rkjthguakj! it's nice to see another journal! big congrats on your busman study score, thats a huge achievement! i'm excited to see how you do in 2020, and i'm sure by reading these that you'll do great! (:
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Good job on your score! Can't wait to read more of your journal next year as a fellow 2020 graduate. Do you play any sports or do any hobbies?
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Hi!
Nice to see your journal post! (Fellow 2020 graduate here) I'm excited to read more!
Looks like you have a nice selection of subjects! (And congrats on a great busman score!)
Whats something you like to do in your free time?
Good luck for next year!
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Good job on your score! Can't wait to read more of your journal next year as a fellow 2020 graduate. Do you play any sports or do any hobbies?
Aww thanks so much!! Congrats on your 50 bio score tho! I had a lot of friends do 3/4 bio and were really disappointed with their score. I used to be a swimmer but quit earlier this year! Instead I just do sports with school. I do swimming, waterpolo and volleyball for school! Even school swimming is still so time consuming.
As for hobbies, I guess I love online shopping (mostly skincare and makeup) but I really need to cut down since I'm probably not working next year :(. I also love learning new languages (although im not really consistent). I've been trying to keep up my Japanese, but to not much avail. But other than that I don't really have any other hobbies.
So excited to continue this journal!
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hi rkjthguakj! it's nice to see another journal! big congrats on your busman study score, thats a huge achievement! i'm excited to see how you do in 2020, and i'm sure by reading these that you'll do great! (:
Thanks for the support! I'm so glad to hear people will actually be reading this journal, instead of these sad lonely posts. Lol. Anyways, goodluck to you too in your VCE journey!
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Hi!
Nice to see your journal post! (Fellow 2020 graduate here) I'm excited to read more!
Looks like you have a nice selection of subjects! (And congrats on a great busman score!)
Whats something you like to do in your free time?
Good luck for next year!
Glad you're excited to see more of this journal! That will definitely keep me motivated throughout next year! In my free time, I definitely kill a lot of time just browsing online stores (mainly skincare and makeup lol), but other than that I'm trying to read more (which I never used to do). Im currently reading The Barefoot Investor and mainly read non-fiction books. Good luck to all your studies this year!
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My Future Aspirations and Dreams (The Long Climb to Law)
Approaching the start of year 12, I have been revising and planning for my future. My ultimate dream in the long term is to do law.
I am aiming to enter through the Melbourne Model. I plan to undertake the Bachelor of Commerce as my undergraduate degree. I know that prospective law students that achieved a 99 ATAR are eligible to direct entry into law with a 70%+ WAM. Which I will be aiming for. However, even if I do qualify for this guarantee entry scheme, I would still take the LSAT. In typical fashion, although, I'm not particularly the most stellar student and not particularly gifted, I will always continue to aim high. I know that if I do extremely well in university, I will definitely apply to major law schools internationally (eg. Harvard, Stanford and Yale).
The Bachelor of Commerce
I would like to pursue commerce, because I'm genuinely interested in commerce-y subjects. My favourite subject right now is economics and I read finance and economic theory books in my free time. When in university, I would love to undertake the Diploma in Languages (in Chinese) and I know for breadth subjects I'd be either taking languages or law breadth subjects. I know the Diploma will add another year to my studies, so I'll probably try overloading subjects, since the road to law at Melbourne is already 6 years. I think I might want to major in Finance (although I'm not exactly certain since I haven't even started uni). Melbourne University also has so many exciting opportunities, that I'd love to take advantage of, (such as their international subjects).
Law School
So whether I make guarantee entry or not for Melbourne Law School, I can definitely say I will be doing the LSAT either way. For Ivy League law schools I will need to aim for around 170. I hope I do really well in university, otherwise all my aspirations and dreams will go down the drain. I would be perfectly content with going to Melbourne Law School, but I will definitely at least apply for Ivy League law schools.
I have some regrets with my high school achievements. I didn't do well in year 9 or 10 (I got really complacent after getting my academic scholarship), and I wish I had really tried and planned for my future, because I know a lot of people who tried really hard throughout high school and are also undertaking the SAT alongside VCE or IB and are halfway through polishing their Ivy League applications.
I've heard stories of the horrors of law school and Ivy League Schools, but that hasn't impeded my ambitions! If anything its only fuelled it. My favourite law movie is The Firm.
Why Melbourne University?
Although Monash University is a really good university for law and commerce, I would just prefer Melbourne. Although, I don't think my personal opinion should deter anyone, as they are extremely good courses!
1. breadth subjects
2. prestige & rankings
3. I want to possibly pursue Ivy League law schools, so I would need to undertake law as postgraduate, as opposed to undertaking the LLB
Nonetheless, I am really looking forward to the future! As of now, I know the future is still far ahead and anything could happen but these are my goals and aspirations for the future.
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FINALLY another aspiring lawyer!! I am so glad you started a journal and will definitely be keeping up with your updates! I’m aiming for com/JD at Melbourne as well, and we’re doing pretty similar subjects too! All the best :D
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FINALLY another aspiring lawyer!! I am so glad you started a journal and will definitely be keeping up with your updates! I’m aiming for com/JD at Melbourne as well, and we’re doing pretty similar subjects too! All the best :D
That's so awesome that you want to do law! And also really happy to see you interested in my journal! I will continue updating my experiences, and wish you the best of luck for all your studies! Ahaha glad to hear we're also doing similar subjects!
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Looking Back at Business Management
Business Management was a subject I was low-key forced into, (I wanted to do Global Politics), so this brought a first distaste for the subject. Nonetheless, I still tried (but not that much) to aim for a decent study score, since at the time I was aiming for 95+ ATAR.
My first SAC I received a FAT 55% and this really alarmed me. Business Management was a subject everybody said was easy. The horror stories of scaling also really alarmed me. I friend scored a 35 and it scaled to a 31.
In full honesty, I did not find Business Management an easy subject. For Unit 3 my SACs were: D, B+, C+ and my Unit 4 SACs were: A and B+. Nobody knew the rankings in our class, but the class average was always quite low (~60% average) and I knew that I was definitely not within top 4 ranks.
Leading up to the exam I didn't have much hope for a 40+ SS. Using the Study Score Calculator, I knew I had to aim for 90% for at least 38+. So I did at least 20+ practice exams (the most in my class) and was hella stressed out for fear I was going to do terribly in my first 3/4.
On the day of the exam, I was feeling quite confident with my exam, as I had basically done all the preparation I could. However, after actually doing the exam I felt quite panicked. I finished the exam but some questions were in a format I had never seen and I knew I fucked the ten-marker.
On the actual day of study score releases, I was expecting around a 35 SS, because of my horrible SAC average and I wasn't sure about the exam. I was so shocked when I opened my results with a 43 SS. My results were: A+, A+ and A+.
As it turned out, our SACs were crazy hard compared to other schools. I knew someone from a different school was averaging As and A+s in their SACs for Business Management and got a 38 SS. There's only one class of 18 in my school for Business Management. We scored two 49s, two 45s and a 43 (from me).
All the stresses and nosediving on my year 11 grades, have finally paid off, and now I'm pumped for year 12.
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Summer Homework Progress
This summer holidays I have been given a decent workload, but I'd say the progress has been rather slow.
English
I haven't read The Crucible and I've only just started The Dressmaker. I've printed the script for Rear Window and will plan to rewatch and annotate the film. Hopefully, progress will improve.
Methods
I've started a few pages of methods homework from our booklet, and I've also finished writing revision notes for 1/2 methods. I'll have to admit, I'm pretty worried about Methods, since I didn't do particularly well in 1/2, so I'll try reviewing the content.
Economics
I was given a booklet of questions for Economics 3/4, by a tutor. I've found most of the question pretty hard and not to mentions there's 50 questions. I'll probably ask for help for these questions. For a head start, I've also typed notes from ATARNotes slides and I've started questions from the Checkpoint book.
Legal Studies
We were only given a page of questions that were pretty cut and paste from the textbook. So most of the questions have been completed, however I couldn't answer some questions because they were no where in the textbook. I've also started typing up notes from the ATARNotes lectures, but other than that, not much else.
Global Politics
The homework for Global Politics was mostly research work, which was done in about a week. So far this subject seems pretty interesting.
Sorry for this boring post, let's hope more progress is made and I'm ready for year 12!
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Good work on your progress so far!
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Good work on your progress so far!
Thanks for the support! All the best for you too!
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Great stuff rk!
Looks like we've got 4 subjects matching, how do you feel doing BusMan early has helped you? Is there anything in particular you've learnt that you value taking it into 2020?
I wouldn't worry about being unproductive this early in January. Enjoy these holidays a little bit longer and then you can get stuck into it and really start the term running! (both metaphorically and literally if you like running).
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Great stuff rk!
Looks like we've got 4 subjects matching, how do you feel doing BusMan early has helped you? Is there anything in particular you've learnt that you value taking it into 2020?
I wouldn't worry about being unproductive this early in January. Enjoy these holidays a little bit longer and then you can get stuck into it and really start the term running! (both metaphorically and literally if you like running).
Thanks! I think doing business management or a 3/4 in general was a really good learning experience. I was able to experience VCE SACs and exams and I also learnt studying techniques, that come easily applicable to other business/humanities subjects. I was able to experiment with different techniques and what worked well with me.
Have a nice holidays too!
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University of Melbourne: VCE Summer School Review
This last two weeks, I attended a summer school hosted at the University of Melbourne that was open to year 11 & 12 VCE students. Today was the last day and all I have to say is that I absolutely loved it. I would definitely recommend this program to VCE students whether you're a high achiever or struggling! This program aims to cater to all VCE students!!
The Tutors
The tutors were one of the best thing about the program. All the tutors were students of the UniMelb and the program is student-run. But nonetheless all of my tutors were so passionate about helping us. I took completely advantage of the one-on-one tutoring program and extra teaching they provided. Even though they were all volunteering university students, they put their 100% into helping me and correcting all my work I gave them and I could not be anymore grateful. Not only were they brilliant tutors, but they were fun people to be around in general. They tried to making our classes fun and engaging and I couldn't ask for anything more.
The People
I'm a relatively extraverted person, but I was a little daunted with all the new people I was surrounded by, as I didn't really know anyone. But the students were in the exact same position as me. I found the students to be so nice and absolutely great friends that helped each other. I made so many friends that I knew would be long lasting and we even decided to make occasional study groups! The people around me were so amazing and you'll find yourself feeling sad when you have to say goodbye :(.
The Extracurriculars
The VCESS program ran a lot of extracurricular programs to ensure students were also enjoying themselves on campus. Some of the programs were great competition (eg. trivia & scavenger hunt) but I found that perhaps there were too many extracurriculars that I'd prefer to use as a private guided study session. But that's my personal opinion and I appreciate the activities team for all their efforts! My personal favourite extracurriculars were the four workshops we took, that involved a range of things we had selected. I chose to take: Chinese 101, Spanish 101, Introduction to Australian Politics and Russian Language and Culture. The workshops included things like study tips, physics and maths lectures and random stuff like intro to parkour and Kpop dancing.
Overall, the UniMelb summer program was a fun and great academic experience for a VCE headstart. I would 100% recommend this to all VCE students!
Below is a sample of my timetables: (I took up Japanese 1/2 for fun!)
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Sounds like you had a great time at VCESS! Glad to hear that you had an epic time over there ;D
Make sure you keep in touch with some of your new friends and you never know when you will bump into them again. 🤣
How did you find taking Japanese 1/2?
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Sounds like you had a great time at VCESS! Glad to hear that you had an epic time over there ;D
Make sure you keep in touch with some of your new friends and you never know when you will bump into them again. 🤣
How did you find taking Japanese 1/2?
Yes, I've made some really great friends, whom I still keep in touch with! I found Japanese 1/2 quite doable as I did Japanese up until year 10. Although, there were moments where I forgot the kanji and grammar for Japanese. The tutors were super helpful and made it a great learning experience! Nonetheless, it was super fun and I made great friends in the class!
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Kit & Tuition
So this I've been planning out my tuition ever since year 11, just to make sure I maximise my potential of achieving my absolute best during year 12. But unfortunately not everything has quite gone to plan.
The Original Plan
In 2019, I had English and Methods tuition and planned to take up Economics and Legal tuition in 2020.
English: Class Tuition
Methods: Group Private Tuition
Economics: Class Tuition
Legal: Tutesmart :)
Global Politics: None (because I heard really good things about the school Global Politics teacher and was planning to take it as a bottom two subject)
What Actually Happened
Economics: The class couldn't run anymore because there wasn't enough students, which I'm quite sad about as the tutor was tailoring the content to help me achieve a 45-50 SS. Nonetheless I still have a lot of faith in my abilities and my school to help me achieve the best I can so I'm not too stressed about this.
English: There was no initial problem. That is until I lowkey had a falling out with the tuition place and now I've decided to leave. This is actually kinda worrying because English is definitely one of my poorer subjects and English is extremely important for my ATAR and I was hoping to aim for a 40-44 SS :(. Now I'm urgently searching for a private English tutor. IF ANYONE COULD RECOMMEND ME ONE THAT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. If I really can't find the right one, I could definitely just rely on school but I feel like I wouldn't be able to achieve the same results. I'm currently trying to contact all of my VCESS English tutors and hope something can be arranged.
I know its normal to achieve a really good result without tuition but I'm not too confident about myself and I feel as though having tuition could really come a long way.
Anyways if anyone could recommend me an English tutor, that would be much appreciated :)
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Term 1 Week 4
This year started out a little hectic but otherwise its been a pretty great start to the year! Here are my thoughts on my current subject progresses:
English
I finally have an English tutor and I'm so happy to have her. She's extremely meticulous with my work and makes sure I'm constantly practicing. She is preparing me extremely well for my first SAC, and this has really brought up my confidence for English. With her help, I hope to achieve around a 42-44 SS, but who knows since school has only just started.
Methods
Ngl, I'm not feeling good about methods. There are already concepts I'm a little confused about and the teachers have been working at a slow pace, whilst my tutor has been working extremely quick with the presumption we're all already low 40s students. I'm hoping that eventually everything will become clearer and easier for me. But at this rate, I'm afraid methods may become a bottom two subject (even tho I was hoping to have it in my top 4). Honestly, from here I'd be satisfied with a 40 but I would really would love to work towards a 45. So I hope for the best for this year!
Economics
Economics has been okay so far. No challenges yet and it's still an enjoyable subject. My goal still stays the same at a 45+. I keep my high benchmarks at 45+ because I know that the difference between a 45 and 50 is so similar its hard to predict what you could get even with the best knowledge.
Legal Studies
I really dislike the legal studies teacher's method of teaching. It's extremely slow and dry and I just end up doing other stuff in legal. I'm pretty grateful for tutesmart, otherwise I would've ended up hating legal and probably dropping the subject or doing poorly in it. With the help of Tutesmart I'm still helpful for a 45+ score.
Global Politics
I LOVE GLOBAL POLITICS! The content itself is super interesting and the structure of the questions stem very closely to business management, so I'm quite optimistic for this subject. The teacher can be quite hardcore but she keeps it fun and makes sure we're well equipt for the subject. I took this subject out of curiosity and as a substitute to history. I'm so glad I took up this subject, and I'm pretty sure it might come out as one of my top 4 subjects. I hope to maybe achieve a 45+ for this subject!
Anyways, its been a pretty good start to the year and I'm hoping for an enjoyable finish to my schooling life.
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it's nice to hear you're feeling good about school! i totally get your situation with legal, it can be super frustrating when a teacher's methods don't match up with your learning style. global sounds really fun! are you studying any topics in particular that you enjoy?
keen for your next update! ;D
edit : punctuation -.-
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I see you're tracking very well rk! Just make sure not to burn yourself out/set your expectations at a height that puts you under too much pressure. Control what you can control, and that's simply doing the work and nailing the concepts! (especially for Legal/Global)
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it's nice to hear you're feeling good about school! i totally get your situation with legal, it can be super frustrating when a teacher's methods don't match up with your learning style. global sounds really fun! are you studying any topics in particular that you enjoy?
keen for your next update! ;D
edit : punctuation -.-
My school has been pretty thorough with the content, so we're a little behind. I love the entire subject in general, but I especially love discussions about case studies. thank you your encouragement and all the best for your studies <3
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I see you're tracking very well rk! Just make sure not to burn yourself out/set your expectations at a height that puts you under too much pressure. Control what you can control, and that's simply doing the work and nailing the concepts! (especially for Legal/Global)
Aww thank you so much for your words of encouragement! I will make sure to take care of my mental health!
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School & Covid-19
As you can all imagine, school has been pretty whack with the threat of Corona Virus. Being an independent school, students at my school have been faced with uncertainty about the closure of our school. Our school has handled the situation poorly and didn't officially announce the closure of our school until today, period 2 (IN THE MIDDLE OF MY SAC)!!!
This leaves us with a sudden three week holiday and perhaps even an online learning term 2. It is what it is and we all have to deal with this situation if we wants things to be better by playing our part.
This has meant that I will be missing out on my global politics SAC and not to mention a lot of unduly stress has been placed upon year 12s about the certainty, on top of others things.
SACs
This short-lived term one, I've only managed to complete three SACs, (English, Economics and Legal). I prepared extremely well for my Creative English SAC with my tutor and I feel pretty good about it. I had no qualms with the English SAC in the very end because I felt ready and well-prepared. This gives me hope that I really could achieve that sweet 42+ for English (but we'll see).
The day of my Economics SAC was an extremely stressful one. I felt okay during the SAC but was disheartened to not finish it. Economics is a subject I really enjoy and hope to score really well on. So, I was extremely disappointed to received my SAC score. Not only was it a bad score, but I know I ranked low in my cohort of 8. Nonetheless, I'm still very optimistic about my future, as my cohort is extremely strong and I know that wasn't my best and nothing is stopping me from improving. Hopefully, things will change for the better.
My legal SAC was today and I can not stress enough how pissed I was when the announcement of our school's closure appeared. It appeared in the middle of our SAC and was extremely abrupt. Teachers were in the dark about the planning of our school and had no idea it was coming. Our legal teacher told us to continue writing during the SAC, despite there being groundbreaking announcements for us. This made it very difficult for our class to just continue and not to mention the SAC was extremely long (I couldn't finish >:()Also I felt underprepared, as I was supposed to be attending a wedding over the weekend that had cancelled. Overall, all I can do for my legal sac is to brace myself for that disgusting score and do better next time.
Tutoring
All my tutors have had to switch to Zoom (online learning). It's obviously not ideal, but I appreciate the efforts my tutors have made and I know it will keep me busy and motivated during this time period.
Plans
My plan for this "long" school holidays is to continue grinding throughout this period and maybe take it as an opportunity for more studies. I will definitely appreciate the freedom of my own schedule and I know I will have educators here to support me.
I don't want to be too bored so I'm thinking about offering online Business Management tutoring. I fully understand that this is pretty stressful for us. The absence of teachers can really hinder our learning and that is extremely unfair. I know some schools do not have the resources to implement online learning, which is why I may decide to offer business management tutoring to help students feel prepared and confident with the subject. Feel free to contact me if you're interested!
Anyways, I will probably continue to update this with all this free time now. Have a nice day!
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Good job on being so organised in this time! And getting through a sac with an announcement....I can barely concentrate in silence.
Do you think you’ll spend time mostly going over previous content of moving ahead? And since your school is independent is this week “holidays” or learning online? My school has provided no work this week even though we asked :( I suppose it’s only three days but still.
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Might want to offer free tutoring to 3/4 Business Management students, this might be too much but I am sure it can be life-saver to someone!
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Good job on being so organised in this time! And getting through a sac with an announcement....I can barely concentrate in silence.
Do you think you’ll spend time mostly going over previous content of moving ahead? And since your school is independent is this week “holidays” or learning online? My school has provided no work this week even though we asked :( I suppose it’s only three days but still.
Aw thank you! I'll most likely be studying ahead for my next SACs, whenever that may be. Our school has decided to make it early school holidays, but they've planned ahead for online learning, the event that we are still in the same state. Even if your school hasn't provided homework, there is always something you can do for your studies! Have a nice day!
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Might want to offer free tutoring to 3/4 Business Management students, this might be too much but I am sure it can be life-saver to someone!
Haha yes. I'm still contemplating if anybody would be interested. But I'd be happy to offer it! Have a nice day!
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Dealing with 'Bad' SAC Scores & Online Learning
[Disclaimer:] The idea of a 'bad' SAC score is subject to interpretation and should in no way be determined by the standards of someone else, because everybody has different abilities, expectations, aspirations and not to mention cohorts and SAC difficulties. Therefore, you should not hold your own standards to the expectations of someone else and don't feel disheartened if you feel that you've done 'bad' by someone else's definition.
English
Creative SACs are by far my least favourite form of English assessment. I was quite happy when I saw the criteria marking for my SAC (all lying within High/Very High) however I was pretty shocked with the actual mark. I must have been misinformed about the corresponding mark for the rubric because I would've assumed that all High/Very Highs would put me in 25-27/30 but instead I received a 23/30. In my opinion, it is by no means a bad score, but I was definitely disappointed with it, hoping I could've achieved higher.
I am not particularly disheartened by the score, considering it was the first SAC and knowing my school it will definitely get moderated up. Our teachers are harsh markers, my cohort is insanely good and not to mention the SAC task required for us to write the creative piece in the form of a script. I am quite optimistic about English this year because I've put an insane amount of work (at least 5 practice SACs) and I've come a long way. I had my first over online alternative SAC for English yesterday. It was an odd experience and I hope I scored with the 25+/30 range. I have high hopes for English (hopefully 45+ or at least 40+).
Economics
I have to admit that the SAC score for Economics AOS 1 was absolutely disappointing (65%). I just have to learn and do better next time and hopefully future improvements and VCAA moderating still gives me a chance for 45+. It definitely is still not out of the question. The SAC was insanely long (I couldn't finish it) and I don't doubt I am at the bottom of my class. My cohort of 8 is insanely good at economics. But every time I feel pessimistic about my SS, 2019 Business Management offers me a glimmer of hope for a 45+ (averaging Bs and Cs on SACs but scaled to A+s for 43SS). So hopefully Economics will turn out for the better.
Legal Studies
My Legal Studies SAC for AOS 1 turned out better than I expected but not as good as I could've hoped (78%). Considering the situation was quite bad (announcement during our SAC and didn't finish) this is not as bad as it could've been. I can only hope that this is my worst SAC score and I just barrel through the year. I feel quite optimistic for legal studies, I just need to keep improving.
Methods
I am extremely pessimistic about methods. At this rate, I might just be aiming for 35+. I've been averaging fails on our methods test (which do not account for anything) which does not provide a positive outlook for methods. The most frustrating thing about my scores is that I understand it but I make so many dumb mistakes and my teacher is an extremely harsh marker. I've heard from the methods cohort from last year that our school SACs are insanely hard (apparently much harder than the exam) but do not scale that much and not as many achieved 40+ as other years and only two people received a 45 last year. This does not give me great hope for a 40+ in methods. But considering we have not completed any SACs and our SAC alternatives will be online, technically a 50 in methods is not out of the question. As much as I would like to achieve a 40+ in methods, I am quite doubtful. Nonetheless, all I can do is just grind and do my best.
Hope everyone is doing okay during this time. I'll be sure to update with all this extra time. Have a great day :)
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Lowkey in Crisis
These past few months have been crazy for us with online learning and self-isolation. I am someone who finds it very hard to stay on track with school at home, hence why I always study at libraries. So these few months have not been kind, but oh well I shall push through.
I recently came out from a careers interview with a sudden dilemma. I wasn't sure where else to put this.
But I have always been certain that I wanted to undertake the Bachelor of Commerce with a Diploma in Languages before undertaking the Juris Doctor. Until now.
As with all VTAC preferences, more than one most be put down, in case the worst comes to worst. Below my first preferences were just Bachelor of Commerce at Monash and some Arts degrees. But my careers counsellor actually suggested to me the Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree at Monash. I had always heard about the esteemed PPE at Oxford and my interest was piqued because of my elevated interested in politics. I had started considering going to politics, such as foreign policies or the IMF, after taking up Global Politics and absolutely loving it.
I watched the PPE Monash Webinar and I definitely felt reeled by aspects of the degree. But I am still in conflict about whether I want to take up the Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne or the PPE at Monash.
Not only am I torn between the degrees but also the universities. In all honesty, I prefer the University of Melbourne because of the option of breadth subjects. Breadth subjects will allow me to take up two languages (Chinese and Japanese) rather than just one through the Diploma in Languages. I also prefer Melbourne because I plan to take up the JD at Melbourne and it is apparently easier for Melbourne undergrad students to apply (and I'm lowkey aiming for the 99 guaranteed entry).
The Bachelor of Commerce has always been my first preference course because I enjoy understanding the economic/business side of things and I originally wanted to go into corporate law. I enjoy maths and economics, so it's always been on my mind.
The main appeal of the PPE is the politics side of things and could not be taken up with the Bachelor of Commerce. Politics is something I have definitely considered going into and have a love for. The PPE degree has been esteemed by global figures and leaders and it makes it all the more appealing. The economics in the PPE would definitely quench my thirst for commerce but may not be able to explore other factors in commerce such as accounting or finance.
I am honestly quite torn between the two degrees, but as for now I would probably leave my first preference as the Bachelor of Commerce. If anyone knows anything about PPE at Monash (because it's a very new degree), please let me know or perhaps provide some insight.
Hope everyone has a nice day! :)
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If anyone knows anything about PPE at Monash (because it's a very new degree), please let me know or perhaps provide some insight.
I've had a quick look at the course map for the Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Monash. It seems like once you pick a stream, you'll have 8 free elective units in which you can take whatever unit you like, as long as:
(a) it isn't prohibited by your other units
(b) your faculty allows it (which is usually the case for most units)
(c) the faculty managing the units you take allow you to take it
(d) you fulfil all the requirements of the BPPE by the end of your degree
This means you could potentially take a language or two, such as Chinese and Japanese, in those spots without the Diploma of Languages. If you plan well, you might even be able to get minors in them. (A minor only requires 4 units at Monash.)
I'd also be looking into the following for your course dilemma:
1. any prerequisites for the JD, if there are any
2. convenience
3. social atmosphere and campus "feel"
4. time taken (if that's important to you)
5. cost of degree (if that's important to you)
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I've had a quick look at the course map for the Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Monash. It seems like once you pick a stream, you'll have 8 free elective units in which you can take whatever unit you like, as long as:
(a) it isn't prohibited by your other units
(b) your faculty allows it (which is usually the case for most units)
(c) the faculty managing the units you take allow you to take it
(d) you fulfil all the requirements of the BPPE by the end of your degree
This means you could potentially take a language or two, such as Chinese and Japanese, in those spots without the Diploma of Languages. If you plan well, you might even be able to get minors in them. (A minor only requires 4 units at Monash.)
I'd also be looking into the following for your course dilemma:
1. any prerequisites for the JD, if there are any
2. convenience
3. social atmosphere and campus "feel"
4. time taken (if that's important to you)
5. cost of degree (if that's important to you)
Thank you so much for informing me!! This definitely does help me make a decision more towards the PPE but I should definitely still look into both of them and see how everything goes.
Thanks you!
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Pessimistic About VCE
Not too surprisingly, I am doing worse than expected (against my extremely high expectations for 2020). What bothers me most is the fact that Unit 3 is weighted more even though we were either doing the SACs during online schooling (opportunity for cheating) or SACs taken after online learning (a huge disadvantage for everyone).
For the most part, the only goals that remain the same is for mid-40s SS in English (with A average in strong cohort and difficult SAC marking).
I should probably stop relying on my cohort strength to moderate SACs up because that is the main thing that holds me onto the hope of a 99+ ATAR, but at this rate the chances grow slimmer.
That isn't to say that I've given up! If anything, this is even more motivation to work harder! 99 is still within my realms with less than half of the year to go and many more SACs and exams to go. But if I were to continue at my current rate, a 95-97 would be a more realistic goal.
English
English has been going quite well and a mid-40s SS is still within the realms of possibility. I was a bit disappointed in the POV statement of intention that I lost marks due to accidentally referring to Annika Smethurst as Samantha (indicating poor knowledge of topic): .
Methods
I am doing much better than my methods teacher had anticipated and a low 40s is surprisingly still possible for me. I achieved a B+ on our SAC (with cohort average at a C), which blew my teacher's mind, as I was averaging around 35% on our methods test. As a revelation she made, studying for a methods test that does not contribute to our study score when we have SACs for other subjects was at the bottom of our priority lists. After that, she actually really encouraged me and was hoping for me to earn at least an A for my next SAC (which I took today). Unfortunately, for part 1 I think I performed extremely bad but for part 2 & 3, I felt confident but am bothered by the fact that I didn't have enough time to finish the SAC. So whilst A is definitely still possible, I think it's unlikely. On the otherhand, I'm actually relatively optimistic about methods!
Economics
Oh boy. I truly love this subject with all my heart but this subject does not love me :(. Economics content as a humanities subject is conceptually hard. But once you're able to wrap your head around the content, the next challenge is learning how to answer questions. This seems to be the pitfall of my economics endeavour. Our SACs are usually 30 marks with 10 two-markers and 10 multiple-choice questions. This leaves very little room for error and with harsh marking, you can demonstrate a sound knowledge of the content but lose marks for missing out on definitions or detail. This easily drags down your SAC score and is the bane of my economics mission. I've been averaging low 70s on my SACs, which is not quite the 45-50SS pursuit I was hoping for. I'm truly wondering how far a strong cohort and difficult SACs will take me.
Global Politics
Easily my favourite subject (tied with economics). Everything about this subject is amazing (content, teacher and work). I have been doing okay, but I would be hoping to do better for a mid-40s score. I was a bit cut about my last SAC score, which I genuinely deserved because I was not well versed in the content, with a low 60s for short-answer and 75% for the essay. But I'm rather hopeful for the rest of the year with global politics, as long as I keep up with the workload!
Legal Studies
Oh boy (again). I would consider this as techincally my 'easiest subject' yet somehow my worst. The content feels like memorisation to do well in a legal SAC, but I honestly found Unit 3 so boring that I didn't even have the motivation to take extreme lengths to revise. This is my least revised subject because I deem it as my 'easiest' but with Unit 4, which is more politics and law-making based, my interest is being piqued and maybe that sweet A+ to reviving my SS is coming. Anyways, if I could choose again, I probably would not have picked legal studies to study as a VCE subject (should've done spesh or Japanese rip). But oh well, it's not the end of the world.
Looking back at my busman grade average usually gives me hope but with the new amendments, everything is so uncertain.
Sorry for that rather pessimistic and bland journal entry. I hope everyone had a lovely day <3
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Keep working hard your doing GREAT :D I believe a 99 is in sight for you and even if you don’t get there (which I don’t think will happen) you’ll feel so good that you have it your all which has been a lot!!! Good luck :)
Pessimistic About VCE
What bothers me most is the fact that Unit 3 is weighted more even though we were either doing the SACs during online schooling (opportunity for cheating) or SACs taken after online learning (a huge disadvantage for everyone).
This absolutely SUCKS! We had a 4 hour English sac unsupervised and everyone cheated but I didn’t because I didn’t want to and now I’ve “lost” my ranking. To top it all off two days later vcaa is like unit 3 is worth more than unit 4. I okay for other subjects but in English where sac exam weighting is 1:1 it’s a bit of a problem. Glad I’m not the only one who noticed.
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Keep working hard your doing GREAT :D I believe a 99 is in sight for you and even if you don’t get there (which I don’t think will happen) you’ll feel so good that you have it your all which has been a lot!!! Good luck :)
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement!! It really means a lot to me and I'll be rooting for you too!! The whole situation this year sucks but there's not really much we can do about it :( I hope you had a nice day! <3333
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Road to University
It's been a while since I've updated, due to the craziness of 2020 and of course, VCE.
After receiving a shockingly disappointing ATAR, I was pretty gutted. I ended up moving around my preferences and wasn't so sure about what to do, because I was certain that there was no chance I was getting into Commerce at Melbourne.
So I was tossing up between Arts at UoM, Commerce at Monash or the PPE at Monash. I ultimately changed to enrol in Arts of UoM, because I felt that there was a lot I wanted to do in the Arts degree and it would be easier to transfer into Commerce at UoM, if I felt that I wanted to. I was enrolled and planned to major in Economics and Chinese and was/am also enrolled in the Diploma of Languages to study Japanese. There were a lot of majors I was tossing up between. Mostly between economics, politics/international studies, media & communications and Chinese. The enrolment was such a pain but I was excited to start university with subjects I enjoyed, nonetheless.
My subjects were:
- Power
- Introductory Microeconomics
- Chinese 1
- Japanese 1
It wasn't until February Rounds that I was in for a surprise. I was expecting to receive an offer like the PPE at Monash, which I would've rejected anyways. But instead, I found that had I had been accepted into my first preference course - COMMERCE @ THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE.
I was shook and ecstatic. As it turns out, everyone was right about my ATAR being close enough to receive a second-round offer, (which I was pessimistic about). So now I am delighted to announce that I will be undertaking the Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne!!
Luckily, it wasn't too much trouble to enrol compared to the first time, but it was a pain having to reorganise the Diploma in Languages again. I chose to take up the general stream as I plan to major in finance (but who knows).
My subjects this semester are:
- Quantitive Methods 1
- Principles of Finance
- Chinese 1
- Japanese 1
Stop 1 has been helpful but is hard to get to because of all the congestion. For some reason, I no longer have my requisite waiver for Japanese and Chinese but also can't do the placement test again. Hopefully, everything is fixed soon.
In addition to the academic side of university, I have signed up for two O-Week camps. I have heard some wild things about these camps but also that they are memorable experiences that build incredible friendships and bonds.
Anyways, I'm excited for the year to come! Hope everyone has a good year! :)
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Road to University
It's been a while since I've updated, due to the craziness of 2020 and of course, VCE.
After receiving a shockingly disappointing ATAR, I was pretty gutted. I ended up moving around my preferences and wasn't so sure about what to do, because I was certain that there was no chance I was getting into Commerce at Melbourne.
So I was tossing up between Arts at UoM, Commerce at Monash or the PPE at Monash. I ultimately changed to enrol in Arts of UoM, because I felt that there was a lot I wanted to do in the Arts degree and it would be easier to transfer into Commerce at UoM, if I felt that I wanted to. I was enrolled and planned to major in Economics and Chinese and was/am also enrolled in the Diploma of Languages to study Japanese. There were a lot of majors I was tossing up between. Mostly between economics, politics/international studies, media & communications and Chinese. The enrolment was such a pain but I was excited to start university with subjects I enjoyed, nonetheless.
My subjects were:
- Power
- Introductory Microeconomics
- Chinese 1
- Japanese 1
It wasn't until February Rounds that I was in for a surprise. I was expecting to receive an offer like the PPE at Monash, which I would've rejected anyways. But instead, I found that had I had been accepted into my first preference course - COMMERCE @ THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE.
I was shook and ecstatic. As it turns out, everyone was right about my ATAR being close enough to receive a second-round offer, (which I was pessimistic about). So now I am delighted to announce that I will be undertaking the Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne!!
Luckily, it wasn't too much trouble to enrol compared to the first time, but it was a pain having to reorganise the Diploma in Languages again. I chose to take up the general stream as I plan to major in finance (but who knows).
My subjects this semester are:
- Quantitive Methods 1
- Principles of Finance
- Chinese 1
- Japanese 1
Stop 1 has been helpful but is hard to get to because of all the congestion. For some reason, I no longer have my requisite waiver for Japanese and Chinese but also can't do the placement test again. Hopefully, everything is fixed soon.
In addition to the academic side of university, I have signed up for two O-Week camps. I have heard some wild things about these camps but also that they are memorable experiences that build incredible friendships and bonds.
Anyways, I'm excited for the year to come! Hope everyone has a good year! :)
Yayyyy! Congratulations :)
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Congratulations BComm is an exciting course, I wish you all the best!