ATAR Notes: Forum

VCE Stuff => Victorian Education Discussion => Topic started by: kevvy on December 30, 2010, 12:33:16 am

Title: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: kevvy on December 30, 2010, 12:33:16 am
Heyy

So heres my insecurity...
I have no idea what to expect for year 12. First off i didnt do a unit 3/4 subject whilst in yr 11 and i sorta dont know how harsh the marking/expectation is. I had friends who were constantly saying 'x subject is super easy man im gonna get 45+ EASY'. They all ended up with low 30's.

I thoroughly envy them since they've already had a taste of yr12 and know what to expect.

Just really scared and worried, and feel very disadvantaged :S.

Anyone have advice?
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Kennybhoy on December 30, 2010, 12:40:05 am
Don't be arrogant.
Get plenty of sleep.
English is an important subject.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: burbs on December 30, 2010, 12:41:18 am
I think those people who assumed they would get 45+ scored lowly because of this hubris. From my one subject, if you put the effort in and work during the year, you should score quite well.
 Make sure you work off the study design, and do as many practice exams as you feel necessary. Don't be afraid to nerd it out a bit.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: ariawuu on December 30, 2010, 12:46:13 am
1. Use this website to your advantage; go ask questions and collect resources.
2. I have to say getting a 45+ is very hard that is you have to be top 2% of the state to be in this category, thats losing the minimal marks as you can.
3. Sleep well, eat well, relax and prepare well. :)
4. Believe in yourself!
5. A 'bad' atar isnt the end of the world; just give your best shot!
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: echenzi on December 30, 2010, 12:48:43 am
Remember, Atar's are valid for a month.

Good friends and memories are there for life.

Enjoy year 12, last year of high school. Enjoy learning, enjoy the formals, enjoy the whatever.


Have FUN! But do take care of yourself :P
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: dptjandra on December 30, 2010, 12:51:10 am
At the end of the day, you'll do as well as you can, if you put in as much work as you can.  In terms of the harshness of the marking, it is quite thorough in the sense that they look for certain things to give marks for - just make sure you answer a question FULLY (which is different to just putting down one sentence for an answer).  The actual assessment probably won't seem too hard if you have a good knowledge of the course (hence why your friends might have thought they did better than they actually scored), but getting all the marks involves quite a lot of work - don't take the sample answers on the assessor's reports as "perfect models" - just put in as much detail as you can!

Also, do not, not, not, not, not neglect English...a good English score can boost your ATAR so much (and vice versa...)

Don't worry too much - it's important that you come out of the exams feeling like you've done well and then being able to put the ATAR out of mind until it gets closer to release day!  The wait between end of exams and release of results in longer than the length for which the ATAR is actually significant :P
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: bomb on December 30, 2010, 01:05:05 am
I didn't do any subjects in y11 and did all 6 this year. So don't worry, it's not so bad ;)
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: ohmyjosh on December 30, 2010, 01:14:11 am
KEY TO SUCCESS: Never slack off but don't forget to have a good time.

and besides, your ATAR does not foretell how successful you are in life. The key is and always was in your hands.. you just gotta realize it. ;)
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: kyzoo on December 30, 2010, 01:22:14 am
I had friends who were constantly saying 'x subject is super easy man im gonna get 45+ EASY'. They all ended up with low 30's.


.....lol I went into Methods in Y11 thinking that getting a 40 in Methods would be a miracle
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: bomb on December 30, 2010, 01:24:24 am
I had friends who were constantly saying 'x subject is super easy man im gonna get 45+ EASY'. They all ended up with low 30's.


.....lol I went into Methods in Y11 thinking that getting a 40 in Methods would be a miracle

Weren't you the one who got "raped" in both Spesh exams for a 50? :P
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: werdna on December 30, 2010, 01:25:35 am
I had friends who were constantly saying 'x subject is super easy man im gonna get 45+ EASY'. They all ended up with low 30's.


.....lol I went into Methods in Y11 thinking that getting a 40 in Methods would be a miracle

I wish I had this mindset.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: bomb on December 30, 2010, 01:27:15 am
I had friends who were constantly saying 'x subject is super easy man im gonna get 45+ EASY'. They all ended up with low 30's.


.....lol I went into Methods in Y11 thinking that getting a 40 in Methods would be a miracle

I wish I had this mindset.

Haha I thought I wouldn't make Bachelor of Science at UoM with a 89. Even right up until the last few seconds before the SMS. It made the score even better.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Slumdawg on December 30, 2010, 01:35:40 am
Don't ever get cocky. It'll only make you work less and disappointed when results come out (coupled with the fact that cocky people are usually quite arrogant, which is never a good quality to have in the first place!)

Perhaps this is what was the flaw of your friends who thought they were guaranteed 45+? I guess people should never really underestimate the difficulty to get such a score. Even if the subject is considered "easy", VCE is the whole of victoria not just a small bunch of people so it's gonna be competitive no matter what. Some subjects can be quite deceiving as the concepts can be easy or quite understandable although the subject is then usually marked more harshly to help distinguish the As and A+s from the Bs and C+s (cough psych cough), so be careful with ones like that.

I think a lot of people fall into a false sense of security with sacs (I'm talking more about lower level schools, as I witnessed this at my own school), I know a lot of my friends thought "Yay I'm doing well in sacs, I'm good at this subject...hmm I probably don't need to study too much for the exam then." I know I personally never relied on my sacs, I tried to block my sac scores out completely. I knew the exams were the main determinant of my scores so I focused most of my effort into preparing for them.

Getting high scores is achievable through hard work, knowing your course work well, doing practice exams, discovering certain tips and tricks that are specific to the subject you're doing, and also a bit of luck.

I guess you're lucky in a way that you have two mid year exams so you'll at least be ahead of those who didn't do a 3/4 in year 11 and have no mid years. And you'll be able to judge where you stand when you get your mid year results, so that'll also help for end of years.

I wish you all the best of luck! :)
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: funkyducky on December 30, 2010, 01:39:49 am
I think your friends don't know that 45+ = Top 2% of the state, not 45/50 = Top 10%. Even so, it can be a rude awakening; I know a few of my friends who slacked off and thought their 3/4s were easy as hell, then ended up with low-30s Study Scores.

I think it's important to gauge the level required to reach your goals. Know that 40+ usually requires A+s for all your GAs, so if you're averaging Bs, for example, expect a mid-to-high 30 SS.

The key to achieving highly is aiming to do the best work that you're capable of; having tangible goals, and putting in the hard yards to reach those goals. It seems that the only advantage your friends have gained from doing 3/4s in Year 12 is that they're egos have been bruised, and they've learnt that 45+ isn't a breeze. If you can understand that, you will avoid disappointment.

EDIT: As almost everyone has already stated, arrogance is a major pitfall. I aimed for 45+, but unlike your friends, I didn't think "LOL it's so easy, everyone else is dumb, I'm guaranteed a 45+", I thought "if I work really hard to understand the concepts and not mess up, maybe I'll get my dream SS", and it worked. ;)
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: EvangelionZeta on December 30, 2010, 01:43:01 am
Work solidly, but don't lose perspective.  VCE is just a stepping stone in life.  An important stepping stone, of course, but just one of many nevertheless.  As a result, if things become too stressful at any point, just reassure yourself that even if things go badly, there will still be a way.  =)

Of course the other thing to do is to just study and work off VN resources - seriously, if you're conscientious and use the forums right, you can't really go wrong.  =)
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: eeps on December 30, 2010, 12:34:46 pm
I agree with everything that has been said.

Work hard and put in the effort for your subjects and anything is possible. Set realistic targets at the start of the year and work from that. It doesn't matter if you did a 3/4 subject in Year 11 or not, you can do just as well in Year 12. Don't priorities the exams over SACs. Put the same amount of effort in. Use the resources on VN and ask your teachers questions, if you're unsure of anything.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: iffets12345 on December 30, 2010, 02:18:32 pm
overestimate the difficulty, work hard and think that despite the 1000 hours work you put in you still need to do more and you'll come out of the exam pleasantly surprised.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: ariawuu on December 30, 2010, 03:06:52 pm
ive heard stories where people worked their ass off but ended what they didn't deserve.. so i think its not just working hard that matters but taking care of your well-being (take time out when you need it) and being smart/tactical when you approach your studies.   
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: physics on December 30, 2010, 03:23:35 pm
stay focused and get a balance of school work and socialising :P
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Hutchoo on December 30, 2010, 03:38:54 pm
stay focused and get a balance of school work and socialising :P
Balancing is essential, so many people don't realise this until after year 12.
Trust me, it is needed. Ask any year 12.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: taiga on December 30, 2010, 04:00:33 pm
I think I spent three times as much time studying in year 11 for geography than i did for my other subjects. ended up getting about 8 subject scores higher in my year 12 subjects as i did for geo. I think it's about managing your time wisely and studying efficiently. cuts study time in half (if not more), and allows you to enjoy other things.

MY main advice would be to only do work which you can see giving you a foreseeable benefit. Alot of people just keep doing questions, and dont get anything out of. that's a waste of time
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: kevvy on December 30, 2010, 11:15:07 pm
WOW! thank you so much for all your input, srsly didnt think there would be such a huge response from the community. thank you again!

lol i had actually been told:

"If you have a social life in Year 12, you're not studying hard enough."

also if anyone was curious, my friend thought he would get 45+ in geography.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: werdna on December 30, 2010, 11:25:29 pm
;D Funny how my Methods teacher told us this in one of his lectures:

'Are you supposed to have a life in VCE? No. Hell no'.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Eriny on December 30, 2010, 11:40:44 pm
Getting 45+ (or even 40+) is way harder than you might think. Additionally, you do yourself a huge disservice if you think that it's easy because that thought alone can cause complacency. I can't even count the number of people who thought they would get 40+, 45+, even 50, no sweat. They underestimated the intelligence of their cohort. Take it seriously.

If you are looking at those kinds of scores, you need to know that the difference between a 45 and a 50 is usually a very small number of exam marks and those couple of marks can hugely affect your ATAR. Understanding the material is not enough, imo. You need to really refine your exam taking skills and really get a good hold on what the examiners are looking for. The only way to do this is through lots of practice exams.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: iffets12345 on December 30, 2010, 11:40:59 pm
DUDE HAVE A FRIGGIN SOCIAL LIFE LOL.
I like go to one or two birthday parties each term. That's good enough.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: EvangelionZeta on December 31, 2010, 12:06:21 am
I wouldn't have survived year 12 if I wasn't out and about.  You need to unwind.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Slumdawg on December 31, 2010, 12:15:11 am
Getting 45+ (or even 40+) is way harder than you might think. Additionally, you do yourself a huge disservice if you think that it's easy because that thought alone can cause complacency. I can't even count the number of people who thought they would get 40+, 45+, even 50, no sweat. They underestimated the intelligence of their cohort. Take it seriously.

If you are looking at those kinds of scores, you need to know that the difference between a 45 and a 50 is usually a very small number of exam marks and those couple of marks can hugely affect your ATAR. Understanding the material is not enough, imo. You need to really refine your exam taking skills and really get a good hold on what the examiners are looking for. The only way to do this is through lots of practice exams.
+1. I couldn't agree with Eriny any more! She's 100% spot on. My psych idol :D
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: iNerd on December 31, 2010, 01:10:34 am
Getting 45+ (or even 40+) is way harder than you might think. Additionally, you do yourself a huge disservice if you think that it's easy because that thought alone can cause complacency. I can't even count the number of people who thought they would get 40+, 45+, even 50, no sweat. They underestimated the intelligence of their cohort. Take it seriously.

If you are looking at those kinds of scores, you need to know that the difference between a 45 and a 50 is usually a very small number of exam marks and those couple of marks can hugely affect your ATAR. Understanding the material is not enough, imo. You need to really refine your exam taking skills and really get a good hold on what the examiners are looking for. The only way to do this is through lots of practice exams.
+1. I couldn't agree with Eriny any more! She's 100% spot on. My psych idol :D
+2. I couldn't agree with Eriny or Slumdawg any more! My psych idols :P
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: taiga on December 31, 2010, 02:21:56 am
DUDE HAVE A FRIGGIN SOCIAL LIFE LOL.
I like go to one or two birthday parties each term. That's good enough.

oh dear
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: funkyducky on December 31, 2010, 02:35:35 am
I found that my social life has increased over the past year, rather than decreased. The introduction of spare periods and early afternoons has meant that I can spend more time hanging out with friends outside of school than I did pre-VCE.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: kyzoo on December 31, 2010, 03:36:25 am
overestimate the difficulty, work hard and think that despite the 1000 hours work you put in you still need to do more and you'll come out of the exam pleasantly surprised.

that happened to me for Methods, except I came out of the exam cringing at myself
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: carolynt on December 31, 2010, 07:07:36 am
1000 hours, really? Given there are 14*~300 hours you have in the new year minus say 10 hours of sleep!
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Romperait on December 31, 2010, 10:08:13 am
lol I underestimated how hard it would be to get over 45 for environmental science. I'd say having the mindset that every mark counts is of equal or greater importance to actually putting in the hard yards.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: slammy on December 31, 2010, 10:16:10 am
i think the most important thing is to do enough practice exams and leave enough time for that...i learnt the hard way by cramming them in :D
and don't procrastinate. im one of those procrastinators and it sucks hahahah

but even more importantly, when it's all over, make sure you have no regrets and can think to yourself that you did everything you could and just be happy  ;D
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: thushan on December 31, 2010, 12:50:47 pm
We need to learn our stuff down to first principles, then studying a subject becomes not only manageable, but enjoyable!

For example whenever I study a topic in EngLang the only things I have committed to memory (besides examples and metalanguage) are:

1. Functions of language: communication, identity, action, cognitive development, social
2. The important bit of using language is: is your function fulfilled most efficiently?
3. It is the associations people make with language that cause effect, not the words or sounds themselves

It's also not too hard to remember: point 1 was off a textbook and points 2 and 3 I derived. So try and derive some principles that you can link all of your knowledge to, like an anchor

Then whenever I study a topic I can bring it down to those first principles and it becomes really enjoyable because you see how the topics link and it becomes fascinating!

So, in short, forget that you're studying VCE, just enjoy the goddamn subject a bit!
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: physics on December 31, 2010, 01:57:32 pm
there r some ppl who try their ass off and study and throw away their social lives for YEar 12 and dont end up doing well.aka me. :(
but just because u try hard or too hard and pressure urself TOOO much ont make it any better. too late now. for me.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Predator on December 31, 2010, 02:50:17 pm
Just remember to keep it simple.
Don't go over the top with study otherwise you will burn yourself out by studying too much.
This will lead to you having a negative mindset in that you need to keep studying when you really don't.
All in all work smart not hard and have a good year. All the best bud :).
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: iffets12345 on December 31, 2010, 05:32:35 pm
Yes, thank god some people have sense. There's too much of this "hardcore" face on VN where people do 1000 practice essays/exams and it really bugs me. You don't need the numbers to crunch. You need consistence practice or confidence that you've consolidated your knowledge. Grinding only works on Dota/Wow/COD guys.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: thushan on December 31, 2010, 07:03:01 pm
Just remember to keep it simple.
Don't go over the top with study otherwise you will burn yourself out by studying too much.
This will lead to you having a negative mindset in that you need to keep studying when you really don't.
All in all work smart not hard and have a good year. All the best bud :).

What do you guys mean by burning out? People throw the term around but I'm not sure what it means...I've asked my parents and they reckon that only lazy people 'burn out'... :S

If it means "just fed up with study" then i've burnt out a few times :S
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Russ on December 31, 2010, 07:07:27 pm
Burnout is not when you're fed up with study (that's being temporarily demotivated or disinterested)

Burnout is when you study so much that you feel physically sick when trying to do more and you have no energy left to do anything. I suppose if you're conscientious about study then you won't need to cram to the point that it becomes an issue but if you're caught during SWOTVAC needing to revise the semester's material then it can happen.

Happened to me a couple of times, usually takes a good solid night's sleep to get anywhere near functional
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Predator on December 31, 2010, 07:11:43 pm
Yes, thank god some people have sense. There's too much of this "hardcore" face on VN where people do 1000 practice essays/exams and it really bugs me. You don't need the numbers to crunch. You need consistence practice or confidence that you've consolidated your knowledge. Grinding only works on Dota/Wow/COD guys.

I thought I was the only one :P. But you are right consistency is what is needed and it ties very importantly with confidence. Whilst some people are best suited to a lot of study there are people who are the polar opposite. That is they may think that they need to do alot but they really don't have to if they have faith and confidence in their learning and studying habits.

Just remember to keep it simple.
Don't go over the top with study otherwise you will burn yourself out by studying too much.
This will lead to you having a negative mindset in that you need to keep studying when you really don't.
All in all work smart not hard and have a good year. All the best bud :).

What do you guys mean by burning out? People throw the term around but I'm not sure what it means...I've asked my parents and they reckon that only lazy people 'burn out'... :S

If it means "just fed up with study" then i've burnt out a few times :S

Some say it is to the point of being sick that you have no energy whatsoever. It could also be seen as the point where one does not feel any motivation at all to study or do any work. The definition varies greatly among students and teachers.
Mainly caused by a lot of study and doing nothing else such as exercise, breaks and time out with family and friends.
I know someone that all they did was study study study for their exams this year. They ended up getting very very tired before the exams and thought they could fix this by studying more to do better on their exams.

It is best to take rests and have a balance of exercise to get your mind in a good state and also get out and about if thats your thing if not read a book or play a game. Can only be solved by doing minimal study and getting your mindset back to a simple state.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: iffets12345 on December 31, 2010, 07:36:51 pm
Burning out is worst in English. I don't think you can truly burn out in Maths besides just hating on doing it, because it's basically numbers upon numbers.
When you burn out in English, you churn out the same essays, have no sense of feeling when you write, are not really thinking or stimulated in your brain when writing, and have no fresh material. You feel dry.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Kennybhoy on January 02, 2011, 06:57:15 pm
PROTIP:

Don't break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other in order to concentrate on school.

Doesn't work.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: taiga on January 02, 2011, 07:57:54 pm
PROTIP:

Don't break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other in order to concentrate on school.

Doesn't work.

Yeah because you're two ended up with 99.95 and you got 96. suck on that :D:D:D:D
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: taiga on January 02, 2011, 08:02:47 pm
Sorry ken that was a low blow (but true).

OT, it's not worth it. It's little things like sport, involvement, girlfriends, and whatnot that keep you looking forward to things in your year 12. Have those little mini things to look forward to as your motivation to do well, and you'll find you're doing alot  better than you would have.

You'd rather end up with a girlfriend/boyfriend, an important place in a sports team, an involvement prize, and a good atar, rather than a great ATAR and nothing else. That's not to say that there are some people out there who manage both :)

You'll also find that some of those involvement things will help you out in your Uni applications and whatnot. Oh yeah, and to bring y'all down to earth, VCE only has two utilities, getting you into your Uni, and if you're ethnic, preventing aunties bitching about you.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: ben_ess12 on January 02, 2011, 08:15:14 pm
Sorry ken that was a low blow (but true).

OT, it's not worth it. It's little things like sport, involvement, girlfriends, and whatnot that keep you looking forward to things in your year 12. Have those little mini things to look forward to as your motivation to do well, and you'll find you're doing alot  better than you would have.

You'd rather end up with a girlfriend/boyfriend, an important place in a sports team, an involvement prize, and a good atar, rather than a great ATAR and nothing else. That's not to say that there are some people out there who manage both :)

You'll also find that some of those involvement things will help you out in your Uni applications and whatnot. Oh yeah, and to bring y'all down to earth, VCE only has two utilities, getting you into your Uni, and if you're ethnic, preventing aunties bitching about you.

i reckon thats the best thing in this whole thread :)
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: EvangelionZeta on January 02, 2011, 08:37:11 pm
PROTIP:

Don't break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other in order to concentrate on school.

Doesn't work.

Yeah because you're two ended up with 99.95 and you got 96. suck on that :D:D:D:D

Best post in the whole thread.  LOL
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Predator on January 02, 2011, 08:52:53 pm
What Taiga said is very true. Good post too :).

If you have stuff to look forward to in the year it helps a great deal.
I was lucky last year to have a few things/events/occasions etc to look forward to that happened at different intervals during the year which helped my attitude towards study and school work.  
This helped me get motivated towards school since it actually puts you in a happier state of mind and more positive about almost everything which reflects on your school work and motivation for studying and doing well.

On the contrary if you have little to look forward to, try and make something of the year so you have something to look forward to. Otherwise your motivation will be there in a way but you won't feel that there is a short term goal/event that you are working for that will bring you happiness. Yes, a good ATAR will make you happy along with entry into your dream university course but this motivation seems very distant at the start of the year.

This post probably sounds a bit out there but it is personal experiences that seem to tie in with Taiga's view.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Kennybhoy on January 02, 2011, 08:56:24 pm
OT, it's not worth it. It's little things like sport, involvement, girlfriends, and whatnot that keep you looking forward to things in your year 12. Have those little mini things to look forward to as your motivation to do well, and you'll find you're doing alot  better than you would have.

You'd rather end up with a girlfriend/boyfriend, an important place in a sports team, an involvement prize, and a good atar, rather than a great ATAR and nothing else. That's not to say that there are some people out there who manage both :)

Yep exactly. I gave up quite a few extracurricular activities and a relationship in order to concentrate on VCE (year 12 in particular) and eventually you find yourself piss bored and have very little to look forward to. Also, if you have less stuff on, you're less motivated to work and you find that you spread over the same workload over a longer period of time, rather than work efficiently and then go on your party or competition or whatever.
PROTIP:

Don't break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other in order to concentrate on school.

Doesn't work.

Yeah because you're two ended up with 99.95 and you got 96. suck on that :D:D:D:D

I have no idea what you're talking about Taiga.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: taiga on January 02, 2011, 08:57:49 pm
OT, it's not worth it. It's little things like sport, involvement, girlfriends, and whatnot that keep you looking forward to things in your year 12. Have those little mini things to look forward to as your motivation to do well, and you'll find you're doing alot  better than you would have.

You'd rather end up with a girlfriend/boyfriend, an important place in a sports team, an involvement prize, and a good atar, rather than a great ATAR and nothing else. That's not to say that there are some people out there who manage both :)

Yep exactly. I gave up quite a few extracurricular stuff and a relationship in order to concentrate on VCE (year 12 in particular) and eventually you find yourself piss bored and have very little to look forward to. Also, if you have less stuff on, you're less motivated to work and you find that you spread over the same workload over a longer period of time, rather than work efficiently and then go on your party or competition or whatever.
PROTIP:

Don't break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other in order to concentrate on school.

Doesn't work.

Yeah because you're two ended up with 99.95 and you got 96. suck on that :D:D:D:D

I have no idea what you're talking about Taiga.

He's not allowed to acknowledge it on vce notes because one of them is ex-staff
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: dptjandra on January 02, 2011, 10:29:17 pm
This is a slightly edited version of a speech I gave at my school last year about my approach to VCE, if you can be bothered reading through.  Don't know if it contains much helpful advice - kind of wrote it the night before I had to deliver it :P


Good afternoon staff and students,

I didn't think I would be back in the school so soon, or that I would ever need to address this assembly again - but I spose like Dr Scott, I somehow keep finding my way back.  Today I'll be speaking briefly about my own approach to the VCE.

In my view, there are a few ways to achieve success in VCE.  On one hand, you can just be academically brilliant, intellectually well endowed, a bit of a genius - I think James Lu and Jerry Guo epitomise that idea quite nicely, resulting in superb study scores and various other achievements.

Yet I also remember last year in one of Dr Ball's English classes an argument and assessment of the current VCE system vs.  an aptitude-based test.  I recall that ultimately Dr Ball gave his support in favour of the current structure over a UMAT type assessment.  His reasoning?  He thought it good that VCE rewarded not only cleverness, but the trait of perseverance.  Someone who is very naturally talented will not necessarily do well without hard work in VCE, and someone without the spark of brilliance can still do very well - really a lesson reflected in the real world.  Quite fittingly, I was not actually one of Dr Ball's students when overhearing this discussion, but rather one of the boys taking advantage of the opportunity the school offers to sit in on other English classes in Term 4.  Did I really need to be there?  Probably not - my own teacher Ms Mulready had taught me everything I needed to be well-equipped for the exam.  But by going to these classes, I was put in the right mindset to continually churn out detailed plans of essays and quote sheets each night - basically it was another way in which I worked hard when I could.  I suggest to everyone that they make the most out of being here from as early on in the year as possible - get as much out of your teachers as you possibly can...they really know what they're on about.  For their efforts I, and all other Year 12s of 2009, will always be thankful.

It is simultaneously important to understand what it means to put in "as much work as you can".  We all have our limitations to the number of hours we can study, and we all need the occasional break to eat, sleep, and socialise.  For myself, I know that when distractions exist, my capacity to work is almost non-existent.  When I was around with friends, that time needed to be well segregated from when actually studying.  Whether this be hanging out in the city, or even in study periods at school - most days you'd just find me laughing and talking with my mates, just getting it all out of the system, much to the distress of the librarians.  When I was at home, however, I would spend as much time as I could before 11pm revising and working.  It would not be uncommon to find me, even when in front of the television at 6:30pm wondering if Ringo and Donna on Neighbours were going to get together, with my dinner in one hand and a copy of Richard III on the table.  At the beginning of holidays too, I would write out schedules for what I wanted to achieve in each subject each day, even including periods for hanging out or taking a trip to the beach - a little sad? Yes? but also quite effective.  Now I certainly don't suggest that everyone take my approach - an obsession with the television show Neighbours is not something I would wish on anyone - but you do need to work out what the most effective way to get the most out of every hour of your day, based on your personal characteristics.

The final thing I would like to stress, is that while it is important to put the hours into your academic work, it should never, never be the sole focus of your year.  Your score at the end of the year is important, but even if you do well, you quickly realise that you do not want it to define you.  You would rather be defined by the friendships you forge and maintain with people within and outside the school, and the activities within the school and wider community which you engage in.  If you forget about this side of your life, you'll realise at the end of the year that you have very few funny or exhilarating memories to look back on.  To use an analogy, if VCE were like a girlfriend, she'd be the type who never wants to go out or do anything.  Unless you find a way to keep your life exciting throughout Year 11 and 12, you'll quickly find that all aspects of your life, including your romantic relationship with VCE (aka. your ENTER) also deteriorates.

So at this early stage in the year, find out what works for you in terms of study patterns.  If you play a lot of sport, you may find yourself needing to sleep more.  To get more work in, you may need to make adjustments like cutting out some facebook or television hours.  If you have too much time, it might indicate a need to study more or maybe you need to get involved more within the school (*cough*...join the environment committee).  It's also a good idea to surround yourself with smart friends - you can always ask them questions and kind of force you to pick up when you're falling behind.  Similarly, you should ask as many past students as possible for specific tips for the subjects you're studying - VCE, to both its credit and sometimes its detriment, is really a course which can be learnt in fullest detail by students.  Indeed, to some degree, your already determined academic potential will limit how much you can achieve in your final exams.  However, as long as you structure your VCE in a way that keeps you interested, motivated and occupied, you will do the best you possibly can, and not be one of those disappointed, and sometimes slightly presumptuous people, who declare that they "could" have done better "if they'd tried."

Thankyou and good luck
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Andiio on January 02, 2011, 10:34:46 pm
This is a slightly edited version of a speech I gave at my school last year about my approach to VCE, if you can be bothered reading through.  Don't know if it contains much helpful advice - kind of wrote it the night before I had to deliver it :P


Good afternoon staff and students,

I didn't think I would be back in the school so soon, or that I would ever need to address this assembly again - but I spose like Dr Scott, I somehow keep finding my way back.  Today I'll be speaking briefly about my own approach to the VCE.

In my view, there are a few ways to achieve success in VCE.  On one hand, you can just be academically brilliant, intellectually well endowed, a bit of a genius - I think James Lu and Jerry Guo epitomise that idea quite nicely, resulting in superb study scores and various other achievements.

Yet I also remember last year in one of Dr Ball's English classes an argument and assessment of the current VCE system vs.  an aptitude-based test.  I recall that ultimately Dr Ball gave his support in favour of the current structure over a UMAT type assessment.  His reasoning?  He thought it good that VCE rewarded not only cleverness, but the trait of perseverance.  Someone who is very naturally talented will not necessarily do well without hard work in VCE, and someone without the spark of brilliance can still do very well - really a lesson reflected in the real world.  Quite fittingly, I was not actually one of Dr Ball's students when overhearing this discussion, but rather one of the boys taking advantage of the opportunity the school offers to sit in on other English classes in Term 4.  Did I really need to be there?  Probably not - my own teacher Ms Mulready had taught me everything I needed to be well-equipped for the exam.  But by going to these classes, I was put in the right mindset to continually churn out detailed plans of essays and quote sheets each night - basically it was another way in which I worked hard when I could.  I suggest to everyone that they make the most out of being here from as early on in the year as possible - get as much out of your teachers as you possibly can...they really know what they're on about.  For their efforts I, and all other Year 12s of 2009, will always be thankful.

It is simultaneously important to understand what it means to put in "as much work as you can".  We all have our limitations to the number of hours we can study, and we all need the occasional break to eat, sleep, and socialise.  For myself, I know that when distractions exist, my capacity to work is almost non-existent.  When I was around with friends, that time needed to be well segregated from when actually studying.  Whether this be hanging out in the city, or even in study periods at school - most days you'd just find me laughing and talking with my mates, just getting it all out of the system, much to the distress of the librarians.  When I was at home, however, I would spend as much time as I could before 11pm revising and working.  It would not be uncommon to find me, even when in front of the television at 6:30pm wondering if Ringo and Donna on Neighbours were going to get together, with my dinner in one hand and a copy of Richard III on the table.  At the beginning of holidays too, I would write out schedules for what I wanted to achieve in each subject each day, even including periods for hanging out or taking a trip to the beach - a little sad? Yes? but also quite effective.  Now I certainly don't suggest that everyone take my approach - an obsession with the television show Neighbours is not something I would wish on anyone - but you do need to work out what the most effective way to get the most out of every hour of your day, based on your personal characteristics.

The final thing I would like to stress, is that while it is important to put the hours into your academic work, it should never, never be the sole focus of your year.  Your score at the end of the year is important, but even if you do well, you quickly realise that you do not want it to define you.  You would rather be defined by the friendships you forge and maintain with people within and outside the school, and the activities within the school and wider community which you engage in.  If you forget about this side of your life, you'll realise at the end of the year that you have very few funny or exhilarating memories to look back on.  To use an analogy, if VCE were like a girlfriend, she'd be the type who never wants to go out or do anything.  Unless you find a way to keep your life exciting throughout Year 11 and 12, you'll quickly find that all aspects of your life, including your romantic relationship with VCE (aka. your ENTER) also deteriorates.

So at this early stage in the year, find out what works for you in terms of study patterns.  If you play a lot of sport, you may find yourself needing to sleep more.  To get more work in, you may need to make adjustments like cutting out some facebook or television hours.  If you have too much time, it might indicate a need to study more or maybe you need to get involved more within the school (*cough*...join the environment committee).  It's also a good idea to surround yourself with smart friends - you can always ask them questions and kind of force you to pick up when you're falling behind.  Similarly, you should ask as many past students as possible for specific tips for the subjects you're studying - VCE, to both its credit and sometimes its detriment, is really a course which can be learnt in fullest detail by students.  Indeed, to some degree, your already determined academic potential will limit how much you can achieve in your final exams.  However, as long as you structure your VCE in a way that keeps you interested, motivated and occupied, you will do the best you possibly can, and not be one of those disappointed, and sometimes slightly presumptuous people, who declare that they "could" have done better "if they'd tried."

Thankyou and good luck

AWESOME. But seriously, NEIGHBOURS? (only joking)
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: kevvy on January 02, 2011, 11:07:14 pm
@ dptjandra (Didnt want to re quote that wall of text)

a lot of great advice there thanks! just out of curiosity, what school did you attend?

PROTIP:

Don't break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other in order to concentrate on school.

Doesn't work.

I agree somewhat with this, though say you had an arguement/fight with your gf/bf wouldnt that be really detrimental?
I know that after my mate had a fight with his gf he said to me: 'i really dont want to do the bio sac tomorrow' - and he ended up doin shit house even tho his a pretty decent student.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: iffets12345 on January 02, 2011, 11:09:34 pm
ripping dptjandra's thing for my dux speech. LOL jks.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: EvangelionZeta on January 02, 2011, 11:17:42 pm
@ dptjandra (Didnt want to re quote that wall of text)

a lot of great advice there thanks! just out of curiosity, what school did you attend?

PROTIP:

Don't break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other in order to concentrate on school.

Doesn't work.

I agree somewhat with this, though say you had an arguement/fight with your gf/bf wouldnt that be really detrimental?
I know that after my mate had a fight with his gf he said to me: 'i really dont want to do the bio sac tomorrow' - and he ended up doin shit house even tho his a pretty decent student.

MGS - I was there when he delivered this at assembly.  :p
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: iffets12345 on January 02, 2011, 11:23:20 pm

AWESOME. But seriously, NEIGHBOURS? (only joking)

Fuzzylogic loves neighbours too. Maybe it's got secret subliminal VCE msgs in it.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: dptjandra on January 02, 2011, 11:26:04 pm
lol, well - they sit their VCE exams before we did ;)
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Ghost! on January 02, 2011, 11:52:10 pm
@ dptjandra (Didnt want to re quote that wall of text)

a lot of great advice there thanks! just out of curiosity, what school did you attend?

PROTIP:

Don't break up with your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other in order to concentrate on school.

Doesn't work.

I agree somewhat with this, though say you had an arguement/fight with your gf/bf wouldnt that be really detrimental?
I know that after my mate had a fight with his gf he said to me: 'i really dont want to do the bio sac tomorrow' - and he ended up doin shit house even tho his a pretty decent student.

MGS - I was there when he delivered this at assembly.  :p

I'm so jealous EZ, awesome speech.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: taiga on January 03, 2011, 12:37:07 am
My gf and I have a no pre sac/exam dump agreement :D

Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Christiano on January 03, 2011, 01:22:53 am
My gf and I have a no pre sac/exam dump agreement :D



I need one of those.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: Kennybhoy on January 03, 2011, 01:27:43 am
I fucking hate the friend zone.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: kevvy on January 03, 2011, 01:44:14 am
My gf and I have a no pre sac/exam dump agreement :D



LOL
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: FatnessFirst on February 14, 2011, 11:46:38 pm
I'm pretty happy doing a 3/4 subject during year 11. It's like a big slap on the face when i saw my SS(Partly due to my teacher/sub who doesn't know how to teach Viscomm cuz my school is cheap). I was being cocky thinking it was easy and all. At least I know now how hard VCE really is.
Title: Re: Secure my Yr 12 insecurities.
Post by: ProtonStar on February 16, 2011, 03:21:59 pm
It was a really good thing doing a Year 12 subject in Year 11. I pretty much put in equal effort with Text and Traditions as I did with my other Year 11 subjects (which wasn't that much effort :O). I ended up getting 35, which was decent considering the small amount of people who do it. I know I could have gotten +40 if I put more effort into it. I've already changed my mindset, and become motivated to achieve the best I can achieve. I am aiming high, because I'd like to do a Bachelor of Arts/Laws at Monash, but I will not be disappointed if I don't quite make it. There are many other courses; all is not lost!