Post by: Joseph41 on August 07, 2017, 07:02:36 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/yNlvZPQ.png)*
Oooooh golly gosh, this is going to be large.
Forum Administrator, brenden, will be holding an “Ask Me Anything” session THIS SATURDAY (that’s Saturday 12 August).
Many of you would know Brenden from the forums, from lectures, or just general ATAR Notes stuff. He’s kind of a big deal. ;) But for those who don’t...
Some things you might like to know about Brenden:
Forum Administrator, brenden, will be holding an “Ask Me Anything” session THIS SATURDAY (that’s Saturday 12 August).
Many of you would know Brenden from the forums, from lectures, or just general ATAR Notes stuff. He’s kind of a big deal. ;) But for those who don’t...
Some things you might like to know about Brenden:
Click Me!
• Brenden worked for more than four years at Macca’s
• He was kicked out of Psychology 3/4 in Year 11 for his general shenanigans
• He worked hard af in Year 12, and achieved a 90+ ATAR
• He scored almost perfect marks all through uni, which is ridiculously difficult to do
• He started in a Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts at Monash. Then he transferred from Education to Science, then from Science to Law, and then dropped Law entirely
• He finished with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in Philosophy (#employable) after changing degree thrice
• He started working part-time for ATAR Notes in 2014; he’s now full-time
• He will soon have the highest respect level ever on the ATAR Notes Forums
• He enjoys candle-lit dinners, romantic movies and long walks on the beach**
• He’s one of the most intelligent, genuinely caring and humble people I’ve ever met – and not asking him anything would be such a wasted opportunity
And here's Brenden's self assessment of his education journey:
• He was kicked out of Psychology 3/4 in Year 11 for his general shenanigans
• He worked hard af in Year 12, and achieved a 90+ ATAR
• He scored almost perfect marks all through uni, which is ridiculously difficult to do
• He started in a Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts at Monash. Then he transferred from Education to Science, then from Science to Law, and then dropped Law entirely
• He finished with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in Philosophy (#employable) after changing degree thrice
• He started working part-time for ATAR Notes in 2014; he’s now full-time
• He will soon have the highest respect level ever on the ATAR Notes Forums
• He enjoys candle-lit dinners, romantic movies and long walks on the beach**
• He’s one of the most intelligent, genuinely caring and humble people I’ve ever met – and not asking him anything would be such a wasted opportunity
And here's Brenden's self assessment of his education journey:
Read Me For Brenden's Self Assessment
Years 7-11:
Year 12:
University:
Quote from: brenden
Year 7 was good, I was a nerd. I won a hectic award in Year 8. In Year 9 I got sick of getting bullied for being a nerd, and I had a crush on a girl that taught me how to wag school, so that’s what I did until the end of Year 11.
Year 12:
Quote from: brenden
Year 12 experience: equal parts hellish, obsessive, and hopeful.
University:
Quote from: brenden
4 degrees. 1 passion, 2 majors: Philosophy <3 luv uni 4 lyf
S E R I O U S L Y :
Some sample questions of the types of things you might ask:
To ask a question...
1. If you haven't already, register for an ATAR Notes account by clicking here!
2. Scroll down to the Quick Reply window at the bottom of the page.
3. Type your reply and click "Post"!
You can ask him anything you want.
He's wise as fuck.
He'll have the answer.
He'll have incredible perspective.
Asking Brenden a question here could literally change your life - he's that good.
He's wise as fuck.
He'll have the answer.
He'll have incredible perspective.
Asking Brenden a question here could literally change your life - he's that good.
Some sample questions of the types of things you might ask:
Click Me!
• "What's your advice for submitting VTAC/UAC preferences?"
• "What's the best way to study for English?"
• "Is uni really different to high school? If so, in what ways was it most different for you?"
• "Do you really love long walks on the beach?"
• "How did you start working for ATAR Notes?"
• "What did you do in VCE to keep motivated on a day-to-day basis?"
• "Would you rather fight ten duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck?"
• "I'm scared for exams - how should I prepare?"
• "Why didn't you get your licence until you were approximately 54 years of age?"***
• "Hi Brenden. Two part question here. You changed uni degree three times - (1) what the fuck?; and (2) but srs tho, did that set you back financially/in terms of career? DO YOU HAVE $1MIL IN HECS DEBT?"
• "What's the best way to study for English?"
• "Is uni really different to high school? If so, in what ways was it most different for you?"
• "Do you really love long walks on the beach?"
• "How did you start working for ATAR Notes?"
• "What did you do in VCE to keep motivated on a day-to-day basis?"
• "Would you rather fight ten duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck?"
• "I'm scared for exams - how should I prepare?"
• "Why didn't you get your licence until you were approximately 54 years of age?"***
• "Hi Brenden. Two part question here. You changed uni degree three times - (1) what the fuck?; and (2) but srs tho, did that set you back financially/in terms of career? DO YOU HAVE $1MIL IN HECS DEBT?"
To ask a question...
1. If you haven't already, register for an ATAR Notes account by clicking here!
2. Scroll down to the Quick Reply window at the bottom of the page.
3. Type your reply and click "Post"!
(http://i.imgur.com/ldLYTVC.png)
* Yes, that is Brenden in his car. No, he was not driving at the time.
** Definitely true.
*** This is egregiously disrespectful, because I'm older than Brenden, still don't have my licence, and he drives me everywhere. soz fam. soz brenden
* Yes, that is Brenden in his car. No, he was not driving at the time.
** Definitely true.
*** This is egregiously disrespectful, because I'm older than Brenden, still don't have my licence, and he drives me everywhere. soz fam. soz brenden
Post by: brenden on August 07, 2017, 07:06:51 pm
Post by: elysepopplewell on August 07, 2017, 07:20:03 pm
This is an absolute stitch-up.
Really keen to know about the girl who lead you astray from year 9-11
Post by: brenden on August 07, 2017, 07:24:22 pm
Really keen to know about the girl who lead you astray from year 9-11All will be revealed this Saturday!
Post by: howey on August 07, 2017, 07:24:38 pm
Post by: brenden on August 07, 2017, 07:25:21 pm
Well, this will be fun...I'm banning your account for the duration of the event.
Post by: Sconey on August 07, 2017, 07:34:12 pm
Brenden worked for more than four years at Macca’s
The true measure of someone's success.
Post by: Calebark on August 07, 2017, 07:36:27 pm
Post by: brenden on August 07, 2017, 07:36:46 pm
The true measure of someone's success.1 Macca's year is 10 human years.
Can I ask about triangle feet?Yes.
Post by: emi87 on August 07, 2017, 07:47:33 pm
Post by: katie,rinos on August 07, 2017, 08:10:13 pm
Post by: Natasha.97 on August 07, 2017, 08:24:07 pm
HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE
Post by: GalacticProcess on August 07, 2017, 08:32:46 pm
Post by: brenden on August 07, 2017, 08:37:23 pm
You see, the only real question is why you chose the username 'brenden'?There's a story behind this one.
Post by: heids on August 07, 2017, 08:41:35 pm
There's a story behind this one.Here is the story:
Shit... How to explain this.
First I was sort of like
"Fuck, what's my name again?"
And then I was like
"Oh yeah"
So then I like, wrote in my name and stuff
And then yeah I pressed enter and BOOM. Brenden.
But yeah, wise beyond his years etc etc. Though the bloke's pretty ancient in years as it is.
Post by: brenden on August 07, 2017, 08:49:57 pm
Here is the story:That was a whirlwind of emotions. Initially I thought you had written that yourself but been cheeky with the quote code, and I thought, "wow, she's really nailed my voice!"
But yeah, wise beyond his years etc etc. Though the bloke's pretty ancient in years as it is.
Then I felt shame. Then I laughed. Now I'm confused.
Post by: heids on August 07, 2017, 09:14:04 pm
That was a whirlwind of emotions. Initially I thought you had written that yourself but been cheeky with the quote code, and I thought, "wow, she's really nailed my voice!"
Then I felt shame. Then I laughed. Now I'm confused.
Success! ;)
I know much of what your 18-year-old self wrote. 8)
I should try that sometimes though, and see how well I can nail your voice
Post by: K888 on August 07, 2017, 09:16:02 pm
Post by: Joseph41 on August 08, 2017, 10:39:51 am
That was potentially the best introductory post I've ever read.
Oh, K888, you're much too kind. :))
Post by: K888 on August 08, 2017, 08:04:31 pm
1. How are the Brooks going?
2. Do I give really good shoe recommendations, or do I give really good shoe recommendations?
3. What sort of general shenanigans get someone kicked out of their 3/4 Psych class in year 11?
4. What was your reasoning behind majoring in Philosophy?
5. If you had your time again, would you change your uni experience?
Thanks so much, Brenden :)
Post by: katie,rinos on August 08, 2017, 09:28:36 pm
What is your advice for submitting UAC preferences? I’m thinking about doing history/music teaching at uni, do you have any suggestions on what courses would be good? Why did you drop education-what was the worst part of the course?
What’s the best way for someone who doesn’t like English to study and improve for it? Also, what are your tips for motivation and to stop procrastination?
How did you start working at ATAR Notes?
What’s your best piece of advice for someone leaving school this year?
Thanks heaps!! Realised I’ve asked a lot of questions but any answers would be amazingly helpful! :D
Post by: Natasha.97 on August 08, 2017, 09:38:31 pm
• How do you keep motivated on a day-to-day basis?
• How do you prepare for exams and de-stress when you see a question that you have no idea how to answer?
• Would you rather fight ten duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck? [It's always entertaining to see the different responses and reasons that people come up with this one :)]
Thanks for doing this AMA! ;D
Post by: hansolo9 on August 08, 2017, 09:48:40 pm
-Do you memorise essays for English?
-How do you bullshit an essay when you forget things in the exam?
-Have you made up quotes before?
:)
Post by: lm21074 on August 09, 2017, 06:53:23 pm
I don't know about throwing these questions at you, but here I am doing just that! I don't mean to sound like a question-throwing journalist!
How are you? How did you find your passions? How do you study for exams?
Thank you! :)
Have a good day!
Post by: strawberries on August 09, 2017, 08:19:56 pm
- how did you achieve almost perfect marks in uni?
what were your studying tips/tricks?
- what else did you study in your degree? (like subject areas) anything else you really liked?
thank you :)
Post by: Joseph41 on August 10, 2017, 09:48:54 am
Post by: Pumpion on August 10, 2017, 05:33:27 pm
Post by: Calebark on August 10, 2017, 05:51:34 pm
>What is your favourite joke?
>Given your indecisiveness with what degree to take in uni, how do you feel about what you graduated with?
Post by: Ashjames on August 10, 2017, 06:13:13 pm
1. I can't seem to improve my expression in English, whenever I analyze language for example, I always end up saying 'this positions the reader to' or it makes the reader feel'- how do I improve this????
2. Rankings suck, but I was just wondering, lets say hypothetically, I get higher then rank 1, and he gets really low- wouldn't it be unfair if he got my awesome grades for his SAC marks and I got his crappy ones??? And then I don't get it, how gets the higher mark??
3. Thanks for taking the time out to address the many concerns of year 12 students!!! :)
Post by: rocksonchan on August 10, 2017, 06:50:17 pm
Post by: A TART on August 10, 2017, 06:58:47 pm
Is psychology a true science?
Post by: Nis0017 on August 10, 2017, 07:13:12 pm
btw my subjects are English, Business management , Legal studies and HHD including a health science university subject which counts as my 5th subject
Post by: Nataliaelias on August 10, 2017, 07:22:09 pm
I am not happy with some of my sac marks, do I still have hope to get 75+ ATAR?
Thanks
Post by: clarke54321 on August 10, 2017, 07:34:56 pm
How did your perception on life change after studying Philosophy at Uni? :)
Post by: ontera76 on August 10, 2017, 07:56:58 pm
1) when do you think is the best time to start revising for end-of-year exams?
2) how long did it take for you to find out what way of revising content works best for you? e.g. cue cards, diagrams, memorisation, etc.
Post by: coolaths on August 10, 2017, 09:32:17 pm
While I know the following;
1) the atar is not the life defining sentence
2) heaps of people have succeeded in their respective academic fields, even if they didn't achieve the al-superimo score in school
3) Have got the associate degree pathway ready, incase I don't make the Bachelor
I still get super stressed out at times about scores, atars, judgements.
How did you handle the most stressful / times when you were 'most scared about the future' moments in both year 12 and Uni life?
And, how do you keep your high energy levels on those jamed packed lecture days?
Thanks, Coolaths :)
Post by: lyoko on August 11, 2017, 12:37:26 am
Just a random question;
Do you place your tomato sauce in the pantry or in the fridge?
Post by: photi on August 11, 2017, 01:06:28 am
What we are all dying to know is why the fkn hell Brenden makes fun of me for always having a not working card or having it snap in my bag. :'(
(and also if you leave us for mulgrave again i'll have a wild cry)
Much Love,
Your fave person with an actual job
[/color]
Your fave person with an actual job
Post by: strawberries on August 11, 2017, 01:10:30 am
Hi brenden,sorry, have two more questions to add:
- how did you achieve almost perfect marks in uni?
what were your studying tips/tricks?
- what else did you study in your degree? (like subject areas) anything else you really liked?
thank you :)
- do you have any tips for writing arts essays?
- do you do actually do all your readings?
thanks once again :)
Post by: Kelly2319 on August 11, 2017, 12:58:28 pm
You described as obsessive, hellish and hopeful equally?
Care to explain? 😂
Post by: Joseph41 on August 11, 2017, 01:03:28 pm
How did you go in year 12?
You described as obsessive, hellish and hopeful equally?
Care to explain? 😂
Great questions, Kelly! 😂
Welcome to ATAR Notes. :) Great to have you here!
Post by: roxanne123g on August 11, 2017, 02:38:37 pm
Post by: mitchello on August 11, 2017, 06:03:56 pm
Do you plan on using your philosophy major to pursue employment (if, by some crazy chance, you get bored of AN)?
If so, what fields are open to philosophers that you'd be interested in?
Do you agree with our current education system? What do you think should be changed?
What is the meaning of life in 3 words or less?
Thanks
Post by: DAV0072 on August 11, 2017, 07:04:53 pm
Post by: Bri MT on August 11, 2017, 10:31:34 pm
What was AN like back in the early days?
Post by: heids on August 11, 2017, 10:41:30 pm
Who's your favourite Harry Potter character?
Annnnd do you really like Coles brand icecream?! I actually can't eat it. Woolies vanilla is surprisingly great (of course no match with Cadbury), but Coles leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.
Why won't you admit that feet aren't triangles??
What was AN like back in the early days?
He wasn't round in the early days... joined in five years after AN started :P
Post by: Bri MT on August 11, 2017, 10:48:27 pm
What's your core purpose/meaning(s) in life? I don't mean "what's your passion" stuff, but like, what keeps you going and gets you out of bed?
Who's your favourite Harry Potter character?
Annnnd do you really like Coles brand icecream?! I actually can't eat it. Woolies vanilla is surprisingly great (of course no match with Cadbury), but Coles leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.
He wasn't round in the early days... joined in five years after AN started :P
Early-ish days* not ultra-early days :P
It's still early relative to me
Post by: Joseph41 on August 12, 2017, 09:52:37 am
(http://i.imgur.com/itXNQfm.gif)
Post by: heids on August 12, 2017, 09:54:35 am
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:02:37 am
do u believe those who act in comedy tv shows are comedians? take the cast of Friends for example, are they comedians? They're funny as hell, but are they comedians?Such a genuinely good question, blew my fkn mind.
I'm really tempted to like, be a smart aleck and google the definitions and give my answer based on that, but I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say: no, those who act in comedy TV shows are not comedians.
Comedians get paid for comedy - live shows, so on so forth. Some of them might go on to perform in TV Shows and movies (I.e., Seinfeld), in which case they are comedians who are acting. Actors are paid for acting - and they may be hired to do a comedy show.
So I'm thinking like, the Friends cast - they are actors. Is Jennifer Anniston a comedian? No. Matthew Perry? No? Matt LeBlanc? Kinda, I guess. These people wouldn't introduce themselves as comedians - they'd introduce themselves as actors.
So while they may be funny - they are funny actors.
Great question. I will think about this for the rest of my time here on Earth.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:08:05 am
Might as well get the ball rolling with some of my questions ;D1. How are the Brooks going?
1. How are the Brooks going?
2. Do I give really good shoe recommendations, or do I give really good shoe recommendations?
3. What sort of general shenanigans get someone kicked out of their 3/4 Psych class in year 11?
4. What was your reasoning behind majoring in Philosophy?
5. If you had your time again, would you change your uni experience?
Thanks so much, Brenden :)
Brooks are going so fucking good. I’ve broken a few PBs, and I attribute that all to the shoes. Nah legit though I actually feel really good around the knees and ankles, definitely glad I bought them.
2. Do I give really good shoe recommendations, or do I give really good shoe recommendations?
No to t he first question, yes to the second question.
3. What sort of general shenanigans get someone kicked out of their 3/4 Psych class in year 11?
Well… Okay. I was Rank 1 at the time… It was the second SAC of the year and I fucking hated my class. The people in the year level above me were just gross and coming up to this SAC, the teacher said we were allowed a cheat sheet, which really pissed me off because like… I don’t need a cheat sheet? The people who need one should study. What’s stopping them from acing a SAC that they don’t deserve to do well in? As a Year 11, I thought Year 12 was meant to be where it “got hard”, so I was generally just telling anyone who’d listen how bullshit this cheat sheet was in the lead up to the SAC. ALSO – if you failed a SAC, you got to do “redemption”, which I thought was rubbish at the time (but now believe it’s a good thing).
In general, it wasn’t an overly happy time in my life, hahaha. So on the day of the SAC, I’d got like 2 hours sleep I was just generally in a ridiculously shit mood. I opened the SAC up and it was on the ‘easy’ side, and everyone was there with their cheat sheets. I was frustrated at the childishness, and as a self-righteous little 16 year old I decided to give it a childish response… so I drew comic book strips as answers. When my teacher noticed what I was doing and asked me to stop I said “I’ll just do redemption”.
Turns out that’s not an option when you’re a complete arse hole, so the assistant principal swiftly told me to gtfo – and fair enough, too!
But yeah, anyway. The “how” is, “I was a fuck head”, and the “why” is, “I was super unhappy and also a fuck head”.
4. What was your reasoning behind majoring in Philosophy?
Basically, there was a really cool teacher that worked at my school who did a Bachelor of Science and somehow ended up with a major in Chemistry and Philosophy, and then he ended up doing Honours in Philosophy, which meant he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) for only a year’s worth of extra work hahahaha. He said Philosophy was awesome, because it was basically just the study of logic.
At the time I had no idea what he meant but it sounded pretty cool.
I’d also seen that Philosophy majors performed exceptionally well on the LSAT, after Engineering students – and from what I read at the time, that was because the students who majored in those areas performed better on the logic and reasoning section of the test.
Anyway, those two things were enough to me to take an introductory Philosophy unit. That unit was frickin awesome, so I took more Philosophy in second semester, and then when I hit second year and I’d satisfied other requirements of my course (i.e., take two subjects from different disciplines), I basically took all Philosophy subjects and never looked back hahaha. So in the end, my reasoning was that I fucking loved Philosophy.
5. If you had your time again, would you change your uni experience?
I’d be more social. I was ridiculously anti-social in uni. Would always wear headphones, have a hood on, and generally wear a scowl on my face to discourage social interaction, so I didn’t really make any ‘uni friends’. I think that’s a real shame – I was a bit too immature at the time. If I went back, I’d definitely make more of an effort to make more friends!
Post by: dani_b19 on August 12, 2017, 10:08:53 am
I just have a few questions:
- How did you study for Chemistry SAC's?
- How did you study for Maths SAC's?
- How did you manage to buckle down and achieve a 90+ ATAT?
- What did you of in VCE to keep motivated on a day-to-day basis?
- How did you not panic or stress during exam?
Thank you in advance!!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:20:53 am
Hey Brenden,
What is your advice for submitting UAC preferences? I’m thinking about doing history/music teaching at uni, do you have any suggestions on what courses would be good? Why did you drop education-what was the worst part of the course?
What’s the best way for someone who doesn’t like English to study and improve for it? Also, what are your tips for motivation and to stop procrastination?
How did you start working at ATAR Notes?
What’s your best piece of advice for someone leaving school this year?
Thanks heaps!! Realised I’ve asked a lot of questions but any answers would be amazingly helpful! :D
What is your advice for submitting UAC preferences? I’m thinking about doing history/music teaching at uni, do you have any suggestions on what courses would be good?
The only advice I have for you is to do as much research as possible into what you’re interested in, and then do that! I can’t suggest what courses might be good, because I don’t know what you like! (Although, I do love Philosophy ;) )
Just find out what you want, and then make a list “what would I most love to get into, in an ideal world?” – then make your UAC preferences in that exact same order. Order your preferences in order of what you MOST PREFER!
As for what your preferences should be… research!! Google, look at uni websites, ask your careers department, ask people studying the course. History/Music Teaching sounds super cool!
Why did you drop education-what was the worst part of the course?
I shit you not, I only went to one education lecture and one education tutorial. At the end of them both, the lecturer/tutor basically said “this is what education is like, so this is the next four years!” and that was enough for me to nope the fuck out of there.
I hated the first lecture, super boring to me. Tutorial was equally annoying. So yeah, never went back after the first day tbh hahahaha. Can’t really speak for the worst part of the course other than saying “my first and only day”.
What’s the best way for someone who doesn’t like English to study and improve for it?
Write practice essays and get good feedback.
No explanation needed – that is just plain and simple the best way to study for English and improve, whether you like the subject or not!
Also, what are your tips for motivation and to stop procrastination?
My tip for motivation is to not worry about it. It’s a myth that you need motivation to do work. You can do work without motivation – you just have to do it, haha!
I mean, what does motivation even feel like? Does it feel like desire? Does it feel like excitement? If I only did work when I felt excited, nothing would get done. The tip for motivation is to stop believing that it is your savior – stop waiting for it, and become your own savior!
Do you feel motivated to brush your teeth? Do you feel motivated to tie your shoelaces? No. You don't feel motivation for these things. You are motivated to do them, in the sense that if you brush your teeth they will look white, and if you tie your shoes you won't trip. So like, you 'have' motivation, but you don't 'feel' motivated.
Similarly, you don't need to feel motivation to work. Work can be part of your routine - then it just becomes something that happens. I think it's a myth that our capacity for work rests on our capacity to 'feel motivated', and it's a myth that I bought into for ages! I even made the ATAR Notes Motivation Corner (https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=135846.0) when I was in Year 12. Every day I would get home from school and watch motivational videos and read motivational question but like... honestly... they aren't really helpful? They last for like an hour? They don't motivate you for the rest of your life. But if you want to achieve stuff beyond Year 12, you're going to have to figure out a way to do work even when the 'feeling' of motivation is missing...... and I guess that's my advice to you!
I will add one thing though - that I am motivated by positivity and opportunity. I don't get motivated by the idea that my life will turn to shit if I screw things up. Although, I do get motivated by the excitement of GAIN. Gaining learning, skills, gaining as a person, and so on. Get home and the house is empty? That's an opportunity to study - and opportunity is exciting. You ate breakfast today? That's an opportunity to study on a full stomach - and opportunity is exciting.
1. Commit to taking all opportunities in front of you.
2. Commit to seeing opportunity everywhere you go.
As for avoiding procrastination… I kind of just embrace it? I don’t feel bad for procrastinating. I just do what I want and get it out of my system, then when I’ve not-done-something for so long that I genuinely need to get on it or I’m fucked, I usually work uninterrupted hahahaha. If I don't want to procrastinate, I don't procrastinate. If I want to procrastinate, I do it until I don't want to anymore. The problem wth people asking "how do I stop procrastinating" is they are actually asking, "How do I stop procrastinating when I want to procrastinate?" and I guess my solution is just... don't. Instead, work on not wanting to procrastinate.
How did you start working at ATAR Notes?
I went to an ATAR Notes meet up, and there was a Further Maths project going on at that stage, and someone was talking about needing help – so I offered, then completed the project. I met my boss through doing that and then when there was a job available, I just got the call and the rest is history!
What’s your best piece of advice for someone leaving school this year?
1. Get a job.
2. Learn basic budgeting skills and, if you haven’t already, teach yourself the beauty of compound interest.
Both of these things are going to benefit you very much. Getting a job because it will make future careers a lot easier to get, and easier to excel in. As for budgeting skills – probably self-explanatory but… who’s richer between someone who earned 70k a year and spends 65k a year and someone who earns 20k a year and saves 10k of it? Learn about money, make it work for you as early as you possibly can.
Post by: Joseph41 on August 12, 2017, 10:23:00 am
How did you start working at ATAR Notes?
I went to an ATAR Notes meet up, and there was a Further Maths project going on at that stage, and someone was talking about needing help – so I offered, then completed the project. I met my boss through doing that and then when there was a job available, I just got the call and the rest is history!
And now you're organising the ATAR Notes meet ups! ;D
Great responses thus far. :)
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:34:38 am
Hi Brenden,
• How do you keep motivated on a day-to-day basis?
• How do you prepare for exams and de-stress when you see a question that you have no idea how to answer?
• Would you rather fight ten duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck? [It's always entertaining to see the different responses and reasons that people come up with this one :)]
Thanks for doing this AMA! ;D
• How do you keep motivated on a day-to-day basis?
My tip for motivation is to not worry about it. It’s a myth that you need motivation to do work. You can do work without motivation – you just have to do it, haha!
I mean, what does motivation even feel like? Does it feel like desire? Does it feel like excitement? If I only did work when I felt excited, nothing would get done. The tip for motivation is to stop believing that it is your savior – stop waiting for it, and become your own savior!
Do you feel motivated to brush your teeth? Do you feel motivated to tie your shoelaces? No. You don't feel motivation for these things. You are motivated to do them, in the sense that if you brush your teeth they will look white, and if you tie your shoes you won't trip. So like, you 'have' motivation, but you don't 'feel' motivated.
Similarly, you don't need to feel motivation to work. Work can be part of your routine - then it just becomes something that happens. I think it's a myth that our capacity for work rests on our capacity to 'feel motivated', and it's a myth that I bought into for ages! I even made the ATAR Notes Motivation Corner (https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=135846.0) when I was in Year 12. Every day I would get home from school and watch motivational videos and read motivational question but like... honestly... they aren't really helpful? They last for like an hour? They don't motivate you for the rest of your life. But if you want to achieve stuff beyond Year 12, you're going to have to figure out a way to do work even when the 'feeling' of motivation is missing...... and I guess that's my advice to you!
I will add one thing though - that I am motivated by positivity and opportunity. I don't get motivated by the idea that my life will turn to shit if I screw things up. Although, I do get motivated by the excitement of GAIN. Gaining learning, skills, gaining as a person, and so on. Get home and the house is empty? That's an opportunity to study - and opportunity is exciting. You ate breakfast today? That's an opportunity to study on a full stomach - and opportunity is exciting.
1. Commit to taking all opportunities in front of you.
2. Commit to seeing opportunity everywhere you go.
• How do you prepare for exams and de-stress when you see a question that you have no idea how to answer?
How do I prepare for exams...
I think about what I need to do in order to be prepared for the exam, I write it down on a to-do list, and then I work through that to-do list at the best pace I can!
What's on the to-do list depends on the exam I suppose... Whether it's reading stuff, writing practise essays, doing deeper research on the Internet myself, or whatever other thing might be there.
How should YOU prep yourself for exams, though?
Whether you're in VCE or HSC, you should:
1. Look at the syllabus and work on making sure you have all of the knowledge and key skills - this involves content learning and content revision. One you are happy with your grasp of the syllabus, go to step 2.
2. Complete practice papers, mark them harshly, and rigorously analyse the questions you got wrong and why. Ensure that you never get them wrong again (either by content learning/revision, or by writing out the reason you made the mistake despite already knowing the content).
Imo, that's all there is to it. In uni it gets a little bit different, but those two steps above are a pretty tried and true formula to doing well in Year 12.
• Would you rather fight ten duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck? [It's always entertaining to see the different responses and reasons that people come up with this one :)]
I would definitely rather fight ten duck-sized horses, because there are far too few horses to become overwhelmed by. Joseph made a mistake - the question should actually ask whether I would want to fight ONE HUNDRED duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck.
My answer is, I'd rather fight the horse-sized duck. My rationale is that one hundred small horses could very likely overwhelm you before you could kick them away. I.e., whether they are coming at you from all directions or just one direction, it will be difficult to fight all of them off. You might be able to kick a couple out of the way but eventually you'll be swarmed upon.
With the duck, they have one main weapon and one secondary weapon - basically, the ability to fuck you up with their bill, or the ability to send a gush of wind your way by flailing their wings.
Luckily, ducks don't have teeth, so they probably couldn't actually take away one of my limbs or so forth. They can only clamp down extremely hard, so if I manage not to avoid the duck's strike, at least I am only dealing with a pinned limb instead of a permanently gone one.
With that in mind, I think I could see a viable winning strategy against the duck. I.e., there are opportunities to take the leg. For example, you could make a head-on charge for it, then, when you got close to its reach, you would dive towards its legs and seize it for dear life. One you have the leg, if you can in some way disfigure it at the join or the webbing of its feet, you might disrupt its movement and give yourself a fighting chance. Also, one you're underneath the duck hopefully it has a harder time getting you with its bill, and you could also explore other attacking options.
I suppose I go the duck simply because it feels like you have options, whereas if you go the small horses, it doesn't matter what you do, they will probably overwhelm you.
Post by: Joseph41 on August 12, 2017, 10:37:32 am
I would definitely rather fight ten duck-sized horses, because there are far too few horses to become overwhelmed by. Joseph made a mistake - the question should actually ask whether I would want to fight ONE HUNDRED duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck.
I was just testing you.
Post by: josh.stephens2399 on August 12, 2017, 10:38:07 am
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:49:15 am
Hi brendenHey Hansolo!
-Do you memorise essays for English?
-How do you bullshit an essay when you forget things in the exam?
-Have you made up quotes before?
:)
To be honest, the only exam I ever cared about were my Year 12 exams, and I didn't really have any 'mind-blank' moments in those exams. For English, I didn't make up quotes, because I'd learned them pretty well from writing practice essays. I almost certainly made up quotes in like Year 9 and 10 and stuff but didn't need to for Year 12.
I didn't memorise essays for English.
There are actually two really good articles on this for HSC - one on memorising essays, and one on not memorising essays.
Links:
https://atarnotes.com/memorising-english-essays/
https://atarnotes.com/memorising-essays/
I'd recommend checking them out!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:59:50 am
Hi brenden,Hahahahahaha, I love this. Bloody hell, you're such a question-throwing journalist!!
I don't know about throwing these questions at you, but here I am doing just that! I don't mean to sound like a question-throwing journalist!
How are you? How did you find your passions? How do you study for exams?
Thank you! :)
Have a good day!
I'm really good, thank you. I've been waking up at the same time everyday no matter what - EVEN ON SATURDAY MORNING - and I think it's working well for me. And, y'know, at 10.50am, the day is too early for anything to have fucked it up, given that I haven't left the house yet hahahaha.
How did you find your passions?
Gee wiz, what are my passions?!
I suppose my first passion would be teaching people, helping people, and education in general... and that passion came out when I found ATAR Notes, really! I mean, I definitely helped people a lot before I was on ATAR Notes, but I didn't fully "realise" what I was doing, or that it was even abnormal, until I started doing it on the Internet hahaha. To see so many people value their education on ATAR Notes, I just came to realise I guess that I was passionate about education, too. And I wanted to be a teacher when I was in Year 12 so I was probably thinking about it quite a bit - I guess I found that passion by letting nature run its course, then realising in hindsight hahaha.
My second passion, I suppose you could say is Philosophy - and that, too, I found by accident! I wrote about it actually just a few posts ago, when someone asked me my reasoning behind majoring in Philosophy. Click the spoiler below to see my answer to that question.
My reasons for majoring in Philosophy
Basically, there was a really cool teacher that worked at my school who did a Bachelor of Science and somehow ended up with a major in Chemistry and Philosophy, and then he ended up doing Honours in Philosophy, which meant he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) for only a year’s worth of extra work hahahaha. He said Philosophy was awesome, because it was basically just the study of logic.
At the time I had no idea what he meant but it sounded pretty cool.
I’d also seen that Philosophy majors performed exceptionally well on the LSAT, after Engineering students – and from what I read at the time, that was because the students who majored in those areas performed better on the logic and reasoning section of the test.
Anyway, those two things were enough to me to take an introductory Philosophy unit. That unit was frickin awesome, so I took more Philosophy in second semester, and then when I hit second year and I’d satisfied other requirements of my course (i.e., take two subjects from different disciplines), I basically took all Philosophy subjects and never looked back hahaha. So in the end, my reasoning was that I fucking loved Philosophy.
At the time I had no idea what he meant but it sounded pretty cool.
I’d also seen that Philosophy majors performed exceptionally well on the LSAT, after Engineering students – and from what I read at the time, that was because the students who majored in those areas performed better on the logic and reasoning section of the test.
Anyway, those two things were enough to me to take an introductory Philosophy unit. That unit was frickin awesome, so I took more Philosophy in second semester, and then when I hit second year and I’d satisfied other requirements of my course (i.e., take two subjects from different disciplines), I basically took all Philosophy subjects and never looked back hahaha. So in the end, my reasoning was that I fucking loved Philosophy.
My third passion would be physical exercise (particularly mixed martial arts), and again, that was just something I "realised" in hindsight after doing a lot of different sports and moving around a lot. I think there's something beautifully human about the discomfort we get in exercise. Exercise is nothing but suffering, but at the same time, you are also focussed on nothing else - you are at peace. You suffer, and you grow. Sweat humbles you. Cuts, grazes, and bruises humble you. You're taken away from the surreal and mindboggling nature of consumerist society and thrust into just, animalism. If you're working hard physically, you don't think about anxieties, about the future, about money... The only thing present is that "I'm in pain but I have to keep going". I find a lot of purity in that.
How do you study for exams?
I think about what I need to do in order to be prepared for the exam, I write it down on a to-do list, and then I work through that to-do list at the best pace I can!
What's on the to-do list depends on the exam I suppose... Whether it's reading stuff, writing practise essays, doing deeper research on the Internet myself, or whatever other thing might be there.
How should YOU prep yourself for exams, though?
Whether you're in VCE or HSC, you should:
1. Look at the syllabus and work on making sure you have all of the knowledge and key skills - this involves content learning and content revision. One you are happy with your grasp of the syllabus, go to step 2.
2. Complete practice papers, mark them harshly, and rigorously analyse the questions you got wrong and why. Ensure that you never get them wrong again (either by content learning/revision, or by writing out the reason you made the mistake despite already knowing the content).
Imo, that's all there is to it. In uni it gets a little bit different, but those two steps above are a pretty tried and true formula to doing well in Year 12.
Post by: Alein on August 12, 2017, 11:10:27 am
I want to know if you know anything about the advantages and disadvantages of being a part-time student? There is a subject I want to do but unfortunately my school doesn't offer it, so I want to do it outside of school via distance ed. But that would leave me with three subjects at school next year, as I am taking 2 three four's this year. Should I become a part time student or just take another course at school?
Post by: sweetiepi on August 12, 2017, 11:15:57 am
Your responses are already on fire, what's your second favourite meme, and why?
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 11:25:23 am
Hi brenden,how did you achieve almost perfect marks in uni?
- how did you achieve almost perfect marks in uni?
what were your studying tips/tricks?
- what else did you study in your degree? (like subject areas) anything else you really liked?
thank you :)
what were your studying tips/tricks?
Here's something I wrong in 2015, when I was my third year of Uni:
Become a bafflingly and slightly worrisome semi-psychotic fiend about your marks and pretend not to be one when you go outside.I feel bad for giving this shitty answer even though I gave it because it is literally the answer to your question.
What do I mean about being a semi-psychotic fiend?
Really, by this, I'm just talking about a hyper sense of discipline that pertains to your marks less than it does your studies (as your studies will only function as an extension of your pedanticness over your marks -- if you take the 'fiend' route).
To give you an example, the first year Philosophy unit "Life, Death, and Morality" has 10 "bonus" quizzes that are each worth .5% each. So if you complete all 10 successfully, you can get 105% for the unit. Now, in my first year, if push came to shove I would likely have stayed up all night if it meant getting that .5%. (I'm serious).
This is a pretty extreme example, though, but the principle I'm trying to invoke is the idea that you need to care about the little things because they add up. The .5% probably doesn't make much difference, but what about an assignment worth 5%? 10%? 15%? I treat them all like a major essay - i.e, I make sure every sentence is perfect. This way, you build a buffer. People forget that even though there's weightings, if you get 80% in all your assessments, you get 80 for the unit. Why, then, not ensure that you get more than 80 in the small, easy ones, so you've got a buffer come major essays and exams? In a lot of the exams I've sat, I've only needed 50%-75% on them in order to HD, which is a huge advantage. Why? Because I'm unhealthily obsessive. This quite literally isn't intelligence. It's obsessive discipline. (I'm not being one of those people that's all like "i'm totally not smart I just work so hard". I am smart, but I also believe this 'fiendishness' is more conducive to a system where marks are based more on habits than intelligence).
Like, I look at people that don't hand in assessments worth 2.5% and feel like I'm going insane... did I really just see someone ignore a free 2.5%? You would be surprised by how careless a lot of people are... So my first tip is just be overwhelmingly conscientious.
How I study for my Arts degree... I go to lectures, absorb as much as I can without looking at my phone or taking notes, then I go to tutes and discuss as much as I can, and I make sure I do my readings and then I google extra stuff to get a broader, but not necessarily much deeper, understanding of what we're doing in class. So I see the where the content fits into a particular puzzle, which makes the content 'click'.
That's about as much as I can say about study habits... Really, they're just dependent upon the given pattern of assessments I get given throughout the semester. My study habits are like chess moves... I'm not sure if you're familiar with game theory decision making but that's sort of how you should approach uni. Emotionlessly and logically.
I make to-do lists and work through them, which I've always found better than schedules and which is conducive to the "work whenever you want" nature of uni. If you have a to-do list, then you can just work through the to-do list and that's all there is to it.
Everything I've just said probably tells you about how I manage a (very semi) semi-active social life and extra curricular activities... If going out would compromise my marks, I don't go out. If going out would benefit my marks, I go out.
Okay, so things aren't that morbid. The first part is definitely true, and I just go out when I feel like it, which isn't too often. I normally just relax at home - I certainly have the time to go out if I wanted to though. Essentially, when you're psychotic enough about it, you should burn through your to-do list pretty quickly and have a fair amount of spare time. When you're on top of uni and focus on it as your first priority, it's actually pretty easy. Again, I'm not being "one of those" people - but if you don't have a job and all you do is study, things are simple enough. In Arts anyway. The issue a lot of people have with uni is that they're in a situation that FORCE other things - like work - to be the top priority, and that's when the type of conscientiousness required for consistently high marks becomes tough. It's just shit, really, because some people just have to work and can't afford to focus on it. The other side of that coin is people who COULD focus on it but just don't care enough to bother. It's actually a pretty small minority that are nuts about their undergraduate marks... and, spoiler alert... they're all in Biomed. So, "how do live life and uni?" --- focus on uni and live life in the time you have remaining - which should be sufficient given you do the first task right.
- what else did you study in your degree? (like subject areas) anything else you really liked?
Honestly, I basically studied nothing other than Philosophy and Human Rights Theory (and virtually every HRT unit I took was also a Philosophy unit). So of the 24 units I completed something like 18 of them were pure Philosphy. There might have been one that was pure Human Rights and... the others, I just didn't like. Hahahaha.
The pure Philosophy units I took were:
Life Death Morality
Introduction to Logic
The Ethics of Global Conflict
The Moral Psychology of Evil
Ethics
Poverty, Ecology, and International Justice
Political Philosophy
Time, Self, and Mind
Stoic and Epicurean Philosophy
Metaphysics
Critical Thinking - How to Improve Your Reasoning Skills
Democratic Theory
Symbolic Logic
God, Freedom, and Evil
Philosophy of Religion
The Human Body and the International Marketplace
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 11:38:55 am
How do you deal with a teacher who you admire as a person, but you don't like their teaching style? My English teacher is a great person, but she doesn't really "teach" us, she gives us worksheets to fill and then expects us to be able to write essays without explaining what we need to put in.Hey Pumpion, this is such a brutal scenario, especially this late in the year.
Honestly, I'd just schedule time with her individually and ask her to guide you. Like, from your teacher's perspective, she might be doing what she thinks is best... and it's hard for her to know what people need if no one actually ever tells her. She might have the ability to teach the stuff you need, if only you give her some guidance.
I wouldn't outright say "Miss, you're shit". I'd schedule an appointment and say, "Miss, I'm struggling with XYZ". I just need some more guidance on how to xyz, could you give me that guidance?" and I'm sure she will lend assistance.
If she can't, or won't, then I'd double down your efforts to learn things by yourself by sucking dry the resources available to you - like AN or other teachers.
There are always going to be things in life where you don't like someone's style, or someone's personality is a little bit annoying. Ultimately, we have to take responsibility for what we can control and deal with it. If she's not giving you what you need - well, that's a bummer, but not worth thinking about for more than 2 seconds. Instead, it's time to get what you need from somewhere else, even if it takes a little bit of effort!
Post by: Melody_Zhou66 on August 12, 2017, 11:43:36 am
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 11:48:04 am
>Is your dog a good boy?>Is your dog a good boy?
>What is your favourite joke?
>Given your indecisiveness with what degree to take in uni, how do you feel about what you graduated with?
(http://i.imgur.com/pYYMpmh.jpg)
>What is your favourite joke?
Changing your username to Caleboiiiiiiz (unfortunately in the past :( )
>Given your indecisiveness with what degree to take in uni, how do you feel about what you graduated with?
Extremely happy. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, which is what I should have been enrolled in in the first place.
So like, I ended up where I was supposed to be.
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Arts.
There's only one constant, there, and it was the one constant for a reason. When I dropped education, I should have just dropped education and gone straight into a BA, but perhaps I didn't have the courage or the self-insight. I am not sure. But I am certainly happy with what I graduated with - I gained a lot from uni and really enjoyed my education, and I'm grateful for what it gave me.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 12:03:29 pm
Okay I've got a question [actually questions]Hey!
1. I can't seem to improve my expression in English, whenever I analyze language for example, I always end up saying 'this positions the reader to' or it makes the reader feel'- how do I improve this????
2. Rankings suck, but I was just wondering, lets say hypothetically, I get higher then rank 1, and he gets really low- wouldn't it be unfair if he got my awesome grades for his SAC marks and I got his crappy ones??? And then I don't get it, how gets the higher mark??
3. Thanks for taking the time out to address the many concerns of year 12 students!!! :)
The two best threads for improving expression are here:
https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=162777.0
https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=158168.0
There's probably a few thousands words there - so that will be far more instructional than anything I could write you right now!
2. Rankings suck, but I was just wondering, lets say hypothetically, I get higher then rank 1, and he gets really low- wouldn't it be unfair if he got my awesome grades for his SAC marks and I got his crappy ones??? And then I don't get it, how gets the higher mark??
Hey! You wouldn't get his crappy ones. If he were 1 and you were 2, and he bombed, you wouldn't get his marks! Your SAC marks would be aligned closer to the top.
It's not unfair that his SAC marks stay higher than yours. He beat you in the SACs, right? So after moderation, he should still beat you, no?
If you won a 100m race, then raced in the 200m and lost... Do you not deserve the gold medal for the 100m? They are two different races.
If someone wins in the SACs, they deserve the gold medal in SACs. If they then don't finish on the podium for the exam, they don't deserve a medal.... but they also don't deserve to have their gold medal taken away. Does that make sense?
SACs and Exams are totally different - if you beat someone in the exam that was ranked higher than you, that doesn't mean you deserve to beat them in the SACs. If you deserved to beat them in the SACs, why didn't you already?
Please let me know if that makes sense - this is a very important question and I am very happy to follow up on it if you don't follow my reasoning.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 12:03:51 pm
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 01:41:50 pm
What is your favourite meme?
Hey Brenden!
Your responses are already on fire, what's your second favourite meme, and why?
Meme Number 1 - Courage Wolf
(http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/008/364/Courage_Wolf_01_by_Alma_de_Gato.jpg)
Meme Number 2 - Scumbag Steve
(http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/096/453/Says-Peace-instead-of-Goodbye-Starts-fight.jpg)
I like Scumbag Steve because of the cadence. Top line neutral, bottom line downbeat. Bazinga.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 01:45:33 pm
Hi brenden,Of course it is. It's not really an argument, is it?
Is psychology a true science?
If you define science:
Quote
the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
Psychology is the systematic study of the human mind and behaviour through observation and experiment.
Ergo, must be a science.
Anyone arguing it's not a science either needs to change the definition of science or explain in what way Psychology is not systematic/experimental.
The more controversial question is whether Psychology constitutes good science.
Post by: Ashjames on August 12, 2017, 01:46:31 pm
Hey!
The two best threads for improving expression are here:
https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=162777.0
https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=158168.0
There's probably a few thousands words there - so that will be far more instructional than anything I could write you right now!
2. Rankings suck, but I was just wondering, lets say hypothetically, I get higher then rank 1, and he gets really low- wouldn't it be unfair if he got my awesome grades for his SAC marks and I got his crappy ones??? And then I don't get it, how gets the higher mark??
Hey! You wouldn't get his crappy ones. If he were 1 and you were 2, and he bombed, you wouldn't get his marks! Your SAC marks would be aligned closer to the top.
It's not unfair that his SAC marks stay higher than yours. He beat you in the SACs, right? So after moderation, he should still beat you, no?
If you won a 100m race, then raced in the 200m and lost... Do you not deserve the gold medal for the 100m? They are two different races.
If someone wins in the SACs, they deserve the gold medal in SACs. If they then don't finish on the podium for the exam, they don't deserve a medal.... but they also don't deserve to have their gold medal taken away. Does that make sense?
SACs and Exams are totally different - if you beat someone in the exam that was ranked higher than you, that doesn't mean you deserve to beat them in the SACs. If you deserved to beat them in the SACs, why didn't you already?
Please let me know if that makes sense - this is a very important question and I am very happy to follow up on it if you don't follow my reasoning.
Thanks Brenden- love the analogy btw!!!
Yeah I kinda do get it, but what really stressed me out is that on my 2nd SAC I bummed out. I actually gave up half-way though the SAC and refused to complete it. I left out half of it as was legitimately thinking of dropping out. So that is where I gave rank 2 the advantage. and that's why I'm concerned. Because he is not as strong as me- I've been getting higher than him ever since I'm trying hard. So I'm freaking out because wanna be rank one so that I can get above 45- you feel me
Thanks again Brenden
Post by: jason.rodrigues on August 12, 2017, 01:49:11 pm
would you happen to know what you'd need to be averaging in subjects to get above 70?
Subjects: English, HHD, Further, Food, Business
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 01:52:46 pm
hey Brendan! i just wanted some tips on ways to prepare for exams since i'm trying to remember concepts from unit 3! i'm trying to achieve an ATAR Of 80! I'm doing pretty well in classes averaging A and some A+ , however my memory is not so good so i'm really stressed out i wanna do well but time is going so fast i over-stressHey, great question! Sounds like you're in a really really good position to be honest... you can definitely achieve 80+!!!!
btw my subjects are English, Business management , Legal studies and HHD including a health science university subject which counts as my 5th subject
I think the #1 that combats stress is routine - good routine. Find peace if repetition. Wake up 30 minutes earlier, rug the fuck up, and go for a walk. Come home. Eat the same breakfast. RELAX daily.
As for your memory...
One thing I liked to do for definitional subjects like Business and Legal would be to write out all the definitions I need, then record myself saying the definitions in a really enthusiastic and slow way, with plenty of vocal emphasis on key words and so on. Then, I would just listen to that recording all the fucking time.
But even better than that is practice exams and practice questions. The best way to learn something is through experience. You'll learn how to be a good driver not through memorising all the road rules and so on, but by driving a lot and becoming comfortable with it. Learning that you should check your mirrors, indicate, then check your blindspot is all well and good - but you'll never truly learn why that's important until you nearly kill a fucking motorcyclist after only checking your mirrors and not your blindspot.
Do practice questions, get them wrong, realise why you got them wrong (realise what you forgot), and you'll remember it better than ever.
Doing more practice will also decrease your stress because you'll become more and more familiar with what you need to do and how you will be tested on it :)
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 01:54:53 pm
HiAbsolutely you do!
I am not happy with some of my sac marks, do I still have hope to get 75+ ATAR?
Thanks
I wasn't happy with some of my SAC marks and I got above 90. I know people who weren't happy with some of their SAC marks and got above 99. I know people who weren't happy with some of their SAC marks and got above 70.
So much of your scores are yet to be determined by remaining SACs and remaining exams, and it takes more than just 'some' SAC marks to reduce your ATAR significantly. Keep working hard and you never know what you might achieve!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 02:06:40 pm
Hey Brendan!Such a fucking hectic question, good work.
How did your perception on life change after studying Philosophy at Uni? :)
It's a really tough one because if you think about it, I was in uni from like, 17 to 21. (Turned 18 in my first week of uni but, you know).
That's a huge change, right? Like for a lot of people, literally your entire worldview will change from 18 to 21/22, and like, who knows what changed it? Was it philosophy, was it a new job, was it new living arrangements? Who knows?
I think one really easy thing to point towards is that Philosophy killed my belief in objective morality haha. When I first started I was so certain in my belief that some things were just bloody wrong!! And some things, you just bloody ought to do! I mean, that's what my parents taught me - it's wrong to steal! It's right to hold a door open! If you do wrong, you should be disappointed, and if you do right, you should be happy!
I had a pretty certain and pretty clear set of beliefs about morality - and I'd thought about morality a lot before I ever started Philosophy - and so when I started taking the course it basically challenged all the fucking beliefs I had and tore them to shreds hahahaha. When I realised that an objective morality might not exist, I did as much research as I could on moral realism, relativism, liberalism, rights, and so on. At the beginning I was trying to find evidence that my view was true and really trying to hold on to that belief. It took like 6-12 months for me to release that view and do a complete reversal. I no longer believe that there's a set of objective moral facts - which is a pretty huge perception on life, I think.
Otherwise, I think Philosophy made me think more methodically and with less bias. I think it made me less judgmental/irrational... I can see perspectives outside of my own a lot better now, and I can empathise with different ideologies far better than I used to be able to. Before my degree I'd think, "Wow, right-wing people are just terrible and disgusting!" and now... I guess I just see that right-wing people are actually just people with a different set of beliefs - and I can even see how they'd reasonably come to that set of beliefs, even if I don't agree with them.
So it probably calmed me down a bit. Instead of having intense emotional reactions to statements, my reaction now is basically just to ask, "is that valid", and then, "are those statements up for reasonable debate?".
Those are probably the most broad answers I can give you. It changed so many other things in a really micro level - obviously I know a lot more about the world than I did 3 years ago, and so many of my beliefs have changed - but those two things mentioned above are probably the best answers for how it's changed my 'perception of life'.
Thanks for the awesome question!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 02:18:45 pm
Hi brenden,1). As soon as you've finished the content, which I'd aim to do by the end of September at the latest.
1) when do you think is the best time to start revising for end-of-year exams?
2) how long did it take for you to find out what way of revising content works best for you? e.g. cue cards, diagrams, memorisation, etc.
2. For English and humanities type subjects, teaching was always the best way of revision - I just don't think it's beatable by any of the methods you've mentioned. Closely followed by practice questions.
For Further Maths (the only maths subject I took), it was just practice questions - no teaching even needed lol.
I figured that out pretty quickly I think. Teaching is just natural and is super well known to be the best way to reinforce your own knowledge, and practice questions are pretty well established as one of the best ways to boost your VCE/HSC score.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 02:35:48 pm
Hey,How did you handle the most stressful / times when you were 'most scared about the future' moments in both year 12 and Uni life?
While I know the following;
1) the atar is not the life defining sentence
2) heaps of people have succeeded in their respective academic fields, even if they didn't achieve the al-superimo score in school
3) Have got the associate degree pathway ready, incase I don't make the Bachelor
I still get super stressed out at times about scores, atars, judgements.
How did you handle the most stressful / times when you were 'most scared about the future' moments in both year 12 and Uni life?
And, how do you keep your high energy levels on those jamed packed lecture days?
Thanks, Coolaths :)
Cried. Haha.
I love this question, it's so important. Sometimes, life can crush you, and just keep crushing.
For me, this was really big. I wasn't scared about 'my future' even, but I was definitely scared about my score. I was really open with everyone that I wanted to achieve a 90+ ATAR. I fear social judgment a lot, so at the time it was a sort of self-manipulation. I knew I had a penchant for being lazy and giving up on stuff, but I also knew I had a penchant for being deathly scared of what people thought of me, and I really didn't want people to think I was dumb! So at the start of the year I backed myself into a corner by telling anyone who would listen that I would achieve a 90+, so throughout the year that caused me a fair amount of stress because... what if I didn't? What if I failed?
I wrote a blog in Year 12. I've attached excerpts of it to this post. You'll notice half my posts speak of huge amounts of stress, and the other half speaks of achievement and things going well and so on.
Back then, I also wanted to be a teacher, and it seemed so important to me that I achieve a 90+ ATAR so I had some sort of credibility when I taught my students. I wanted to teach at my old school, and I used to think "in 5 years time, once you've graduated and you come back here to teach, students will ask you what ATAR you got, and you need to be able to show them that they are in the best hands possible".
It was very consuming, and I thought it was the most important thing in the world.
To tell you the truth, I didn't really handle those moments. When I was most scared about the future, when the pressure just built up, I usually just cried. lol.
In Uni, I didn't really get scared for the future, I was just enjoying the present!
I think it's okay to be scared, so long as you stay healthy.
I feel a little bit scared for the future now, sometimes. 2017 has been a strange year for me. I broke up with my partner of 6 years, my Dad sold one of my childhood homes and moved away... Mum is preparing to sell the house I'm currently living in, so I have to find a place to live for the first time - these are daunting things but I'm certainly a lot more healthy than I used to be.
You just have to breathe through things and accept what comes your way and do your best in any given circumstance. In Year 12, I thought doing your best meant mindless persistence, but now I realise sometimes it means taking a step back to calm down and relax, so when you DO move forward, you can do it with peace.
Sorry I don't have a legitimate answer to your question but... I definitely feel you :)
And, how do you keep your high energy levels on those jamed packed lecture days?
I don't. I wake up super early for lectures (usually after staying up really late), and in between talking to students I'm desperately nursing a Vanilla Coke (the hardest form of caffeine I consume given I don't drink coffee).
When I'm talking to students, I 'put on' the energy because I want to create the best atmosphere that I can. I want the students to feel energised and happy to be at the ATAR Notes lectures, and I want the lecturers to feel comfortable and energetic instead of scared and nervous, so I do my absolute best to be as lively as possible to create the best environment I can. Whether I'm sick, tired, stressed, happy, or any other feeling under the sun - I'm the same way at the lectures every time because those reasons always stay the same. I always want the best environment, so I always present in the same lively way you're used to seeing!
When you're committed to something enough, you usually just do it and cop the consequences later. "How do I keep the energy levels" - force it against your body's will, then let it punish you when the lectures are over hahahaha.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 02:38:48 pm
Hi Brenden,Well, I was born in Queensland and my parents lived there for a few years, but they are both Melbournians through and through so really, I keep the sauce in both depending on where I got in from ::)
Just a random question;
Do you place your tomato sauce in the pantry or in the fridge?
Dad is more of a fridge user. Mum is more of a cupboard person. So I've done both equally. I just put the bottle back where I got it from, and when I buy a new bottle - you've got a 50-50 shot on where I put it.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 02:45:51 pm
sorry, have two more questions to add:- do you do actually do all your readings?
- do you have any tips for writing arts essays?
- do you do actually do all your readings?
thanks once again :)
Usually, yes. I've probably completed like 90% of the readings I was assigned (if you ignore the 1-2 units I took by distance once I was working full-time, in which case I did 10% of the readings assigned).
For any given week, my goal was to 1) watch the lecture, 2) do the readings, and 3) go to the tutorial. The small fraction of readings I skipped was when it made sense to do so. I.e., if you knew that particular reading wasn't going ot be examined and you have another assignment due, I'd definitely skip the reading. Basically, I'd skip it I felt it was in the best interests of my grades, but most of the time I thought it was in the best interests of my grades to do them.
- do you have any tips for writing arts essays?
1. Have an extremely good understanding of your logic and your reasoning before you write the essay, and understand the structure of it as well.
Why do the early paragraphs come before the later ones? What are you trying to achieve with each paragraph? Are you proving a point, or setting up a point you're about to prove?
Most of the time it was hardest to actually come up with the argument and make sure it was watertight. Once that was done it was just a matter of writing it out convincingly. I'd think about an argument in my head for weeks, then usually smash out the essay in a couple of days.
After that, I suppose it's just "do a good job of writing it", which is a skill developed over a number of years. Read style guides, analyse your own writing, study good writing, so on.
Post by: Alwin on August 12, 2017, 02:46:52 pm
What's your go to comeback? (Asking for a *friend*, not because I want to use it against you ;))
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 03:09:59 pm
How did you go in year 12?The file I have attached gives an excellent example.
You described as obsessive, hellish and hopeful equally?
Care to explain? 😂
The file contains excerpts from blogs I wrote in Year 12 - some of them desperately upset, others really excited - often 5 days apart from each other.
Obsessive - that's just how I was. I obsessed over Year 12 - every mark, every subjects, every hypothetical.
It was hellish in the sense that it was soul crushingly brutal. It felt horrible to go through but sometimes it wouldn't feel hellish and I'd feel hopeful that I could actually achieve my goals, or that I would actually do really well, or I'd feel excited for the future and what it might hold. It was a consistent inconsistency, always up and down.
I'm not sure if that explains it but, that's just what Year 12 was like for me hahaha
Post by: selenase on August 12, 2017, 03:22:50 pm
Post by: lyoko on August 12, 2017, 03:25:04 pm
Well, I was born in Queensland and my parents lived there for a few years, but they are both Melbournians through and through so really, I keep the sauce in both depending on where I got in from ::)
Dad is more of a fridge user. Mum is more of a cupboard person. So I've done both equally. I just put the bottle back where I got it from, and when I buy a new bottle - you've got a 50-50 shot on where I put it.
Thanks Brenden!
Post by: Katt97 on August 12, 2017, 03:36:30 pm
Some things you might like to know about Brenden:
• He will soon have the highest respect level ever on the ATAR Notes Forums
Is this 'ask me anything' just one large ploy to achieve this sooner??
Post by: elysepopplewell on August 12, 2017, 03:40:03 pm
The file I have attached gives an excellent example.
The file contains excerpts from blogs I wrote in Year 12 - some of them desperately upset, others really excited - often 5 days apart from each other.
Obsessive - that's just how I was. I obsessed over Year 12 - every mark, every subjects, every hypothetical.
It was hellish in the sense that it was soul crushingly brutal. It felt horrible to go through but sometimes it wouldn't feel hellish and I'd feel hopeful that I could actually achieve my goals, or that I would actually do really well, or I'd feel excited for the future and what it might hold. It was a consistent inconsistency, always up and down.
I'm not sure if that explains it but, that's just what Year 12 was like for me hahaha
I love that in Blog post 6 you're like, I wish I were like Emily, as you're talking about English. You foresaw the greatness that is Ms Tyrrell!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 03:46:25 pm
What's your core purpose/meaning(s) in life? I don't mean "what's your passion" stuff, but like, what keeps you going and gets you out of bed?What's your core purpose/meaning(s) in life? I don't mean "what's your passion" stuff, but like, what keeps you going and gets you out of bed?
Who's your favourite Harry Potter character?
Annnnd do you really like Coles brand icecream?! I actually can't eat it. Woolies vanilla is surprisingly great (of course no match with Cadbury), but Coles leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.
He wasn't round in the early days... joined in five years after AN started :P
I'm not too sure I have a core meaning. I have passions, joys, highs, lows, crushing moments, elated moments, relationships, breakups, old friends, new friends. That's life, and that's enough for me. The meaning is in the experience, I suppose.
Who's your favourite Harry Potter character?
This is such a fucked up question. Easily the most fucked up question of this entire QnA.
I don't like Snape just because liking him is sooooooooo overdone.
Otherwise I like many many characters. Lupin, Dumbydore, Dobby, Peeves, Harry circa Dumbledore's Army but pre-getting Sirius fucking killed.
Favourite would probably be Sirius I think.
Early in the series, he represents hope, and in a weird way, justice. Otherwise, he's just fucking cool. Rides a moterbike, beast of a wizard. Flawed human being with much wisdom but much problems, and he also has two of the best quotes of the series.
Quote
"If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."
and
Quote
"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters."
Annnnd do you really like [X] brand icecream?!
The answer is yes.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 03:48:30 pm
What is your best tip for balancing school work and other activities such as catching up with friends? :)Catch up with friends*, then in the time you have remaining, do as much schoolwork as you can! That's how I go about it, anyway!
*Unless that would seriously fuck you over - i.e., prevent you from doing desperately needed revision for an upcoming test, in which case I wouldn't catch up with friends.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:02:18 pm
Heyo brenden,HEYOOOOOOO!
Do you plan on using your philosophy major to pursue employment (if, by some crazy chance, you get bored of AN)?
If so, what fields are open to philosophers that you'd be interested in?
Do you agree with our current education system? What do you think should be changed?
What is the meaning of life in 3 words or less?
Thanks
Do you plan on using your philosophy major to pursue employment (if, by some crazy chance, you get bored of AN)?
If so, what fields are open to philosophers that you'd be interested in?
I mean, what does it mean to "use" something to pursue employment? Like, I use money to buy stuff. I use a bike to get places by physically riding it. How do you 'use' a major? By putting it on your resume and having someone be impressed about it? It's an interesting question. It's ceratinly going on my resume, because it's the only fkn degree I've got :P.
I plan to use myself and all of my education, work experience, and life experience to pursue employment. If I ever get another job, it certainly won't be only the Philo major that gets me the job, or only my work experience. They will hire me, and everything that I am - which includes the major, and everything else.
As far as what fields are open to Philosophers - I don't even know. Presumably anything that doesn't required hyper-specific trained skills (engineering, medicine) - business, government, finance, marketing, policy, journalism.
I didn't take a Philosophy major because I thought it was great for employment, I did it because I loved it and I thought it would improve my mind more than any other major available to me.
I guess my chips are all in on the idea that someone will hire me because they think I'll make them money and not because they think I have 'the right major' :P
Which of those would I be interested in........... Also no idea. I'm still figuring this shit out - it doesn't get easier after high-school hahaha
Do you agree with our current education system? What do you think should be changed?
Super broad, super tough. I don't like the education system how it is, no. What would I change? Great question.
I'd probably look at Finland and copy whatever the fuck they do.
I think it goes deeper than changing our 'system' structurally and starts to go into how can we change our society culturally. Because is it the system that's the problem, or the culture? What if more parents read to their kids, encouraged their kids, passed on the value of education to their kids?
That being said, I think we need to work hard at making Teaching a prestigious profession. At the moment, our best and brightest are going elsewhere, which I think is a shame, given how important education is.
I'd probably jack up the pay for teachers to make it lucrative, and make it harder to get in so it becomes more prestigious.
I'd probably try to cultivate things like critical thinking and creativity more. At the moment, the learning around middle years seems almost arbitrary. Smaller class sizes and so on.
I don't think there's one step to fixing it. I think we just have to improve what we can. But that's hard, I think, until we as a society collectively emphasise the importance and value of education (not just formal).
What is the meaning of life in 3 words or less?
Ice-cream.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:06:20 pm
How do you stay motivated/ actually stick to study plans??On Motivation:
My tip for motivation is to not worry about it. It’s a myth that you need motivation to do work. You can do work without motivation – you just have to do it, haha!
I mean, what does motivation even feel like? Does it feel like desire? Does it feel like excitement? If I only did work when I felt excited, nothing would get done. The tip for motivation is to stop believing that it is your savior – stop waiting for it, and become your own savior!
Do you feel motivated to brush your teeth? Do you feel motivated to tie your shoelaces? No. You don't feel motivation for these things. You are motivated to do them, in the sense that if you brush your teeth they will look white, and if you tie your shoes you won't trip. So like, you 'have' motivation, but you don't 'feel' motivated.
Similarly, you don't need to feel motivation to work. Work can be part of your routine - then it just becomes something that happens. I think it's a myth that our capacity for work rests on our capacity to 'feel motivated', and it's a myth that I bought into for ages! I even made the ATAR Notes Motivation Corner (https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=135846.0) when I was in Year 12. Every day I would get home from school and watch motivational videos and read motivational question but like... honestly... they aren't really helpful? They last for like an hour? They don't motivate you for the rest of your life. But if you want to achieve stuff beyond Year 12, you're going to have to figure out a way to do work even when the 'feeling' of motivation is missing...... and I guess that's my advice to you!
I will add one thing though - that I am motivated by positivity and opportunity. I don't get motivated by the idea that my life will turn to shit if I screw things up. Although, I do get motivated by the excitement of GAIN. Gaining learning, skills, gaining as a person, and so on. Get home and the house is empty? That's an opportunity to study - and opportunity is exciting. You ate breakfast today? That's an opportunity to study on a full stomach - and opportunity is exciting.
1. Commit to taking all opportunities in front of you.
2. Commit to seeing opportunity everywhere you go.
As for avoiding procrastination… I kind of just embrace it? I don’t feel bad for procrastinating. I just do what I want and get it out of my system, then when I’ve not-done-something for so long that I genuinely need to get on it or I’m fucked, I usually work uninterrupted hahahaha. If I don't want to procrastinate, I don't procrastinate. If I want to procrastinate, I do it until I don't want to anymore. The problem wth people asking "how do I stop procrastinating" is they are actually asking, "How do I stop procrastinating when I want to procrastinate?" and I guess my solution is just... don't. Instead, work on not wanting to procrastinate.
On Study Plans:
I don't make plans - so they can never go astray!
I use to-do lists, and then I complete them from the top of the list to the bottom of the list whenever I feel like it. So, the only plan I ever have is "work on the to-do list".
Sticking to that is easy because, you just don't do anything unless it's highest on your list... and you work on it whenver you get the opportunity to!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:07:24 pm
Why won't you admit that feet aren't triangles??Why won't you admit that feet aren't triangles??
What was AN like back in the early days?
Because lying is morally wrong.
What was AN like back in the early days?
Similar and different, but not as good as now!
Post by: patriciarose on August 12, 2017, 04:14:03 pm
if you had to go back and do another year of uni, is there anything you'd do differently? and also, did you seriously eat all that cake alone because holy shit that's probably the most motivating thing i've seen all year omg.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:27:01 pm
Hi Brenden,I didn't take Chemistry or Methods, so can't help you there, haha!
I just have a few questions:
- How did you study for Chemistry SAC's?
- How did you study for Maths SAC's?
- How did you manage to buckle down and achieve a 90+ ATAT?
- What did you of in VCE to keep motivated on a day-to-day basis?
- How did you not panic or stress during exam?
Thank you in advance!!
On Motivation:
Copy/Paste from previous question[/spoiler
My tip for motivation is to not worry about it. It’s a myth that you need motivation to do work. You can do work without motivation – you just have to do it, haha!
I mean, what does motivation even feel like? Does it feel like desire? Does it feel like excitement? If I only did work when I felt excited, nothing would get done. The tip for motivation is to stop believing that it is your savior – stop waiting for it, and become your own savior!
Do you feel motivated to brush your teeth? Do you feel motivated to tie your shoelaces? No. You don't feel motivation for these things. You are motivated to do them, in the sense that if you brush your teeth they will look white, and if you tie your shoes you won't trip. So like, you 'have' motivation, but you don't 'feel' motivated.
Similarly, you don't need to feel motivation to work. Work can be part of your routine - then it just becomes something that happens. I think it's a myth that our capacity for work rests on our capacity to 'feel motivated', and it's a myth that I bought into for ages! I even made the ATAR Notes Motivation Corner (https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=135846.0) when I was in Year 12. Every day I would get home from school and watch motivational videos and read motivational question but like... honestly... they aren't really helpful? They last for like an hour? They don't motivate you for the rest of your life. But if you want to achieve stuff beyond Year 12, you're going to have to figure out a way to do work even when the 'feeling' of motivation is missing...... and I guess that's my advice to you!
I will add one thing though - that I am motivated by positivity and opportunity. I don't get motivated by the idea that my life will turn to shit if I screw things up. Although, I do get motivated by the excitement of GAIN. Gaining learning, skills, gaining as a person, and so on. Get home and the house is empty? That's an opportunity to study - and opportunity is exciting. You ate breakfast today? That's an opportunity to study on a full stomach - and opportunity is exciting.
1. Commit to taking all opportunities in front of you.
2. Commit to seeing opportunity everywhere you go.
As for avoiding procrastination… I kind of just embrace it? I don’t feel bad for procrastinating. I just do what I want and get it out of my system, then when I’ve not-done-something for so long that I genuinely need to get on it or I’m fucked, I usually work uninterrupted hahahaha. If I don't want to procrastinate, I don't procrastinate. If I want to procrastinate, I do it until I don't want to anymore. The problem wth people asking "how do I stop procrastinating" is they are actually asking, "How do I stop procrastinating when I want to procrastinate?" and I guess my solution is just... don't. Instead, work on not wanting to procrastinate.
I mean, what does motivation even feel like? Does it feel like desire? Does it feel like excitement? If I only did work when I felt excited, nothing would get done. The tip for motivation is to stop believing that it is your savior – stop waiting for it, and become your own savior!
Do you feel motivated to brush your teeth? Do you feel motivated to tie your shoelaces? No. You don't feel motivation for these things. You are motivated to do them, in the sense that if you brush your teeth they will look white, and if you tie your shoes you won't trip. So like, you 'have' motivation, but you don't 'feel' motivated.
Similarly, you don't need to feel motivation to work. Work can be part of your routine - then it just becomes something that happens. I think it's a myth that our capacity for work rests on our capacity to 'feel motivated', and it's a myth that I bought into for ages! I even made the ATAR Notes Motivation Corner (https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=135846.0) when I was in Year 12. Every day I would get home from school and watch motivational videos and read motivational question but like... honestly... they aren't really helpful? They last for like an hour? They don't motivate you for the rest of your life. But if you want to achieve stuff beyond Year 12, you're going to have to figure out a way to do work even when the 'feeling' of motivation is missing...... and I guess that's my advice to you!
I will add one thing though - that I am motivated by positivity and opportunity. I don't get motivated by the idea that my life will turn to shit if I screw things up. Although, I do get motivated by the excitement of GAIN. Gaining learning, skills, gaining as a person, and so on. Get home and the house is empty? That's an opportunity to study - and opportunity is exciting. You ate breakfast today? That's an opportunity to study on a full stomach - and opportunity is exciting.
1. Commit to taking all opportunities in front of you.
2. Commit to seeing opportunity everywhere you go.
As for avoiding procrastination… I kind of just embrace it? I don’t feel bad for procrastinating. I just do what I want and get it out of my system, then when I’ve not-done-something for so long that I genuinely need to get on it or I’m fucked, I usually work uninterrupted hahahaha. If I don't want to procrastinate, I don't procrastinate. If I want to procrastinate, I do it until I don't want to anymore. The problem wth people asking "how do I stop procrastinating" is they are actually asking, "How do I stop procrastinating when I want to procrastinate?" and I guess my solution is just... don't. Instead, work on not wanting to procrastinate.
I'm not a panicky person in SACs/Exams, because of this:
Quote
Let me have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.
If I don't know something, there is no point in panicking. I will perform worse in the exam. The best thing I can do is not panic and move on.
I am like this in most situations in life. Within a moment, I don't panic. I do my panicking/stressing afterwards. If I've ever been in a high-pressure, high-intensity situation, I chill out, but I usually get physical symptoms of shock later on (not talking about exams now, but high-intense life situations). But it's the same for exams. Within the moment, I relax. I beat myself up about it later, not in the middle of when I'm doing what I need to be doing.
On Buckling Down:
Modification of previous answer
I was scared about my score. I was really open with everyone that I wanted to achieve a 90+ ATAR. I fear social judgment a lot, so at the time it was a sort of self-manipulation. I knew I had a penchant for being lazy and giving up on stuff, but I also knew I had a penchant for being deathly scared of what people thought of me, and I really didn't want people to think I was dumb! So at the start of the year I backed myself into a corner by telling anyone who would listen that I would achieve a 90+, so throughout the year that caused me a fair amount of stress because... what if I didn't? What if I failed?
Back then, I also wanted to be a teacher, and it seemed so important to me that I achieve a 90+ ATAR so I had some sort of credibility when I taught my students. I wanted to teach at my old school, and I used to think "in 5 years time, once you've graduated and you come back here to teach, students will ask you what ATAR you got, and you need to be able to show them that they are in the best hands possible".
It was very consuming, and I thought it was the most important thing in the world.
Because of this, I worked harder than I had previously. I was very disciplined (half of the time) because of the way I felt about Year 12, and that's what made me buckle down.
Back then, I also wanted to be a teacher, and it seemed so important to me that I achieve a 90+ ATAR so I had some sort of credibility when I taught my students. I wanted to teach at my old school, and I used to think "in 5 years time, once you've graduated and you come back here to teach, students will ask you what ATAR you got, and you need to be able to show them that they are in the best hands possible".
It was very consuming, and I thought it was the most important thing in the world.
Because of this, I worked harder than I had previously. I was very disciplined (half of the time) because of the way I felt about Year 12, and that's what made me buckle down.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:35:21 pm
How do you study for a subject that you do not enjoy?Waaadddddddup Josh
Basically man, I don't depend on motivation for shit like that. I just do it even though I don't care about it.
Click the spoiler below - the stuff I've coloured in red is the most relevant to this answer. I study for subjects I don't enjoy in the same way I study for subejcts that I enjoy..... I just enjoy doing it less- haha!
On Motivation:
Copy/Paste from previous question
My tip for motivation is to not worry about it. It’s a myth that you need motivation to do work. You can do work without motivation – you just have to do it, haha!
I mean, what does motivation even feel like? Does it feel like desire? Does it feel like excitement? If I only did work when I felt excited, nothing would get done. The tip for motivation is to stop believing that it is your savior – stop waiting for it, and become your own savior!
Do you feel motivated to brush your teeth? Do you feel motivated to tie your shoelaces? No. You don't feel motivation for these things. You are motivated to do them, in the sense that if you brush your teeth they will look white, and if you tie your shoes you won't trip. So like, you 'have' motivation, but you don't 'feel' motivated.
Similarly, you don't need to feel motivation to work. Work can be part of your routine - then it just becomes something that happens. I think it's a myth that our capacity for work rests on our capacity to 'feel motivated', and it's a myth that I bought into for ages! I even made the ATAR Notes Motivation Corner (https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=135846.0) when I was in Year 12. Every day I would get home from school and watch motivational videos and read motivational question but like... honestly... they aren't really helpful? They last for like an hour? They don't motivate you for the rest of your life. But if you want to achieve stuff beyond Year 12, you're going to have to figure out a way to do work even when the 'feeling' of motivation is missing...... and I guess that's my advice to you!
I will add one thing though - that I am motivated by positivity and opportunity. I don't get motivated by the idea that my life will turn to shit if I screw things up. Although, I do get motivated by the excitement of GAIN. Gaining learning, skills, gaining as a person, and so on. Get home and the house is empty? That's an opportunity to study - and opportunity is exciting. You ate breakfast today? That's an opportunity to study on a full stomach - and opportunity is exciting.
1. Commit to taking all opportunities in front of you.
2. Commit to seeing opportunity everywhere you go.
As for avoiding procrastination… I kind of just embrace it? I don’t feel bad for procrastinating. I just do what I want and get it out of my system, then when I’ve not-done-something for so long that I genuinely need to get on it or I’m fucked, I usually work uninterrupted hahahaha. If I don't want to procrastinate, I don't procrastinate. If I want to procrastinate, I do it until I don't want to anymore. The problem wth people asking "how do I stop procrastinating" is they are actually asking, "How do I stop procrastinating when I want to procrastinate?" and I guess my solution is just... don't. Instead, work on not wanting to procrastinate.
I mean, what does motivation even feel like? Does it feel like desire? Does it feel like excitement? If I only did work when I felt excited, nothing would get done. The tip for motivation is to stop believing that it is your savior – stop waiting for it, and become your own savior!
Do you feel motivated to brush your teeth? Do you feel motivated to tie your shoelaces? No. You don't feel motivation for these things. You are motivated to do them, in the sense that if you brush your teeth they will look white, and if you tie your shoes you won't trip. So like, you 'have' motivation, but you don't 'feel' motivated.
Similarly, you don't need to feel motivation to work. Work can be part of your routine - then it just becomes something that happens. I think it's a myth that our capacity for work rests on our capacity to 'feel motivated', and it's a myth that I bought into for ages! I even made the ATAR Notes Motivation Corner (https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=135846.0) when I was in Year 12. Every day I would get home from school and watch motivational videos and read motivational question but like... honestly... they aren't really helpful? They last for like an hour? They don't motivate you for the rest of your life. But if you want to achieve stuff beyond Year 12, you're going to have to figure out a way to do work even when the 'feeling' of motivation is missing...... and I guess that's my advice to you!
I will add one thing though - that I am motivated by positivity and opportunity. I don't get motivated by the idea that my life will turn to shit if I screw things up. Although, I do get motivated by the excitement of GAIN. Gaining learning, skills, gaining as a person, and so on. Get home and the house is empty? That's an opportunity to study - and opportunity is exciting. You ate breakfast today? That's an opportunity to study on a full stomach - and opportunity is exciting.
1. Commit to taking all opportunities in front of you.
2. Commit to seeing opportunity everywhere you go.
As for avoiding procrastination… I kind of just embrace it? I don’t feel bad for procrastinating. I just do what I want and get it out of my system, then when I’ve not-done-something for so long that I genuinely need to get on it or I’m fucked, I usually work uninterrupted hahahaha. If I don't want to procrastinate, I don't procrastinate. If I want to procrastinate, I do it until I don't want to anymore. The problem wth people asking "how do I stop procrastinating" is they are actually asking, "How do I stop procrastinating when I want to procrastinate?" and I guess my solution is just... don't. Instead, work on not wanting to procrastinate.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:38:45 pm
Hi!Hey Alein!
I want to know if you know anything about the advantages and disadvantages of being a part-time student? There is a subject I want to do but unfortunately my school doesn't offer it, so I want to do it outside of school via distance ed. But that would leave me with three subjects at school next year, as I am taking 2 three four's this year. Should I become a part time student or just take another course at school?
You'd be taking 4 subjects, that sounds pretty "full-time" to me!
I know you mean that you'll be taking 3 subjects at school, so presumably you'll have a lot of free periods.
For me, that was a big advantage, because it gave me more freedom, and that's what I wanted. With free periods, if I needed a break, I could do nothing, and if I needed to work, I could work. If you're in class..... you have to be in class. You don't have a choice (unless you don't go).
If you're a person who desperately depends upon the structure of the classroom setting you would never ever do any work during a free period, it could potentially be disadvantageous but it sounds like an advantage to me. More flexibility is a good thing for someone who employs good strategy. If you have free periods before a SAC, it means you can study for the SAC and catch up on what you should have been doing later, maximising your SAC score but not sacrificing the other subject. You can't do that if you're stuck in a class learning other stuff. Personally, if you want to do the distance ed subject, I'd do it and be a part-time student.
If you hate that subject you can always drop it and do 3 subjects at school - you'll still graduate with 5 Year 12 subjects, which is plenty enough for a good ATAR!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:40:20 pm
Hello, would you be able to assist in Biology questions? What is your advice for maximizing your opportunities of getting into your desired course?Hey Melody! I know literally shit all about Biology BUT... If you have Biology questions, I can tell you exactly where to make them, and then tell other people who I know that are good at Biology to answer your question to make sure it gets answered!
What is your advice for maximizing your opportunities of getting into your desired course?
Basically, work hard at getting a good ATAR. That's the best bet you can take to maximise your opportunity. If you don't get the ATAR for the course, hopefully you will get the ATAR for a similar course at the same uni, in which case the second part of my answer is "work hard at getting good university grades", because they make transferring really easy!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:42:09 pm
Thanks Brenden- love the analogy btw!!!Fuck man, that sucks. Shit happens, hey - don't beat yourself up about it. I've certainly done worse in a SAC and it ended up okay for me haha.
Yeah I kinda do get it, but what really stressed me out is that on my 2nd SAC I bummed out. I actually gave up half-way though the SAC and refused to complete it. I left out half of it as was legitimately thinking of dropping out. So that is where I gave rank 2 the advantage. and that's why I'm concerned. Because he is not as strong as me- I've been getting higher than him ever since I'm trying hard. So I'm freaking out because wanna be rank one so that I can get above 45- you feel me
Thanks again Brenden
You could still Rank 1 honestly, if you do consistently better than the other guy that SAC might not even prevent you from getting the top rank. You're still a chance at 45+, just keep working hard, and keep your mind level!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:44:53 pm
Hey man,Yooo jason.
would you happen to know what you'd need to be averaging in subjects to get above 70?
Subjects: English, HHD, Further, Food, Business
Honestly, so much of that depends on your exam performance - because at this stage your SACs haven't been moderated yet so speaking of "averages" - what you're getting now might go up or down at the end of the year depending on a whole bunch of things, so it's super hard to say. Aim to get 100% on every SAC and see what happens haha. But like definitely try for 70-80% on SACs if you can, and at the end of the year make sure you do a minimum of like 3-5 practice exams for all subjects and you should be able to get it comfortably!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:46:38 pm
What is your favourite word in the English language?Favourite word in the English language is 'fuck'.
What's your go to comeback? (Asking for a *friend*, not because I want to use it against you ;))Anything that starts with, "You know what, <comeback here>" or, "Well... <comeback here>"
You hit up the 'filler' words to buy yourself some time to think of an original and highly unique comeback ;)
Otherwise, I just say "Nup, ya dreamin'." No standard comeback for you, sorry, Alwin!!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:48:06 pm
How difficult is it to get a high GPA >6 in law? How much study did you end up doing?Honestly, I didn't take that many Law subjects, but >6 is achievable but tough. It's not an insane goal or anything like that - definitely achievable if you work consistently over a number of years.
As for how much study I ended up doing - most of my time was spent on Uni/study, with some time on recreation, some time on work, and some time on socialising.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:50:11 pm
Is this 'ask me anything' just one large ploy to achieve this sooner??Are you interested in quantum realities because the answer to this question is both yes and no.
Spoiler
give me your fucking upvotes
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:51:17 pm
I love that in Blog post 6 you're like, I wish I were like Emily, as you're talking about English. You foresaw the greatness that is Ms Tyrrell!Hahahaha you'd love it even more if you knew the Emily I was actually talking about! She ended up getting a perfect score in English as well, and from similar circumstances to the NSW Emily. It blows my mind to think about - I wish you knew the other Emily so we could be mindblown together hahaha, it's actually crazy.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:52:44 pm
i'm not quite sure if questions have closed, but if not:I’d be more social. I was ridiculously anti-social in uni. Would always wear headphones, have a hood on, and generally wear a scowl on my face to discourage social interaction, so I didn’t really make any ‘uni friends’. I think that’s a real shame – I was a bit too immature at the time. If I went back, I’d definitely make more of an effort to make more friends!
if you had to go back and do another year of uni, is there anything you'd do differently? and also, did you seriously eat all that cake alone because holy shit that's probably the most motivating thing i've seen all year omg.
I SWEAR TO YOU WITH NICK AND LAUREN AS MY WITNESS THAT I ATE EVERY LAST BIT OF THAT CAKE, AND THEN SPOONED UP THE MELTED PORTIONS AND DRANK IT. MAXIMUM CAKE WAS CONSUMED, PLEASE BE AWE-INSPIRED.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 04:53:22 pm
Post by: strawberries on August 12, 2017, 04:54:48 pm
thanks for answering my questions
sorry I have one more question for you:
what are your opinions on tutorials? did you participate in them a lot?
(personally, I hate them, so how do you deal with it?)
thanks once again :D
Post by: sweetiepi on August 12, 2017, 04:58:28 pm
I SWEAR TO YOU WITH NICK AND LAUREN AS MY WITNESS THAT I ATE EVERY LAST BIT OF THAT CAKE, AND THEN SPOONED UP THE MELTED PORTIONS AND DRANK IT. MAXIMUM CAKE WAS CONSUMED, PLEASE BE AWE-INSPIRED.Was the cake good though?
(Lowkey impressed)
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 05:00:30 pm
hey brenden :)No worries at all!!
thanks for answering my questions
sorry I have one more question for you:
what are your opinions on tutorials? did you participate in them a lot?
(personally, I hate them, so how do you deal with it?)
thanks once again :D
Honestly, most of the time I was very participatory, and got a lot out of people disagreeing with what I said. Often, stating your view then having others disagree is the best way to improve your own logic and refine (or abandon) your argument... especially when you have an essay coming up and can basically figure out whether your tutor approves or disapproves of your reasoning ahead of time.
If I didn't like the tutorial I'd just shut my mouth and listen, and try to learn as much as I could from other discussions - again, spotting areas that certain arguments could be refined.
I think they are an awesome learning tool, whether you are participating or not, and very beneficial for assessments!
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 05:00:46 pm
Was the cake good though?It was delicious.
(Lowkey impressed)
Post by: Calebark on August 12, 2017, 05:06:35 pm
1- Would a turtle or a tortoise win in a fight?
2- What's your favourite book?
3- Favourite website? ;)
4- Favourite song?
basic questions, but sh
Post by: annamangoberry on August 12, 2017, 05:07:10 pm
im a year 12 student.
im getting ok at around fifty percent for my sacs. However my recent sac score is about ten percent.Does this means that my average will drop to thirty percent. Do I need to get a score of above ninety percent in my next sac to raise my average to fifty percent?
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 05:26:44 pm
Back again.1. I honestly don't know the difference off the top of my head. Whichever one you are - that's the one I back in a fight.
1- Would a turtle or a tortoise win in a fight?
2- What's your favourite book?
3- Favourite website? ;)
4- Favourite song?
basic questions, but sh
2. Super hard to say. This is one of those ones that like, you don't even know off the top of your head until you're sitting aound one day and go - "BOOK TITLE! THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD SAY WHEN PEOPLE ASK MY FAVOURITE BOOK!"
Fight Club is up there in a major way.
I literally can't even remember the books I've read, these days. Harry Potter's obvious. I really like a few John Green novels, and Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Cloudstreet is probably also really up there actually. Fucking love that book.
Fight Club and Cloudstreet. Not a bad pair. (Also, The Secret History by Donna Tartt is fresh af)
3. ATAR Notse obvs. Otherwise, I visit afl.com.au, nmfc.com.au, and Reddit (but I use the app so it doesn't count as a website ;) )
4. Favourite song. Crazy crazy hard one.
From maybe 2009 to 2012 my favourite song was Under Pressure, by the Herd.
From 2012 to 2015 or so, my favourite song was Strange Lot, by Seth Sentry (hooooooly shit what a song).
Now, I've abandoned them. A few favourites:
Under Pressure - The Herd (biggest favourite)
Long Loud Hours - Urthboy (big favourite)
Strange Lot - Seth Sentry (biggest favourite)
Crushing Hard - Urthboy (decent favourite)
Birthdays - Smith Street Band (decent favourite)
Arrogance of the Drunk Pedestrian - Smith Street Band (big favourite)
Walk You Home - Horrorshow (big big favourite)
Make You Proud - Horrorshow (big favourite)
Letters from Jamshed - Urthboy (big favourite)
How Are You - Seth Sentry (big big favourite)
Campfire - Seth Sentry (big big favourite)
Langolier's Banquet - Seth Sentry (big big favourite)
Post by: Zenos on August 12, 2017, 05:38:11 pm
Crazy crazy hard on.
Interesting
Post by: coolaths on August 12, 2017, 07:42:37 pm
How did you handle the most stressful / times when you were 'most scared about the future' moments in both year 12 and Uni life?
Sorry I don't have a legitimate answer to your question but... I definitely feel you :)
I think that was the most honest answer ever given to me... Thank you...
I feel that I am not alone in this, and a lot of people are going through and have gone through more or else the same thing as me..
And, the blog excerpts... Really paints year 12.. Thank you :)
Post by: dunnja on August 12, 2017, 08:50:55 pm
Post by: chelseam on August 12, 2017, 09:04:34 pm
1. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
2. What are your thoughts on coriander?
3. What are your favourite music artists?
4. Any song recs?
Post by: Joseph41 on August 12, 2017, 09:05:09 pm
Post by: chelseam on August 12, 2017, 09:21:00 pm
Brenden definitely prefers cats.What... what kind of monster...
Post by: RuiAce on August 12, 2017, 09:21:31 pm
Post by: sudodds on August 12, 2017, 09:24:29 pm
Who's your favourite state mod 8)yeah brenden. who is your favourite state mod.
Post by: Calebark on August 12, 2017, 09:26:00 pm
Who's your favourite state mod 8)
i dare you
Post by: sweetiepi on August 12, 2017, 09:27:22 pm
Who's your favourite state mod 8)And Rui asks the unthinkable
(definitely not asking hahaha)
Post by: Joseph41 on August 12, 2017, 09:32:22 pm
Post by: Calebark on August 12, 2017, 09:39:04 pm
Brenden's favourite state mod is definitely cats.
meow
pick me
Post by: sudodds on August 12, 2017, 09:50:41 pm
yeah brenden. who is your favourite state mod.keep in mind who is currently set to host the NSW AN lectures after party.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:04:22 pm
hello brendenYour average would be 35% or more at the very least, assuming you have at least two SACs of 50%. A 90% in our next SAC would put your average on 50, yes.
im a year 12 student.
im getting ok at around fifty percent for my sacs. However my recent sac score is about ten percent.Does this means that my average will drop to thirty percent. Do I need to get a score of above ninety percent in my next sac to raise my average to fifty percent?
This is ignoring the fact that different SACs are weighted different amounts, but yeah, you're correct about your averages. Don't pay too much attention to them though, just do as best you can for the rest of the year.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:05:34 pm
InterestingProbs best first post in ATAR Notes history tbh.
I think that was the most honest answer ever given to me... Thank you...You're so fkn welcome. I'm glad you feel that you aren't alone - so many people have definitely been there. AN is always here for you too, like it was for me :)
I feel that I am not alone in this, and a lot of people are going through and have gone through more or else the same thing as me..
And, the blog excerpts... Really paints year 12.. Thank you :)
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:06:39 pm
wheres it best to learn philosophy in your opinion????? my school wouldn't let me learn it by correspondence in vce ( :(((( ) soo i wanna learn about it at uni but idk whereHey! Do you mean where like, what uni should you go to? That depends on what course you want to do! Do you want to do a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Philosophy? (Even then, that depends on other things - like where do you live! haha)
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:10:45 pm
Hey Brenden!1. Dogs literally 100% of the time.
1. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
2. What are your thoughts on coriander?
3. What are your favourite music artists?
4. Any song recs?
2. Honestly, I just put food in my mouth and it disappears. I'm not sure whether I do or don't like coriander (googled it, still don't know), but I'm certain that I have eaten it and would eat it again.
3. Favourite artists:
- Urthboy
- Seth Sentry
- Smith Street Band
- The Herd
- Horrorshow
- Offspring/Sum 41/Blink 182/The Clash/Ramones/ General pop-punk
- RHCP/ Powderfinger/ Cold Chisel/Sex Pistols/ (one of these things is very much not like the others) / general rock etc
4. For song recs; I laid them out here already ;) Link: https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=172746.msg973106#msg973106
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:13:33 pm
Brenden definitely prefers cats.Disgusting.
What... what kind of monster...He's lying.
Who's your favourite state mod 8)
yeah brenden. who is your favourite state mod.
i dare you
And Rui asks the unthinkablehmmm...
(definitely not asking hahaha)
Post by: sudodds on August 12, 2017, 10:16:33 pm
hmmm...cop out. don't worry you can tell them. they can take it.
Post by: Calebark on August 12, 2017, 10:20:36 pm
cop out. don't worry you can tell them. they can take it.
yes, I can take it
take the glory
Post by: dunnja on August 12, 2017, 10:53:55 pm
Hey! Do you mean where like, what uni should you go to? That depends on what course you want to do! Do you want to do a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Philosophy? (Even then, that depends on other things - like where do you live! haha)idk! im looking at studying in victoria, im wanting to do engineering but was thinking of like short courses or electives at unis in philosophy but i cant seen to find many
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 10:56:43 pm
idk! im looking at studying in victoria, im wanting to do engineering but was thinking of like short courses or electives at unis in philosophy but i cant seen to find manyI think you're probably pretty likely to be able to do a Diploma of Arts (Philosophy) from an institution that's separate to the one you attend for Engineering. Definitely something worth asking universities about directly! Obviously, I really enjoy the Monash Philosophy program.
Post by: Calebark on August 12, 2017, 11:24:24 pm
There’s an out of control trolley speeding towards four workers. Three of them are cannibalistic serial killers. One of them is a brilliant cancer researcher. You have the ability to pull a lever and change the trolley’s path so it hits just one person. She is a brilliant cannibalistic serial killing cancer researcher who only kills lesser cancer researchers. 14% of these researchers are Nazi-sympathizers, and 25% don’t use turning signals when they drive. Speaking of which, in this world, Hitler is still alive, but he’s dying of cancer.
Post by: brenden on August 12, 2017, 11:33:01 pm
As a philosophy major, could you pls help me with this trolley problem?Multi-track drift.
There’s an out of control trolley speeding towards four workers. Three of them are cannibalistic serial killers. One of them is a brilliant cancer researcher. You have the ability to pull a lever and change the trolley’s path so it hits just one person. She is a brilliant cannibalistic serial killing cancer researcher who only kills lesser cancer researchers. 14% of these researchers are Nazi-sympathizers, and 25% don’t use turning signals when they drive. Speaking of which, in this world, Hitler is still alive, but he’s dying of cancer.
Post by: VceBookworm on August 13, 2017, 11:46:37 am
Do you have any info on the various Scholarship course that one can apply as one of the 8 preferences ? particularly in the area of double degree and Commerce area. Universities include Monash and Melbourne as well as interstate is fine too. Your help is grealtly appreciated. thanks
Post by: KANYEWEST on August 13, 2017, 12:00:32 pm
From all the ATAR notes lectures i have been to, you have always mentioned that you are a star when it comes to questions about study scores etc
So no surprise my question is about Study Scores (for me!)
I am currently doing the following Year 12 subjects:
Spoiler
- Business (Averaging a 87%- UNIT 3)
- Chemistry (Averaging 73%- UNIT 3)
- Methods (Averaging (78%- UNIT 3)
- English (Averaging 70%- UNIT 3)
- Biology (Averaging 70%- UNIT 3
- Chemistry (Averaging 73%- UNIT 3)
- Methods (Averaging (78%- UNIT 3)
- English (Averaging 70%- UNIT 3)
- Biology (Averaging 70%- UNIT 3
I am unaware of my Ranking as my teachers dont tell us, but i can say i am rank 5-7
I still have time to average even higher in UNIT 4, as i have now learnt from my study habit mistakes and going to put in "more effort" but do you think i can still manage an above 40+ in my subjects? that is yes i get really high in my UNIT 4 SAC work and EXAMS?
I need a 94+ ATAR to get into my desired Uni course and i clearly am not doing as well i should be, but i have already started putting in the effort!
Please tell me there is still hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Brenden
Regards
Kanyeeeeee x
Post by: brenden on August 13, 2017, 08:45:12 pm
Hello BrendanHey!
Do you have any info on the various Scholarship course that one can apply as one of the 8 preferences ? particularly in the area of double degree and Commerce area. Universities include Monash and Melbourne as well as interstate is fine too. Your help is grealtly appreciated. thanks
The Monash Scholarship guide is here: https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/308396/Monash-Scholarships-2017-Guide.pdf
And the Melbourne Scholarship search is here: https://studenteforms.app.unimelb.edu.au/apex/f?p=scholarships:search:0
:)
Post by: brenden on August 13, 2017, 08:52:04 pm
Hey Brenden,YO YEEZY PASS THAT VERSAYSEES
From all the ATAR notes lectures i have been to, you have always mentioned that you are a star when it comes to questions about study scores etc
So no surprise my question is about Study Scores (for me!)
I am currently doing the following Year 12 subjects:Spoiler- Business (Averaging a 87%- UNIT 3)
- Chemistry (Averaging 73%- UNIT 3)
- Methods (Averaging (78%- UNIT 3)
- English (Averaging 70%- UNIT 3)
- Biology (Averaging 70%- UNIT 3
I am unaware of my Ranking as my teachers dont tell us, but i can say i am rank 5-7
I still have time to average even higher in UNIT 4, as i have now learnt from my study habit mistakes and going to put in "more effort" but do you think i can still manage an above 40+ in my subjects? that is yes i get really high in my UNIT 4 SAC work and EXAMS?
I need a 94+ ATAR to get into my desired Uni course and i clearly am not doing as well i should be, but i have already started putting in the effort!
Please tell me there is still hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Brenden
Regards
Kanyeeeeee x
You can defs still get 40+ scores :).
Looking at these subjects...
Business Unit 3 is worth 25%
Chemistry Unit 3 is just 16%!
English Unit 3 is 25%
Biology Unit 3 is just 16%
Methods Unit 3 is just 17%
So like... You might be halfway through the year, but you aren't much more than a quarter of the way through your study scores.
Unit 4 is completely independent - your ranking resets, which means you could still Rank 1 for Unit 4 and do quite well in the exam and achieve great study scores. The work you do between now and the end of the year could account for anywhere between 75% to 84% of your score. That's great news if you're just starting to hit your stride :)
Post by: heids on August 14, 2017, 11:54:41 am
Brenden, you're the fucking best. #brenden4potus2020
Post by: brenden on August 14, 2017, 01:01:43 pm
I know this is locked, but I have to say this somewhere or I'll explode:Well, I'm not sure what answer deserved that, but I think YOU'RE the best! #imwithheidi
Brenden, you're the fucking best. #brenden4potus2020