is "burning out" if you work too hard on the holidays a myth?

[Greatness]

So many people brag about getting 99+ atars and never studying on the holidays, but let's face it: most of them are asians (AKA geniuses).
As one of the few non-asians on this site, I can safely say that I'm not as "naturally talented" as all of you. I don't go to Melbourne High School or Haileybury or any of those top schools. Instead, I go to a country school which you probably frown upon. Dux last year at my school got a 97 atar score, but the median score on atarnotes is even higher than that.

My only chance of competing against all of the geniuses is to out-study them. I can't grasp concepts as fast as other people, so it takes me longer to learn them. Where do I get the extra time to learn this stuff? On the holidays. The holidays are my only chance of catching up to you all. Whilst it may not be necessary for you to study on the holidays, they are my only chance of scoring well.

Mate, i go to a local public school near/close to you and our results arent very flashy either but we do manage to have high scoring students. (our dux was 97.xx as well last year)
I havent read much of this thread, but i kind of take offence to this:
'So many people brag about getting 99+ atars and never studying on the holidays, but let's face it: most of them are asians (AKA geniuses).'
1) So many ppl - how many ppl get 99+ ATARs? not that many, so how can you of heard these students bragging about their study habits or whatever?
2) No not all 99+ students are asians....
3) Asians generally have a stronger work ethic than say Aussies, so you can't assume that all asians are 'genuises.'
I feel as though this is very ignorant of yourself and very stereotypical.

Do you seriously believe that 'out studying' these geniuses will help you 'beat' them? There is no point in spending 10 hours a day studying on the summer holidays then burning out, losing confidence or whatnot then getting smashed by these guys in the exams. I've said this multiple times 10 MONTHS IS A LONG TIME. You will change in that time and there are lots of things that can occur which may affect your ability to study etc. Dont overwork yourself
You say you arent the strongest student, but taht doesnt mean you cant beat them. Change your mindset, there are heaps of things you can do during the school year to boost yuor marks or whatever.
You may think that you have everything planned out: i.e. learn all the coursework during summer, then do practice exams during class all of next year or watever...
But i can guarentee you that your motivation, mindset and commitment will change throughout the year. You will have your ups and your downs. When yuo run into a down patch you wont be able to do much and if yuo've spent a majority of your holidays studying i reckon it wiill be a major struggle for yuo to get back on your feet.
Again like you said, you arent the strongest student but yuo do want to achieve good results. I think you're just trying to copy what some of the high achieving students from VN did. Dont do that. This is your own individual journey, do it yourself, do it your way. You may not be able to cope wiht what some of these high achieving students are able to. I reckon you should just spend these holidays working out what kind of study habits etc will work for you.

P.s. be more mindful of what you post.

[funkyducky]

There's one white kid out of all the 40 kids in the 2 spesh classes at my school. Both sides of her family have a rural/farming background (grandparents). Nevertheless, she's one of the top students in my year level and her older sister scored 99.95 a few years ago. It's not always the asians.

[giveup]

So many people brag about getting 99+ atars and never studying on the holidays, but let's face it: most of them are asians (AKA geniuses).
As one of the few non-asians on this site, I can safely say that I'm not as "naturally talented" as all of you. I don't go to Melbourne High School or Haileybury or any of those top schools. Instead, I go to a country school which you probably frown upon. Dux last year at my school got a 97 atar score, but the median score on atarnotes is even higher than that.

My only chance of competing against all of the geniuses is to out-study them. I can't grasp concepts as fast as other people, so it takes me longer to learn them. Where do I get the extra time to learn this stuff? On the holidays. The holidays are my only chance of catching up to you all. Whilst it may not be necessary for you to study on the holidays, they are my only chance of scoring well.

EDIT: I'm sorry if I sound racist. I really have nothing against asians.

...Think of it this way, what race(s) occupy the most highly developed countries? (lol jks)
I'm pretty sure that Asians are not intrinsically smarter than Caucasians however, they do value their education a lot more... I'd imagine the majority of people on here to be workaholics...

Some people are able to pick up concepts quickly while others take a long while to solidify their knowledge, others having learnt the concept don't forget it while others do... Do whatever... But don't stress yourself out because it'll be counter-productive.

[funkyducky]

I think it's because most Asians who have been able to move to developed countries like Australia were amongst the well-educated middle-upper classes in their home countries + they've got a really strong work ethic and have strived to give their children opportunities and perhaps some are a bit too strict/pushy. In a lot of Asian countries, education is the key to prosperity, and it's quite cutthroat, and they bring that thinking with them. There, the only guarantee of job security and prosperity is going into professions like Medicine and Engineering, or working in the public sector. It can take immigrants a fair while to discover that in Australia, their children can be successful and live comfortable lives in just about any career path, if they're good at it; that university/good grades is not a prerequisite for a good life.

[paulsterio]

I LOVE MYLIFEISDESI! IT'S SO FUNNAAAYY!

and hmm, regarding the asian debate, i don't think it's fair to say that asians are just naturally smarter than every other race
if you said that to Eddie Cliff, he wouldn't be too happy about it
it's a cumulating of many factors, one of which is the value which parents place on education
even though i'm a lazy bum and would never consider myself hardworking, ever since i was young, i've always valued education and was taught well when i was younger
that foundation led me to grasp new concepts relatively easily, especially in maths (for example), even though i'm not outright intelligent *looks at thushan*

"Special at Specalist" you shouldn't base it on out-studying people, but rather out-smarting them. mind-less studying will not improve results, you need to gain a deep understanding
i learnt this myself and believe me, i was once adamant that doing practice exams was all i needed to do =.="

[Fishyiscool]

perhaps we're being a little hard on spesh@spesh? after all, i'm sure she/he means the whole asian thing as a compliment after all, I'm guilty of saying "I was wish I was more asian" LOL

"Special at Specalist" you shouldn't base it on out-studying people, but rather out-smarting them. mind-less studying will not improve results, you need to gain a deep understanding
i learnt this myself and believe me, i was once adamant that doing practice exams was all i needed to do =.="

true true about mind-less studying.

[Furbob]

the dux at my school last year who got 99.95 received a 50 raw in French although she's completely white/has no French background whatsoever - plus I did uni Japanese this year and im not even Japanese! (does being half Chinese count?)

so you dont have to be "Asian" or a certain race to outdo them in their own subject - anything is possible~♫

*edit*

and just to annoy Thushan - he's probably going to get a 50 in German and he has no background in German (OR DOES HE? HMM.)

[thushan]

Bahahah I have another friend who's bangladeshi and got 50 raw in french last year!

[appianway]

I think with VCE, if you're smart and you work hard, it's possible to get a 50 in almost any subject, as the questions don't really require you to have a profound understanding of the subject - you just have to be able to answer them perfectly to the VCE standard. That requires being careful.

Also, just a few other things. Can people stop making a distinction between "aussies" and "asians"? Seriously, not only do comments like that perpetuate the myth that white australians are lazy and dumb, but it also alienates australians of asian descent who've grown up here. Place most asian australians overseas, and they'll identify strongly as australian (well, that's definitely what I've seen with a lot of the yale/harvard australians I've met).

Don't do the whole course over summer. You'll be ridiculously bored. Another thing to be wary of is the intensity with which you study. It's very different to be working at a slow pace on a computer or churning out exercises or essays (or reading a text) to sitting in a library for 11 hours, with no facebook/procrastination breaks whilst working furiously the whole time at understanding new concepts. 

[JSB]

I did humanities subjects only so I guess this might be coming from a different perspective, but all I did on the holidays was get to know the study designs back to front for each subject, and read all the texts. When I got to school I felt ready, and had a comfortable understanding of where each course was heading. I don't think I was disadvantaged in any way in not doing hours of work on the holidays, but perhaps it's different for maths and sciences?

I always get a bit iffy when people say things like asians are just naturally smart or are 'geniuses', generally I think they are just more likely to work hard GENERALLY - hence they aren't really given credit for their efforts.

[giveup]

Also, just a few other things. Can people stop making a distinction between "aussies" and "asians"? Seriously, not only do comments like that perpetuate the myth that white australians are lazy and dumb, but it also alienates australians of asian descent who've grown up here. Place most asian australians overseas, and they'll identify strongly as australian (well, that's definitely what I've seen with a lot of the yale/harvard australians I've met).

Instead of Asian should they be referred to as "people that work fervently too hard"? Asian is pretty much synonymous with that phrase.
Also, for the Australians of asian descent, is that to say that carrying the persona of being a hard worker is a bad thing? To call them "Australians of Asian descent" is worse and also completely contradictory, I propose a change to: "lesser working Asian, almost white and dumb" (LWAWD for short)

Seriously, not only do comments like that perpetuate the myth that white australians are lazy and dumb

I was not aware of the existence of such a myth, perhaps it circulates between Asian groups?
Australians that are "white" don't value their education, I can foresee the same being true for almost all Asians in twenty or so years.
To put that "myth" to an end... the smartest guy I know is leaving school to join the army, simply because he doesn't care for going to school for an indefinite number of years to work a job he  will hate.

[gs]

if you are serious about doing well, id say doing 4-5 hours is mandatory.

Getting that little bit of head start holds you at so much of an advantage its not funny. And seriously doing 4-5 hours in a day is NOTHING. Wake up at 10 and do 2 hours from 11-1.  then do another two from 2-4. People saying shit about enjoying your holidays, whilst true, can be done whilst also studying. think about it.

Notsureifserious.gif

Stooge of the highest order. The holidays should be a good mental booster. Refresh the mind and body, get outside (wow!) and experience plenty of stuff you may not be able to do/see throughout the year.

Enjoying your holidays can be done whilst studying? Total rubbish. Take a chill pill and get your head out of the clouds son.

[max payne]

to all the people who are stating thats its 'ridiculous' that some people are doing a lot of work over the holidays: why exactly do you care so much? do you feel thteatened or something? if someone wants to study 3 or 6 hours day, let them be. its there choice and were all different with different attitudes. what seems as 'ridiculous' to you is completely normal or even enjoyable to some. what if working out 3 hours a day seems too much for someone? does that mean thats its wrong? no. that is just one persons opinion that reflects their own personal needs and attitude.

[Jdog]

Everything in moderation, I'm not sure why you can't enjoy your holidays whilst studying. Are you planning to refresh yourself for 24 hours of the day? I completely agree that holidays should be a "mental booster," I just had my priorities straight before the start of the year.

What makes you such a credible and proven source of information on this?

just because you don't have the dedication or ability to do both at once doesn't mean other people can't

[appianway]

Also @JDog, 4-5 hours per day in the holidays is really not necessary.

Before year 12, I spent 5 weeks in France. I then had something like three days at home before I went to olympiad camp, and then had a few days to catch up on sleep before school started. Did I spend 4-5 hours a day on VCE work before school started? Definitely not. I probably spent <10 hours in total across the break preparing for VCE. Nevertheless, because I was so busy during that period, I definitely burned out during the year.