Keeping sane in VCE?

[saba.ay]

Hey guys,

So, the year hasn't 'officially' started yet and I'm already panicking. Just thinking about the coming school year gets me all nervous and I'm terrified of burning out/procrastinating/disappointing parents, teachers, etc.

If I don't find ways to calm myself, I'm probably going to have a mental breakdown sometime in the year. Any advice on how to prevent this? How did those who previously completed VCE or anyone who has completed a VCE subject cope with the pressure/stress?

Please and thanks for any/all advice.

[alondouek]

Falling asleep at the keyboard, so I'll keep it brief:

• Sleep at least 8-9 hours each night
• Don't drink coffee regularly
• Try to eat 3 meals a day
• Exercise when possible
• Pace yourself, don't try to do all your homework at once in a night; do a couple of hours, take a break until you feel refreshed enough to keep working. If you need to, call it a night and go to sleep
• If you fall behind in work, don't panic, it'll only make things worse. Consult with your teachers to work out ways to catch up
• Find a group of motivated friends to study with, set out a group study plan
• DON'T ban yourself from things like Facebook, etc unless it's really a problem. You need to have ways to take a break.
• If you feel guilty not studying at all, pick up one of your English texts/textbook from a subject you enjoy, and have a casual read of it.

[Mr Keshy]

Falling asleep at the keyboard, so I'll keep it brief:

• Sleep at least 8-9 hours each night
• Don't drink coffee regularly
• Try to eat 3 meals a day
• Exercise when possible
• Pace yourself, don't try to do all your homework at once in a night; do a couple of hours, take a break until you feel refreshed enough to keep working. If you need to, call it a night and go to sleep
• If you fall behind in work, don't panic, it'll only make things worse. Consult with your teachers to work out ways to catch up

• Find a group of motivated friends to study with, set out a group study plan

[/b]

• DON'T ban yourself from things like Facebook, etc unless it's really a problem. You need to have ways to take a break.
• If you feel guilty not studying at all, pick up one of your English texts/textbook from a subject you enjoy, and have a casual read of it.

I really wish I could do this. My friends are smart, but they probably wouldn't do study groups.

[Charmz]

I think being organised is very important, I'm one of those people who can't study unless everything is neat and orderly. I even made a timetable where I would do one subject each hour and take a break every two hours. During my breaks I would do things like cleaning. I also organised my timetable so I did't do the same type of subject consecutively (ie. methods and spec did not go together). I found this really useful because I wouldn't feel guilty for not studying and I could keep track of my hours. 
If I was getting stressed out, I'd do things like watch tv to get my mind off things. You don't want to be studying all the time and it's okay to take a day off.
With burning out, I think everyone burns out during VCE. I know I did at the end of term 3 and I sat around watched tv without actually processing anything for a whole two weeks while doing minimum study and I thought it was okay because the best cure for burn out is doing nothing.
I found that I was a lot happier not comparing my results on SACs, etc with anyone because then I didn't feel cocky if I did better than others and I wasn't upset if I did worse since I didn't know.

[FlorianK]

chicks...

[kababy]

I found that I was a lot happier not comparing my results on SACs, etc with anyone because then I didn't feel cocky if I did better than others and I wasn't upset if I did worse since I didn't know.

I wish i could do that but you see the type of school i go to, its like every second person asks what you got and if they got higher its like i feel so bummed, did anyone have the same problem .... how did you get over it because it ticks me off 

[saba.ay]

Falling asleep at the keyboard, so I'll keep it brief:

• ...
• Don't drink coffee regularly
• ...

Argh, was hoping to drink more coffee this year. lol. But wow, thank you so much for all the advice. Hopefully will keep itin mind throughout the year.

I really wish I could do this. My friends are smart, but they probably wouldn't do study groups.

Same, though not for the same reasons. My friends won't do study groups because they're competitive. Sharing ideas, having discussions/arguments and trying to 'bounce off each other' will NEVER happen with my group of friends. xD Often times, we just sit in a group and do homework separately.

I think being organised is very important, I'm one of those people who can't study unless everything is neat and orderly. I even made a timetable where I would do one subject each hour and take a break every two hours. During my breaks I would do things like cleaning. I also organised my timetable so I did't do the same type of subject consecutively (ie. methods and spec did not go together). I found this really useful because I wouldn't feel guilty for not studying and I could keep track of my hours. 
If I was getting stressed out, I'd do things like watch tv to get my mind off things. You don't want to be studying all the time and it's okay to take a day off.
With burning out, I think everyone burns out during VCE. I know I did at the end of term 3 and I sat around watched tv without actually processing anything for a whole two weeks while doing minimum study and I thought it was okay because the best cure for burn out is doing nothing.
I found that I was a lot happier not comparing my results on SACs, etc with anyone because then I didn't feel cocky if I did better than others and I wasn't upset if I did worse since I didn't know.

Great advice, though I doubt I'll be able to keep to a timetable. Then again, won't actually know until I try, so I will give it a go. And won't be telling anyone my SAC scores from here inwards, because I do often get cocky if I end up getting higher, which makes me complacent with future assessments. :/

chicks...

.... ok.?

I wish i could do that but you see the type of school i go to, its like every second person asks what you got and if they got higher its like i feel so bummed, did anyone have the same problem .... how did you get over it because it ticks me off 

Just don't tell them your mark?
In year 11 for some time, I just stopped telling people my mark, because it was just easier that way, and refused to listen to what they got. When you refuse to tell your mark, I'm sure some people will bitch, but they'll get over it. I mean, it is your mark after all.

[pi]

chicks...

Because that would help most females...

-_-

[Shenz0r]

My VCE was a bit of a roller-coaster, albeit a very quick one.

I was more in the less-confident side, because there would be all these freaky smart people around me and I felt like I had to do a lot more work AND still got crappier results. That kinda killed my motivation until I just didn't even care about scores/numbers anymore and just focused on learning and doing all the work I was supposed to do.

After UMAT results came out, some people just cbf'd studying anymore because they were just too disappointed with their score. But some used it as fuel to study even more. One of my best friends, who got 83rd %tile in the UMAT, was pretty cut seeing his result because he really wanted to get into Monash MBBS. He was pretty sad the entire night too. But the next day, he rebounded so fast, told me he was going to try get 99.90, immediately started doing Spesh and Methods exams, in the end he got 50s for both Spesh and Methods, got 99.85, and ultimately, a bonded offer for Monash MBBS.

In other words, learn to persevere in the face of disappointment.

Of course, if you don't feel comfortable telling your marks to other people, you're not obliged to. It's probably good to gauge where you are in the cohort, but a rough idea is already good enough.

[TheManG]

chicks...

That is a really dumb answer, even if it is just a joke.

OP, To be honest, don't think too much about the work. I remember vividly of my time throughout VCE being that of 'SACs, Exams, Homework, Tests, Rankings, Help' and as a result, I felt way too overwhelmed. Remember, this was before year 12 had begun!

My advice for you would be to just take it 'one step' at a time and instead of worrying about all the little details, just worry about yourself and how you can achieve the best marks that you want.

And regarding your 'mental breakdown' question, I think it's great to talk about anything that is stressing you out with your friends or teachers. I know it can feel awkward talking to your teachers about your problems but remember that they are their to help you, both academically and emotionally.

EDIT: Fixing grammar/punctuation.

[CaiTheHuman]

My advice is to enjoy yourself, but don't enjoy yourself too much.

[Charmz]

Argh, was hoping to drink more coffee this year. lol. But wow, thank you so much for all the advice. Hopefully will keep itin mind throughout the year.

Try green tea or other types of herbal teas. I only did this before exams.

Same, though not for the same reasons. My friends won't do study groups because they're competitive. Sharing ideas, having discussions/arguments and trying to 'bounce off each other' will NEVER happen with my group of friends. xD Often times, we just sit in a group and do homework separately.

I had a friend with whom i would debate essay ideas. It really helped me form my arguments but English was the only subject I had in common with my group of friends.

Great advice, though I doubt I'll be able to keep to a timetable. Then again, won't actually know until I try, so I will give it a go. And won't be telling anyone my SAC scores from here inwards, because I do often get cocky if I end up getting higher, which makes me complacent with future assessments. :/

Just don't tell them your mark?
In year 11 for some time, I just stopped telling people my mark, because it was just easier that way, and refused to listen to what they got. When you refuse to tell your mark, I'm sure some people will bitch, but they'll get over it. I mean, it is your mark after all.

A lot of people judged me because I wouldn't share my results. Everyone just got used to it after a while and stopped asking because they knew I wouldn't share. In all honesty, I didn't even look at my mid year exam results until the end of the year. I knew what I was doing and what I could have improved on, I didn't need a letter to tell me how I was going. Near the end of the year, I stopped getting SAC scores because there wasn't much I could change and a bad result would just make me feel worse.

My advice for you would be to just take it 'one step' at a time and instead of worrying about all the little details, just worry about yourself and how you can achieve the best marks that you want.

This exactly!

[b^3]

It's best just to find the right balance that works for you. For most people shutting themselves up for the entire year and just studying isn't going to work, and is only going to make you burn yourself out and ultimately not perform to your best.

What I used to do once I got home from school each day was make a 'to-do list' with boxes that I couldn't check off until I'd done whatever the study I needed to do. This way I knew what I wanted to accomplish that night, and when they're all ticked off, I knew I'd put enough effort in and learnt what I needed to learn. I try'd to make the activities on the to be specific, so say 'I'm going to do exercises 3D, 3E, 3F'. Most of the time the work got done and I understood what I needed to learn. With that being said, you still need to find a time to take a break somewhere. Something I've been doing lately (didn't do in year 12, I should have though), is going for say 45-60 minute walks/jogs. Its a bit of fresh air, you don't get yourself couped up at home all the time, and can just go and refresh yourself. Then when I get back home I can get back into studying with a fresh mind again (plus my fitness is going up a little bit over time).

On the comparing marks and such, if you want to compare, then do it, but if someone else doesn't want to tell you what they got, then thats their decision, and people should (and will unless they're douches) stop asking. For some subjects it wasn't good for me to compare, for others it was but only with close friends which I knew were at similar levels. Although most of the time for spesh and methods everyone found out what I got since I was getting the highest for most of the time..... teachers... anyway. If it really bugs you comparing, then don't and don't let other people make you feel bad for not comparing. Its your decision and your mark, not theirs.

A few of us helped each other out over the whole year (I swear I spent more time in methods classes helping others than actually doing my own work, which I did mostly at home, but then that was kinda practise for tutoring I guess). It depends on the culture of the school you'er at I guess. If people keep to themselves and don't help others, then its hard to form study groups. BUT it only takes a few people to start off doing that, and when your marks go up from helping the others, everyone else may eventually realise and change. The culture needs to shift, its just a matter of starting that shift. There probably is someone there willing to do the same thing you want to do with helping each other, you just have to find them

(gotta try and rap this mess of ideas up ) In the end its just keeping a balance between studying and life I guess, which for this year may be shifted towards studying a bit more, but you have to maintain other things aswell.

EDIT: Oh and as said previously, keep a good sleeping pattern! Don't sacrifice too much sleep! My friends wondered how I could pick up ideas and such so much more quickly than they could, but it was more due to them having very low hours of sleep, and well they couldn't learn efficiently because of this.

[Shenz0r]

What I used to do once I got home from school each day was make a 'to-do list' with boxes that I couldn't check off until I'd done whatever the study I needed to do. This way I knew what I wanted to accomplish that night, and when they're all ticked off, I knew I'd put enough effort in and learnt what I needed to learn. I try'd to make the activities on the to be specific, so say 'I'm going to do exercises 3D, 3E, 3F'. Most of the time the work got done and I understood what I needed to learn.

The checklist method works very well, it's a lot more efficient than saying stuff like "Oh I have to do an hour of Bio, and two hours of Chemistry tonight".

When I finished off what I'd set myself to do, I'd just spend the rest of the night relaxing. Or passively reading some Bio if I got bored and had nothing to do (very nerd-like).

[thushan]

And if things get really stressful and you feel as though the wheels are falling off, REACH OUT. To friends, to family, to close teachers, to a professional.