Getting over rejection

[pi]

VCE-wise I need to change

What's wrong with the VCE over there?

[Asteriskkk]

What's wrong with the VCE over there?

They don't offer some of the VCE subjects I need, so that's why im wanting to move

[amorphous]

EDIT: sorry if i've caused any confusion but there are 3 people using this account. And thank you guys so much for all your kind words and support!
I know no one is going to see this, but I just need somewhere to vent out my frustration.
So I tried out for the year 11 entrance for Macrob last year and failed. I practiced so god damn hard and wasted so much money, but on the day I have no idea what happened - I just started guessing all the questions. And don't get me started on the writing  All in all, I failed miserably.
But that's not the worst part. What made this even more painful was that last year was my 3rd time sitting the selective exam. I didn't even manage to score an interview all THREE YEARS, didn't get a principal's discretion for year 9 entrance, didn't get even get to the interview stage for year 10 and 11. Last year was also my last chance of getting into a selective school, they don't accept year 12's anymore. I don't know what I was expecting, I'm just not good at these tests, plus the year 11 intake is incredibly small (Macrob didn't take in any new year 11's for 2016). It's been almost a year after getting the rejection email and I still feel crushed.

[Orb]

Hi Amorphous,

I know it might be a really disappointing time for you, but let us try and see the bright side:

"I practiced so god damn hard" - you've developed a skill that's so invaluable in life outside of high school - persistence and determination. This isn't a waste, this is something that if you spent a whole year just developing and refining your determination and even if that is all you did in that year, it should still be, by any measure, counted as a successful year. You didn't waste this time, you spent it developing a quality that's far more important than entering MacRob. Every successful person has gone through differing levels of failure!

'wasted so much money' - nope, because in order to practice for the test, you must have learned a whole variety of different things - from learning how to manage your time to how to prioritise and learn content in a more effective way. Don't think of it as a waste, think of it as a valuable learning opportunity!

'last chance getting into a selective school' - I've taught over 10 Macrob students for Maths Methods/Specialist Maths as well as having many an ex-Macrob student as friends, and I can say from a first and second hand perspective, it's really not as life-defining as you think it is. I'd suggest trying to take a look and find what it is that you want to get out of the Macrob experience - it's definitely not exclusive to Macrob whatever you think it is! (unless you want to write Macrob as your high school as part of your resume or just tell people that you graduated from Macrob later down the track, but if you're chasing prestige it's 1. Not as prestigious in University anymore, plus not many pry into your high school history too much and 2. you can find a lot more satisfaction just having a few close friends!)

Also, as you've mentioned, it's been over a year, i'm sure you've experienced a whole variety of exciting events and journeys through that year. The grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side!! ^_^

[zhen]

I know no one is going to see this, but I just need somewhere to vent out my frustration.
So I tried out for the year 11 entrance for Macrob last year and failed. I practiced so god damn hard and wasted so much money, but on the day I have no idea what happened - I just started guessing all the questions. And don't get me started on the writing  All in all, I failed miserably.
But that's not the worst part. What made this even more painful was that last year was my 3rd time sitting the selective exam. I didn't even manage to score an interview all THREE YEARS, didn't get a principal's discretion for year 9 entrance, didn't get even get to the interview stage for year 10 and 11. Last year was also my last chance of getting into a selective school, they don't accept year 12's anymore. I don't know what I was expecting, I'm just not good at these tests, plus the year 11 intake is incredibly small (Macrob didn't take in any new year 11's for 2016). It's been almost a year after getting the rejection email and I still feel crushed.

I can empathise with you, since I've been in the same situation. You're probably looking at my profile and thinking this guy got into Melbourne High so how can he empathise with my situation. Well, the thing is that when I first opened my results for Melbourne High School, it was a rejection email. I didn't get in. I spent the night cooped up in my room crying because I tried so hard and wasted my parents money. The thing was I got into Nossal, but to me then getting into Nossal didn't matter since I was still rejected by Melbourne High School. (No offense to Nossal students. I was a pretty ignorant and closed minded kid, who thought it was either Melbourne High or nothing). A couple of weeks afterwards, I got an email of acceptance from Melbourne High School. For a moment I felt joy that I got into Melbourne High, but I realised that I only got a spot because someone else rejected it. I was still a reject. But, I learned from this failure and improved greatly over the next few months. I used this failure to motivate me to try harder. I went from averaging around 88% in my old school (before Melbourne High) to averaging 93%. After getting into Melbourne High I was literally at the botton of the cohort. I was probably in the bottom 5% or less of Melbourne High students in terms of selective school entrance test scores. I got 1 superior, 3 above averages and 2 averages, whereas most people in my class got 4 superiors or higher. But, I didn't let this faze me and at the end of year 9, I'd say that I was no longer at the bottom of the cohort and was getting average marks in Melbourne High School. I know this isn't some amazing success story. But, I just wanted to let you know that everyone fails, but it's how you learn from your failures and improve that really matters. Looking back, I felt like doing badly on the Melbourne High exam was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me, as it helped me evolve as a person and allowed me to learn from this failure.

Edit: I'm really confused right now because after looking at your profile, I noticed one of your posts saying that you were a year 9 student in Nossal last year, but that contradicts the statements here. I'm guessing that multple people are using the same account or maybe I'm misinterpreting something.

[undefined]

Edit: I'm really confused right now because after looking at your profile, I noticed one of your posts saying that you were a year 9 student in Nossal last year, but that contradicts the statements here. I'm guessing that multple people are using the same account or maybe I'm misinterpreting something.

All the statements can apply for purely macrob entrance except

Last year was also my last chance of getting into a selective school

[vcestressed]

I know no one is going to see this, but I just need somewhere to vent out my frustration.
So I tried out for the year 11 entrance for Macrob last year and failed. I practiced so god damn hard and wasted so much money, but on the day I have no idea what happened - I just started guessing all the questions. And don't get me started on the writing  All in all, I failed miserably.
But that's not the worst part. What made this even more painful was that last year was my 3rd time sitting the selective exam. I didn't even manage to score an interview all THREE YEARS, didn't get a principal's discretion for year 9 entrance, didn't get even get to the interview stage for year 10 and 11. Last year was also my last chance of getting into a selective school, they don't accept year 12's anymore. I don't know what I was expecting, I'm just not good at these tests, plus the year 11 intake is incredibly small (Macrob didn't take in any new year 11's for 2016). It's been almost a year after getting the rejection email and I still feel crushed.

Hey,
I'm just letting you know that Macrob also didn't accept ANY year 11 students for 2017 as well.

[cookiedream]

Edit: I'm really confused right now because after looking at your profile, I noticed one of your posts saying that you were a year 9 student in Nossal last year, but that contradicts the statements here. I'm guessing that multple people are using the same account or maybe I'm misinterpreting something.

+1 this   

Also, let me tell you a story my teacher told me last week. There was this student he taught at a public school whose sister got into Mac Rob and got an atar of 99.20. The student themselves decided to stay at the public school rather than trying out for a selective school and ended up with 99.85 atar. So really, getting into a selective school doesn't guarantee a really high atar (I know a few people from last year's cohort here at Nossal who didn't do so well). It's all about what you yourself do and the hard work you put in to earn your result.

[saitama]

I know no one is going to see this, but I just need somewhere to vent out my frustration.
So I tried out for the year 11 entrance for Macrob last year and failed. I practiced so god damn hard and wasted so much money, but on the day I have no idea what happened - I just started guessing all the questions. And don't get me started on the writing  All in all, I failed miserably.
But that's not the worst part. What made this even more painful was that last year was my 3rd time sitting the selective exam. I didn't even manage to score an interview all THREE YEARS, didn't get a principal's discretion for year 9 entrance, didn't get even get to the interview stage for year 10 and 11. Last year was also my last chance of getting into a selective school, they don't accept year 12's anymore. I don't know what I was expecting, I'm just not good at these tests, plus the year 11 intake is incredibly small (Macrob didn't take in any new year 11's for 2016). It's been almost a year after getting the rejection email and I still feel crushed.
EDIT: sorry if i've caused any confusion but there are 3 people using this account. And thank you guys so much for all your kind words and support!

It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce that counts. Your persistence is a virtue and will make you successful in life!

[adamyu]

Hi Amorphous,

I agree with Orb and others that we all learn from our mistakes and lessons. Never give it up and you still have plenty of opportunities to excel in your life.

To help you (and others) to better prepare for selective school tests, take a look at the following resources and tips contributed by pi which from my perspective are very helpful.

Another great resource could be http://www.aameperth.com.au/selective-school-test where you can go for a free diagnosis assessment as well as plenty of practice questions in all areas to get you better prepared for selective school tests.

Best Luck!

For MHS/Mac.Rob/etc.:

• Last minute tips by pi - Last minute tips for the selective school exams
• Good discussion here with input from many users (especially brightsky and appianway) - how to study to get into Melbourne High and Macrob?
• Tips and strategies to prep in general courtesy of pi - Re: how should i study for the melbourne high test???
• Good discussion to year 10 entry with input from many users (especially iamtom and pi) - What do I need to study to get into Melbourne High?
• Essay writing under time tips courtesy of pi - Re: How to write an analytical/creative essay in 15 mins?
• Writing a persuasive essay courtesy of Awesome Username - Guidelines For Writing A Persuasive Essay (Year 8)
• Official info from DEECD - http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/secondary/pages/selective.aspx
• Official prac papers from DEECD - http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/secondary/pages/practicetests.aspx?Redirect=1

For JMSS:

• Interview techniques with input from many users - Interview Techniques
• Official info from JMSS - http://www.jmss.vic.edu.au/jmss/2649/entrance-tests-and-applications