Class of 2016!!

[K888]

Hahaha oh how I wish I actually enjoyed Maths. I used to, but then a thing called Methods happened. It's enough of a trial for me! But thankfully, it makes a minimal difference to my ATAR, given the fact it will be my 6th subject, and I don't need it for pre-reqs.

I'd recommend the HTC 10, if you like Android and dislike bloatware
My phone history is as follows:
HTC Wildfire, HTC One XL, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC 10. (I love phones... but also hate iPhones)

HTC worked closely with Google when designing the software for the HTC 10, and they organised the phone's apps so that there were no double ups. (E.g. - they kept the HTC Sense apps which they thought were better than the stock Android ones, and they used the stock Android ones which were better than the HTC Sense versions).
You can also hide pre-installed apps which you don't use/don't want to see.

The sound and design of the phone are also amazing - so I'd highly recommend that you check it out

I was tossing up between the S7 and the HTC 10, and I'm really glad I picked the HTC 10!

Been looking at the HTC 10, unfortunately cost is a bit of a prohibitive factor given that I'm going to Malaysia at the start of next year and need to keep a good safety net in my account. But I'll be on the lookout to see if the price drops in the next little while. Seems to be a really nice phone

@K888

For your information - it is possible to buy a device such as Samsung/LG etc. and (with a bit of technical knowledge regarding gaining root access), you can replace the original operating system that actually contains the bloatware and replace it with something much better (e.g. Cyanogenmod). There are risks involved though + you automatically void any sort of warranty you have once you do it (so I guess it's a matter of weighing up the pros vs cons). Something I wouldn't proceed with without having the technical capability to do so. I currently run a Samsung G S5 with Cyanogenmod 13 on it, so it's definitely possible.

If that sounds a bit too complicated for you, then i'd definitely check out the Nexus lineup (http://www.google.com/nexus). External manufacturers develop the nexus line for Google - you get stock android and pretty decent phones (zero bloatware whatsoever).

Yeah, I've been looking at rooting but I think I'll stay away from it, just given the fact that it voids my warranty. A lack of a trustworthy warranty is also why I'm staying away from Oneplus as well, which is a shame because the Oneplus Three looks good.
Definitely need to look at the 5X though - my brother has it and loves it, but a lot of the reviews I have read have said it has poor battery life - then again, I don't use games on my phone and always charge it every night, so it probably actually wouldn't be much of an issue.

Also looking at the Moto G4 Plus (I'm a sucker for a fingerprint scanner, what can I say lol), my current phone is a Moto G2. Really have enjoyed my G2, but the small storage has meant that after the Marshmallow upgrade, the phone has been running super slowly & I never have enough storage space so can't update apps. Plus, I dropped my phone and cracked the screen pretty decently a few months back.

[HopefulLawStudent]

Hey guys just wanting some opinions, I really want to do law at usyd but I don't think I will get a high enough atar. Should I start at uts doing law and then transfer to usyd in my first year if i get high enough marks or is it better to start off at usyd in say a business degree and then transfer over to law. I've just heard its super competitive to transfer and I'm scared I will be stuck doing a degree I don't want.

Noticed this post got a little buried underneath all the other discussions going on (which does happen occasionally).

Just wondering: Have you checked whether you're eligible for flexible entry schemes/whatever it is they're called? I know USYD has EAS, some E12 and dux thingamawhatists and bunch of other stuff hat I never looked into all that much cuz I'm not eligible for them but you might be so do make sure you check them out if you haven't already.

Hahaha oh how I wish I actually enjoyed Maths. I used to, but then a thing called Methods happened. It's enough of a trial for me! But thankfully, it makes a minimal difference to my ATAR, given the fact it will be my 6th subject, and I don't need it for pre-reqs.

I loved Methods after the fact.

i.e. I was a bit "meh" about it while I was doing it and then got a 44 which scaled to what I still haven't bothered to ask/find out and promptly reassessed my opinion of it.

[Swagadaktal]

I loved Methods after the fact.

i.e. I was a bit "meh" about it while I was doing it and then got a 44 which scaled to what I still haven't bothered to ask/find out and promptly reassessed my opinion of it.

OOH I'm the opposite. I thought I'd like methods after the fact but I remember all those times of feeling hopeless and bored and I'm so glad I'm done with it. Also - the exam gives me trust issues. Still happy with how I went but my God i was devastated after that exam.

All those exercises and countless exams (I didn't even do half of what some other people did I have no idea how people did so many without wanting to stab themselves) - not fond of those memories.
And the content itself is so dry you can't relate it to any real life scenarios. There's a honeymoon period with each topic of methods where you learn it and encounter different types of questions - those times were great, but after a little while it got repetitive, demeaning and just straight out tedious.

Best choice I've ever made - doing methods in yr 11. Wouldn't be able to cope with that bull shit in year 12 tbh.
And it's also given a rise to my new favourite hobby in year 12 -watching my fellow peers suffer doing methods (you guys seriously dont know how much joy this brings me. I don't even know why it makes me so happy, but it does so )

[HopefulLawStudent]

OOH I'm the opposite. I thought I'd like methods after the fact but I remember all those times of feeling hopeless and bored and I'm so glad I'm done with it. Also - the exam gives me trust issues. Still happy with how I went but my God i was devastated after that exam.

All those exercises and countless exams (I didn't even do half of what some other people did I have no idea how people did so many without wanting to stab themselves) - not fond of those memories.
And the content itself is so dry you can't relate it to any real life scenarios. There's a honeymoon period with each topic of methods where you learn it and encounter different types of questions - those times were great, but after a little while it got repetitive, demeaning and just straight out tedious.

Best choice I've ever made - doing methods in yr 11. Wouldn't be able to cope with that bull shit in year 12 tbh.

ER last year was torture. I figured out how to do the hardest ER question on that paper with two minutes to go and didn't. have. time. to scribble down my workings and I've been a bit sour since. Still did okay tho thank god.

Yeah. Doing methods and spec in Year 11 = best decision I ever made too. Decreased my stress dramatically (still stressed now but feel like I'd be waaay more stressed if I was doing methods and spec this year).

And it's also given a rise to my new favourite hobby in year 12 -watching my fellow peers suffer doing methods (you guys seriously dont know how much joy this brings me. I don't even know why it makes me so happy, but it does so )

#savage

[Aaron]

Yeah, I've been looking at rooting but I think I'll stay away from it, just given the fact that it voids my warranty. A lack of a trustworthy warranty is also why I'm staying away from Oneplus as well, which is a shame because the Oneplus Three looks good.
Definitely need to look at the 5X though - my brother has it and loves it, but a lot of the reviews I have read have said it has poor battery life - then again, I don't use games on my phone and always charge it every night, so it probably actually wouldn't be much of an issue.

Also looking at the Moto G4 Plus (I'm a sucker for a fingerprint scanner, what can I say lol), my current phone is a Moto G2. Really have enjoyed my G2, but the small storage has meant that after the Marshmallow upgrade, the phone has been running super slowly & I never have enough storage space so can't update apps. Plus, I dropped my phone and cracked the screen pretty decently a few months back.

Motorola has been really good the past couple of years - they're definitely on the up, that's for sure. They provide near-stock experiences too. Yeah that was what was nervous for me too (the warranty, given I spent $700 on a S5, back when they were up to date). Even with my IT experience I nearly stuffed my phone up by one accidental mistake, so it's definitely a big risk (the first time at least anyway). Yeah, the Nexus' have been a problem in terms of battery life in the past. But in this day and age you can't get every spec you want without sacrificing at least one component for the other.

Yeah in terms of OnePlus, their support staff is mainly non-english so trying to communicate with them in a support situation once you purchase is a big issue as well (i've had experiences early on with OP, when they were just starting up).

I've dropped my S5 on concrete about 4 times and only have a few scratches - I don't know whether it's just luck or the S5 is a darn strong phone.

[conic curve]

By the way what type of stuff do you learn (in terms of syllabus) for maths, english,, physics and chemistry, like for physics and chemistry do you learn things like the history of science, how it impacts the environment and society, etc?

[Maz]

By the way what type of stuff do you learn (in terms of syllabus) for maths, english,, physics and chemistry, like for physics and chemistry do you learn things like the history of science, how it impacts the environment and society, etc?

we don't really, there is a little on it...but that amounts to like a 2 mark question in the exam. Except for things like the difference between Arrhenius and Bronsted-Lawry; but then they are more core-ish chem concepts. 

[Hydroxyl]

Hey Guys!
I graduate next year and I'm doing two Year 12 subjects this year. Does anyone have any tips, like when to start practice exams, etc? Balancing 1/2s have proven to be very difficult (even after dropping Specialist) and it's seems to add to the stress. Did anyone who did a Year 12 subject last year feel the same way?


Thanks

[Cornrow Kenny]

Hey Guys!
I graduate next year and I'm doing two Year 12 subjects this year. Does anyone have any tips, like when to start practice exams, etc? Balancing 1/2s have proven to be very difficult (even after dropping Specialist) and it's seems to add to the stress. Did anyone who did a Year 12 subject last year feel the same way?


Thanks

Tbh I didn't even attempt to balance my 1/2s and 3/4s subjects last year, I borderline neglected my 1/2 subjects. That might be frowned upon on AN but your 3/4 subjects are what count, they really need to take priority over your other subjects. So to answer your question, no, I didn't really feel that way - some teachers weren't happy with me but I dealt with it and did the work when I needed to.

Everyone starts practice exams at different times, and it also depends on the subject. I started just before the Term 3 holidays but the earlier the better I guess.

[Hydroxyl]

Tbh I didn't even attempt to balance my 1/2s and 3/4s subjects last year, I borderline neglected my 1/2 subjects. That might be frowned upon on AN but your 3/4 subjects are what count, they really need to take priority over your other subjects. So to answer your question, no, I didn't really feel that way - some teachers weren't happy with me but I dealt with it and did the work when I needed to.

Everyone starts practice exams at different times, and it also depends on the subject. I started just before the Term 3 holidays but the earlier the better I guess.

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate it, I'm trying to do well in my 1/2s but of course it's the 3/4s that count. Biology and Further exams are on the same day, which hopefully won't work to my (or anyone else) disadvantage!

What would you say to do if say... You have SACs the week of the Bio/FM Exams and then one after FM Exam 2? Both English by the way (haha, typical I guess) and they're like the only SACs for the term. Plus, the school won't let us take the day off apparently...


Cheers

[Cornrow Kenny]

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate it, I'm trying to do well in my 1/2s but of course it's the 3/4s that count. Biology and Further exams are on the same day, which hopefully won't work to my (or anyone else) disadvantage!

What would you say to do if say... You have SACs the week of the Bio/FM Exams and then one after FM Exam 2? Both English by the way (haha, typical I guess) and they're like the only SACs for the term. Plus, the school won't let us take the day off apparently...


Cheers

These SACS are for a 1/2 subject? Surely your school is smart enough to schedule them after the 3/4 exam period... If this is actually the case I wouldn't study for them. At all.

[Hydroxyl]

These SACS are for a 1/2 subject? Surely your school is smart enough to schedule them after the 3/4 exam period... If this is actually the case I wouldn't study for them. At all.

It's for English! I've told them already, but they were against me doing a second 3/4 initially... (Further, that is). Hopefully they change it..

Now they're happy with our (small) class because we're doing quite well.. But that's besides the point. I guess we'll see how it goes..

[Swagadaktal]

Hey Guys!
I graduate next year and I'm doing two Year 12 subjects this year. Does anyone have any tips, like when to start practice exams, etc? Balancing 1/2s have proven to be very difficult (even after dropping Specialist) and it's seems to add to the stress. Did anyone who did a Year 12 subject last year feel the same way?


Thanks

I did 2 last year and tbh I didn't find it a struggle to balance my 1/2s with my 3/4s. But I've basically had a year 12 that's spans 2 years instead of 1. (wait that's not completely truthful) - at the start it was somewhat difficult to balance them but after a short while I ended up balancing them well.

The thing is - people balance 5 3/4s in year 12, so 2 3/4s + 4 1/2s is less workload. So you should be able to strike a balance. At times you'll find that there is no balance - if you have 2 3/4 sacs in 1 week then your other subjects can get fucked. But like in other times, there's no reason why you should be sacrificing your other sacs,
Soz dont mean to make you feel bad but just saying - you should try to reflect and see where you're having issues.

Did you want to share some so we could help you tackle it?

It's important to do well in your 1/2s (not amazing) but you should keep yourself in a position where you know what's going on. Or else you're going to make your life 100x harder in year 12 and you could actually perform worse.
Not trying to scare you here

[Hydroxyl]

I did 2 last year and tbh I didn't find it a struggle to balance my 1/2s with my 3/4s. But I've basically had a year 12 that's spans 2 years instead of 1. (wait that's not completely truthful) - at the start it was somewhat difficult to balance them but after a short while I ended up balancing them well.

The thing is - people balance 5 3/4s in year 12, so 2 3/4s + 4 1/2s is less workload. So you should be able to strike a balance. At times you'll find that there is no balance - if you have 2 3/4 sacs in 1 week then your other subjects can get fucked. But like in other times, there's no reason why you should be sacrificing your other sacs,
Soz dont mean to make you feel bad but just saying - you should try to reflect and see where you're having issues.

Did you want to share some so we could help you tackle it?

It's important to do well in your 1/2s (not amazing) but you should keep yourself in a position where you know what's going on. Or else you're going to make your life 100x harder in year 12 and you could actually perform worse.
Not trying to scare you here

Sure, Thanks for the reply! I guess it's just that inherit desire to do well in everything, and I've found that I've been balancing them well during school, but not during the holidays. I feel like I want to allocate more time to my 3/4s, but I just feel like I'm not. Haha that probably doesn't provide much insight into my issue..

Basically, the way I work is to just do the homework for 1/2s, but by the time I finish that I feel as if I may not have enough time for my 3/4s. I prefer to finish all the "unimportant" work before getting to my 3/4s, but if they take a while to complete, I feel as if I don't spend enough time on my 3/4s.

What subjects did you do? How did you go with them?

Maybe I can try and adjust the workload so more time is allocated to my 3/4s. I do feel as if some days I spend a lot of time on them while other days I may not spend time at all! That's sort of the issue with the balancing. I think it should just be consistent, hard work for my 3/4s..

Tips would be appreciated

[Swagadaktal]

Sure, Thanks for the reply! I guess it's just that inherit desire to do well in everything, and I've found that I've been balancing them well during school, but not during the holidays. I feel like I want to allocate more time to my 3/4s, but I just feel like I'm not. Haha that probably doesn't provide much insight into my issue..

Basically, the way I work is to just do the homework for 1/2s, but by the time I finish that I feel as if I may not have enough time for my 3/4s. I prefer to finish all the "unimportant" work before getting to my 3/4s, but if they take a while to complete, I feel as if I don't spend enough time on my 3/4s.

What subjects did you do? How did you go with them?

Maybe I can try and adjust the workload so more time is allocated to my 3/4s. I do feel as if some days I spend a lot of time on them while other days I may not spend time at all! That's sort of the issue with the balancing. I think it should just be consistent, hard work for my 3/4s..

Tips would be appreciated

OOOOOOOOH YOU'RE NOT SPENDING ENOUGH TIME ON UR 3/4S
Wow it's usually the other way around.
Well. Does this stem from a lack of good marks? Are you not earning the marks you want for your 3/4s? Coz if there's no issue there then I dont see what the problem is - don't feel like you have to study every day. I did methods and further and there were times where I didnt touch them for weeks at a time (like post sac I would have a wind down period) and i wouldnt touch them. Dont feel obliged to study for them when you dont need to. I was happy with how i went .

I don't think consistency is necessary if your method is working. There isnt a set method to study you know?