brenden's Ask Me Anything

[brenden]

Hey,

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

How did you handle the most stressful / times when you were 'most scared about the future' moments in both year 12 and Uni life?
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.

[brenden]

Hi Brenden,

Just a random question;
Do you place your tomato sauce in the pantry or in the fridge?

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.

[brenden]

sorry, have two more questions to add:
- do you have any tips for writing arts essays?
- do you do actually do all your readings?

thanks once again

- do you do actually do all your readings?
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.

[Alwin]

What is your favourite word in the English language?
What's your go to comeback? (Asking for a *friend*, not because I want to use it against you )

[brenden]

How did you go in year 12?
You described as obsessive, hellish and hopeful equally?
Care to explain? 😂

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

[selenase]

How difficult is it to get a high GPA >6 in law? How much study did you end up doing?

[lyoko]

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!

[Katt97]

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??

[elysepopplewell]

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!

[brenden]

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

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?
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.

"If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

and

"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters."

Annnnd do you really like [X] brand icecream?!
The answer is yes.

[brenden]

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.

[brenden]

Heyo brenden,
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

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?

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 .

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'

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.

[brenden]

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!

[brenden]

Why won't you admit that feet aren't triangles??

What was AN like back in the early days?

Why won't you admit that feet aren't triangles??
Because lying is morally wrong.

What was AN like back in the early days?
Similar and different, but not as good as now!

[patriciarose]

i'm not quite sure if questions have closed, but if not:

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.