Panicking about everything

[Stargirl123]

Hi all,

It's less than one week until I start year 12 and I'm feeling extremely confused and conflicted with my situation.

In year 11 last year, I completed 3/4 biology and 1/2 English, History, chemistry, French and Methods. Biology went okay study score of (37), however the realisation of how behind I was in my unit 2 studies stressed me out so much and crashed during exam time. I was exempted from doing exams but overall passed all units 1/2. At this time, I also dropped history and chose to do HHD instead, to lessen the load of work. The school told me that if I wanted to, after the summer holidays I could drop another subject and study only four in year 12. I have decided to drop French

Now on the summer holidays I've been doing nothing but stressing about this year. In chemistry and methods I'm extremely behind. I can't do the homework set over the holidays as I have forgotten most of the year 11 course. I haven't read any of my English novels and nothing for HHD. I'm not sure where to start and how I should approach it all.

[PhoenixxFire]

Hey!
Welcome to AN

First of all I just wanted to say that I haven’t started any of my homework, or read any of my books yet either so don’t panic too much about that.

The first thing I would do is write down all of the homework you need to do for each subject, and be specific ie. don’t write ‘do math work’ write ‘do chapters 1-3 from maths textbook’

Once you have that written down get a piece of paper and write tomorrow’s date at the top. Then make two dot points of things you are going to do tomorrow (eg. - Read two chapters of English book. - do 5 math questions). Start off with just a couple of small things, then add more as we get further into the holidays until they’re over (obviously only write as many as you can do that day).

If you worry about it and try and do everything, you will end up doing nothing.

I haven’t done/aren’t doing any of the same subjects as you next year, except English but if you go to the relevant sections (methods english chemistry history) someone will be able to answer any subject specific questions.

Why not read the first chapter of your English book tonight? Don’t worry about annotating it or anything, just read. It may not seem like you’re doing much, but it is much easy to keep going once you have started, rather than putting it off and worrying. You might even enjoy the book.



Another thing I will say is don’t compare yourself to others - especially people on here. AN is definitly not representative of the student population, I can tell you that I didn’t even do my 1/2 holiday homework last year, yet still did well in my 3/4 this year. Year 12 definitly seems scary but it is not too diffferent from year 11, everyone around you will be experiencing something similar. Remember to talk to your teachers - they can’t help you if they don’t know you’re struggling.

How to study/year 12 advice threads:

Reasons why you should keep trying
Why friday night was always study free
VCE organisation
Study tips
How to deal with deadlines
How to beat procrastination
How to get 100% in SACs
VCE: A game?
VCE tips and tricks
What I wish I knew about VCE
Study smart, not hard
VCE burnout
Zofromuxo's guide on test anxiety, stress, and negativity
Staying calm in exams




Just realised you said less than one week? Are you doing VCESS or something?

[clarke54321]

Hi all,

It's less than one week until I start year 12 and I'm feeling extremely confused and conflicted with my situation.

In year 11 last year, I completed 3/4 biology and 1/2 English, History, chemistry, French and Methods. Biology went okay study score of (37), however the realisation of how behind I was in my unit 2 studies stressed me out so much and crashed during exam time. I was exempted from doing exams but overall passed all units 1/2. At this time, I also dropped history and chose to do HHD instead, to lessen the load of work. The school told me that if I wanted to, after the summer holidays I could drop another subject and study only four in year 12. I have decided to drop French

Now on the summer holidays I've been doing nothing but stressing about this year. In chemistry and methods I'm extremely behind. I can't do the homework set over the holidays as I have forgotten most of the year 11 course. I haven't read any of my English novels and nothing for HHD. I'm not sure where to start and how I should approach it all.

Hello Stargirl 

I'm so sorry to hear of your worry. Please try and find some relaxation because everything is, and will be just fine!

Undeniably, year 12 is a busy time. However, if you focus on the "now" as opposed to the end of what seems an impossible marathon, things won't seem as intimidating. Here are some things I did during year 12 to circumvent anxiety and doubt:

-Each day, make a list. Lists are fantastic motivation tools  For each subject, write one or two small things that you think can be achieved in one day. For example, in English I will read 20-30 pages of novel X, complete one exercise of methods, one exercise of chemistry and read one chapter for HHD. This arranges things in a mental sense, and is even better for the mind when you start ticking off these tasks.

-If a concept is too difficult, or you don't remember it, try and search it up on YouTube (especially for subjects like Methods and Chem). Although the videos may not be entirely specific to the VCE study design, they will provide a holistic approach to a subject. In many ways, this can be even better for your learning because you are extending your boundaries even further, and challenging your own thinking. If YouTube is not the answer, just try a simple Google search. There are some fantastic resources you can find on Google (either existing alone, or that have been published by other Victorian schools). I know how frustrating all this research may be if it was supposed to be assumed 3/4 knowledge. But just think of it as a consolidating mechanism.

-Perhaps try and form a study group with some friends. Having discussions with even one other peer can go a long way. You can compare answers, ask for help, solve issues together, or teach one another. Further, you can also save lots of time! That is, you may decide between yourselves that you will split one chapter, in say HHD. At the end, you can bring your respective answers together and have a whole chapter done in half the time 

-Remember that you already have one very good SS. A 38 in Biology is a fantastic score, which should give you some security. Keep reminding yourself of this throughout the year for some momentum and comfort.

-Every Friday night write yourself up a timetable for the weekend. The weekends are goldmines. Use them to your best advantage. I used to split them into Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon. These four pockets each gave me sufficient time to either catch up or extend myself in a particular subject. By the end of the weekend, you'll feel a major sense of accomplishment, which should fuel you for the week ahead.

-Ask people questions on AN. Right here on AN, there are so many lovely and supportive people, who will be more than happy to assist you with questions or marking. Additionally, you can download a myriad of fantastic notes, which will compliment your learning to a greater degree.

All the very best for your future studies! Please look after yourself in the next few weeks and take each step at a time 

[K888]

Just want to pop in with some advice to say if you're struggling - make an appointment to see your GP. They can link you up with services like Headspace, refer you to psychologists and counsellors that can help you learn how to deal with pressure on yourself and the like, and they can help give you some ways to deal with stress and the like. More importantly, they're there to listen.

Trust me (speaking from personal experience here), you'll think it's not worth bothering them with "trivial stuff" but if it's affecting you, it's definitely not trivial. Look after your health, it's the most important thing.

In the meantime, I'd recommend checking out websites like Headspace, they have some good advice directed at young people on all sorts of matters.

In terms of academic stuff: just start with something small, and build from there. Don't try to conquer it all in one day - just chip away at it set yourself short term goals, and go with that.

All the best!

[PhoenixxFire]

Just want to pop in with some advice to say if you're struggling - make an appointment to see your GP.

Also if you don’t want to talk in person for whatever reason you can contact kids helpline on 1800 55 1800 they also have a web chat, you can talk to the same person regularly, or just once, whatever works for you.