27 / 11 / 2019 - WednesdayWith December just around the corner I thought I'd do one last update before results drop. Since memories of exams, revision, SACs, and just about everything is still somewhat fresh in my mind, here's just some things I've learnt from my subjects, and some tips to future students:
Music Industry / DanceI'm grouping these two together as they're quite similar. My best advice with any performance subject is to
do them early as they are so time consuming. Try not to leave them to year 12, when you've got other 3/4s to worry about. My next best advice is to
decide on your repertoire early so that you can start as early as possible. Finally, for dance:
devote a lot of time to studying theory. One of my biggest mistakes was focusing too much on my performance exam, to the point where I completely neglected the written component.
(Flashbacks to 2018: opening the first page of the exam and thinking to myself "what the heck is *unified composition*??")LiteratureI think the biggest thing to understand about literature is that
it is NOT English. Literature isn't just a 'harder/more competitive' version of mainstream English specifically designed for students that always achieve A's and A+'s. It is assessed on a completely different criteria. Once you realise this, literature is quite straightforward. The second advice is to
avoid deliberately trying to sound sophisticated. Seriously, I cannot stress this enough. You're not assessed on how well you can swallow a thesaurus.
Further / MethodsFirst off,
do the textbook questions and make sure you have a solid foundation before moving on to harder application-style questions. With maths, the best way to study is just to grind through practice question after practice question, there's no magical shortcut. Also,
know your CAS well, but also make sure you can quickly differentiate between questions that are better solved with technology, and those that are better solved by hand. Finally,
creating your own questions is a great revision tool in the lead up to the exam.
Biology / ChemistryBoth bio and chem are heavy in content so
make sure you know your theory before jumping into any practice questions. I personally found creating chapter summaries of key points to be very helpful. Regarding practice questions, I think my best tip is to
do them consistently throughout the year, not just in the days leading up to a SAC or the final exam. In particular you should aim to constantly
revise over unit 3 throughout unit 4, because otherwise if you leave it all till SWOTVAC, you will be overwhelmed with content.
General VCE tipsMy top tip for VCE is in regards to subject selections - choose subjects you enjoy, but also
be mindful of prerequisites. In year 10 I chose literature, further, psychology, dance, drama, and music, but at the suggestion of a teacher, switched from drama to methods after transition (or Head-start as some schools call it). Back then I was reluctant but now I am so grateful for it, as methods is a prerequisite for every single one of my 8 VTAC preferences!
Also,
don't be afraid to do subjects that seem difficult or daunting. Do a subject outside of your comfort zone. For me, doing lit 3/4 in year 11 without 1/2 seemed scary, but it worked out! And TBH none of my subjects this year are exactly within my comfort zone (I'm no STEM kid, in case you couldn't tell by my year 10 subject choices) but this year didn't turn out completely catastrophic either (not yet, anyway. We'll know for sure on the 12th of December).
My next piece of advice is unorthodox, but
do a 3/4 in year 10. Why? First off, when you're in year 10 you don't have the stress of juggling other VCE subjects. Next, it's good to get a general idea of exactly what VCE involves early on. Finally, if you do well - great! That's one 3/4 out of the way. But if you don't - no stress! You can treat it as a learning opportunity and do 6 other subjects in year 11 and 12.
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The past couple of days have been super productive! Ocean Grove was fantastic. I got about 6 hours on my L's from driving to and from there. I was also tasked with driving my youngest brother to school (with dad in the passenger seat, of course) which really bumped up my logbook. After a year of sitting on 35 minutes, I've gotten almost 50 hours since exams ended! At this rate, I'm well on track to getting P's when I turn 18 in March.
Since getting back from Ocean Grove, I've sorted out all my resources from this year. As I handwrote most of my notes for bio and chem (and ALL for further and methods) there's not much I can sell lol. BUT if anybody is after a heck ton of methods trial exams, I'm selling my entire collection for a $35 donation to my bank account.
Finally, I did a blood test and found out I am allergic to cats... Well that's convenient isn't it? Imagine a vet who is allergic to cats, that's like a sailor who can't swim! I've been around plenty of cats before and have never realised I have an allergy, so it's probably really mild. Hopefully, if I do get into DVM and become a vet, it won't be too much of a problem.
See you all on December 12th! Good luck to everyone