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2019 Academic Reflections Thread

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ashmi:
How would you rate 2019 out of 10?
7/10

What was your biggest academic accomplishment in 2019?
Getting 100% average in Unit 4 of Further Maths and getting academic awards in Further and Product Design. Also getting a scholarship into the NYSF Program for 2020!

If any, what's your biggest academic regret for 2019?
Not trying Unit 1 of Specialist Maths. Really wished I gave it a go but sort of happy I kept Physics.

If you had your time again, what would you change from 2019?
Understand the content I was learning better. The more you understand where everything comes from, the easier it is to apply it to unknown situations. Would have saved me so much time overall.

What's your funniest story/moment from school/uni in 2019?
I've got 2 I can't decide so here goes: 8)
Probably the time when my English teacher was getting ready for our class party and told the class she was terrified of spiders, only to have one massive one crawling on the wall behind her. Resulted in a whole pack of screaming and our party food being thrown everywhere.
The next best moment was my Physics teacher trying to pick up a marble using chopsticks. He spent a good 10 minutes trying so hard and using all of his mathematical knowledge to pick it up. He could barely lift it more than 10cm before dropping and is definitely one of the most entertaining things I have seen in my life.

Were your exams as expected?
Yes to an extent! My 3/4 was surprisingly easier than expected and my 1/2 subjects were pretty much the level it should have been (except the Physics exam which was out of this world).

What's your best advice for younger year levels studying in 2020?
Use your time before Year 12 to experiment with different learning styles! Don't be afraid to try something new and try not to take everything too seriously (except if you are taking a 3/4 sequence). Also, make sure that you have a healthy study/life balance.

Outside of school/uni, what were the best and worst parts of 2019?
Best: Moving to a better school and making quality friendships (yes you too brothanathan). Having more opportunities to study what I would like (PDT) and also getting opportunities to pursue my goals. I also loved going to the Melb Uni Physics lectures and being able to go to events with my new friends. ;D

Worst parts: Not giving Specialist Maths a go during the start of Year 11. Also spending money on unnecessary books and having a poor routine during Term 1.

nerdynajla0605:
How would you rate 2019 out of 10?
5/10

What was your biggest academic accomplishment in 2019?
Overall, just doing two 3/4s in year 11! It stressed me out quite a LOT, but I feel more mentally prepared for year 12 since I've had a little spoonful of it already.

Ooh, also getting accepted into Elizabeth Blackburn Science School for year 12! Really whack but after I graduate high school I would've stayed at three different schools for year 10,11, and 12. owo

If any, what's your biggest academic regret for 2019?
Not putting enough effort into methods, definitely. All my other subjects were really good, despite how I would focus more on my 3/4s more than my 1/2s at times. It's just that I put the least amount of care into methods because from personal attempts it took way more effort for me to get a decent score in methods than in my other subjects like chemistry and physics.

If you had your time again, what would you change from 2019?
Allow me to focus more on the 3/4s than the 1/2s at times, but ALWAYS make sure that I gave equal attention to my 1/2s. Also, I really should've done tutoring for methods.

What's your funniest story/moment from school/uni in 2019?
This is going to sound sad but right now as I am writing this, I can't really picture a moment this year that was really funny at school. It was all just a blur and it was a kinda sad year for me.

Were your exams as expected?
1/2 exams: No. I was sick during that time so I got to do most of my exams outside school. It was kinda good tbh because I didn't really have any time to study for my exams (at the school I went to we did exams only once, in term 3), so being sick gave me more time to study and take a breather.

What's your best advice for younger year levels studying in 2020?
STUDY AHEAD, it really helps. I was a new kid at my school, so I got late access to my compass and other resources, so I really couldn't study ahead during holidays.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH. Both mental and physical. I know its hard to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night, I struggled. During normal school term days, I slept around 6 hours or less, but during exams, I was really strict with myself and made sure to get 8 hours of sleep. The amount of sleep you get really affects your mood, and thus your attitude to your learning.
GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK. You don't want to burn out.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE. You want to feel supported, equal, and 'in the loop' amongst your friend group. People that motivate you and lift your spirits, not people that bring you down. This will affect both your mental health and your academics.

Outside of school/uni, what were the best and worst parts of 2019?
BEST: Attending many camps and events, and meeting so many people that I eventually became friends with!

WORST: Some family issues that will remain private.

K.Smithy:
How would you rate 2019 out of 10?
4/10

What was your biggest academic accomplishment in 2019?
There are 4 things that I am really proud of accomplishing this year:
1. Picking up my grades in biology, physics and psychology to end the year with 100% As
2. Topping Psychology
3. Proving one of my teachers wrong (at the start of the year they said I wouldn't get an A in their class, but guess who did ;D)
4. Starting off grade 12 with 100% A+s (10/10 for Bio, Psych and Physics, 24/25 for SOR and either 24/25 or 25/25 for English - all I know is that I got an A+ for English) - I have my first task for maths next year, fingers crossed it goes well :)

If any, what's your biggest academic regret for 2019?
Putting so much pressure on myself. Not letting myself enjoy things. Being so focused on my academic performance that I put my grades above my health, and spending time with family and friends. I regret not letting myself hang out with family and friends over fears that if I didn't spend 100% of my time studying I would be a failure. I regret pinning my self worth to my grades. I regret getting only 3-4 hours of sleep almost every night this year because I was afraid that if I wasn't studying until 3am I would be a failure.

If you had your time again, what would you change from 2019?
I would learn for the sake of learning. I put so much pressure on myself to perform well academically, that I didn't care if I had actually learnt anything in any of my classes. I just wanted to get straight As and I didn't care how much time and energy I had to devote to achieving that goal. If I could change anything, it would be my mindset towards school. Instead of having my goal be getting straight As, I would change my goal so that I was focused on actually understanding the content and developing the expected knowledge. I somehow seemed to forget that if I actually know the content, my academic achievements will show. So in 2020, I am making a change. I am focusing on actually learning, and from that I know good grades will follow.

What's your funniest story/moment from school/uni in 2019?
After I came back from school camp this year, I was sitting at a table with some friends and we were just chatting and passing time until the school bell went and we could be dismissed. One of my friends was sitting beside me on top of her suitcase and she had her feet resting on the bench - this detail is important for later. As we were chatting I turned my head and saw one of our favourite teachers (who is leaving this year sadly  :'(). We got really excited and we called out her name and all jumped up and ran over to say hi. As I started running however... I failed to notice that my friend had been sitting on her suitcase the whole time and ended up full on somersaulting over it - landing flat on my back on the ground. It was freaking hilarious. Some teachers who were watching also had a good laugh at me.

Another funny moment/s from school this year is literally any physics lesson. In particular the lessons we started learning about electromagnetism. So many people got little electric shocks when we were messing around with the Van de Graaf generator thingy. Some of us learnt the hard way that you are not meant to touch someone if they are touching the generator and aren't earthed... ;D

Were your exams as expected?
Some of them yes, some no. Some exams were much easier than what I thought they would be, but some were a lot harder. I finished almost all of my exams early. Some exams I finished an hour early, others I finished 30 minutes early. Out of the whole year, there were only 2 or 3 exams that I didn't finish at least 15 minutes early.

What's your best advice for younger year levels studying in 2020?
Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to have fun and hang with friends and family. One of my teachers always talked to me about diminishing returns (I could probably recite his whole spiel - I did hear it about a million times after all) and I think it is very important to think about. You could spend 2 hours studying or you could spend 8 hours studying. You would probably think that you would benefit more from an 8 hour study session, than you would from a 2 hour study session. But you won't. You will reach a point where you keep putting more time, more effort, more energy into studying, but you won't receive anything back. There won't be any improvement. So taking a couple hours out of your day to catch a movie with your friends won't hurt you academically, rather it will probably help you. So take time to relax. Also, don't worry so much about grades. Just make sure you are actually learning what you are meant to be learning. If you know the content good grades will follow.

Outside of school/uni, what were the best and worst parts of 2019?
I didn't really have a life outside of school - I guess that was one of the worse parts...
One of my family members was diagnosed with nonhodgkins lymphoma t-cell type 1 (cancer), and at the same time doctors found a tumour on their pituitary gland and an aneurism in their brain... that is definitely the worst part of 2019....

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