The QCE Journey of jinx_58 (bland name, I'll fix it soon!)

[jinx_58]

Hey, I'll let this be a little introduction post.

I'm jinx_58, just an average student and member of the Class of 2022!

I'm starting year 12 this year and it feels unreal (I'll get used to it I suppose, haha).

The subjects I take are: Physics, Chemistry, Methods, Ancient History, General English and Religion and Ethics.

Personal interests:
Favourite bands: My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots, All Time Low and most things pop-punk/punk/emo
Favourite sport: Love watching cricket and playing volleyball
Favourite subject: I love ancient history and physics

That's...about me I suppose, any questions, feel free to ask

So, first day of online school was today (yay!)
I've already got a bit of homework which I need to do, but I felt there was no better time than now to start this journal.
I want to look back on this at the end of the year and smile/cringe/laugh at whatever I did and who I've become and hopefully feel good about myself.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading!
- jinx_58

[Bri MT]

Welcome in and best of luck for the year ahead!

What motivated your subject choices?

How are you feeling about them at the moment? (I'm assuming history and physics were due to previous personal interest?)

[jinx_58]

Welcome in and best of luck for the year ahead!

What motivated your subject choices?

How are you feeling about them at the moment? (I'm assuming history and physics were due to previous personal interest?)

Thank you!

I was originally going to do Specialist instead of History. I left Specialist (in the first week haha), because I was scraping passes for methods in year 10. I chose Physics because for an engineering degree, you need Physics or Chemistry. My parents wanted me to do pharmacy so I chose Chemistry. Methods cos, from year 10, I knew I had a lot more to offer. I just needed some guidance. I don't love methods, but I am becoming to appreciate math. Ancient History is just so damn coool. I personally like History as a subject and its so interesting to understand how people lived in the past. These civilisations that lead us to who we are today, are so much more culturally different.

Also with subject choices, all that I knew is that I didn't want to do bio. Physics wasn't my strong point, but I mostly fixed that up.

About how I feel about these subjects, I feel alright. Right at the end of unit 2, I got back my marks for my exams and I was just so disappointed in myself. History, English and Religion I did quite well in, but methods, phys and chem were C's. I cried about that one, a lot. So over the holidays, I did a bit of self-reflecting and I think I did much better in my IA1's.

Right now, I feel alright about these subjects. So far, everything is making sense and constant revision is really helpful. I don't know what the future holds, but hopefully I'll understand the topics.

P.S. I love redox reactions

[jinx_58]

8.02.2022
Howdy! I hope you've had an awesome day!

Year 12 so far
So, school started yesterday. It was nice to finally get back into a nice old routine of 5 classes a day.
I got my assignment for Ancient History today and it doesn't seem too bad.......yet. Its on Athens 5th Century, and I'm looking forward to it.
I've only got my English oral presentation marks back and it was 23/25. I figured out where I lost marks and why I did. I'm proud of myself for my achievement and I hope I can keep it up.
Chemistry, we learnt a new concept today. Its interesting, must say. We learned about RICE/ICE tables and they seem to make sense. Our teacher told us it will get much harder, but with constant revision, I think I'll be fine. My body though is just so tireddddddddddd. Waking up early is not my forte 

So, I looked at the poll and saw that someone wanted study tips + helpful YouTubers.

Study tips + helpful YouTubers
With helpful Youtubers regarding study tips/plans I would suggest the following:

• UnJaded Jade
• FayeFilms
• studyquill
• Mike and Matty

Remembering information
Regarding retention of information, there is this thing called the forgetting curve. It is an exponential model showing how fast our brain forgets things after first learning a new concept. There are specific intervals in which you should practice active recall in order to remember all these things. Studyquill has created a table which tells you when to revise a specific concept. She has made a YoutTube video mentioning them, which is given in the links section below. Using this table is a way of practicing spaced repetition. I'll leave a video in the links section below regarding what spaced repetition is and how it works by Mike and Matty.

Active vs. Passive recall
For those of you have no idea what active recall is, it is recalling in such a way that you will remember. The opposite of this is passive recall. For example, for math, reading over your work is passive recall. You think you have understood the topic fully, but let me tell you now this is a false sense of security. However, doing a few practice questions is a method of active recall. You're actually using your head. I'm not amazing at explaining this, so I'll leave another YouTube video by Mike and Matty about active vs. passive recall and how to actively recall. P.S. Highlighting just makes it look pretty; you're not fully understanding the concept

Learner types
Another aspect that ties into all this is understanding what type of learner you are. I'm (again) not great at explaining this, so I'll link another video, this one by Fayefilms.

Study Music
My biggest study technique is listening to LoFi music while studying instead of listening to music with words. And if you don't like LoFi, classical music is always an option. Or Binaural beats - their scientifically proven to help you study and activate the right parts of the brain (I think? You'll have to fact-check that one haha)

For my Chemistry peeps:
Tyler Dewitt is the best Chemistry YouTuber I can recommend. Especially with redox reactions (Unit 3 for those who don't know), he simplifies it so much and uses visuals to explain what he's talking about. Its fun to watch.

For Physics peeps:
For Physics, I watch Professor Dave explains and Bozeman science. Those were the ones recommended by my Physics teacher and they explain topics well.

I'll make the next post about my study methods and my system that I've set up for myself cos I don't wanna make this post too long haha.

Most of all, remember you're an amazing human being. We can all achieve great marks if we put in the effort, and we put in the effort right.

Other stuff
Aside from all this studying, I'm listening to Why Worry by Set it Off and I payed attention to the lyrics this time: I mean, its makes sense, they have a point haha.

Peace out!
 - jinx_58

Links
https://youtu.be/ROtvXKxFxhw    - Studyquill overcome curve of forgetting table
https://youtu.be/Kl0RM_9cVzE    - Spaced Repetition, Mike and Matty
https://youtu.be/MSq-KGj_cnY - Active recall, Mike and Matty
https://youtu.be/PMRrYkxDKP8 - Fayefilms: types of learners

[jinx_58]

Howdy again!!!
I know I said I'll make the next post about my study system but.....I got my marks for physics and chemistry today!! We had data tests for both and I was surprised by my marks.

Physics:
7/10 - 61%
Its not my favourite mark must say. Lowkey disappointed but its okay. I can pull myself up from there. Kinda annoyed that I forgot to put a squared in two places!! AGHHH! I forgot to square pi and I forgot to square the years according to the graph given. I was hoping to get an 8 at least haha. At the end of the day, I can't change the mark but I can try my best to improve it.

Chemistry
This one was an absolute shocker must say. I got 10/10 (91%) and my friend next to me who did tutoring with me got the exact same mark!! I was over the moon, because I did not expect at all to get 10/10. I thought it would be 8 or 7 to be honest. I'm slightly annoyed that I lost 2 marks because I said an endothermic reaction gains heat; when in fact it absorbs energy. Our teacher helped us a lot and held sessions after school during homework club to make sure we understood the concepts. The hard part of all this; maintaining the grade.

Overall, I hope I do better in my next internals and finally the external exam.

Edit: Got my methods marks today (10.02.2022). It was 12/20 (60%). Pretty disappointed, but I improved so yay I guess haha. Guess I'll just work on improving my grade.

If you've made it this far, thank you!
 - jinx_58

[lemurbruv]

Chemistry
This one was an absolute shocker must say. I got 10/10 (91%) and my friend next to me who did tutoring with me got the exact same mark!! I was over the moon, because I did not expect at all to get 10/10. I thought it would be 8 or 7 to be honest. I'm slightly annoyed that I lost 2 marks because I said an endothermic reaction gains heat; when in fact it absorbs energy. Our teacher helped us a lot and held sessions after school during homework club to make sure we understood the concepts. The hard part of all this; maintaining the grade.

Overall, I hope I do better in my next internals and finally the external exam.

Edit: Got my methods marks today (10.02.2022). It was 12/20 (60%). Pretty disappointed, but I improved so yay I guess haha. Guess I'll just work on improving my grade.

If you've made it this far, thank you!
 - jinx_58

Congrats on that fantastic chem mark! What a way to start the year!

As for methods and physics, you have the whole year to improve, and these scores are for sure going to help you identify your weak spots. Make sure you analyse where you went wrong and write it down somewhere, I'm sure you know the drill.

Good on you!! 

- Lemur

[jinx_58]

Congrats on that fantastic chem mark! What a way to start the year!

As for methods and physics, you have the whole year to improve, and these scores are for sure going to help you identify your weak spots. Make sure you analyse where you went wrong and write it down somewhere, I'm sure you know the drill.

Good on you!! 

- Lemur

Thanks dude! I've understood where I went wrong and noted it down. It was mainly just silly mistakes and I can't do a PSMT to save my own life haha.

 - jinx_58

[jinx_58]

Howdy, Howdy!

I hope everyone is doing well.

This post is going to be about my note-taking system that I use for school.

Chemistry and Physics
For the sciences I do, I use notion to take notes. I have specific sections for chemistry and physics there. If there are any calculations, I usually write them in an A5 book I have (separate ones for Chem and Phys). After school, I type up those calculations into my notion page. Practice questions I do in the A5 book.

Methods
I take notes in class, like everything the teacher writes on the board and extra tips she gives us. Once I get home, I write all this in another book, called "Methods: Re-written". The examples the teacher writes down, I do on my own to reinforce what I've learnt.

English, Ancient History, Religion
I don't really take notes for these subjects, but if I do, its always on notion.

Inspired by Unjaded Jade, I have copied her idea called casual magic. You basically take down a very nice moment of your day, and focus on the little things in life that give you joy. It might be as simple as the really pretty flower you saw today, or waking up to the sun illuminating your room.

Most of my other stuff is on notion which is really cool.
If you prefer typing notes up, try out notion. It takes a bit to learn how to use but trust me, its a good investment.

Any questions, please ask!

Peace out!
- jinx_58
 

[jinx_58]

Forgot to mention, I use RemNote to make flashcards.
It has programmed spaced repetition, and I don't think I would've remembered all those redox rules without it.
RemNote is a really useful tool and I would highly recommend it if you hate/not a fan of making paper flashcards.

The thing with these flashcards is that you type in your answer, so its reinforced in your mind every time you do them. I personally do them every second/third day.

Any questions, feel free to ask!

Till next time folks!
 - jinx_58

[jinx_58]

Greetings readers.

So, week 5 of year 12 begins! Don't have the urge to cry yet, which is good. 

I got my IA2's for Chemistry, English and Ancient History.

For Chem, its a student experiment. Need to research more into the experiment itself but if you have any tips, please please please leave it below!

For English we're comparing a dystopian novel and movie: Fahrenheit 451 and Blade Runner 2049. I've lowkey started to devise a plan that makes sense.  But I suck at literary essays so any guidance will be appreciated!

Ancient history, we're doin 5th Century Athens (YAY!!). Its really cool and I've already found 4 outta 5 sources so far which is awesome. I lowkey got a plan for this one too, and I love calling them my battle plans cause' ancient history n all. 

Overall, I aim to get my assignments for English and Ancient done and dusted so I have more time to focus on Chem. Our Physics teacher has told us we only get 3 weeks to do our student experiment - like, the WHOLE REPORT (AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!)
Another reason why I need to stay on the ball. Except the ball is on fire. And I'm on fire. And my plans are on fire. (You get the picture).  But yet again, welcome to year 12 I suppose haha

Another thing, THIS WEEKEND WAS PRODUCTIVE!! Like, for the first time in forever!!! And this is why I like studying. The little things in life are beautiful. Focusing on the journey helps a lot, rather than focusing on the end point.


Whoever you are, you can do it. You'll make it through. Keep striving

Thanks for tuning in!
 - jinx_58

[jinx_58]

Greetings!

The last week was (again) hectic. On Friday it was raining quite heavily. But it jut didn't stop. Until like Sunday night/Monday morning. Therefore it flooded. I am really grateful that I live in a high-ish area so we didn't flood in. For my fellow South East Queenslanders and Northern New South peeps reading this, I hope you're all safe and sound . If it's flooded, forget it.

School was closed Monday and Tuesday ('cause of floods) and so productivity was...non-existent on Monday. Today (Tues) it is much better.

Ancient History
For Ancient, found all my sources and I'm now just breaking them down in source tables. It'll take time, but the topic is interesting so I don't think it'll be too bad.

Chemistry
Chemistry, we've almost finished all of Unit 3 and I think we're starting our Student Experiments next week. All these calculations are lowkey messing with my head tho 😅

Physics
For Physics, started Unit 4 with Topic 2. We learnt blackbody radiation and all that jazz, I think it's clicking? I'm just struggling to fully understand electromagnetism. Like, I understand bits and pieces of information, I just don't understand how it all ties together. We'll get there I suppose haha.

Methods
I'm liking Methods (surprisingly). Its somewhat clicking together and revision helps. We learnt anti-differentiation/integration last week and it seems quite cool.

English
We've started our literary essay on Fahrenheit 451 vs Blade Runner 2049. I plan on doing technology as my umbrella topic and breaking it down into human connection, values of society, censorship, and distraction vs. happiness.

Religion & Ethics
We have an exam (I don't when it is) on...World religions? And their perspectives on euthanasia, divorce and abortion? I don't know. We're just being told to take notes and revise 'em. So, hopefully, it'll be alright?

That's really about it, any questions, feel free to ask!

Thanks for tuning in,
 - jinx_58

[jinx_58]

Greetings and salutations.

So, we only had online school thursday, and the rest of the week was taken off (last week). It was absolutely pouring last week and I hope its over...for good. Queensland has had enough floods to last a decade.

Physics
Got my physics student experiment today, and the final is due on the 28th of March (send help, please). I've started, know what formula I need to use and possible modifications. Just need to push on through with this one, any general tips about student experiments, please comment below!

Chemistry
Learning stuff last week was...weird. I think it was all the calculations. But luckily, our teacher has really detailed slides, so we're good. Our teacher chose our groups and I'm stuck with randos, so I hope that goes well.  I think I wanna do titration, just not sure what of. Again, any ideas/suggestions welcome.

Methods
Integration ain't bad...yet

Ancient History
Finished source tables and rationale, just need to belt our analysis and evaluation paragraphs.

English
I lowkey wanna scream on this one. The assignment...is odd. I don't like literary essays, but we'll see how it goes. Another assignment that just needs belting out. Like, I kinda get the structure (our teacher gave us a table) but its just a matter or using the right symbols and right quotes that drive your point home.

Religion and Ethics
Exam is in week 10. Need to prepare. If I can.

Thanks for tuning in!
 - jinx_58

[sophieQ]

Hi I am in Biology Unit 3 and i need help developing the research question on either of these mandatory practicals:
Measure the wet biomass of producer samples.
Measure the population of microorganisms in Petri dishes to observe carrying capacity.

I don't have time to grow any algae species and hence measure there growth rate under the influence of varying factors such as nitrogen or oxygen levels so I am stuck on the RQ AKA what things i should investigate in relation to the pracs.

My teacher said I should collect some random alive and fully grown algae samples from around school, measure the nitrogen/phosphorous/pH levels of the soil they grow in using probes, and then measure there biomass in the lab. This will allow me to look at the correlation between specific environmental growth factors on biomass.

Will this allow for the collection of sufficient and relevant data and to get me a 18/20 for this IA2? help is much appreciated

[jinx_58]

Week 8 (cue the stress raining upon me)

Greetings.

Straight into subjects I suppose
I am not doing colours because...I'm not bothered. Hehe Sorry.

Chemistry
I FINALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO FOR MY EXPERIMENT (I think). The experiment has not been performed as of yet, however, I am very much looking forward to it.

Physics
The experiment was modified and modified and modified. We blew a resistor today (which was hilarious) and we finally have a solid method. That works. Yay us!

Methods
Its really meh. We learned about definite integrals. Its cool. And the area under a curve. And the trapezoidal rule. Its cool

Ancient History
Almost finished all my evaluations (3 more to do, I believe). Then the critical summary and BAM, I'm done. Just some last edits and I'll hand in my draft.

English
Literary essay is alright I suppose. 3 more paragraphs to do (I think?). Wish me luck.

Religion and Ethics
We got a cheat sheet for the exam so I'm going to study that. Exam is in week 10, hopefully I'll be prepared.

Thanks for tuning in!
 - jinx_58

[Dani.Dan.Aim]

Hey.
Quick question, would you have done something differently in year 11 that you kind of regret not doing earlier? Cliché, I know..
And woah 23/25 for English, dayum. Got any tips for English?