This is a slightly edited version of a speech I gave at my school last year about my approach to VCE, if you can be bothered reading through. Don't know if it contains much helpful advice - kind of wrote it the night before I had to deliver it
Good afternoon staff and students,
I didn't think I would be back in the school so soon, or that I would ever need to address this assembly again - but I spose like Dr Scott, I somehow keep finding my way back. Today I'll be speaking briefly about my own approach to the VCE.
In my view, there are a few ways to achieve success in VCE. On one hand, you can just be academically brilliant, intellectually well endowed, a bit of a genius - I think James Lu and Jerry Guo epitomise that idea quite nicely, resulting in superb study scores and various other achievements.
Yet I also remember last year in one of Dr Ball's English classes an argument and assessment of the current VCE system vs. an aptitude-based test. I recall that ultimately Dr Ball gave his support in favour of the current structure over a UMAT type assessment. His reasoning? He thought it good that VCE rewarded not only cleverness, but the trait of perseverance. Someone who is very naturally talented will not necessarily do well without hard work in VCE, and someone without the spark of brilliance can still do very well - really a lesson reflected in the real world. Quite fittingly, I was not actually one of Dr Ball's students when overhearing this discussion, but rather one of the boys taking advantage of the opportunity the school offers to sit in on other English classes in Term 4. Did I really need to be there? Probably not - my own teacher Ms Mulready had taught me everything I needed to be well-equipped for the exam. But by going to these classes, I was put in the right mindset to continually churn out detailed plans of essays and quote sheets each night - basically it was another way in which I worked hard when I could. I suggest to everyone that they make the most out of being here from as early on in the year as possible - get as much out of your teachers as you possibly can...they really know what they're on about. For their efforts I, and all other Year 12s of 2009, will always be thankful.
It is simultaneously important to understand what it means to put in "as much work as you can". We all have our limitations to the number of hours we can study, and we all need the occasional break to eat, sleep, and socialise. For myself, I know that when distractions exist, my capacity to work is almost non-existent. When I was around with friends, that time needed to be well segregated from when actually studying. Whether this be hanging out in the city, or even in study periods at school - most days you'd just find me laughing and talking with my mates, just getting it all out of the system, much to the distress of the librarians. When I was at home, however, I would spend as much time as I could before 11pm revising and working. It would not be uncommon to find me, even when in front of the television at 6:30pm wondering if Ringo and Donna on Neighbours were going to get together, with my dinner in one hand and a copy of Richard III on the table. At the beginning of holidays too, I would write out schedules for what I wanted to achieve in each subject each day, even including periods for hanging out or taking a trip to the beach - a little sad? Yes? but also quite effective. Now I certainly don't suggest that everyone take my approach - an obsession with the television show Neighbours is not something I would wish on anyone - but you do need to work out what the most effective way to get the most out of every hour of your day, based on your personal characteristics.
The final thing I would like to stress, is that while it is important to put the hours into your academic work, it should never, never be the sole focus of your year. Your score at the end of the year is important, but even if you do well, you quickly realise that you do not want it to define you. You would rather be defined by the friendships you forge and maintain with people within and outside the school, and the activities within the school and wider community which you engage in. If you forget about this side of your life, you'll realise at the end of the year that you have very few funny or exhilarating memories to look back on. To use an analogy, if VCE were like a girlfriend, she'd be the type who never wants to go out or do anything. Unless you find a way to keep your life exciting throughout Year 11 and 12, you'll quickly find that all aspects of your life, including your romantic relationship with VCE (aka. your ENTER) also deteriorates.
So at this early stage in the year, find out what works for you in terms of study patterns. If you play a lot of sport, you may find yourself needing to sleep more. To get more work in, you may need to make adjustments like cutting out some facebook or television hours. If you have too much time, it might indicate a need to study more or maybe you need to get involved more within the school (*cough*...join the environment committee). It's also a good idea to surround yourself with smart friends - you can always ask them questions and kind of force you to pick up when you're falling behind. Similarly, you should ask as many past students as possible for specific tips for the subjects you're studying - VCE, to both its credit and sometimes its detriment, is really a course which can be learnt in fullest detail by students. Indeed, to some degree, your already determined academic potential will limit how much you can achieve in your final exams. However, as long as you structure your VCE in a way that keeps you interested, motivated and occupied, you will do the best you possibly can, and not be one of those disappointed, and sometimes slightly presumptuous people, who declare that they "could" have done better "if they'd tried."
Thankyou and good luck
Home
Help
Search
Login
