How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)-99+ ATAR graduate (3 Viewers)

[fourthRoot]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Hey mei, really helpful thread
I was just wondering if you dont mind telling me what atar you got?

she got 99+ iirc so listen to her

 

[strawberrye]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Hey mei, really helpful thread
I was just wondering if you wouldnt mind telling me what atar you got?

You will find my ATAR somewhere else on BOS if you are so keen to know But the main reason I didn't disclose my ATAR in this guide is because this guide is all about equipping you with the skills you need to define your own results, and not let your results define you. To a much more important extent, I don't believe the ATAR in any way define me now as I am progressing through uni. But you can be confident you are getting top notch advice because my ATAR was 99+

 

[astroman]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Hey Mei, is this thread still active??? If so can you suggest ways on how to improve memory for remembering essays in english and remembering which formula is used for what in physics/maths?

 

[strawberrye]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Hey Mei, is this thread still active??? If so can you suggest ways on how to improve memory for remembering essays in english and remembering which formula is used for what in physics/maths?

Hi Astroman, hope you have been well, yes this thread is still active-given my recent post dates. For your first question, I have been asked about this quite a lot, and a reason why I haven't gone into detail in addressing this question in this thread is because a huge part of my philosophy for studying for English does not involve remembering generic essays. If you have read my English tips carefully, you will have noticed that I tend to advocate for an approach of understanding and engagement with the question rather than preparing and memorising generic essays. You could consider recording your essay and listening to it as well as reading it aloud and writing it out multiple times to assist you in remembering it if you want, but as I have said many times on this forum, you have to make sure you answer the given question and NOTHING but the given question to get the best marks possible.

As for remembering formulas for physics and maths, you don't need to really remember formulas if you have done enough questions and you will over time, develop a sense of which formulas to use and when to use them-without a particularly devoted effort to memorising formulas-but rather concentrating your methods on applying formulas-at least that was the approach I used to take, for physics in particular, you don't really need to remember any formulas that is on the formula sheet, remembering formulas can be best done for maths/science-by writing all formulas and what the variables in the formula represent in a formula book so it makes revision that much easier where everything is in one place. Again, practising is the key to success.

Hope this answer helps a bit in answering your questions. If you have any more queries, feel free to ask

 

[astroman]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

thanks for the tips Mei

 

[strawberrye]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

thanks for the tips Mei

No worries, if you have any questions about senior studies, feel free to ask on this thread

 

[Therese98]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Thanks so much for this thread! In regards to practice essays; I am constantly being advised to do them, yet when I find the opportunity (rather, I spontaneously think "Oh, how about just sitting down and writing a fun little essay!") I am at a loss as to what I should write on. Would you be willing (pretty, pretty please) to pose me some questions and then give me feedback on my essays in reply?

 

[strawberrye]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Thanks so much for this thread! In regards to practice essays; I am constantly being advised to do them, yet when I find the opportunity (rather, I spontaneously think "Oh, how about just sitting down and writing a fun little essay!") I am at a loss as to what I should write on. Would you be willing (pretty, pretty please) to pose me some questions and then give me feedback on my essays in reply?

Hi Therese98, usually you should write practice essays on what you study in class, since I don't know what you have studied this year or what modules you will do, nor am I likely to be familiar with the rubric of these modules, I don't think I am the most qualified to give you some essay questions, your English teacher would be the best teacher to ask. As for giving essay feedback, unfortunately I am extremely busy with uni studies right now and unfortunately I will not have time to mark them in detail, I think an English tutor or your English teacher or asking other kind souls on bored of studies might be better candidates than me. I apologise for this and I hope you understand.

 

[Therese98]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Hi Therese98, usually you should write practice essays on what you study in class, since I don't know what you have studied this year or what modules you will do, nor am I likely to be familiar with the rubric of these modules, I don't think I am the most qualified to give you some essay questions, your English teacher would be the best teacher to ask. As for giving essays for your feedback, unfortunately I am extremely busy with uni studies right now and unfortunately I will not have time to mark them in detail, I think an English tutor or your English teacher or asking other kind souls on bored of studies might be better candidates than me. I apologise for this and I hope you understand.

Don't worry about it. Thank you so much for this thread, you've been an amazing help already.
Good luck with your studies!!!!!!!

 

[strawberrye]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Don't worry about it. Thank you so much for this thread, you've been an amazing help already.
Good luck with your studies!!!!!!!

Thank you for the well wishes All the best of luck for your studies too

 

[yelribbon]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Thanks for an amazing guide - really helps motivate me for my studies I was just wondering what you did in the 6 week holiday before term 2 of year 12 started? Did you use the opportunity to study and go ahead or take a break? Sorry if you've answered this before!

 

[strawberrye]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Thanks for an amazing guide - really helps motivate me for my studies I was just wondering what you did in the 6 week holiday before term 2 of year 12 started? Did you use the opportunity to study and go ahead or take a break? Sorry if you've answered this before!

Thanks for the compliment Glad I helped in some way. I have always used my holiday breaks to study ahead, like all the way from year 7, and year 12 was no different, from my memory, I read all my English prescribed text, read through a few study guides for each one to get a rough idea of what the modules are about, and make sure I tried to self-learn one term of content ahead-like each week devoting for one subject, obviously I had a few days of free time, but it wasn't a lot-because I knew that time was the common resource between all students-regardless whether they are smart, wealthy, studious or talented. As to the exact methods by which I studied, I usually read through the textbook for science and maths subjects and start doing questions, circling the ones I didn't understand to ask the teacher later on during the term.

I would also like to take this opportunity to write a disclaimer. The advice in this guide is strictly suggestions only, there is no fixed rule of attaining a 99+ ATAR and there never will be-as I have emphasised numerous times in this study guide and many of my other forum posts-everyone is a unique individuals and study differently. To some extent, you can say I love studying-like for me it wasn't an enormous chore or burden but rather an opportunity for me to enter into a gateway for a good university degree that I had really wanted to pursue but have always doubted my abilities. This actually goes for all my advice across all BOS forums, although I recommend certain methods of doing things, whether it is writing essay plans, or in regards to a studying technique for a particular subject, that does not mean that people can't excel by going against my advice-since there are exceptions, and I only talk from my personal experience in the HSC, which is by no means representative or comprehensive of the experience of the elite cohorts who have gotten a 95+ ATAR.

Hope this helps I think at the end of the day what is important is for you to explore your own learning style and really use it to your advantage This is actually the secret to success many people ignore. Many people probably know about the tips in this guide, but few would follow through, and it's the results of the few who practice these tips and the many who know these tips but ignore them that often differentiates best and great results

 

[Jkitty]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Hi just a quick question,
I like doing a 20 min study with 10 min break for year 11 but I was still behind
I can't do one hour study blocks straight cause my head just hurts a lot then I start procrastinating
Do you have any advice in a way I can allocate my time for studying for year 12 without getting a burnt out situation
Thank you and great advice

 

[Thunderstorm]

Re: Advice from a graduated HSC student on how to excel in senior year studies(yr 11/

After reading through this brilliant thread, I too have a question regarding routinely study timetables. I noticed somewhere you suggested studying between 45mins to 1hour blocks of a subject. But then this came up:

1. Making to do lists are always helpful, as well as prioritising which subjects are the most important to study for on any particular date-based on a consideration of what assignments are on etc. I don't actually study all subjects in one day, I usually just focus on one or two. Remember, learning to prioritise is the key to success.

Going into year 12 I'm looking to structure my timetable effectively and properly and this thread has been great but I was wondering how many subjects should I look to cover in a typical weeknight. Sometimes I just don't know what subjects to 'cut'. Apologies if there's an answer in an alternate thread- just a spur of the moment question

 

[strawberrye]

Re: Advice from a graduated HSC student on how to excel in senior year studies(yr 11/

Hi just a quick question,
I like doing a 20 min study with 10 min break for year 11 but I was still behind
I can't do one hour study blocks straight cause my head just hurts a lot then I start procrastinating
Do you have any advice in a way I can allocate my time for studying for year 12 without getting a burnt out situation
Thank you and great advice

Hi Jkitty, when do you usually study? Do you know why your heads hurts a lot? Is it because you are trying to cram too much information in one go or is it because you find the material not very engaging. Have you tried group studying or getting a private tutor to assist you? I wrote a session on how to avoid burning out in senior years somewhere in this guide, so you might want to check that out, but essentially you need to establish intrinsic goals that you are motivated to aspire towards, perhaps try to increase your concentration span over a period of time, it will be really critical for your HSC success, particularly considering two and three hour exam blocks are quite common. To avoid procrastination, I would suggest you to use the source that makes you procrastinate as a reward for the completion of a task, such as maths homework or writing a paragraph for an English essay. Ultimately, at the end of the day, it is all about self-discipline, you need to be determined enough to refrain from being distracted too often and stay focused on advancing towards your academic goals, however, since there might be other reasons such as medical or familial factors that might contribute to your condition, I would refrain from making assumptions and would require more details to the exact cause as to assist you further. Hope this helps a bit

After reading through this brilliant thread, I too have a question regarding routinely study timetables. I noticed somewhere you suggested studying between 45mins to 1hour blocks of a subject. But then this came up:


Going into year 12 I'm looking to structure my timetable effectively and properly and this thread has been great but I was wondering how many subjects should I look to cover in a typical weeknight. Sometimes I just don't know what subjects to 'cut'. Apologies if there's an answer in an alternate thread- just a spur of the moment question

Hi Thunderstorm, for me, I tried to study the subjects I learnt at school that day, the reason why I said I usually focus on one or two is because of the nature of my subjects which can be grouped together, for example, I usually study maths 2 unit with maths extension one, chemistry with physics, and when I wrote that exact quote, I had more in mind of holiday study rather than weeknight study, where I prefer to focus on one subject for self-study/revision during the school holidays. There really isn't a fixed number of subjects, the base line rule is that you focus more time on subjects that you are not as strong at, and that you find a timetable that is flexible enough but works for you. Study really is a trial and error thing, the advice I have given is not meant to be interpreted extremely literally, followed to the letter, but simply provides a model, a guideline by which you can modify and change to suit your own study needs. Hence I would say just trial and error, there are many different factors that prevents me from giving you a definitive answer, such as I don't know what subjects you study, what subjects you are good at, what your current study habits are, and because of this lack of information, this is the best answer I can give you based on the information I am given. Perhaps if you elaborated a bit further on how you structured your timetable in the past I might be able to assist you further.

Happy holidays to both of you

 

[Thunderstorm]

Re: Advice from a graduated HSC student on how to excel in senior year studies(yr 11/

Hi Thunderstorm, for me, I tried to study the subjects I learnt at school that day, the reason why I said I usually focus on one or two is because of the nature of my subjects which can be grouped together, for example, I usually study maths 2 unit with maths extension one, chemistry with physics, and when I wrote that exact quote, I had more in mind of holiday study rather than weeknight study, where I prefer to focus on one subject for self-study/revision during the school holidays. There really isn't a fixed number of subjects, the base line rule is that you focus more time on subjects that you are not as strong at, and that you find a timetable that is flexible enough but works for you. Study really is a trial and error thing, the advice I have given is not meant to be interpreted extremely literally, followed to the letter, but simply provides a model, a guideline by which you can modify and change to suit your own study needs. Hence I would say just trial and error, there are many different factors that prevents me from giving you a definitive answer, such as I don't know what subjects you study, what subjects you are good at, what your current study habits are, and because of this lack of information, this is the best answer I can give you based on the information I am given. Perhaps if you elaborated a bit further on how you structured your timetable in the past I might be able to assist you further.

Happy holidays to both of you

Thanks for the tips! In terms of study habits, I think a lack of structure for after school study is an area that I need to improve on to have me better prepared for exams going into year 12. I found that writing (handwritten) notes for older topics consumed a lot of time that could've been spent doing more past papers. Another one of my main problem is that I tend to doubt my approach to study compared to how everyone else does it and their individual methods. It's a habit I've gotten into that isn't really fun.

Anyway, the following attachment is an example of my timetable for the weeks leading up my prelim exams. It worked fairly well but I'm not sure how it would run as a general basis for day to day year 12 study. Thoughts? Also 'Work of Choice' pretty much means selecting the most important subject to study before leaving for training. For weekends, I'd usually write a 'To-Do' list of all the things needed to be done and work through them when I could. Thanks again.

 

[strawberrye]

Re: Advice from a graduated HSC student on how to excel in senior year studies(yr 11/

Thanks for the tips! In terms of study habits, I think a lack of structure for after school study is an area that I need to improve on to have me better prepared for exams going into year 12. I found that writing (handwritten) notes for older topics consumed a lot of time that could've been spent doing more past papers. Another one of my main problem is that I tend to doubt my approach to study compared to how everyone else does it and their individual methods. It's a habit I've gotten into that isn't really fun.

Anyway, the following attachment is an example of my timetable for the weeks leading up my prelim exams. It worked fairly well but I'm not sure how it would run as a general basis for day to day year 12 study. Thoughts? Also 'Work of Choice' pretty much means selecting the most important subject to study before leaving for training. For weekends, I'd usually write a 'To-Do' list of all the things needed to be done and work through them when I could. Thanks again.
View attachment 30952

For general day to day basis, perhaps trying to juggle four subjects in a weeknight is a bit excessive, however, it might still work for you. I generally don't recommend having a very fixed and balanced time frame for each subject, because normally I would personally attribute a weeknight to just focus on writing an English essay, and I personally found I would engage with the subject more deeply rather than trying to do more things in a finite amount of time with less understanding and time for reflection. But this is just my personal opinion, if you do end up find that this timetable works for you, then do by all means follow it. One tip I would advise you is to avoid comparing with other individuals, it is quite futile, endless and ultimately very harming to your self-esteem, have more faith in your abilities, independence and decisions and pursue your dreams without fearing/caring what other people expect or think of you. Hope this helps a bit, if you have any further questions, feel free to ask on this thread

Perhaps you can also draw mindmaps or create mnemonics to remember the information rather than writing traditionally hand written notes-the more meaningful ways you encode the information you learnt and re-processed it, such as making it personally relevant to you, the better you will remember the information, and you will need to have a solid understanding of knowledge in order to make attempting past papers in any way a productive/feasible task.

 

[dtmtrano]

Re: How to excel in senior year studies (yr 11/12)

Ahoooo up so late. Dedication mai

 

[Thunderstorm]

Re: Advice from a graduated HSC student on how to excel in senior year studies(yr 11/

For general day to day basis, perhaps trying to juggle four subjects in a weeknight is a bit excessive, however, it might still work for you. I generally don't recommend having a very fixed and balanced time frame for each subject, because normally I would personally attribute a weeknight to just focus on writing an English essay, and I personally found I would engage with the subject more deeply rather than trying to do more things in a finite amount of time with less understanding and time for reflection. But this is just my personal opinion, if you do end up find that this timetable works for you, then do by all means follow it. One tip I would advise you is to avoid comparing with other individuals, it is quite futile, endless and ultimately very harming to your self-esteem, have more faith in your abilities, independence and decisions and pursue your dreams without fearing/caring what other people expect or think of you. Hope this helps a bit, if you have any further questions, feel free to ask on this thread

Perhaps you can also draw mindmaps or create mnemonics to remember the information rather than writing traditionally hand written notes-the more meaningful ways you encode the information you learnt and re-processed it, such as making it personally relevant to you, the better you will remember the information, and you will need to have a solid understanding of knowledge in order to make attempting past papers in any way a productive/feasible task.

Thank you so much for your time and advice Mei. I'll be sure to use this information over the next year, so thanks a lot. I appreciate it

 

[strawberrye]

Re: Advice from a graduated HSC student on how to excel in senior year studies(yr 11/

Thank you so much for your time and advice Mei. I'll be sure to use this information over the next year, so thanks a lot. I appreciate it

Glad that you found it helpful. If you have any questions about any aspects of your senior studies, feel free to ask on this thread Best wishes for your HSC studies