The ATAR Notes Forums turned ten years old in October 2017. Our ten year anniversary was capped off with the announcement of our 2017 MVPs: K888 and Jess1113. Kate and Jess1113 both made phenomenal contributions to the site last year, and continue to do so as the forums go from strength to strength.

In 2018, ATAR Notes clocked up its 200,000th member, and the forums are fast-approaching their 1,000,000th post. Yep – that’s one million.

The ATAR Notes Hall of Fame has recently been established to acknowledge the work and contributions of users from years gone by. They are the ones who established the foundations on which we now strengthen the wonderful ATAR Notes Community. But you might also be interested in what’s going on in the forums right now, and this article will let you know just that! We asked some of our forum members for their thoughts; here’s what they said.

RuiAce

RuiAce is a State Moderator on the forums, predominantly looking after maths boards. He’s been around for several years, and has written study guides and lectured for ATAR Notes off the back of his amazing forum work. He’s tireless in answering questions and helping out wherever possible. He says the best thing about the ATAR Notes Community this year is the way it’s continued to grow.

“[I]t’s amazing seeing just how much it’s already developed into at this point in time.”

For Rui, the forums are a great way of helping others in a position he was in just a few years ago.

He says, “it’s mostly just nice being brought back down to earth (because uni is hard) and still being able to have that opportunity to assist others in various ways.”

Marvin K. Mooney

Marvin K. Mooney, on the other hand, is currently in Year 12.t

“I love the support that I have been getting for the start of my Year 12, the backing that the people in this forum community give you, someone they don’t even know, is amazing.”

Marvin K. Mooney won the February Member of the Month award for his enthusiasm, help and widespread posting across the entire site.

“It feels like a family, and it is a pleasure to be able to help at times, and to just feel the friendship, camaraderie and kindness that this place has is awesome… In general the vibes of the community are incredible, and it just makes you want to be a part of this awesome support group.”

You can read more about Marvin K. Mooney’s Year 12 journey here.

owidjaja

owidjaja is also a recent Member of the Month winner; she was crowned one of our January champions. owidjaja became part of the community mid-late last year, and has since made almost 200 excellent posts – and she’s also written an article for ATAR Notes!

As a current Year 12 student, owidjaja has enjoyed getting more involved with the forums.

“The ATAR Notes forums is great for giving students the opportunity to fill in the gaps that they missed in the classroom as well as using our understanding to help others. There are some great detailed guides that don’t get to be published as articles but are published in the forums – these guides are great for those HSC [and VCE] graduates to pass their knowledge down to upcoming HSC [and VCE] graduates…

The fact that the ATAR Notes forum gives us the opportunity to discuss things we wished we knew in Year 12 or general advice has made my experience with ATAR Notes extremely enjoyable.”

And one of the best things, owidjaja thinks, is being able to give back to the community.

“Even if I can’t do much, helping someone by suggesting ideas is better than nothing. With ATAR Notes, I’m able to use my understanding to help others; I was always told that 90% of what you know is what you can teach, meaning if you can teach others, then you know the content. In a way, my contribution to ATAR Notes is a two-way street: I’m reinforcing my understanding and I’m helping others solidify their understanding.”

That’s really what ATAR Notes is all about!

You can read more about owidjaja’s Year 12 journey here.

insanipi

And, finally, we have insanipi: another one of our State Moderators. insanipi has made more than 2,000 posts on the forums, and is one of our leaders. She echoes the sentiment that through ATAR Notes, you can give back to those who helped you previously.

“I… love to help out as often as I can, as a way to pay it forward and encourage others to post… The way everyone seems to help out everyone else has got to be the best thing – whether it be in the VCE or HSC forums, or other non-school related forums such as Accountability and Motivation, someone will be there to help you out!”

And she’s right.

The nature of ATAR Notes is that it’s simply students helping students – that’s how it’s always been.

And if you want to get involved, you can! Click here to make your first post. 😊