ATAR Notes: Forum

HSC Stuff => New South Wales Education Discussion => The HSC Journey Journal => Topic started by: melberry on February 05, 2019, 12:25:39 pm

Title: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on February 05, 2019, 12:25:39 pm
I generally like to keep things positive, but obviously HSC year hits hard for everyone one way or another. I'm creating this thread to track my personal progress/keep myself accountable but hopefully to also spread some positivity to anyone who comes to this page. That's not to promise no ranting from time to time, but leaving encouragement for the next person to come by this page will be greatly appreciated <3 I'm also open to chat about pretty much anything, so feel free to ask me something/just say hi.

Some stuff about me
- Year 12
- Subjects: (listed at the end of my post)
- Aiming to get into B Comm (Public)/BCII @ UTS
- Loves books, poetry, fencing
- Runs strictly on tea and water - no coffee for me xD

As of today, I've already gotten my first HSC task results back, and was pretty pleased with everything (except 4U math cough cough cough). The next task will come in the next five or six weeks, and I think I'm on track. I want to go through my HSC year without any regrets, or with as few as possible.  HSC is fast approaching, and I don't have the luxury of saying I have a year to study anymore. I was super apathetic in Year 11 for an unknown reason that it scared me, and I'm only starting to regain motivation again. I'm fairly confident I can get into the course I want, but my brain still prefers procrastination over pushing myself to do my "best". I'm still doing the co-curriculars I love, and I have cut on some of my procastination, so I'm hoping my productivity will spike as a result. Hmmm... apart from that I'm on good terms with my friends, but my schedule is packed this term and time management will be an issue for me. I hope that I will gain more confidence in test scenarios as time goes on!

I hope you guys are doing well, and thanks for clicking on this thread ^^

Positivitea for the day: Even the simplest design of a paper plane has the potential to go the distance.
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: AngelWings on February 05, 2019, 01:16:51 pm
Hey Melberry!

Always great to see another HSC journal up and running. I like the positivi-tea you're hoping to share here. ;)
- Runs strictly on tea and water - no coffee for me xD
I feel ya. Tea and water for the win.

I'm still doing the co-curriculars I love, and I have cut on some of my procastination, so I'm hoping my productivity will spike as a result.
What sort of co-curriculars do you enjoy/ do? (Oh and good luck on the procrastination situation! It gets better with a little practise.)
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on February 05, 2019, 01:38:02 pm
What sort of co-curriculars do you enjoy/ do? (Oh and good luck on the procrastination situation! It gets better with a little practise.)

Hello there, thanks for the encouragement!
I enjoy singing so I am in the choir, and as mentioned before, I love fencing and am in the fencing club ^^ Unfortunately, because of time constraints I've had to drop being a library monitor although I still do spend most of my free time there. I'm not partial towards more dynamic/passive co-curriculars, but I have had a long-lasting commitment to choir and fencing so there's no plans on stopping in Year 12  ;D
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on February 08, 2019, 11:07:12 am
So the past two days have been pretty productive; I read over my eco notes on the train to school and went to tutoring after school. Upon returning home, I consolidated my economic article research for my case study. I spent my study periods working through complex numbers questions (my rank for 4u atm is pretty dismal so I want to ace this next exam to pull myself up). Overall, pretty good :D

I'm feeling pretty okay with my eco and english study because I learn as I make my notes and do my research. However, I am unsure on how to approach math study for 3u and 4u from now on because I have a longer list of things I need to do (and don't know what order to do them in):
- flash cards of 3u and 4u formulae
- revision and consolidation for the next assessment task
- redo year 11 and year 12 assessment tasks
- past HSC papers
- textbook exercises (not school assigned, but just practice questions)

As of now I'm doing bits and pieces of each for 3u and 4u, but I'm pretty sure that's not the most productive way of completing everything. So I'd like to know how others think I should approach this, and hopefully build up better study habits and strategies. Thanks!

Positivitea for the day: Smile, because you make someone's day.
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: Bri MT on February 08, 2019, 12:21:34 pm
I'm not sure if this helps, but:
- reading flashcards can be used on the train fairly easily, so that might be lower priority for when you're at home
- similarly, making flashcards could be a high priority if you're running out of train-friendly tasks
- I would usually complete textbook questions before assignment-style ones (but only if I knew I had time to do both - otherwise I'd just do the assignment ones)
- full papers are a step up from assignment-style questions and I would usually leave them until later.


This is just generic advice not tailored for 3u and 4u but I hope it helps :)
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on February 08, 2019, 10:21:33 pm
This is just generic advice not tailored for 3u and 4u but I hope it helps :)

Yes, this has helped! Thanks a lot, it's my first time actually using flash cards since primary school xD
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: smamsmo22 on February 08, 2019, 11:49:58 pm
Hey! Best of luck with HSC this from an '18 VCE student (:

I agree with miniturtle's advice; I actually found flash cards super helpful for more content/theory heavy subjects (for me; chem and PE) and found time on public transport/walking home was always well spent when I had some to go through :)
I don't know much about 3u and 4u and what subjects you're referring to (sorry... my knowledge of HSC is limited to none :P ) but I don't know how important flashcards would be for subjects like maths. Personally, I found practice questions a lot more useful for maths (textbook questions to consolidate, followed by exam/assessment level questions) as your maths assessment/exams will always be asking you to apply and actively use formulae/theory, rather than just recall it /give a definition as you would when using flash cards. Maths study for me pretty much always consisted of practice questions! And if there's any part of the question you don't understand, make sure you have someone go through it with you (teacher, tutor, friend, someone on ATAR notes etc) until you really understand the method and can use it independently. But that's just my opinion based on my VCE (Methods) studies last year :)

I hope those tidbits were somewhat helpful and if you want any more advice (not HSC specific haha) feel free to ask :)
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on February 10, 2019, 07:02:15 am
I hope those tidbits were somewhat helpful and if you want any more advice (not HSC specific haha) feel free to ask :)

Thanks for the advice! That's pretty helpful, and I get what you mean about practice questions over flash cards for math. I find tha my content heavy subject (economics) is going pretty okay without flash cards, so I'll probably use them for quotes instead :)
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on February 19, 2019, 12:10:40 pm
Hello there! Update for the past week:
I started using flashcards to learn my Japanese kanji, and it's been very effective so far. I also started using them to memorise math formulae before putting them into practice (one of my biggest problems is I would know how to approach a question, but ended up using the wrong formula). I've been able to get through more past papers and textbook questions ;D

I've been feeling emotionally drained recently, but positive thinking has helped me through most of that ^^ As in, looking back at little messages I wrote to myself before the HSC year commenced to remind me why I'm working so hard. Time management has always been one of my weakest points, and I can't seem to find the time to complete tutoring + school homework, and I'm thinking I may have to sacrifice some of the time I use on past papers.

Any thoughts? I feel a bit lost, but I want to get the hang of this!

Positivitea for today: When all seems lost, know that this too will pass
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: Joseph41 on February 19, 2019, 12:32:07 pm
Positivitea for today: When all seems lost, know that this too will pass

"Let it go, this too shall pass
Let it go, this too shall pass"

Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: mango8 on May 12, 2019, 03:03:40 pm
Any thoughts? I feel a bit lost, but I want to get the hang of this!

Hi there! I've been enjoying your journal lots and lots, I think your mindset is incredibly motivating! I'm loving the positivity because this time in vce gets really difficult to stay optimistic. I'd definitely like to start using flashcards, seems like they can be really useful. How do you motivate yourself in the harder times? What are your future goals and aspirations (I saw you are keen to get into Commerce, what draws you to that)? And ooh fencing!! I've always wanted to do that! I was in a choir years ago, had loads of fun! Do you practise weekly/do performances often? Maybe we'll see a cover soon ;) I don't know anything really too much about the hsc so am keen to hear more, I defintiely feel you on time management. Hope to hear from you soon!!
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on September 10, 2019, 12:27:01 pm
Wow, it's been a while.

Hey guys, I'm back after several months of working through the year. In retrospect, I think I've managed to keep my physical and mental wellbeing in check, though there have definitely been instances where my marks fell below the desired result. At the time of writing this post, I have received all of my trial results and am pretty content with my predicted ATAR, as it will get me into the course I want. I'm working hard to boost my exam skills to get a good external mark in the HSC (work hard for scholarships kids! always helps!)

My best to worst subject ranking has not changed much. My better subjects saw improvements in marks, and the worst stayed pretty consistent so they're not going to bring about the Armageddon or anything.

Being positive and approaching the HSC with a determined attitude is very important, but it is important to know that you can cry from time to time. Bottling up emotions is never good, and putting on a brave face without acknowledging disappointment will eventually lead to a breakdown, which is worse in the long-run. So if you're feeling stressed, or less than pleased with your trial results, feel free to have a good cry, or go out for a run. Physical exercise has also been relieving for me,

I know it's been several months since someone last posted on this thread but I'll answer the questions now ^_^

How do you motivate yourself in the harder times?

Especially leading up to trials and the HSC, the final leg of studying can be difficult to study for. The content is all in front of you, your notes are organised and ready to go... but all you want to do is watch YouTube.

What I've found helpful is alternating between my subjects when studying. I particularly love studying Japanese and Economics, so when I get tired of writing English essays, I do bits of study in between. The only exception to this approach is math, as consistent math practice without interruption is what I find commits things to memory best.

Also, I'm lucky to have a very supportive and understanding family and social circle that I ground myself in. A supportive and encouraging environment has helped me out of my slumps and reminded me that not all encouraging words are hollow and overused. Spending time with people I care about has helped me be more positive to the work I do, even if it's for subjects I really don't like.

What are your future goals and aspirations (I saw you are keen to get into Commerce, what draws you to that)?

My future goal is to get into the PR and advertising field in communications. I've always been interested in how effective, concise communication results in projects going smoothly, and how words have impacts and connotations to other people. So, academically, I want to study communication and broaden my skills.

Sport-wise, I want to continue fencing. International competitions are not currently on my list of goals, but who knows, maybe one day :)

Commerce and economics have overlapping aspects. My love of economics has drawn me to consider a commerce degree (economics double degrees are pretty sparse and don't have much overlap with areas of study other than business). However, I am more of an English and evidence oriented person than math-oriented, so I am more inclined to design/media/communication degrees.

I was in a choir years ago, had loads of fun! Do you practise weekly/do performances often? Maybe we'll see a cover soon ;)

Choir is really fun! Glad to see someone else who enjoys it as well.

Because of the hectic scheduling of HSC study, I have been unable to participate in choir, but I have still been rehearsing with the Senior Vocal group (smaller, sub-unit of choir). I have been going to weekly rehearsals for that, but we don't have regular performances. We had a lot of out-of-school performances three years ago, but since then it's averaged about 3 or 4 performances per year. Our next performance is actually next week, and that will be the last performance I do with them before graduation. Man, that's nostalgic!

In terms of covers, I'm pretty camera shy and self-conscious, so I don't think I'll make one any time soon XD




That's all for now, stay positive guys! We're almost at the finish line!
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: caffinatedloz on October 04, 2019, 07:13:27 am
How have you been? Missing your Positivi-Tea! <3
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on October 22, 2019, 11:12:47 pm
How have you been? Missing your Positivi-Tea! <3

Aaaaand it's time for a mid-HSC update!
(sad reality is I'll never be able to say I'm halfway done because of an odd number of exams haha)

The notorious Advanced English exam has been completed, and whilst my friends are tearing their notes over the flickering flames on their laptop, I must re-organise and file away my notes to store for the next generation. Anyone else here have siblings?

Personally, I didn't find the questions in Adv English difficult. The Crucible question was a lot less abstract than I expected, but otherwise I didn't find anything wrong with the question. My only downfall this entire exam was my writing speed, and therefore was unfortunately unable to finish one essay oout of the three we were required to do. However, I took solace in the boomerang memes (which baffled yet amused me) and spent time with my friends afterwards so I didn't dwell on my performance too much.

I completed my Japanese Continuers HSC this morning. Again, pleasantly surprised to find it easier than anticipated, but of course that raises a whole other level of paranoia of overconfidence and stuff. In the wise words of my parents, though, "it's over, just focus on your next exam"

~which just so happens to be 4U math~

i'm going into the math exam feeling bittersweet.

dear 4U math,
you are one of the most challenging yet fun courses i've ever done
but i cannot wait to never have to look at you ever again
then, perhaps, i can move past the hurt over realising
that despite my best efforts to leave physics in the past
you were basically physics


Positivitea for the day: even thunderstorms have their purpose in helping the saplings grow
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on October 25, 2019, 09:19:55 pm
4 Unit Math is finally over!!
I walked out of there feeling both like I did my best, but also oddly numb. I think I expected more exhilaration at finishing one of the hardest courses, but there was no sense of catharsis and just an acceptance that it was over (the biggest disappointment of the day). I'm glad I somehow survived in that 35-degree heat (no air conditioner), and I have a week to prepare for my next exam.

1st Nov: English Extension 1
4th Nov: Math Extension 1
6th Nov: Economics

I think my biggest worry at the moment is that even though I have around 2-3 days between each exam, English Extension 1 and Economics are quite essay-heavy (the latter more so), and balancing revising three subjects in depth will be difficult.

So here's my plan of attack! Daily schedule will look like this:

One essay question for English Ext 1
Math Ext 1 Notes Revision
Math Ext 1 Past Paper
One essay question for Economics
Economics Notes Revision before sleep

Of course, this is quite flexible and can be changed along the way. Any thoughts, and perhaps advice to minimise the chance of burn out?
The light at the end of the tunnel is coming, and sometimes it can be easy to slow down when the end is in sight.

That's all for today!
'Till next time.

Positivitea for the day: Believing in yourself is half the battle won, so every effort counts.
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on November 03, 2019, 02:21:43 pm
It's about 19 hours until my second last exam of the HSC, and I'm suddenly having doubts.

For those who aren't familiar, I've been set on getting into Public Comms and BCII at UTS since mid Year 11. This was a switch made in the midst of Year 11, after wanting to do Visual Comms and BCII since Year 9. Part of the reason I made the switch was that I figured that getting artblocked half the time during uni wouldn't be a very fun experience, hence sticking to a more literate and less visual type of design would be better for me.

Herein lies my predicament - I'm not sure if convincing myself to change from Vis Comms to Public Comms was the best idea. I didn't have a great experience in VA in Year 11 and discontinued it in Year 12, but Vis Comms still feels like something I would like to pursue. However, under HSC pressure, I am unable to tell if my worries are a form of procrastination, or because deep down I know changing my mind was running away from difficulties.

I realise that this is probably not the appropriate time to worry about such things, and that I literally can worry about this in three days once this is over, but the thought has been nagging at me for some time, so I thought I should record it here.

Dear me three days from now: congrats, you've done your best. Get some rest.

Positivitea for the day: Just a little over a week until the HSC period is over for everyone.
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on November 09, 2019, 06:23:44 pm
What's up people :D Hope you're having a good weekend.

It's all over! I finished my last exam three days ago, and pretty much spent the rest of the day chilling out. I think economics went pretty well, so I'm crossing my fingers the markers think so too haha.

I've spent the past two days reorganising my room. Slightly ironic that I'm cleaning my room after HSC rather than before, but hey, it's therapeutic.

Question for people who stop by: Do you guys prefer hand written notes or typed notes?
I suppose there's pros and cons for both, but clearing out my room and organising things into piles to keep and recycle made me realise that we use a lot of paper throughout the six years of high school. Whether it's from your own notes, school handouts, practice exams, tutoring, etc, it's a little disheartening to have to discard a pile of papers that is literally as big as a chest of drawers. I know recycling it reduces waste, but even so, it's a little scary, don't you think?

I'm almost done cleaning my room (still have to sort through economics notes but that's about it), and then afterwards I'm going to finish the "To Do After HSC" list that I have.

I'll still be on this thread until my HSC results come out, so if you pop in, feel free to say hello or chat :D

Good luck to all the people who have an exam on Monday, you've got this!

Positivitea for the day: Doing something that makes you smile a genuine smile is something worth pursuing.
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: avocadinq on November 09, 2019, 07:28:43 pm
Hey melberry, so glad that the hsc exams are finally over and I'm glad that you are taking time to relax - the marie kondo way haha.

In regards to your question, I do prefer handwritten notes because it doesn't strain your eyes as much and the feeling of writing on paper. However, I'm not sure if i'll be able to keep this up in university as most of the learning is from lectures which tend to be fast. I definitely agree with the whole wasting paper and am currently looking for better ways to reduce waste while taking handwritten notes.

Do you have any plans post hsc?
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: katie,rinos on November 09, 2019, 08:13:33 pm
Congrats on finishing HSC!!  ;D

I haven't done too many notes at uni, but I definitely prefer them typed-I find it easier to change things and work on them on the train.

What type of things are on your To Do After HSC" list? :)
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on November 11, 2019, 03:41:01 pm
I definitely agree with the whole wasting paper and am currently looking for better ways to reduce waste while taking handwritten notes.

Do you have any plans post hsc?

My method for high school was to type notes during fast lessons and rewrite concise versions at home to help memorise them, but please if you figure out a better way to reduce waste and handwrite notes let me know :D

I do have several plans now that HSC season is officially over for everyone in a few hours. This week is going to be hectic as I am catching up with old friends and primary school mates almost every day, and then at the end of the month I'm going to be travelling interstate with a few school friends. It was a spontaneously planned trip spawned from 8pm tears and the desire to not study for math prior to the HSC, so I'm sure everything will be alright ;)

In regards to December, I hope to get a Christmas job, but otherwise I don't have many plans since most people are overseas with their family. I do have one Christmas party, full of family, friends, food and fun (the only Fs I will accept in life) so that's going to be pretty cool.

Do you have any plans?


Congrats on finishing HSC!!  ;D

I haven't done too many notes at uni, but I definitely prefer them typed-I find it easier to change things and work on them on the train.

What type of things are on your To Do After HSC" list? :)

Thank you!

I suppose it also depends on how the course is structured, and whether it will call for notes or more "logs" on practical assignments ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My lengthy To Do list has been culled since the end of my HSC mostly because my parents have convinced me that it's not a good idea to do things like reliving my childhood by binge-watching all 26 seasons of Power Rangers, so it goes as follows:


I'm interested to hear if other people have a post-HSC to do list that they're starting to complete now :D


Until next time,
melberry

Positivitea for the day: As of this post, #teamtrees has raised $14,703,433 in less than a month, meaning that we will probably have 20 million more trees planted in the earth by 2020. I think that's pretty cool :D
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: Bri MT on November 12, 2019, 08:27:20 am
Now that I have a laptop where I can write on the screen I annotate lecture slides that way with small amounts of typed text so I can use the search function to find topics.

In terms of paper use,  if you can buy books made from recycled paper that's a step in the right direction :)

Enjoy your holidays!
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: caffinatedloz on November 13, 2019, 06:13:14 am
  • Take Auslan classes
  • Sell/donate things that do not spark joy
  • Bible study
  • Learn to use watercolour without destroying the paper
  • Go to the Botanical gardens
  • Finish reading the stack of 30+ novels I haven't read yet (one novel per day)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
How good does being done feel?!


Sounds very similar to my post exam plans! What interested you about Auslan? I started learning about two and a half years ago and it really is a beautiful language. ;D

I've been slowly KonMari-ing my bedroom and it is life changing!

I love watercolour; but all I paint is flowers. Do you have something in particular you like to paint? If you're destroying the paper, you could try really gentle strokes, slightly less water and only going over each area once (or possibly twice as needed). Also, I got an illustrating bible and have been sticking in my watercolours and doing calligraphy in the extra-wide margins and it has been very fun and helpful! Have you ever thought about doing something similar?

As soon as exams are done, a friend and I are spending a day in the Royal Botanic Gardens (and possibly also Flagstaff Gardens) in Melbourne.

Which books are in your stack? (I also have a TBR list longer than I could ever possibly get through.)
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on November 13, 2019, 11:05:52 pm
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
How good does being done feel?!


Sounds very similar to my post exam plans! What interested you about Auslan? I started learning about two and a half years ago and it really is a beautiful language. ;D

I've been slowly KonMari-ing my bedroom and it is life changing!

I love watercolour; but all I paint is flowers. Do you have something in particular you like to paint? If you're destroying the paper, you could try really gentle strokes, slightly less water and only going over each area once (or possibly twice as needed). Also, I got an illustrating bible and have been sticking in my watercolours and doing calligraphy in the extra-wide margins and it has been very fun and helpful! Have you ever thought about doing something similar?

As soon as exams are done, a friend and I are spending a day in the Royal Botanic Gardens (and possibly also Flagstaff Gardens) in Melbourne.

Which books are in your stack? (I also have a TBR list longer than I could ever possibly get through.)

Being done feels amazing :D I do hope that I won't feel like I have "too much time" on my hands because there's always something to do.

That's cool to hear from someone who has learned Auslan! To answer your question, I learnt some American Sign Language and a bit of British sign language from my mum when I was younger. Now that we live in Australia, I figured it would be a useful skill to have, a fun experience, and a good bonding session with my mum who also wants to learn Auslan :D

Watercolour flowers are some of the prettiest things I have ever seen. I would like to learn how to use watercolour to paint landscapes, but right now I try drawing humans. As far as priorities go, I definitely have to do more anatomy studies before I get close to being satisfied with my current level of drawing. I've attempted watercolour several times before, but either I didn't have the proper paper for it, or my friends watched as I started off with too much pigment on the brush and ended up with a puddle on the page. It all comes with practice, I suppose, but I am scared to waste paint :P I have not tried using an illustrating bible, but I do experiment with calligraphy on scrap pieces of paper using my brush pen.

Sounds good! I was debating whether or not to go to the Melbourne Botanical Gardens while I am there, but my friends say that because we have one in Sydney, it's not at the top of our list of things to do :( Slight shame because hanging out in the city all the time can get tiresome.

I have more random books in my "to read" list than books I specifically set aside "to read". My school had a really cheap book sale, and I grabbed whatever looked interesting. I may end up liking some and disliking others, but I'm open to pleasant surprises :) Bolded books are the ones I specifically set aside to read.


I actually finished two books since the end of HSC: "Between Two Seas" (Marie-Louise Jensen) and "Bereft" (Chris Womersley). I was pleasantly surprised by both of them (the latter being a bit more "WHY???").

If anyone has any book recommendations, feel free to let me know! I'm pretty open to anything with a good plot or cast of characters.


Signing off for the day,
melberry

Positivitea for the day: I had a wholesome reunion dinner with friends and our teacher today :D
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on December 17, 2019, 06:30:59 am
It is 6:30am in the morning and I got my HSC results 30 minutes ago.

I am surprised.

Overall I feel pretty good. I severely underestimated my HSC marks for math extension 1 and math extension 2 (thank goodness for scaling!!), and I also slightly underestimated my English marks in both advanced and extension. I fell short on my expectations for economics and got exactly what I thought I would for Japanese.

My raw HSC scores were higher than I thought they were in both English and Math subjects. Four subjects I toiled and grappled with over this past year because I enjoyed Japanese and Economics much more. I think disbelief can be a bad thing sometimes but it honestly made looking at these marks relieving. I walked out of that Math Extension 2 exam thinking I got a 50 but I got much higher than that. (THANK YOU ATARNOTES FOR YOUR NOTES AND TESTS AND LECTURES YOU GUYS ARE LIFESAVERS!!!)

I'll update this again after 1pm

Good luck to everyone
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: angewina_naguen on December 17, 2019, 07:19:37 am
Huge congratulations! I’ve been silently enjoying your journal over the year and just wanted to say well done for your results  ;D Hoping the ATAR will be what you’d like it to be and keen for your update later!  :D
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on December 17, 2019, 12:54:58 pm
I am crying.
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on December 17, 2019, 10:43:35 pm
I am crying.

Just to clarify, this is relief.
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: caffinatedloz on December 19, 2019, 09:09:18 pm
Congratulations! What a fantastic ATAR! What are your plans for next year?
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on December 21, 2019, 06:06:28 pm
Congratulations! What a fantastic ATAR! What are your plans for next year?

Thanks! Other than getting into uni, I plan to resume fencing and continue working :) I also want to go on a road trip with friends in April and start tutoring people. Beyond that, I don't have specific plans, since I have no idea what my schedule and budget may look like.

How about you?
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: caffinatedloz on December 21, 2019, 09:41:20 pm
Thanks! Other than getting into uni, I plan to resume fencing and continue working :) I also want to go on a road trip with friends in April and start tutoring people. Beyond that, I don't have specific plans, since I have no idea what my schedule and budget may look like.
Sounds like you'll be busy! What course are you hoping to get in to? What kind of thing do you do for work?

How about you?
I'm going into Year 11, so probably a bit more study than I've been doing this year. Also, going to keep working and doing all of the extracurricular activities that I love. My volunteering is very fun and keeps me fairly busy.

I'm really looking forward to next year! Are you feeling excited about the increased freedom or is it a bit daunting? Or something else all together?
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: melberry on December 24, 2019, 12:22:15 pm
Sounds like you'll be busy! What course are you hoping to get in to? What kind of thing do you do for work?
I'm going into Year 11, so probably a bit more study than I've been doing this year. Also, going to keep working and doing all of the extracurricular activities that I love. My volunteering is very fun and keeps me fairly busy.

I'm really looking forward to next year! Are you feeling excited about the increased freedom or is it a bit daunting? Or something else all together?

I managed to get into my first choice of course (Visual Communication/BCII at UTS), so I will be heading into that. I currently work in retail but am looking to tutor others and get another part time job. No specific idea what kind of part-time job, but it would be helpful if it was near where I live.

Good luck for Year 11! That's fantastic that you're going to continue your extracurriculars while studying - if you manage to find the right work-play balance in 2020, you might be able to maintain a similar schedule in Year 12. Volunteering also sounds interesting, do you volunteer once a week or is it more/less often? Going into the year optimistic puts you ahead of quite a few people ^^

I wouldn't say I'm NOT looking forward to the increased freedom, but I'm at that point where you still feel like you need to ask permission to go out at least two weeks beforehand instead of going out at a day's notice. I think another thing looming in the distance is knowing that I am going to be more self-sufficient than back in high school, so I need to get my priorities in order to get the most out of my time and money.



I hope people of the Class of 2019 managed to get into their preferred course, and will discover things about themselves they may not have thought they were capable of. I know for myself, breaking out of the high school bubble, the community I've been surrounded by for the past six years, will be more sudden rather than difficult. Until then, happy holidays to all :)
Title: Re: Brewing Positivi-Tea (melberry's HSC journey)
Post by: caffinatedloz on December 26, 2019, 07:42:06 am
I managed to get into my first choice of course (Visual Communication/BCII at UTS), so I will be heading into that. I currently work in retail but am looking to tutor others and get another part time job. No specific idea what kind of part-time job, but it would be helpful if it was near where I live.
Congratulations!! ;D

Good luck for Year 11! That's fantastic that you're going to continue your extracurriculars while studying - if you manage to find the right work-play balance in 2020, you might be able to maintain a similar schedule in Year 12. Volunteering also sounds interesting, do you volunteer once a week or is it more/less often? Going into the year optimistic puts you ahead of quite a few people ^^
Thanks melberry! I'm hoping to maintain most of my extracurriculars all the way through Year 12 as long as I'm still enjoying them and not feeling too overwhelmed by trying to do too much. I volunteer a couple of different places, some are once a month, one is once a fortnight and two are fairly consistent weekly commitments. I absolutely love it.

I wouldn't say I'm NOT looking forward to the increased freedom, but I'm at that point where you still feel like you need to ask permission to go out at least two weeks beforehand instead of going out at a day's notice. I think another thing looming in the distance is knowing that I am going to be more self-sufficient than back in high school, so I need to get my priorities in order to get the most out of my time and money.
That's both stressful and exciting! Best of luck with things next year. I have really enjoyed following this journal!.