Hey All!
I'm relatively new to these forums, so I figured I'd start one of these! I'm going into Year 12 this year (only four days away
), and am doing Mathematical Methods, English Language, Philosophy, Legal Studies & German this year, having done Business Management in Year 11.
A little bit about me; I'm a big sports player/fan, and try to get involved in any sport at any opportunity. I'm afraid school has/will continue to negatively affect that this year, but that's just a part of life I guess. I do try to get involved in other extra-curriculars to keep my mind away from the daily grind though. Alongside School Sports, I've been involved in Debating since Year 7, been involved in Chess Club and done some volunteer and fundraising work for various causes over my 'high school life', but particular the past few years. I got involved in Leadership in Year 10 and will be heavily involved again this year, and alongside that participation I've also contributed with my peers in implementing/running some Student Voice programs around the school. Public Speaking and such is definitely something I enjoy, so anything that allows me to talk/interact with others is something I'm usually enthusiastic about!
Outside of the school arena, I do Pilates
sorta links in with my love/need for sports in my life, and I briefly considering doing physiotherapy at Uni, but once I'd locked my subjects in I realised that wasn't gonna happen.
I was actually quite keen on theater in my primary school years, so much that I ended up scoring the lead role in our school production...and it's on video, so even though I can't sing now I do have evidence that there was once a time where I could
I'm also pretty big on fantasy sports, although that'll take a back seat this year. AFL SuperCoach, Fantasy Premier League etc. is always good fun.
Why am I starting up a journal?I'm doing this for a few reasons, but it mostly revolves around my desire to keep a record of things. Since the end of 2016 (Year 9), life has gotten pretty hectic and heaps of stuff has happened in my sporting/school/leadership/personal life, so much that a massive chunk of this summer was devoted to trying to organise pictures/dates/"memories" of the last few years, a bit obsessive I know, and something I need to chill out about and do less of. I'm only new, but it feels like we've got such an amazing community here, so I also want to share my experiences to help others if I can. I want this journal to keep me accountable throughout the year, but also to serve as a record of how I tracked, alongside the memories that come with the next year.
GoalsFirstly, and most importantly, I want to go with the flow. I mentioned my tendency to over organise earlier, but I really just want to reassure myself throughout the year that not 'everything' needs to be kept in a folder, recorded and written down
That way, I can enjoy the year a bit more and maybe even perform better. So I want to organise things (pictures, meetings etc.) when necessary, but if it's not and is time consuming, I'll leave it and have faith I'll finish Year 12 and still have a memory of the good moments.
Simplifying things and being more efficient, the amount of time I spent trying to find pictures of events last year was ridiculous.
In terms of my subjects, I will put a few numbers together but I really have no idea how this year, with five subjects to worry about, will go;
Methods: I would
love a 40 Raw, that's my goal. I'm expecting high 30s, because I did pretty well in 1&2, but aiming high!
EngLang: I want to make BusMan my 5th subject, so a 42-43 Raw would be great. I did pretty well on the SACs applicable to Year 12 in 1&2, so I'm hoping I can hit that mark. Definitely the subject I worked the least on in Year 11 due to my 3&4, so I think this is where the biggest scale of improvement can come.
Philosophy: It's the subject where I still have a tiny bit of holiday homework to complete
I think a 40 is definitely possible, the only issue is we have a small cohort, so it'll be interesting to see if that affects anything. a 40 is definitely the aim.
Legal Studies: My best subject, the subject I finished my holiday homework the earliest and my favourite subject out of the ones I'm doing this year, and the one I'm gonna need to ace if I am to achieve an outstanding ATAR. 45+ is my aim, and I'm hoping it just comes down to having a good exam day, as to whether I can exceed even that.
Global Politics: I entered it at the last possible moment, with minor background knowledge and a keen interest but not much more. Anything over a 35 raw will mean I'm content with the switch, as I wasn't going to do much better scaled-wise in the other option. However, after looking over the Exam and textbook in general, I reckon this could be one of my better subjects. 40 raw is probably my optimist score.
German: My weakest subject by a long way, and one I'm doing because it really lets me think differently and will be a break from the 'smashing my head against books/texts' of the above four. Allows me to talk, which is one of my strengths in the speaking assessment but my writing and listening need heaps of work. A 25 Raw would keep me satisfied. I completed BusMan last year, and ended up with a 42 Raw. I wasn't entirely satisfied, as I expected better but the exam really didn't favour our cohort and how we revised, so you live and you learn. I have heaps of notes on it though, so if anybody is doing it this year and wants a different perspective, feel free to message me!
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That's it from me for the moment, I'm sure there's stuff I missed but you'll definitely see updates, so I'll remember and add stuff as the year progresses.
Feel free to ask me any questions that you wonder about.
(BTW I'm only up this late because of the Aus Open, another goal; make sure I'm in bed by 11:30 on school nights
)