Potato's VCE Journey

[homeworkisapotato]

Hey homeworkisapotato!

Hey whys!! Thank you for reading my journal it means so much <3

84% is amazing for your first bio exam, keep up the good work! Once you know all the content well, improvement is very slow, so don't worry if you haven't been improving by a great amount - all that matters is if your revision is productive, you learn from your mistakes and you're using practice exams efficiently. Slowly but surely, you will improve as time goes on.

Thank you so much for the positive words, encouragement, and tips! I'll keep that in mind 
Have a splendid and productive holiday <3

Haha, my first UCAT mock exam wasn't the best either - I still remember feeling pretty sad after doing it. You've started UCAT preparation really early, so make sure you don't burn out and keep the practice slow and steady - it'll serve you well in year 12.
All the best for exam revision.

Thank you, you're such a legend! All the best for your exam revision, I'm sure you'll smash it 

yay another update!!! (can u tell i'm addicted to AN ) great job on your biology practice exam... sounds like ur revision is super structured and you'll do great. congratulations for your chem sac that's an amazing score!!! i reread harry potter too last lockdown and i lovvvvved the nostalgia from year 7. which one's your favourite?

Thank you so much maria for your kind words and your positivity! It's so hard to pick a favourite, I love them all! If I had to pick one, it would probably be Goblet of Fire by a small margin. My least favourite one (even though I really do love it) is Order of the Phoenix. That book is just 900 pages of sadness and frustration, but Rowling wrote some hilarious scenes. It's also my least favourite because Sirius dies (spoilers if anyone hasn't read it). I wish we got to read more of Dumbledore before his death in the next book (spoilers again) but I suppose keeping him in a cloud of mystery is what made Deathly Hallows so intriguing.  What about you?

it's amazing that you've been able to enjoy lockdown and accomplish so much. it's quite inspiring for me and others trying to make it through this weird time. ur doing gr8 homeworkisapotato.
-maria

Thank you!! That's so kind of you to say, maria <3 I hope you have an amazing holiday 

[homeworkisapotato]

Mini Update:  If you don't want to read some negativity please don't read this ahahhaaha

I've spent the term holidays spamming exams and mostly trying to perfect an exam technique using Choco's amazing tips. I'm doing a Bio exam everyday and revising everyday and I'm averaging around 95% in my exams and losing marks due to mostly silly mistakes and misinterpreting the company papers' wording, so I took a tiny break today to do a practice GAT. I spent most of the day just chilling and not doing much but I feel so guilty and as if I'm not putting enough energy into studying for the exam, especially because we're at home most of the time. This is especially true when my friends have like 3 hour Bio tuitions and talk about how they're gonna do 2 exams per day meanwhile I'm at home watching an episode of Friends while eating lunch and taking an hour nap. My subconscious is telling me there's no point of me fully grinding exams right now and I should trust my exam plan but I feel really insecure, especially when my friends tell me they're improving my 5-10% with each exam. It's not that I want them to do bad, it's just that I'm scared that I'm being too complacent even though I put hours everyday. Throughout the year I've been losing marks due to silly mistakes caused by stress during the actual sac and I'm kinda scared this'll happen in the actual exam. I feel like I had significantly more hair a year ago and if my stress levels continue to be this high, by the end of Year 12 I'll be completely bald. I'm usually not this invested in getting the highest marks but I really do love Bio and it would be devastating to not get a high study score. I'm trying so hard to just focus on exam revision, but we're getting our Unit 4 sacs when school reopens and every time I'm not studying Bio my mind just goes back to spiralling whether my Unit 4 sac average is at least rank 20. I can't wait for the GAT to be over and my Bio class zoom lesson next week, hopefully I can also talk to my teacher about this.

Sorry for the whole negativity! I just really needed it out of my head ahahaha
If you've read this far thank you so much for reading all of that and I hope it didn't ruin your day or anything.
I hope you all have had a safe and very productive holidays with many healthy breaks and all the best for Term 4 ahead!

[Geoo]

Hey hey Potato!

I don't think what you have written is negative at all, I think that throughout our time during VCE, there are going to be many times where everything just seems compounding crazy. It's also hard not to compare yourself to others, the advice is always there that you shouldn't, but in practice it's certainly difficult. You are doing amazing at the moment to be getting in the mid 90's for your exam practice, that's fantastic, and you should be super proud of it. Keep in mind to, that even though the exam is only a bit over a month away, that you can only do so many exams where it is actually helpful.

I remember always hearing how people did 50 exams for one subject, or only 10 exams and got the same scores. It all about quality, and from the sounds of it, you've got that part nailed down! Please try enjoy just having a few days to chill out, I know the brain says otherwise, I go through this whole thing of that if I haven't done any work that day, I beat myself up about it for the rest of the night (thanks brain). So I get where your coming from and it's never easy to turn off. I think your grand exam plan will work perfectly, and I know you'll end up with an amazing score. Super proud of you for getting into the grove of practice exams, but remember it's not a race and try not to compare yourself to others. I hope you can have a bit of a rest, and good luck for term 4!

[homeworkisapotato]

Yayay Geoo!! Seriously thank you so much for your encouragement it means SO much to me! You're so sweet and absolutely right that it's not a race and I really shouldn't compare myself with others.

I go through this whole thing of that if I haven't done any work that day, I beat myself up about it for the rest of the night (thanks brain)

BAHAHA mood! Literally same though! I wish my brain wasn't on hyperactive mode 24/7 ahaha

I'll definitely follow your advice and try to incorporate some chill time into my days and actually feel proud of my achievements. There's always a pessimistic voice going 'The actual exam might be much harder than this so your mark doesn't matter' which I should probably extinguish. Once again, thank you sooo much for your kind words and for actually stopping by. It means so much <3

[ashmi]

Hey Potato!!🥔🥰

It looks like Geoo beat me to it, but I also agree that:
1. Definitely nothing negative here. It is a journey journal for a reason, to mark out your emotions and overall progress!😊
2. Quality over quantity anyday~

This is especially true when my friends have like 3 hour Bio tuitions and talk about how they're gonna do 2 exams per day meanwhile I'm at home watching an episode of Friends while eating lunch and taking an hour nap. My subconscious is telling me there's no point of me fully grinding exams right now and I should trust my exam plan but I feel really insecure, especially when my friends tell me they're improving my 5-10% with each exam.

I completely understand where you are coming from here so don't worry, it is fine to feel this way.
All my friends get tutored/have outside help [I don't have any help outside of school sadly for any of my subjects] and peer pressure can most definitely get to you at times. I'm pretty sure myself and others on AN have all experienced this 'insecurity' feeling before at some point during exam season and it does get overwhelming. It is tough to deal with, especially if you are one of those that don't have those extra resources outside of what your school provides and sometimes, you just can't avoid comparing yourself to others. It is totally fine to feel worried and that you are not doing enough, but trust me, so long as you have a plan, you will be alright💯.

[On a side note, if your friends are improving 5-10% on each exam and they do 2 a day, one week ago they ummm....I'll let you do the maths]

You also have to remember that everyone works in a different way! One thing to note is that the amount of exams you do isn't always proportional to the score you will receive. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is not do anything at all and just let things slowly 'settle' in your head instead of squeezing hours of your day just for one subject. So yes you go watch that episode of Friends!! Get your brain nice and rejuvenated before you attempt to do more.

Great to see a journal update and I'm looking forward to hearing more soon!! Good luck😃

[whys]

Hi homeworkisapotato,

Spamming praccy exams definitely is not the way to go, doing 2 exams a day starting from now sounds like a recipe for burnout and it doesn't seem like you're going to get much out of doing them. You shouldn't be worried about the number of practice exams you do, but rather, how confident you feel about going into that exam room and smashing the exam (and you still have quite a while to reach that confidence!). I know what you mean about tuition, hearing my friends going to 5-hour lessons while I don't have a tutor stresses me out a bit, but the best you can do is forget about that and focus on what you can do to improve yourself in time for the exam. People can project whatever they want to (not saying your friends are lying, of course!) but I think it's best to block out what everyone else is doing if it makes you stressed.

You seem to be doing high-quality practice so I wouldn't worry too much about other people (easier said than done). Like Geoo said, it's not a race, and oftentimes the people who do 50+ practice exams are not the ones who end up with the high study scores.

Good luck for term 4.

[Chocolatemilkshake]

I've spent the term holidays spamming exams and mostly trying to perfect an exam technique using Choco's amazing tips.

AHA a mention in Potato's journal, I'm honoured  Also I'm so proud of your bio work and your work ethic is amazing! Everyone else has pretty much said it above but I feel that it's quite normal for a high achieving student to not realise how much work they've put in and also to be nervous about this hard work not "paying off" in the exam. I'd be lying if I said I was completely confident walking into my bio exam: I was not and I envy anyone who can achieve such confidence. Most importantly though, you have done so much revision and you are passionate about the subject, this certainly sets you up for success.

The fact that you are taking breaks is one, completely normal, and two, will prevent burnout. Also, I think you realise this already but a 3 hour bio tuition probably wouldn't be that helpful for you. I think tutoring can be really useful for some students but at the level you are working (where you are very comfortable with the content), it probably wouldn't be that useful for you anyway and working through your own revision for an hour a day is much more effective 
All the best, keep up the good work and you'll do amazing

[Evolio]

Hey homeworkisapotato!
I just want to echo what everyone else has said above.

I've realised this the hard way but doing the highest number of practice exams possible is not the best way to go about exam revision. Quality > Quantity. Last year in Biology, I did quite a lot of exams but it seems I was more focused on doing as much practice questions as possible rather than mindfully reflecting on my weaknesses. As a result, I didn't target my weaknesses which were the most important things to focus on! My friend who did less than half the amount of exams I did scored a 47 while I scored a 41. Reflecting is super important and as others have said, it looks like you're targeting your weaknesses and truly reflecting on them which is fantastic! Keep up the amazing work and you will definitely be rewarded!
Also, don't forget to take a break now and then as you don't want to suffer from burnout this close to the exam. Taking a break will also clear your mind and help you think better when you do exams and it works wonders!

It was great reading your update and all the best for exams and beyond!

[homeworkisapotato]

Hey Potato!!🥔🥰

It looks like Geoo beat me to it, but I also agree that:
1. Definitely nothing negative here. It is a journey journal for a reason, to mark out your emotions and overall progress!😊
2. Quality over quantity anyday~
It is totally fine to feel worried and that you are not doing enough, but trust me, so long as you have a plan, you will be alright💯.

Hey ashmi!!! Thank you so much for reading my journal it's such an honour <3

So yes you go watch that episode of Friends!! Get your brain nice and rejuvenated before you attempt to do more.
Great to see a journal update and I'm looking forward to hearing more soon!! Good luck😃

Bahaha thank you so so much for your positive words and sweet encouragement, it means sosososo much to me! All the best for your studies and thank you for reading my journal 

Hi homeworkisapotato,

Hey whys!!

You seem to be doing high-quality practice so I wouldn't worry too much about other people (easier said than done). Like Geoo said, it's not a race, and oftentimes the people who do 50+ practice exams are not the ones who end up with the high study scores.

Good luck for term 4.

Thank you so so much for your advice and positivity, it means so much that you've responded to my post, and you're absolutely right that number of exams is not equal to the study score at the end of the day. I'll definitely take your kind advice to heart and work on not getting affected by others' progress. Thank you again and have a great Term 4!! You're so smart you're gonna smash VCE <3

AHA a mention in Potato's journal, I'm honoured 

AHAHA nooo the honour is mine 

Also I'm so proud of your bio work and your work ethic is amazing! Everyone else has pretty much said it above but I feel that it's quite normal for a high achieving student to not realise how much work they've put in and also to be nervous about this hard work not "paying off" in the exam. I'd be lying if I said I was completely confident walking into my bio exam: I was not and I envy anyone who can achieve such confidence. Most importantly though, you have done so much revision and you are passionate about the subject, this certainly sets you up for success.

All the best, keep up the good work and you'll do amazing

Aww thank you SOO much for your belief in me and your passionate words, you're the sweetest <3
You're absolutely right that tuition does not equate to a higher study score and that it's okay to be nervous and take breaks. It's an honour having you read and respond to my journal, seriously. Thank you so much for the advice you've given me throughout the holidays, it means so much. Sending lots of love virtually.

Hey homeworkisapotato!

Heyaa Evolio, what a delightful surprise. Thank you for reading my journal <3

I've realised this the hard way but doing the highest number of practice exams possible is not the best way to go about exam revision. Quality > Quantity. Last year in Biology, I did quite a lot of exams but it seems I was more focused on doing as much practice questions as possible rather than mindfully reflecting on my weaknesses. As a result, I didn't target my weaknesses which were the most important things to focus on! My friend who did less than half the amount of exams I did scored a 47 while I scored a 41. Reflecting is super important and as others have said, it looks like you're targeting your weaknesses and truly reflecting on them which is fantastic! Keep up the amazing work and you will definitely be rewarded!
Also, don't forget to take a break now and then as you don't want to suffer from burnout this close to the exam. Taking a break will also clear your mind and help you think better when you do exams and it works wonders!

It was great reading your update and all the best for exams and beyond!

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your very very thoughtful advice, especially regarding the reflecting on weaknesses part. and the quality over quantity. You're so smart and dedicated, I know you're going to shoot above and beyond your expectations in VCE!! All the best for Term 4 and looking forward to your updates <3


Geoo, Ashmi, whys, Chocolatemilkshake, and Evolio thank you so so much for responding to my update. I have read your messages like over and over again before typing this response and every time I read your responses I get a surge of positivity and peacefulness. You guys are such an inspiration to the VCE Journal community, and I aspire to work as hard as you guys everyday. You're like my VCE role models (kinda weird because I've never seen your face but I have kind of given you guys fantasy appearances so when I do imagine you guys it's not like I'm just visualising the name of your AN account).
Sending lots of love your way <3

[angrybiscuit]

Hi potato!
I'm a bit late to the party but better late than never

I'm sure others have said various forms of the advice I'm about to give you but I just wanted to give you some personal experiences.

I know a friend who did Bio in Year 11 and she did a lot of practice exams. Like 40+ exams, but still didn't achieve the score she wanted (I think she got high 30s) because she literally spammed exams. Every time I saw her, she was doing exams. Personally, I started seeing the same mistakes of mine happen over and over again in. But I didn't do anything about them and instead continued to do practice exams. My 'downfall' was that I didn't properly reflect on where I lost my marks in and didn't do anything about them. Most importantly, don't compare yourself to others. Everyone is different and what works for others may necessarily not work for you. It's important to realise that this year is the year where you try out different approaches and see what works and what doesn't which you can then apply for next year. 

Regardless, thank you for sharing your thoughts. It's natural to have times like these during our VCE journeys and it's important to convey them however "negative" they are. All the best for term 4

[homeworkisapotato]

Hi potato!
I'm a bit late to the party but better late than never

Hi angrybiscuit! Thank you so much for reading my journal 

I'm sure others have said various forms of the advice I'm about to give you but I just wanted to give you some personal experiences.

I know a friend who did Bio in Year 11 and she did a lot of practice exams. Like 40+ exams, but still didn't achieve the score she wanted (I think she got high 30s) because she literally spammed exams. Every time I saw her, she was doing exams. Personally, I started seeing the same mistakes of mine happen over and over again in. But I didn't do anything about them and instead continued to do practice exams. My 'downfall' was that I didn't properly reflect on where I lost my marks in and didn't do anything about them. Most importantly, don't compare yourself to others. Everyone is different and what works for others may necessarily not work for you. It's important to realise that this year is the year where you try out different approaches and see what works and what doesn't which you can then apply for next year. 

Regardless, thank you for sharing your thoughts. It's natural to have times like these during our VCE journeys and it's important to convey them however "negative" they are. All the best for term 4

Thank you so much for your input and anecdote!! You're absolutely right that different people have different approaches and that Year 11 is mainly about finding what works for me. Thank you again for your helpful advice and reading my journal! Have a great Term 4 <3

[homeworkisapotato]

Hey! Thought I should give a quick update as I might not update until my exam is over

27 days until the exam!
Before I dive into 3/4 I'll give a quick update for 1/2. I finally got my Comparative SAC back and I got A+ (18/20)!! I was shocked! Of course, there's still room for a lot of improvement and my teacher said that I should've gone more into authorial intent and compared the texts a bit more. I also got 39/40 for my HHD sac which was super annoying as I lost a mark because I forgot to write 'such as.' Whyyyyyy. That being said I am really proud of my achievements, I just find it a teensy bit annoying hehehe

Now for Bio. I finally got my sac marks back- 82% for Evolution and 88% for DNA Manipulation. Am I happy with my marks? Not really. I could've gotten those marks if I felt more confident in myself when walking into the exam hall, but a good thing is I've already fixed the mistakes and gaps I had when writing those sacs, so those sacs boosted my confidence a bit. This brings my Unit 4 average to 83% (I also got 80% on my experimental design sac like 6 months ago). Quite a few people got above 90% for both the previously mentioned sac so I'm definitely not in the top 10. This is a bit saddening but I'm not too worried as I'm confident I can make up for it in my exam. Exam revision is going pretty good, I'm averaging around 95-100% and my mark drops to 93% in harder papers, but majority of people I've talked to at school are averaging 70's to 80's so I guess I'm doing alright. It's hard not to think that each exam is just a 'fluke' and the real exam is going to be really hard, but I'm starting to feel proud of myself. I'm doing about one exam per day, and I'm waking up at 5am to do the praccy exam in the morning so when I come home I can chill a little, do some non-exam revision and do dumb dumb 1/2 work. I've asked my study score prediction quite a few times on the threads here (thanks Sine and keltingmeith) and I think maybe a safe guess is at least 39 or 40. I don't even know what the max I can get is...maybe 43? 44 if I'm lucky? My ultimate goal is as high as I can get but predicting is fun!

Now for my personal health. This week I have been neglecting my personal health to fit back into a school timetable so this weekend I'm going to fit time for my personal health. I'm thinking of doing a coffee scrub, a couple of face masks, and to restart exercising but I don't know where to fit it in my day. I should definitely not be eating Macca's but they've released this new burger called the McSpicy and as a typical brown person who loves spicy anything I HAD to buy it today. I feel like a blob because I have eaten so many comfort foods to keep my energy up in the evening and I crave so much spicy and sweet foods when I'm sleepy. I'm planning to cook some form of salmon and mashed potatoes this weekend. Also I've started listening to this Harry Potter podcast in my free time called Witch Please which is amazing. The hosts are so funny and they've changed my perspective on so many issues in the book hehe, it's a good way for destressing.

Stay safe everyone! Until next post

[Bri MT]

I'm jumping in late but I didn't get tutoring or buy a bunch of extra resources and I duxed all my subjects and got my goal ATAR (98+). I definitely remember the pressure of thinking "how can I compete with all these people who go to private or selecrive schools rather than underrep ones and have tutoring etc." It's a really difficult mindset to step out of but even when you've got some extra hurdles it's very possible to succeed

[homeworkisapotato]

Hi Bri! Thank you so much for reading my journal 
Wow, that's amazing, thank you so much for your motivational words! You're a true inspiration and amazing on the forums. Thank you so much again!! I'm feeling a lot more motivated than before because of your kind words

[Bri MT]

Hi Bri! Thank you so much for reading my journal 
Wow, that's amazing, thank you so much for your motivational words! You're a true inspiration and amazing on the forums. Thank you so much again!! I'm feeling a lot more motivated than before because of your kind words

No worries!

Thank you for your kind words

Glad to be able to help