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Author Topic: COLLINE VS VCAA | Who will come out victorious?  (Read 30034 times)

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colline

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COLLINE VS VCAA | Who will come out victorious?
« on: January 21, 2019, 10:55:32 pm »
+40
-- Colline’s Battle Through VCE --

Hey hey hey!! :)) I thought I’d jump on board the VCE Journal bandwagon! School starts in just over a week, so I think now is a good time to start!

Through this journal I hope to record all the details of my final year of high school, and of course, my final triumph over the dictatorial regime VCAA has over my life. VCE is a battle, and a long one too, so I thought this would be an appropriate name for my journal.

The journey so far:
I have already completed two VCE subjects, Literature and Dance. Coming from a performing background, I've always planned on doing Dance - unfortunately I couldn't do VET Dance (the more vocational option), so I had to do VCE. The theory aspects of VCE Dance were really challenging for me, and I gradually lost interest and motivation as the year wore on. In the end, I got a 31 study score, which scales to 29.

My other subject, Literature, was an accident. I meant to do 1/2 Lit, but there weren't enough people so the subject got cancelled. I didn't want to go through DECV, neither did I want to do Mainstream or English Language, so after a series of incredibly long emails and "fights"with the school, I was allowed into the 3/4 class. Throughout the year, I forfeited everything to work on lit, as I wanted to show the school they made the right choice letting me in the class. It paid off and I got a 50 (yippee!).

I have also done a VET subject - music industry (performance). It was honestly a bit of a fluke - I didn't even realise VET studies could count towards the ATAR until after results came out. I thoroughly enjoyed the subject though, and it came with a nice certificate which VCE Music doesn't give you. ;)

What’s to come:
We’ve finally reached year 12 – 2019! This year I am doing 4 subjects, which are further maths, methods, biology, and chemistry. Chemistry will definitely be my biggest challenge as I didn’t do 1/2 (I did 1/2 psychology). I had worked through most of the 1/2 textbook, especially all those stoichiometry stuff (which still really confuses me), so I hope it doesn’t put me at too much of a disadvantage.

I thoroughly enjoyed general last year, although methods 1/2 was a pain. However, I have a better teacher this year, and transition went well, so I’m looking forward to it. Biology… *urgh* - I nearly dropped out last year because of how much I hated it. I actually loved psychology 1/2 but ended up picking biology over it as it would have more overlapping content with chemistry.

Aims and goals:
VCE: Further: 47+ | Methods: 45+ | Biology: 40+ | Chemistry: ??? I don’t really have an idea of what I should aim for.
ATAR: I usually say 99+, but my dream is >99.90 (Melbourne Chancellors) fat chance lol. I think chemistry will definitely drag down my ATAR
Uni: Bachelor of Science / Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Melbourne Uni. (98.50 ATAR guarantee).
I’ve considered med, but let’s be realistic, I’ll never get in. Still, I’ll be sitting the UCAT (after months and months of being plagued by UMAT-related nightmares), just don’t bank on too much hope. Also, I just happen to like animals better than humans.

A little bit more about me:
I just realised that I’ve been going on and on about my subjects and it sounds like I have no life lol!

So uh, bit more about me – I’m from the Eastern suburbs, I have an unhealthy obsession with halal food (no matter how VCE and uni turns out, I plan on opening my very own kebab shop in the future), I have two younger siblings, one who’s in year 10 and is also doing biology 3/4 (I hope I beat him lmao), my MBTI is INFP according to BuzzFeed, and I have zero hours on my Ls! :)

My biggest hobby is learning about military tactics, battle strategies, and weaponry, especially those from ancient times. (All for *cough* academic purposes, I swear). I’ve read ”The Art of War” by Sun Tzu about twenty times, and hopefully one day I’ll learn Chinese so I can read the original. I also have a collection of works by Barry Strauss, who’s a military and naval historian. I actually considered doing history for VCE, but I heard that history subjects mainly focus on society and politics rather than the more interesting wars and battles, so no thanks!
My username comes from Battle of Porta Collina, also known as the Battle of the Colline Gates, an ancient battle in Rome.


That’s all from me today, folks! See you all soon <3

Colline xx
« Last Edit: March 31, 2020, 01:06:52 pm by colline »

VCE: Literature [50] Methods [50] Further [48] Chemistry [40] Biology [33]
2022: Bachelor of Science (Mathematical Economics) @ ANU

Joseph41

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA || Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2019, 09:50:48 am »
+5
Wishing you all the best for your VCE journey! Looks like you've got an awesome foundation to work from. :)

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rani_b

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA || Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2019, 04:16:01 pm »
+5
School starts in just over a week, so I think now is a good time to start!

One week.... so sad. I'll be in year 12 this year too.

I actually loved psychology 1/2 but ended up picking biology over it as it would have more overlapping content with chemistry.

Psych is so goooodddd, I sound nerdy but I loved studying it, so if you enjoyed 1/2 I reckon it might be worth continuing on, especially if you aren't as interested in biology.  :o

I’ve considered med, but let’s be realistic, I’ll never get in. Still, I’ll be sitting the UCAT (after months and months of being plagued by UMAT-related nightmares), just don’t bank on too much hope. Also, I just happen to like animals better than humans.

Um with that raw 50 Lit (whaattt) I think you seem like a person with a ton of perseverance and determination, so you have a good chance of getting whatever you want  ;D ;D Also I get that UCAT nightmare, I'm so nervous already!

BTW, I'm doing lit this year, and I read your thread. It was super helpful!!  ;D

Anyway, looking forward to your VCE journey journal!

2019 ATAR: 99.85

Selling: English [50] & Lit [48] essays! PM for details.

Jimmmy

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA || Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2019, 05:18:19 pm »
+3
Hey Colline! You've smashed it so far, so good signs for what's ahead! I can definitely sympathise for the 'no hours on Ls' thing, I haven't even gone for mine yet  :-[

2018 - 2019 (VCE): English Language, Maths Methods, Legal Studies, Global Politics, Business Management (2018), Philosophy
2020 - 2024: Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Commerce @ Monash University

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA || Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2019, 05:53:57 pm »
+4
Hello Collins!
I hope you come out victorious. Best of luck to you :)
2018: ATAR: 99.35
Subjects
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2019: Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine @ Monash

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA || Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2019, 06:25:51 pm »
+4
Great to see you start a Journey Journal too! ;D Nice to see more fresh blood.
Are you planning to get into music as a career?
2018: English Language | General Maths | Business Management | Japanese SL | Computing
2019: English Language [29] | Further Maths [39] | Business Management [36] | Japanese SL [37] | Software Dev [42] | ATAR: 90.10

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colline

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA || Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2019, 01:13:06 pm »
+15
Psych is so goooodddd, I sound nerdy but I loved studying it, so if you enjoyed 1/2 I reckon it might be worth continuing on, especially if you aren't as interested in biology.  :o

Um with that raw 50 Lit (whaattt) I think you seem like a person with a ton of perseverance and determination, so you have a good chance of getting whatever you want  ;D ;D Also I get that UCAT nightmare, I'm so nervous already!

BTW, I'm doing lit this year, and I read your thread. It was super helpful!!  ;D

Anyway, looking forward to your VCE journey journal!
Yeah I agree psychology is amazing! I'm planning on working through some 3/4 content at my own place throughout this year because I actually love it! And my free periods are on at the same time as a psychology class so I'll be crashing a couple of those too ;D
Congratulations on your super amazing score by the way!

Oh please don't say that! ;D Literature is so different to UCAT and all these science-y subjects I'm doing this year :-[ Are you aiming for undergrad med? Good luck!

Hope you enjoy literature! It's such a fun subject. All the best for year 12 ~

Wishing you all the best for your VCE journey! Looks like you've got an awesome foundation to work from. :)
Hey Colline! You've smashed it so far, so good signs for what's ahead! I can definitely sympathise for the 'no hours on Ls' thing, I haven't even gone for mine yet  :-[
Hello Collins!
I hope you come out victorious. Best of luck to you :)
Thank you guys so much :) :)

Great to see you start a Journey Journal too! ;D Nice to see more fresh blood.
Are you planning to get into music as a career?
Nope! It's just something fun that I like doing in my spare time. My career plan would be to become a vet, music is a hobby.
I absolutely love reading your VCE journal! And your Japanese skills are siiiick! All the best for this year ~

VCE: Literature [50] Methods [50] Further [48] Chemistry [40] Biology [33]
2022: Bachelor of Science (Mathematical Economics) @ ANU

rani_b

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA || Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2019, 09:35:14 am »
+1
Congratulations on your super amazing score by the way!

Thank you!

 
Oh please don't say that! ;D Literature is so different to UCAT and all these science-y subjects I'm doing this year :-[ Are you aiming for undergrad med? Good luck!

Yeah, fingers crossed!

All the best for this year  ;D
2019 ATAR: 99.85

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mango8

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA || Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #8 on: January 28, 2019, 10:45:02 pm »
+5
Hello yes hi I am seriously so excited for this!! I read about your Lit score and guide a while back and was blown away! I think everyone who's read so far has had their jaw drop multiple times, you have really achieved some brilliant things!

Also, I just added The Art of War to my wishlist, looks fascinating! Sidenote, humanities subjects, particularly history are the best!! I think you would've really enjoyed Ancient history, I know I loved it! 

I have no doubts that you will really smash 2019 and emerge victorious, it's crazy how well you've done already in all aspects of your life, your work ethic and perseverance is amazing to see!

Also, I just happen to like animals better than humans.

I have never read anything more relatable in my life.

Update soon, can’t wait!!! :)
« Last Edit: January 28, 2019, 10:47:00 pm by mango8 »

colline

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA | Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2019, 03:54:37 pm »
+18
01 / 02 / 2019 – Friday Week 1 Term 1

Hiya guys!!! The first month of 2019 has already passed! I’m so excited to start updating -- school has finally started!! I know I sound hyped right now but that’ll most likely die down after we’ve all settled into year 12. Oh god it sounds so weird to say!

So the 30th of Jan was my very last first day of school. The new year 12s had an assembly of our principal lecturing us on behaviour, like “It’s your last year so I expect all of you to take it seriously” and “You may have skipped classes in the past, but this year you need to keep up a 97% attendance in order to pass”.
THAT point was worrying, as the 97% attendance rule is newly introduced this year, and it doesn’t just mean a 97% attendance overall – it’s across ALL your classes, including your elective! (Yeah, we have electives, in year 12! WUT????). That means we can miss no less than FOUR classes per subject throughout the entire year! Does any other school do this or is mine just mental??
I heard that other schools normally have a 90% attendance policy?

Oh right, electives! I forgot to mention in my opening post (oh I don’t know, perhaps coz it’s so trivial?) but all students at my school does an elective per semester. even if you’ve got all your VCE exams coming up!! I’ve got chess and robotics. While I look forward to them, I can’t help but think those double periods could be better spent preparing for something that could potentially impact how my life turns out.

Also, I was really sad that I couldn’t make it to the AN meet up the day before school began. Something came up last-minute (by which I mean, I misinterpreted the holiday homework ‘one chapter of methods’ as ‘one exercise’, so I spent the whole day catching up).

=== === ===

Moving on, classes are so far going well! (I mean, we are only two days into the year!)

Here’s my timetable this year. Luckily, I get a lot of free periods; sadly, I still have to go to school every second Wednesday even though my only class is the double elective!

So THIS is what people use imgur for!

Further is amazing. Have I mentioned that I did general for TWO YEARS? It’s SO refreshing to FINALLY do 3/4. We haven’t done much in terms of content yet, it’s mainly been our teacher checking holiday work and cracking maths puns ::).
I’m yet to find out when my first SAC is, but I’ve already gotten hold of some past ones. Apparently in further every mark you lose is -1 study score?? And you HAVE to be rank 1 to get a 50? Why on earth does it scale down when it’s SO competitive?

Methods is WAY better than last year. I’ve got my favourite teacher in the entire school, so while I never liked the subject, I also hate to disappoint her. She’s the same teacher I had for VET music in year 9 and 10, I can’t believe how lucky I am to have her in year 12 too. It’s definitely weird to see her teach maths though.
My biggest complaint about methods is that we’re using the Jacaranda book, but I’ve heard that Cambridge is more recommended?

Up next we have the ~dreaded~ biology. Our teacher is new, a recent uni graduate in his mid 20’s who honestly could pass for a Year 9 if he wore uniform. Imagine my shock when he walked in to class introducing himself as our teacher!
Anyway, I’ve started on content at my own place, mainly following along Edrolo. It sucks that my school doesn’t use Edrolo, so I’m borrowing someone else's account.

Finally, chemistry. Class starts with a good old pop quiz that I scored an AMAZING 2 out of 15 on. I pretty much forced the teacher to go over them with me after class, and to my relief they ended up mostly making sense! She was kind enough to email me some extra worksheets later on which I intend on doing over the weekend.
Stoichiometry is still confusing. It honestly could be a subject of its own. And is memorising all those different types of fuels REALLY necessary? Surely it's more background knowledge than something that we could ACTUALLY get tested on!

=== === ===

Final thing, WE GOT YEAR 12 HOODIES TODAY! My school don't allow nicknames, but at least it’s better than not getting one at all. I was in period 6, biology, and our school captain was also in the same class. He got a notification that the hoodies arrived and the entire year 12 sector of our class leaped out of our seats and pretty much bolted for them. Our principal, who was monitoring the whole thing, remarked “There sure are a lot of people with free periods today”, and this one kid in line, oblivious to the situation, responded “Oh no sir, we came out of biology for this! Mr [biology teacher] said we could!”
The student instantly realised his mistake, but the damage was done. All of us were herded back to our classrooms and a minute later the speakers rang out, “ALL YEAR 12 STUDENTS MUST REMAIN IN CLASS. HOODIES TO BE COLLECTED AFTER SCHOOL.”

I think that’ll do for this update. There’s already a PILE of work I’ll need to get through, so I can’t afford to procrastinate much longer. How has everyone else’s first week of school been?

Colline xx

VCE: Literature [50] Methods [50] Further [48] Chemistry [40] Biology [33]
2022: Bachelor of Science (Mathematical Economics) @ ANU

PhoenixxFire

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA | Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2019, 04:40:39 pm »
+2
Damn 97% attendance is a bit rough :o
My school had 90% - and the option to stay back after school to do make up classes if we were below attendance requirements. I don't think I had 97% attendance for any of my classes in year 12.

I did an elective in year 12 too! It was by choice though - I didn't know that some schools make you do them! On one hand I suppose it'd be nice to have time to relax for a bit - can't be studying constantly after all, but I get what you mean about it feeling like wasted time - towards the end of last year I felt like I was wasting my time by showing up to school at all haha.
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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA | Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2019, 10:52:42 pm »
+2
Hey! I've enjoyed reading your journal so far and wish you the very best of luck for your studies this year. It's clear from your past results and your commitment so far that you're definitely capable of achieving great things and I'd encourage you to keep aiming high :) and give yourself a break every now and then :)

I also want to commend you for tackling 3/4 chem without the 1/2. Stoich is no easy task, I completely get your frustrations, but if I can offer any advice it'd be to really stick at it because it will come up everywhere. That being said, going through the questions that you're confused with and getting assistance is the perfect attitude to have and will definitely pay off.. well done!!

How are you finding the homework/workload so far? Do you have much of a study routine?
Best of luck again and keep up the hard work :D
2018 - VCE - ATAR: 99.75 [English, Chemistry, Methods, French, PE, Bio]
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Jimmmy

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA | Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2019, 08:53:58 pm »
+3
So you play Chess? That's cool!

We should organise an ATARNotes Chess Championship  :o
2018 - 2019 (VCE): English Language, Maths Methods, Legal Studies, Global Politics, Business Management (2018), Philosophy
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sweetiepi

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA | Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2019, 09:10:18 pm »
+1
So you play Chess? That's cool!

We should organise an ATARNotes Chess Championship  :o
We had one of those a couple of years ago, but we haven't run one since! :)


@Colline: I'm glad the workload has been manageable thus far, hopefully you'll get back into the rhythm of a study schedule soon, I know how hard it is to get back into the swing of things after the holidays! :))
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colline

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Re: COLLINE VS VCAA | Who will come out victorious?
« Reply #14 on: February 17, 2019, 10:16:08 pm »
+16
17 / 02 / 2019 – Sunday Week 3 Term 1

We’re now about to enter week 4 of year 12! It STILL doesn’t feel real!

The workload has been surprisingly manageable, however I’m worried as (with the exception of further) I’m not ahead in any subject. I’ve been told, many many times, to always be ahead, as you’ll eventually burn out and that way you won’t be left behind. But I’m doing ANYTHING but that!
With methods, biology, and chemistry, I always feel like I’m learning the content for the first time in class, while my classmates have already done the necessary preparations beforehand. I do chapter questions and worksheets AFTER class, while my peers do them BEFORE. I try to do them in advance but nothing makes sense until I hear the teacher explain it in class! See the problem here?
I’m not technically behind, but I feel like I might as well be. Help! I’m so, so worried that once I burn out I won’t be able to catch up again! And the year just started! :'(

Alright, depressing rant over!! Now onto my actual subjects:

Methods isn’t too bad, and having a teacher who I’m not afraid to approach and treats me like a friend definitely helps. She likes to make music analogies in class, which I LOVE. Our SAC isn’t till next term, which is both mildly comforting and scary at the same time. Comforting cos well, one less SAC for term 1. Scary cos who thought it was a good idea to make a SAC worth 17% of you study score?

Biology is just dull. There is so much rote learning but I feel like no matter how many times I look over my notes, they just don’t stay in my head! Our first SAC is, get ready for this, ON. MY. BIRTHDAY. What kind of sadist planned this? :’(
I seriously get depressed just thinking about this SAC right now. There's still about a month away, but I feel like I'm not prepared AT ALL and the teacher is going through content at a faster rate than my brain can possibly absorb!

Chemistry is currently... a nightmare. The rote-learning of different fuels is dull but manageable, but stoichiometry is just HORRIBLE! Mols, molar mass, mass, m, n, M… that formula keeps dancing around in my mind until the three letters are completely jumbled up. It doesn’t help that I keep thinking ‘m’ stands for ‘mol’, because ‘n’ just doesn’t make sense!
SAC 1 is on Friday, 1st of March.

Further is the only comfort of my life right now. For the first time, I’m thankful that I repeated general, as I had a year to solidify my foundation of 1/2, while learning 3/4 content without the pressure. This is the only subject I’m ahead in, as I had finished the textbook last year so now I’m going through past SACs and exams. I’m still worried about how competitive this subject is though!
 Our first SAC is on Tuesday, 12th of March.

Chess, my elective, has been great – it offers a welcoming break from studying. Our teacher allows year 12s to do our own work, but I’ve actually been taking part in games because it’s SUCH a good break. I spent our last elective teaching the class the four move checkmate, so it was definitely productive ;D
ALSO, AN Chess match sounds amazing!!! We should definitely run another one!

My only extra-curricular activity this year is concert band, where I play flute and piccolo (you know, that instrument that makes everybody’s ears bleed?). We have a fundraising concert next Saturday, but I won’t be able to make it as I have tutoring. :’(

Speaking of tutoring, I really want to know how much people normally do in year 12? Currently, the only subject I get tutored in is chemistry, 2hrs per week, which I’m told isn’t enough. I’m wondering whether I should start tutoring for methods and biology as well, but it’s crazy expensive! I feel like I need it, but at the same time I’m afraid that I won’t see much improvement and that it’s not worth the money.

That’s all for this update today! Tomorrow teachers will be charging through more and more content, pray for me that I don’t get left behind!!

Colline out xx

VCE: Literature [50] Methods [50] Further [48] Chemistry [40] Biology [33]
2022: Bachelor of Science (Mathematical Economics) @ ANU