Last Year of VCE: Will Elle take a big L?

[Geoo]

Hey Hey! Congratulations on finishing the UCAT, it's out of the way now and you can toss it in the ocean!
Don't ever think yourself as dumb. Ever. Be super proud of yourself for getting through the UCAT in itself, and all the work you put into it shows you have the amazing dedication and self discipline that will get you so far in whatever you want to do. I'm super proud of you in getting through it all, now it's time get revenge on methods and chem and smash those SACs out of the park.
Congratulations on a great bio score 89% is fantastic! I hope you have great weekend and take some time relax a little!

[ArtyDreams]

I am SO PROUD of you for finishing the UCAT!!!! Congratulations - and its so awesome to see that you're proud of yourself too.

You are so awesome and so inspiring to see that you DID IT!!!! Yay!!

Hope you celebrate big today as it must be such a weight lifted off your shoulders!

Congrats on your amazing bio SAC score, and wishing you the best of luck for your upcoming SACs!!

 

[whys]

Congrats, Elle. You did so well too! All that dedication and motivation paid off in the end.

Have fun celebrating!

[ThunderDragon]

Hey Elle

Congrats on your UCAT score! It honestly is actually really decent. We got very similar results haha. You definitely got above 80th Percentile and if you're going for Med or Dentistry, you can still definitely get an interview. Chill tonight and then forget about UCAT and ace that ATAR.

[Coolgalbornin03Lo]

Arty, Why’s, Evolio, Geo, Thunderdragon

Hey guys I just wanted to say thank you for your kind words about my UCAT score it really means a lot 😊😊

100 days [and 12 hours] till the Chem exam! A monumous occasion! What better day to post!! 💫💫💫

I said to myself I’ll update once a month but there’s only 3 more months of year 12 and I’m gonna miss this so much so why not enjoy it! Also idk what i want to do and course selections are closing so so soon.

Biology
Our GTAC excursion was cancelled because of lockdown (I’m not trying to seem spoilt or anything I know the lockdown was necessary and am not against it). Only 2 SACs left which could make or break my ss. I know I say this every update but it’s the only subject I have a chance of doing really well. SAC for AOS2 is on Monday and hopefully I can do as well as I’ve been doing in practise SACs. This AOS is weird......I feel like I’m writing down “fake” answers which I’m not sure of and then get them correct....major imposter syndrome. Apparently the AOS1 sac is in 2 weeks but we haven’t even started that content?!?!!

Chemistry
Analysis of organic compound sac on Monday...done! I low key panicked though it was serious this has only happened once before. Only out of 22 marks so we’ll see how that goes possibly another 70%. Ive come to terms with the fact I won’t get a 40 but I’m still gonna try to do my best- whatever that may be because I love Chem so so much! I know everyone says organic Chem is rote learning and memorisation but I don’t really understand that? Maybe that explains my grades hehe. Anyway food Chem is great I just sit back and chill because it’s Biology AOS1 revision woooop. Also I finally learned why altering primary structure changes function......I was never bothered to answer that question in bio. Did a practise Chem exam yesterday......Im getting so pumped for the exam! I’m grateful I took the time in term 2 holidays to revise U3. But I found the 2010 exam was irrelevant(ish) I know it’s because it’s a different SD but I don’t wanna touch combined unit 3 and 4 exams till closer to the date- after all the Chem exam is the furthest away.

Chem SAC panic attack

There was this high res HNMR I couldn’t draw and I’d done every vcaa question on this and there were some that just never clicked. I panicked moved on and did volumetric analysis and other questions. I went back spending 15 minutes on that question trying to calm myself down to get it saying it’s only one mark it’s okay you can do it. I finally got it in the last minute. Then started checking through my work and I just couldn’t- I couldn’t read anymore I couldn’t understand the words I was so scared I don’t even know why, I’d done the sac checked over and I can’t even describe this. I have certain coping techniques to use but when I thought about it afterwards I wouldn’t have been able to use them as I wasn’t even aware of what anything really was or that I was uneasy. Usually I can positive self talk or whatever but this was way different. I was shaking afterwards and my chest felt so- however it feels when your literally in danger. I felt horrible for 2 hours even after I went for a short run. I hated that. I hope this doesn’t happen in my Bio sac on Monday. I don’t wanna be dramatic and say this was a panic attack but I’m really not sure what it was. It wasn’t like a mind blank because I was completely gone; it was unpleasant.

English
Haha I’m going to fail this exam. Why can I not write a text response. Anyway my teacher returned my paragraph and I’ve FINALLY GOT AUTHORIAL INTENT 🥳. I just need to make my topic sentence relevant to contention and do the justification at the end of the paragraph. Thanks to everyone who painstakingly drilled that into this thick skull of mine ) Comparitive SAC pushed back to week 10 and I know I can’t stop people cheating but I can just try my very best and hope that’s enough. That’s all I can ask of myself (I may or may not have stole this from an Instagram post or another AN journal I can’t remember but whoever it was- thank you I am now healthier for that😊). My The Longest Memory (TLM) summary is going along nicely although I have no themes........I’m not sure how I’ll compare it to 7 stages of grieving but one day at a time shall we? It’s been hard balancing doing well at upcoming comparative sac and fixing up my text response- kudos to my beautiful teacher for helping (yeah I know our relationship has changed from previous entries..........) apparently I’m the only one who goes to her for help?? That’s strange my school is full of people willing to do anything to succeed. Also asked my teacher about Lang Analysis. It’s difficult for them to moderate it from home (there’s like 200 and idk how moderation works but different teachers mark different stuff like twice!) imagine doing that over zoom. Anyway almost every (incl. me) got that target audience wrong but she said if you got the target audience right for the second article you’d get partial marks- which I did! Hopefully I do decently 🤞

Methods
BAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry I’ll be serious now. The SAC is two weeks from today and I will at least get 50% or die trying. I’ll settle for a pass though (40%). You guys have probably never seen numbers that low but.....it is what it is. The SAC is a google form yay me [not]. BUT THERES NO PROBABILLITY!!!!!! I should not fail. I will not fail!!

This is pretty random but typing that reminded me of a quote from TLM “Father, I am running. I feel joy; not fear.”

Psychology
Our research methods sac was cancelled. Everything’s chill atm. U4 AOS 2 SAC in week 9. I have been avoiding exam revision. I know psychology is “easy” but it’s really not research methods will be the death of me. Anyway we have 10 pages VCAA research Methods questions. Maybe that’ll absolve me. Also I just talked the WHOLE of unit 3 to my mum bless her! Turns out I know way more than I thought. I’m feeling really good about that as I’ve done no other homework tonight. I also realised that I’m not too fussed about psych exams because throughout the year they forced us to do vcaa exam questions so I’ve done ALL of them. I’ll obviously do prac exams later on but right now I feel okay as I know how to answer them what they look for etc. I wish they did that in bio as the exam answering technique is WAY different to SACs.

⭐️ Hypothetical Term 3 Exam Revsion⭐️

I wanna do maybe one Chem exam a week but it’ll depend. I want to work on whatever I did wrong in the exam through the week but if I don’t have time I obviously won’t do another one because there no point in doing another exam. Here are my goals by end of term
- 1 unit 3 psych exam (maybe neap?)
- 4 U3 Chem exams (I’ve already done 2 haha)
- 1-2 Chem U4 exams
- Lots and lots of English practise 😁 by hand!
- 2 U3 bio exams (done one) maybe 1 unit 4?
- For methods I already do checkpoints regularly and I’m so poor at it I SHOULD NOT be diving in before getting my basics together like I do for every other subject.

A muddle of courses imma chuck on VTAC

- Medicine at Monash (??)
- Dentistry at Latrobe
- Medical Imaging at Monash
- Science at Monash
- Science at Melbourne
- I’d love to do science before committing to a specific health field but my parents hate that idea ( Medicine has ?? As idk if I have the mental strength for that I mean I can barely get myself together can I really help others?

[homeworkisapotato]

Hi Elle! Latecomer here but I've just finished bingeing your journal and I love your positivity. Like you always perspire to be your best and I find it very inspiring!

Spoiler

Chem Sac panick attack: Hey I just want to let you know that I've gone through this and still am, and if you ever want to talk about it then I'm here for you 

[eloisegrace]

Hi Elle!

I have been following your journal for a little while and I really don't know why I haven't made a post on it

I wanted to congratulate you on your amazing UCAT score (so late I know). I also admire your positivity during this very hard time and I am sure that with your hard work you will be able to achieve anything 

Methods
BAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry I’ll be serious now. The SAC is two weeks from today and I will at least get 50% or die trying. I’ll settle for a pass though (40%). You guys have probably never seen numbers that low but.....it is what it is. The SAC is a google form yay me [not]. BUT THERES NO PROBABILLITY!!!!!! I should not fail. I will not fail!!

Can complete relate with this hahaha. Even though methods is one of my better subjects I can agree that the SACs are awful to put it nicely (I am so glad that mine was in school). How are they putting it in a google form with all the symbols and stuff required especially for calculus.
You won't fail! I am sure you will exceed your expectations (especially because there is no probability because probability comes from the devil and no one can tell me otherwise)

I hope you have an amazing week Elle!
El (name twins kinda haha ❤️)

[Coolgalbornin03Lo]

I feel so mad and demotivated. How come I study but people who don’t study and ~BRAG~ also get the same marks as me. They didn’t do a single practise either. I’m actually stupid. I got 80% and I wish I could actually die. Ughhh. I try so hard and it doesn’t work. The thing is I lost the STUPIDEST marks. My actual analysis was fine. But I lost marks for
- text type
-target audience
-making sure paragraphs flow off one another (I’m gonna contend those one btw)
- Comparison between authorial intention.
- Conclusion which links authorial intent and purpose.
- a filter for consistency of analysis

After getting my work back I started to write another language analysis off the feedback. I’m so annoyed the comparitive is in 3 weeks and I might as well kiss a 40 in English goodbye and quit going to class and sleep all day like I really want to.

[Coolgalbornin03Lo]

Continuation of the above moping, warning:sad 

i feel very empty right now. I wish it didn’t affect me but honestly I have nothing else going for me in my life. People say VCE should be about the memory’s you make with friends or the good times you had at school....what friends? Which good times? All I remember was trying to make it through every class without crying. I think I could deal with having no friends if I wasn’t rubbish at school.  I’ve been in a very bad place for a long time but I’ve been hiding from it by throwing myself into school, convincing myself I’m not utter trash. But there’s no point if I can’t even be good at that. I frequently wish I could take my own life but I won’t simply because I’m too scared. But I’m not really worth anything, I’m very useless. I’m not quite sure what to do now- what reason do I really have to still be here, it’s all too much.

[K888]

Continuation of the above moping, warning:sad 

i feel very empty right now. I wish it didn’t affect me but honestly I have nothing else going for me in my life. People say VCE should be about the memory’s you make with friends or the good times you had at school....what friends? Which good times? All I remember was trying to make it through every class without crying. I think I could deal with having no friends if I wasn’t rubbish at school.  I’ve been in a very bad place for a long time but I’ve been hiding from it by throwing myself into school, convincing myself I’m not utter trash. But there’s no point if I can’t even be good at that. I frequently wish I could take my own life but I won’t simply because I’m too scared. But I’m not really worth anything, I’m very useless. I’m not quite sure what to do now- what reason do I really have to still be here, it’s all too much.

Hey there, I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling right now. VCE is hard enough as it is without all the crap 2020 has thrown at everyone. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone, and we're here to support you.

I'd really recommend reaching out to your GP (you don't even have to go in for an appointment atm, most places are offering telehealth!) and having a chat to them about what's going on atm. You don't have to struggle through this by yourself. Having a bad run with mental health is really isolating and your brain makes you feel like you're a failure and like you're completely alone, but I can assure you that you're not. Your GP can help link you in with professionals like psychologists who are great.

If you need to talk to someone right now, I recommend getting in touch with Lifeline (13 11 14, or they also offer a text service after 6pm if you don't feel you can talk on the phone), Headspace (they're a specific service for young people, 1800 650 890) or Kids Helpline (also specifically for young people, 1800 55 1800).

Don't hesitate to send me a PM if you need someone to chat to - always happy to be a shoulder to lean on. Take care of yourself x

P.S. re: people talking about VCE being the good times and all that - I think it's very easy for us to look back on the past and romanticise it (plus anything on social media is only ever the filtered version). Everyone goes through both good and bad times - life isn't just this one upward trajectory, it's a mess that dips up and down and that's completely normal.

[justaloser]

I feel so mad and demotivated. How come I study but people who don’t study and ~BRAG~ also get the same marks as me. They didn’t do a single practise either.

Hey Elle, I hope this finds you well. I understand that it's really frustrating to hear people like that who don't seem (this is the word, seem) to put in anything and take everything. And it really sucks that people are even bragging like that. This might be difficult advice, but try to socially distance (no pun intended) yourself from people who say those things, especially if they drag you down like that. And do remember that what people say may not be what they're doing -- anyone can say "I did 0 practice papers and got an 80%" without proof. What matters really is the work someone puts in, not the marks. If someone really did nothing to prep for a SAC they're only screwing themselves over for exam prep season. If you're trying to do prep for SACs it's easier to build on top of those good habits for your exam revision.

At the end of the day, comparison is the thief of joy. VCE is (imo) nasty in that it pits students against each other with study scores and percentiles and everything. There are other people who've felt and feel like the way you do. The struggle is universal.

If you ever need help or someone to talk to, never hesitate to DM me. And like K888 said, try and contact your GP, they'll be understanding and will be able to refer you to someone who can get help.

[Coolgalbornin03Lo]

I decided to update because I’m so happy Rn! I know I shouldn’t base my happiness on my grades but- it is what it is. After feeling really down in the dumps something good happened:

Chemistry:
The sac I panicked in......I got 96%!!! I was ecstatic! Still am! Although annoyed because the one mark I lost was in MC picking an incorrect indicator......maybe this SAC was a fluke 😅

Biology
Messed up that sac bad. Got a whopping 77%. Not getting a 45 in bio. Will barely get a 40. Have done one U3 prac exam and surprisingly got 80% I’m gonna hold off on doing more till I do some more photosynthesis and apoptosis/cellular signalling revision as we did those topics mostly online, the first time. Moved onto evolution + mutations SAC in week 9. I actually like this topic so far.

English
As you guys know I only got 80% on my language analysis sac and I would like to poke my self in the eyes. 🤬 anyway I’m going to re-list my mistakes so I can feel even more ]stupid:


 

Mistakes

- text type
-target audience
-making sure paragraphs flow off one another (I’m gonna contend those one btw)
- Comparison between authorial intention.
- Conclusion which links authorial intent and purpose.
- a filter for consistency of analysis

Isn’t that beautiful? Anyway the comparitive sac is coming up (3 weeks wooh) and it’s online so I’ve got to do REALLY well to account for the fact that 80% of people openly cheat because they give us FOUR, hours, UNSUPERVISED. At least 85% pls 😩

Methods
SAC on Friday and I want bang on 40% PLS👏👏👏

Psychology:
Guys I’m getting behind because I ran out of flashcards I know it’s dumb but it’s my main study methods while “learning” before diving into other methods like practise questions. So Psych and bio have been on hold for two weeks......I quite like mental health. Although it’s evident I’m not resilient (as a mentally healthy person should be!) as not having flashcards results in me not studying.........

That’s it short and sweet! ☺️

Things I have found on various VCE forums (not just AN)

Sometimes I feel like even people on the internet don’t like me because I’m annoying. People are always telling me to not worry about study scores and actually  study but sometimes it comes off as REALLY rude and hurts my feelings. I literally just asked a hypothetical question. I’m not saying I won’t study please stop saying that. Other people do it and they don’t get bashed :’( But whatever. I’m too sensitive for the world.

Confessions of an *extreme* introvert )

  I’m sad quarantine is ending soon. I liked being in hiding. Although it sucks that is SERIOUSLY tearing some people apart. I’ve never been this productive I love it. And not seeing people has my energy levels up. No one can reject me or be offensive 🙂. Except maybe on group chats but I can mute those! When we go back to school I won’t be able to study for exams as much or you know be “happy”. I say “happy” as I’m not truly happy but I’m also not on the verge of crying every two seconds. I’ll cherish these few months for the rest of my life I think. Utter. Complete. “bliss”.

[The Cat In The Hat]

Confessions of an *extreme* introvert )

  I’m sad quarantine is ending soon. I liked being in hiding. Although it sucks that is SERIOUSLY tearing some people apart. I’ve never been this productive I love it. And not seeing people has my energy levels up. No one can reject me or be offensive 🙂. Except maybe on group chats but I can mute those! When we go back to school I won’t be able to study for exams as much or you know be “happy”. I say “happy” as I’m not truly happy but I’m also not on the verge of crying every two seconds. I’ll cherish these few months for the rest of my life I think. Utter. Complete. “bliss”.

Worry not... you're not alone. Altho' I procrastinate. But still. The life of an introvert. Even though I'd like to see my family. Sorry, school friends, not keen to go back to school even for you.

[justaloser]

I decided to update because I’m so happy Rn! I know I shouldn’t base my happiness on my grades but- it is what it is. After feeling really down in the dumps something good happened:

Chemistry:
The sac I panicked in......I got 96%!!! I was ecstatic! Still am! Although annoyed because the one mark I lost was in MC picking an incorrect indicator......maybe this SAC was a fluke 😅

Biology
Messed up that sac bad. Got a whopping 77%. Not getting a 45 in bio. Will barely get a 40. Have done one U3 prac exam and surprisingly got 80% I’m gonna hold off on doing more till I do some more photosynthesis and apoptosis/cellular signalling revision as we did those topics mostly online, the first time. Moved onto evolution + mutations SAC in week 9. I actually like this topic so far.

English
As you guys know I only got 80% on my language analysis sac and I would like to poke my self in the eyes. 🤬 anyway I’m going to re-list my mistakes so I can feel even more ]stupid:


 

Mistakes

- text type
-target audience
-making sure paragraphs flow off one another (I’m gonna contend those one btw)
- Comparison between authorial intention.
- Conclusion which links authorial intent and purpose.
- a filter for consistency of analysis

Isn’t that beautiful? Anyway the comparitive sac is coming up (3 weeks wooh) and it’s online so I’ve got to do REALLY well to account for the fact that 80% of people openly cheat because they give us FOUR, hours, UNSUPERVISED. At least 85% pls 😩

Methods
SAC on Friday and I want bang on 40% PLS👏👏👏

Psychology:
Guys I’m getting behind because I ran out of flashcards I know it’s dumb but it’s my main study methods while “learning” before diving into other methods like practise questions. So Psych and bio have been on hold for two weeks......I quite like mental health. Although it’s evident I’m not resilient (as a mentally healthy person should be!) as not having flashcards results in me not studying.........

That’s it short and sweet! ☺️

Things I have found on various VCE forums (not just AN)

Sometimes I feel like even people on the internet don’t like me because I’m annoying. People are always telling me to not worry about study scores and actually  study but sometimes it comes off as REALLY rude and hurts my feelings. I literally just asked a hypothetical question. I’m not saying I won’t study please stop saying that. Other people do it and they don’t get bashed :’( But whatever. I’m too sensitive for the world.

Confessions of an *extreme* introvert )

  I’m sad quarantine is ending soon. I liked being in hiding. Although it sucks that is SERIOUSLY tearing some people apart. I’ve never been this productive I love it. And not seeing people has my energy levels up. No one can reject me or be offensive 🙂. Except maybe on group chats but I can mute those! When we go back to school I won’t be able to study for exams as much or you know be “happy”. I say “happy” as I’m not truly happy but I’m also not on the verge of crying every two seconds. I’ll cherish these few months for the rest of my life I think. Utter. Complete. “bliss”.

Hey, massive congrats for the Chem SAC! And don't worry about the little mistakes, literally everyone makes them so you're not alone. It's not a fluke.

As for the flashcards running out, you might want to try Anki. It's like an app for flashcards but digital so there's no limit on paper, and you can throw in images, fancy text etc. etc. it's great. Unless you're already using digital flashcards of some sort.

[The Cat In The Hat]

Agreed on Anki. It's a good one.