ATAR Notes: Forum
QCE Stuff => Queensland Education Discussion => The QCE Journey Journal => Topic started by: JerryMouse2019 on October 08, 2019, 08:15:54 pm
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Hello there fellow ATARNotes readers,
I was planning on starting this journal when I ended year 10 this year but then I changed my mind, so here it goes. I'm in year 10 currently which means that I will be graduating high school in 2021. My current dream career involves stopping climate change or helping others solve a problem through the career fields of business (economics) and information technology (cyber security or computer science). This is why I am currently aiming to do a double degree in business/information technology at QUT once I graduate from high school.
My QCE subjects are as follows:
English
General Maths
Business
Economics
Legal Studies
Digital Solutions
Anyways I hope to update this journal of mine as much as possible in the spare time that I have,
Until next time,
Thanks for reading,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019 ;D
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Nice one! What are your favourite/least favourite subjects atm? :)
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Yes!
It's always amazing to see people interested in other fields who also want to tackle anthropogenic climate change - we need all sectors together to create real and lasting change.
What's digital solutions like?
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My favourite subjects currently in year 10 are economics, geography and biology.
I like economics because it helps me understand how the real world works.
I like biology because it helps me understand how we as humans work or how animals work.
I like geography because it helps me understand world problems such as food insecurity, climate change and developmental problems in developing countries such as famine or war. The only problem I have with geography is that since it is a humanities subject you have to write a lot when you get research assignments.
My least favourite subjects in year 10 include:
English Literature - I do well in it but it's hard to gain interest in it sometimes since I'm doing literature.
Maths Methods - I struggle in maths a lot (practising is my problem).
Digital Solutions - The coding bit is fun but when you have to write your own responses in your assignment it gets boring.
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The only problem I have with geography is that since it is a humanities subject you have to write a lot when you get research assignments.
Very relatable. Yesterday I had a 2000 word management report due for conservation biology. Everyone else was talking about how it was hard to stay in the word limit and I was there going ??? The word limit does not need to be any higher??
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I've heard that universities are pretty strict with word limits when it comes to assignments, is this true?
My teachers have told me that when you submit your assignment online if you have already gone over the word limit then the submission software will cut out the words after it finds that enough words have been written.
When it comes to the QCE does the word limit depend on the subject and the type of assignment task?
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I've heard that universities are pretty strict with word limits when it comes to assignments, is this true?
My teachers have told me that when you submit your assignment online if you have already gone over the word limit then the submission software will cut out the words after it finds that enough words have been written.
When it comes to the QCE does the word limit depend on the subject and the type of assignment task?
Depends on the uni, the faculty, and the specific assignment in question. Often you might get a 10% buffer either way, but this year I've had mainly hard cut offs. One thing that I would say is quite different is that you don't always have to write close to the word limit (i.e. you can have many less words)
I've never encountered a technology like that. What I have seen is a 10% penalty for each 10% over OR each word over the limit being ignored.
Yeah for QCE it's subject & assignment dependent
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Hello there fellow ATARNotes readers,
I was planning on starting this journal when I ended year 10 this year but then I changed my mind, so here it goes. I'm in year 10 currently which means that I will be graduating high school in 2021. My current dream career involves stopping climate change or helping others solve a problem through the career fields of business (economics) and information technology (cyber security or computer science). This is why I am currently aiming to do a double degree in business/information technology at QUT once I graduate from high school.
My QCE subjects are as follows:
English
General Maths (This might change)
Business
Economics
Digital Solutions
Biology
Anyways I hope to update this journal of mine as much as possible in the spare time that I have,
Until next time,
Thanks for reading,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019 ;D
Hey JerryMouse2019!
I'm super passionate about the climate crisis and the environment and I found it really interesting that you wanted to go into business and information technology. Out of curiosity, do you believe that this pathway will aid you in helping stop climate change, and if so how? I've heard of a lot of people going into environmental sciences and stuff, but never business and IT - I thought that was very cool :)
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Hello K.Smithy,
Initially I was thinking of doing something in environmental science but then I realised that doing environmental science wouldn't have immediately guaranteed me a job after my graduation from university. If I had done environmental science then I would've have gone into research afterwards. The problem with me going into research is that I didn't want to discover or research more about climate change, I wanted to act on climate change. This is why when I realised this potential with doing environmental economics and data science that I could save the planet, I had a light bulb moment with these two career fields. My light bulb moment came in the form of a passage that I had read in a magazine in my school library, the magazine was titled, 'CareersWithSTEM.' In the passage it stated how one person was doing a job in which they were tracking the satellite data of carbon emissions around the world using data science. The same goes for environmental economics, I read another passage from the magazine that showed a person who was helping governments and businesses with making significant environmental decisions through environmental economics. Even though I may not find a job in Business and Information Technology that will directly help me stop climate change straight away, these two career fields will definitely allow me to help people which is one of my other goals. Besides technology is all around us and it is ever changing which is why there is so much potential for it to be used for stopping world problems such as climate change.
You can read one of the passages from the magazine here (it is on page eight): https://issuu.com/refractionmedia/docs/cws_economics_2019
Thanks for replying,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hello K.Smithy,
Initially I was thinking of doing something in environmental science but then I realised that doing environmental science wouldn't have immediately guaranteed me a job after my graduation from university. If I had done environmental science then I would've have gone into research afterwards. The problem with me going into research is that I didn't want to discover or research more about climate change, I wanted to act on climate change. This is why when I realised this potential with doing environmental economics and data science that I could save the planet, I had a light bulb moment with these two career fields. My light bulb moment came in the form of a passage that I had read in a magazine in my school library, the magazine was titled, 'CareersWithSTEM.' In the passage it stated how one person was doing a job in which they were tracking the satellite data of carbon emissions around the world using data science. The same goes for environmental economics, I read another passage from the magazine that showed a person who was helping governments and businesses with making significant environmental decisions through environmental economics. Even though I may not find a job in Business and Information Technology that will directly help me stop climate change straight away, these two career fields will definitely allow me to help people which is one of my other goals. Besides technology is all around us and it is ever changing which is why there is so much potential for it to be used for stopping world problems such as climate change.
You can read one of the passages from the magazine here (it is on page eight): https://issuu.com/refractionmedia/docs/cws_economics_2019
Thanks for replying,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Wow, you really have it all thought through! People my age talk about wanting to stop climate change all the time, but it is refreshing to see someone who has put a lot of thought into how they can achieve that. But hey! If you are super keen about it, what's stopping you from making a difference now? Maybe you could talk to your school's principle about potential ideas in regard to making your school more environmentally friendly. I'm planning to talk to my principle in the next coming weeks. Some ideas I have come up with are:
- improving my schools waste management by introducing worm farms and composting (this allows for organic materials in the form of food waste to be used for something good. This also means that less organic material ends up in landfill, thus decreasing methane production. Fun fact (or maybe a not so fun fact): ~50% of greenhouse gas emissions from landfill is methane, which is much more dangerous than CO2. Landfill establishes anaerobic conditions which allows for methane-producing bacteria to begin decomposing organic material and generate methane.)
- Introducing a community garden
- Introducing an environmental committee (allowing for many students to get involved)
- Introducing aquaponics
- Reducing plastic in our tuck shop
...
Those are just some ideas. I would also love to get my school to start supporting charities such as Envision Hands (they take caps from milk bottles and produce prosthetic limbs from them).
If you're interested in finding out how your school sits with CO2 emissions and stuff, you can check out this link below (it will only work if your school is registered with "solar schools" however).
https://www.solarschools.net
If you ever want to read more about the climate crisis, I really recommend IPCC reports - those are extremely eye opening and insightful. Also, I found the 2018 Global Report on Internal Displacement very interesting. It really paints a picture of how climate change is affecting people around the world.
Also, if you're interested, there is this petition that will go to the Australian Government and if it gets enough signatures, parliament will declare a climate emergency. So yeah, if you want you can check that out.
https://www.aph.gov.au/petition_sign?id=EN1041
Anywho, that's enough of my ramble :)
I wish you the best on your journey through the ATAR system. Thank you for caring about the planet :)
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I might apply for an environmental leader position next year in my school. Also I like your enthusiasm and ideas when it comes to stopping climate change.
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Wow, you really have it all thought through! People my age talk about wanting to stop climate change all the time, but it is refreshing to see someone who has put a lot of thought into how they can achieve that. But hey! If you are super keen about it, what's stopping you from making a difference now? Maybe you could talk to your school's principle about potential ideas in regard to making your school more environmentally friendly. I'm planning to talk to my principle in the next coming weeks. Some ideas I have come up with are:
- improving my schools waste management by introducing worm farms and composting (this allows for organic materials in the form of food waste to be used for something good. This also means that less organic material ends up in landfill, thus decreasing methane production. Fun fact (or maybe a not so fun fact): ~50% of greenhouse gas emissions from landfill is methane, which is much more dangerous than CO2. Landfill establishes anaerobic conditions which allows for methane-producing bacteria to begin decomposing organic material and generate methane.)
- Introducing a community garden
- Introducing an environmental committee (allowing for many students to get involved)
- Introducing aquaponics
- Reducing plastic in our tuck shop
...
Those are just some ideas. I would also love to get my school to start supporting charities such as Envision Hands (they take caps from milk bottles and produce prosthetic limbs from them).
If you're interested in finding out how your school sits with CO2 emissions and stuff, you can check out this link below (it will only work if your school is registered with "solar schools" however).
https://www.solarschools.net
If you ever want to read more about the climate crisis, I really recommend IPCC reports - those are extremely eye opening and insightful. Also, I found the 2018 Global Report on Internal Displacement very interesting. It really paints a picture of how climate change is affecting people around the world.
Also, if you're interested, there is this petition that will go to the Australian Government and if it gets enough signatures, parliament will declare a climate emergency. So yeah, if you want you can check that out.
https://www.aph.gov.au/petition_sign?id=EN1041
Anywho, that's enough of my ramble :)
I wish you the best on your journey through the ATAR system. Thank you for caring about the planet :)
That's great! it's always great to be environmentally friendly and take care of our planet.
The reality though is a lot of people want climate change to cease or be reduced significantly but this really is not possible without new technology that is also affordable. The population of this planet is increasing exponentially. Coal will run about in about 100 or so years and oils in about 50 years. After this we will have no option but to switch to electric cars and what not which will be powered by windmills and any other new sustainable technology that may be developed. However this won't stop the fact that deforestation will still keep on occurring, unless we eliminate the need of paper, wooden furniture etc, which could happen I guess. Sadly though a lot of people don't even believe in climate change even though there's scientific proof that greenhouse gases trap heat which allows us to extrapolate and say it traps heat on the Earth, and it's because a lot of people don't believe in it EVEN though there's so MUCH evidence that not a lot will change. It will take a lot of time for any significant action to take place, this new generation is growing up educated with a firm belief in Climate change, so I would say only when we begins to enter politics and organizations that there will be an actual difference.
As of now Scientists suggest Global warning has already gone too far so any actions we take now will only reduce the Climate change by a bit, and even if we cut out everything and made out emissions zero in the whole world climate change will still continue for a long time. A sad reality but this is what has become of The Earth.
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UPDATE:
Yesterday I was given my first assignment based on macroeconomic management. They've basically made a mini version of unit 4 for economics in year 10 at my school. The economics around nations is a very interesting topic. Hopefully I can nail this assignment. Besides the word limit is far less than the word limit that I will be using in my QCE economics assignments in the next two years (economics is a humanities subject so knowing that the word limit is small is an assuring thing). I am also hoping to post more updates in the near future so be sure to keep watching this journal grow into my QCE journey.
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Wow. That sounds great! Certainly seems much more engaging than the electives I had in year 10 :)
@DrDusk
I don't want to derail Jerry's thread but as someone who is majoring in ecology and conservation biology in a course called global challenges you might imagine that I hear a lot about the pressures we're putting on the planet. I strongly believe there is reason for hope & I'd be happy to have this debate with you in another thread.
The socio-political problem now (in Aus at least) is also not so much lack of belief and instead lack of will to change.
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I might apply for an environmental leader position next year in my school. Also I like your enthusiasm and ideas when it comes to stopping climate change.
Ooh yeah! Definitely do that, I really think that would be a worthwhile experience and would open up so many opportunities.
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That's great! it's always great to be environmentally friendly and take care of our planet.
The reality though is a lot of people want climate change to cease or be reduced significantly but this really is not possible without new technology that is also affordable. The population of this planet is increasing exponentially. Coal will run about in about 100 or so years and oils in about 50 years. After this we will have no option but to switch to electric cars and what not which will be powered by windmills and any other new sustainable technology that may be developed. However this won't stop the fact that deforestation will still keep on occurring, unless we eliminate the need of paper, wooden furniture etc, which could happen I guess. Sadly though a lot of people don't even believe in climate change even though there's scientific proof that greenhouse gases trap heat which allows us to extrapolate and say it traps heat on the Earth, and it's because a lot of people don't believe in it EVEN though there's so MUCH evidence that not a lot will change. It will take a lot of time for any significant action to take place, this new generation is growing up educated with a firm belief in Climate change, so I would say only when we begins to enter politics and organizations that there will be an actual difference.
As of now Scientists suggest Global warning has already gone too far so any actions we take now will only reduce the Climate change by a bit, and even if we cut out everything and made out emissions zero in the whole world climate change will still continue for a long time. A sad reality but this is what has become of The Earth.
Yes, it's a very sad reality. IPCC reports from the beginning of last year stated that in order to have a 67% chance of keeping global temperatures below a 1.5˚C increase we could only emit 480Gt more of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases. This figure is already below 360Gt. What is sad is that due to equity issues it is important that first world countries reduce their net emissions to zero asap, so that third world countries can use the remains of the carbon budget to build up infrastructure.
It really is disappointing that people don't believe in climate change. Due to how quickly our carbon budget is depleting (at current rates of emissions we only have 8.5 years before our budget is gone) it is vital that we do as much as we can to convince those in the leadership that this is an issue that needs to be solved now. We don't have time to wait for younger generations to step into those positions. We need those who are currently in leadership positions to open their eyes and stop lying to themselves. Some people are more stubborn than others however, so this is proving a challenge.
The annoying thing is that technology has been developed to combat climate change. Scientists have developed concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide, methane produced in landfills can be used for power, there are machines that can suck CO2 out of the air (which can then be combined with hydrogen to produce fossil fuel substitutes)....
Anywho, all we can do right now is spread awareness and try and live sustainable lives ourselves. Hopefully global leaders will come around and realise how big of an issue this is.
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Hello K.Smithy,
I can see that you are really passionate about the climate crisis but if you don't mind can we talk about the climate crisis in another forum and not this journal of mine?
I want to keep the focus of this journal on my journey to the QCE.
Thanks for understanding,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Also keep coming up with more great ideas to combat the crisis (your ideas are really awesome) :)
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Hello K.Smithy,
I can see that you are really passionate about the climate crisis but if you don't mind can we talk about the climate crisis in another forum and not this journal of mine?
I want to keep the focus of this journal on my journey to the QCE.
Thanks for understanding,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Also keep coming up with more great ideas to combat the crisis (your ideas are really awesome) :)
My apologies, I didn't mean to de-rail your journal!
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Hello everyone,
If someone can answer these questions then please reply :)
I've heard that the marking for the new QCE system is pretty strict, is this true?
I've heard that reading the ISMGs (the new criteria model used in the new system) and that using cognitive verbs in your assignments is pretty important if you want to achieve a high grade.
Thanks for reading my post,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hello everyone,
If someone can answer these questions then please reply :)
I've heard that the marking for the new QCE system is pretty strict, is this true?
I've heard that reading the ISMGs (the new criteria model used in the new system) and that using cognitive verbs in your assignments is pretty important if you want to achieve a high grade.
Thanks for reading my post,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
In general, most people find that in senior years marking is more strict but if your school is particularly strict at lower year levels this may be less of an adjustment for you.
I would definitely recommend paying attention to the ISMGs (and to your syllabuses in general) as otherwise it's going to be difficult to know what you need to do to get a high mark. With cognitive verbs it's not so much about using them in your assignments and more that they direct how you should respond. If you're asked to "compare" and instead you "classify" you'll find it hard to get the marks. I struggled in year 10 to remember that for "contrast" you only list differences whereas for "compare" you look at both similarities and differences but by year 12 it was habit - knowing how to interpret these gets easier with practice. If you're interested you can find a glossary to the right of this this page, and you can find the ISMGs by clicking into the relevant subject.
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How have you been JerryMouse? ;D
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I've been doing great. Not much has been happening though. Assignments and exams have been piling up. It's hard to believe that in less than a year I will be in year 12.
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I've been doing great. Not much has been happening though. Assignments and exams have been piling up. It's hard to believe that in less than a year I will be in year 12.
Pretty neat that you've been doing great while also have exams and assignments pile up. At your school do you start year 11 at the end of this year or at the beginning of next year?
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I start year 11 at the beginning of next year which really isn't good for me since year 11 is then condensed into 3 terms (year 12 starts in term 4 of 2020). Apparently each unit lasts a term and a half which means that year 11 is definitely going to be harder than year 10 (and it will definitely be a bigger jump in terms of workload compared to how much of a jump year 10 was from year 9).
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I start year 11 at the beginning of next year which really isn't good for me since year 11 is then condensed into 3 terms. Apparently each unit lasts a term and a half which means that year 11 is definitely going to be harder than year 10 (and definitely a bigger jump in terms of workload).
There is definitely a jump, but I found (studying two 1/2 subjects this year), it was no bigger than the jump between year nine and year ten. I think that the biggest thing to get used to is how you often have to be quite self-motivated. Sending good vibes your way!
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I start year 11 at the beginning of next year which really isn't good for me since year 11 is then condensed into 3 terms (year 12 starts in term 4 of 2020). Apparently each unit lasts a term and a half which means that year 11 is definitely going to be harder than year 10 (and it will definitely be a bigger jump in terms of workload compared to how much of a jump year 10 was from year 9).
Yeah it's really weird - schools seem to be ignoring that the recommended time for each unit is the same. If it's any consolation, at least having a more stressful units 1&2 will give you the change to test out your management strategies for that before year 12?
If want to prepare for it, a decent amount of the bio 1/2 syllabus for qce overlaps with the vce 3/4 syllabus (e.g. cellular respiration, photosynthesis, immunity) so there's plenty of people here who will be able to answer questions and advice for those topics you can look at.
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I've been doing great. Not much has been happening though. Assignments and exams have been piling up. It's hard to believe that in less than a year I will be in year 12.
Hey everyone,
I'm going to contradict my previous statement and say that I have been struggling a lot more than the previous terms. It's only because I have a biology exam that covers both term 3 and term 4 content. I also have a maths exam that covers 5 chapters from my maths textbook including: trigonometry, quadratic equations, parabolas, statistics and polynomials. Having to remember and practise this much content has been very challenging for me so far.
I'm also considering a change to two of my subjects for my QCE (biology and digital solutions). Currently I'm thinking of changing them to either legal studies, ICT, earth and environmental science or geography. I haven't made a final decision yet on what I will pick but when I do, I'll surely update this journal with my new subject choices.
Thanks for reading my journal update,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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I'm going to contradict my previous statement and say that I have been struggling a lot more than the previous terms. It's only because I have a biology exam that covers both term 3 and term 4 content. I also have a maths exam that covers 5 chapters from my maths textbook including: trigonometry, quadratic equations, parabolas, statistics and polynomials. Having to remember and practise this much content has been very challenging for me so far.
I feel exactly the same as you, particularly with maths (and with bio to an extent). Your Year 10 exams don't define you, and in the end they're just a practice for QCE.
Good luck with your exams and choosing your subjects.
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Hey everyone,
Today I officially changed one of my QCE subjects (biology) to legal studies. Hopefully I can do well in legal studies since I've done really well in Pre-English-Literature this year (even though I've decided to do normal English next year).
I chose legal studies over biology because I started taking quite an interest into the practices of law, governance and criminology in recent weeks. This was partly because I found that doing legal studies would help me with a career in cyber security (something I'm thinking of doing) and also because it would help me improve my analytical skills.
Thanks for reading my update,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey Jerry,
I'm glad you were able to be decisive enough to change your plans (which can always be a bit intimidating) as you've had more time to think it over & gained more information.
I tried units 1&2 of literature but ended up swapping to another English. I'd thought I'd really like literature since I love reading and analysing texts but it wasn't for me. Did you have a similar experience or did you suspect from the start that literature wasn't the English for you?
- Bri
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I've been taking a class in forensic science and psychology this semester and I've really enjoyed it. I find patterns between mental illnesses, drug use and other early childhood experiences and criminal behaviour really fascinating. I also really enjoyed doing investigations to do with blood types, antibodies and antigens (which I think is the love I have for bio permeating through). What interests you about criminology? ;D
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I've been taking a class in forensic science and psychology this semester and I've really enjoyed it. I find patterns between mental illnesses, drug use and other early childhood experiences and criminal behaviour really fascinating. I also really enjoyed doing investigations to do with blood types, antibodies and antigens (which I think is the love I have for bio permeating through). What interests you about criminology? ;D
I find criminology to be interesting because it allows me to understand how a criminal thinks and to also understand what motivates them to commit a crime. In cyber security if you know how a criminal thinks then you can predict where the criminal will strike next. This particularly comes in handy when you stop a hacker from stealing personal information or data from a company. It even helps a company save money from hackers. The possibilities are endless with combining criminology and cyber security. It's assuring to know that cyber security is a fast growing field that will be in demand in the next ten years.
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Certainly sounds like a very useful field- and the knowledge from legal should certainly help. I was reading the QCE syllabus and it looks super interesting. Stuff about how crime is investigated and how laws are enforced should be really informative. Unit 4 about Human Rights looks really fantastic too!
Did you end up keeping digital solutions? That sounds like a subject very relevant to what you would like your future career to be. ;D
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Certainly sounds like a very useful field- and the knowledge from legal should certainly help. I was reading the QCE syllabus and it looks super interesting. Stuff about how crime is investigated and how laws are enforced should be really informative. Unit 4 about Human Rights looks really fantastic too!
Did you end up keeping digital solutions? That sounds like a subject very relevant to what you would like your future career to be. ;D
I ended up keeping digital solutions. This was partly because I felt that the digital solutions syllabus was more in depth than compared to the ICT skills subject (which was an applied subject). I also figured that doing digital solutions would support me later in life if I chose to do an IT degree in the near future. I also found out that the syllabus had taken some inspiration from the 'Computing' subject in the VCE. This made me believe that the new QCE system was far better than the HSC or the VCE. I mean our ATAR system up in Queensland seems pretty chill when compared to the ATAR systems in other states.
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Hey everyone,
I've now officially finished all of my exams and assignments for year 10.
I finish year 10 this Friday which seems daunting considering the fact that I'm finally on the path of becoming a senior and a student of the new QCE system.
Now the QCE years officially begin!!!
Thanks for reading this update,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey everyone,
I've now officially finished all of my exams and assignments for year 10.
I finish year 10 this Friday which seems daunting considering the fact that I'm finally on the path of becoming a senior and a student of the new QCE system.
Now the QCE years officially begin!!!
Thanks for reading this update,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Nice! How did your exams and assignments go?
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Hey everyone,
I just wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas!!!
For anyone starting their journey in the QCE (or HSC/VCE), good luck with the new year!!!
I'd also like to tell you all that I've signed up for the English Units 1&2 lecture that is happening at QUT in January.
So if anyone else is coming to that lecture then I'll see you there :)
Enjoy your holidays,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Merry Christmas JerryMouse2019!!!
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Hey everyone,
Here is an update on my first day back:
Nothing much happened on my first day back other than the fact that I got introduced to the assessment (for business and economics) that I would be doing in the weeks and months to come. I was also put through multiple 'getting to know you' activities throughout the day, this allowed me to meet new people.
How was everyone else's first day back?
Thanks for reading this post,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey Jerry,
Thanks for the update :D
I don't mind get to know you activities but it's vey rare for me to remember names from them; hopefully you're better at that than I am. How are you feeling about your business and eco assessments?
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Hey everyone,
Here is an update on what has happened so far in my first term with the QCE:
- I have been given all of my assignments for term 1.
- I have been told when my exams are happening and what day my assignments are due.
- I have been introduced to the not so high pressures (or stress) of the QCE (well it doesn't seem so high currently since I just started).
Also how is everyone else doing (specifically the people who are graduating this year or next year)?
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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I sometimes wish PSMTs didn't exist in any Maths subjects.
I really don't like doing them since I find understanding them to be a bit confusing.
Does anyone have similar opinions on PSMTs?
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Hey everyone,
JerryMouse here with an exciting update (after a long time).
Today I had my economics exam and it was a little over 2 hours long.
I'm confident that I did well in it and I only have a few more things due before the holidays start (which really aren't holidays this time around due to COVID-19). The exciting bit of the exam was really when they told us at the end that they had been told that the QLD government had announced that next week was now 'student-free'.
I'm wondering though, I have one exam left to do and it's supposed to be happening next week. I'm not a person who has to go to school next week so I've been wondering if my exam's been cancelled due to the QLD government's recent announcement.
We will see what happens I guess.
Until then good luck to everyone out there in the real world and please social distance (it's the only way we can stop the virus),
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9d86ocFlxE
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Hi JerryMouse2019,
I think your exam would be cancelled for this term, and then would be rescheduled to a later date but it might just depend on if the situation with COVID-19 worsens or not. Because although my school has been "cancelled" because of the virus, we have resorted to online learning for the last two weeks of term (which is when my last two assessments for this term are due) but it might also depend on what your school decides as well.
But good luck for your economics exam results - I hope you smash it out of the park.
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Hi s110820,
I do hope that I will 'smash it out of the park' with my economics exam results since economics is one of my best subjects.
I received word today that my exam (that was supposed to happen next week) got postponed to next term due to yesterday's announcement from the state government.
I also had an English persuasive speech left to do but that's been postponed as well to next term.
Since the teachers around the state are preparing online learning for us all, I just hope that we can all effectively study if the need for a full blown online term comes around (which I hope doesn't happen).
Besides studying at home isn't the same as studying at school. The routine is different and sometimes you can't focus due to distractions that you wouldn't find at school.
As an economics student, it seems interesting to me that we might be seeing a potential recession occurring in our country (as well as the world).
Though thinking about the implications impacts me as a person. Seeing so many people losing their jobs to the virus is just very painful to watch. I keep hearing statistics on the news that show how companies are standing down thousands of their employees. Entire industries are collapsing. It's scary to watch but also interesting at the same time.
Good luck to everyone out there,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hi JerryMouse2019,
I completely agree with what you said about effectively studying for our exams even if we are doing online learning but I am still wondering how the QCAA is going to organize our exams. Do you think that we would take the exam in smaller groups or maybe even switch the format of the exam to an assignment (for subjects like English for example)?
I've been thinking about the COVID-19 situation a lot lately as well and honestly, it just breaks my heart to hear about so many losses whether it may be of life or jobs, but I am also more aware of the structure of our society. Before the outbreak, I feel like we have been dependent on so many industries, political assets and education but now that the pandemic looms on our shoulders, the foundation of our society, even our existence has collapsed right in front of us.
And it's just scary to think about. That one minute our economy and our society could be stable one minute, and in a havoc in the next minute. But I hope the situation alleviates, even just a little bit, soon.
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Hey everyone,
Today was the first day of the 5 week period in which nearly everyone in the entire state was studying from home. The one thing that I miss about school is that you follow a timetable. At home there is no timetable. I have been given all of my work for the week in one go and I have been told to submit it at the end of the week. We had a video conference call as well today and it had a little lag but it had text-chat (which was good) as an alternative to speaking through a microphone. So all in all, I think online learning for me specifically has been fine so far as I have had no problems with any of the online resources that I have had to use.
I did hear though that some people who use Microsoft OneNote were having trouble using it (as it crashed due to high user numbers).
I hope everyone has a satisfying online learning experience that works.
Good luck to everyone for the next 5 weeks,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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I personally much prefer using chat over speaking aloud in my uni classes too. Especially if there's a TA leading the discussion and it's not just students. I use OneNote all the time and haven't found issues except when I try sharing pages.
Is most of your work reading, videos, tasks or something else?
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I personally much prefer using chat over speaking aloud in my uni classes too. Especially if there's a TA leading the discussion and it's not just students. I use OneNote all the time and haven't found issues except when I try sharing pages.
Is most of your work reading, videos, tasks or something else?
My teachers have basically given me tasks involving: worksheets, PowerPoint recordings, screen recordings, YouTube video links and textbook questions. This is pretty much what studying online looks like. Also OneNote started working again today which is good.
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Hi JerryMouse2019!
Long time no see but it's great that you're adapting pretty well to the change of online school. Are you struggling with any subjects in particular at the moment during online school? I find that my humanities-based subjects (English, Literature and Modern History) are extremely flexible (can be taught in different types of environments) but I'm kinda struggling with my heavy-content subjects of General Maths and Biology as I'm the type of learner that really benefits from learning from inside a classroom for those types of subjects. Do you have any advice?
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Hey s110820,
I agree with you on how content-heavy subjects are harder to learn at home than in person at school. I'm having trouble learning in most of my subjects. All of my subjects are content-heavy subjects (except English) that in my opinion cannot be studied properly at home. Maybe they look content-heavy to me because my teachers are sending me the whole week's work in one go. I don't know. Though I do know that if I don't follow a schedule then I'm going to fall behind really quickly. It is however reassuring to know that my teachers are there to help me in any way possible. Learning at home for 5 weeks straight is probably the biggest challenge that I've faced in a while. The uncertainty surrounding what the state government might do to schools after May 22nd is also worrying. This is because we don't know if schools will truly be able to open up again after May 22nd. I might even have a General Maths exam as soon as I come back (I doubt that it'll occur) (though in a normal term this is when I would be having my exam). My only advice for you would be to set up a schedule and do your work in chunks (break it up). Imagine yourself in a world where you've always been learning from home. Imagine that you've always been doing homework and that you've never been to school. Maybe telling ourselves this might help us all move forward in these challenging times.
Best of luck,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Also thanks for keeping the Queensland forums alive :)
We need more people like you and me to keep contributing to not just the Queensland forums but to all of the AN forums :)
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Thank you so much, Jerry, for replying, I really appreciate it :)
This is a bit of a weird question but do you need help with any of your subjects (English in particular)? I would be more than happy to help if you need. And thanks so much for the advice as well -- I keep that in mind throughout the five weeks of online school. I'm also worried about the uncertainty as well, but what can you say? 2020 was bound to be an extreme emotional rollercoaster (if that makes sense oops). Anyway, best of luck for your five weeks (and your maths exam if you end up having it). I bet you'll smash it.
Kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
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Thank you so much, Jerry, for replying, I really appreciate it :)
This is a bit of a weird question but do you need help with any of your subjects (English in particular)? I would be more than happy to help if you need. And thanks so much for the advice as well -- I keep that in mind throughout the five weeks of online school. I'm also worried about the uncertainty as well, but what can you say? 2020 was bound to be an extreme emotional rollercoaster (if that makes sense oops). Anyway, best of luck for your five weeks (and your maths exam if you end up having it). I bet you'll smash it.
Kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
Hi Darcy,
First of all, thank you for replying to my posts :)
I currently don't need any help with English (since we have just been introduced to the unit). Though if I need any help with anything then I'll surely ask you. Since you're a part of the class of 2020 you obviously have been through so much already and COVID-19 has probably made your study life worse. Being a part of the first cohort of the new QCE system was probably already impacting you enough (so much mentally, physically and emotionally).
I feel privileged to be a part of the class of 2021 because at least my cohort gets to see the scaling of subjects and use assessment exemplars (work that you guys did in year 11 last year and work that you are going to do this year).
COVID-19 is really going to ruin 2020 for the most part and we'll remember this time when we grow older.
I estimate that by September life will somewhat become normal (enough) for the people of Queensland. I just hope we don't lose this entire term to COVID-19. I can't stay at home and not meet my friends for 3 months straight. It's just really hard to stay focused in a time like this.
Best of luck to the both of us and to everyone in the nation,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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I feel privileged to be a part of the class of 2021 because at least my cohort gets to see the scaling of subjects and use assessment exemplars (work that you guys did in year 11 last year and work that you are going to do this year).
Quick warning here: Don't be surprised if your year's scaling report is different to the class of 2020. Even in other states there's variability between years and I wouldn't be surprised if that's more the case for Qld in the next few years. Assessment exemplars is a good point tho. In my experience of VCE at least, the last year of a study design [their version of a syllabus] tends to be tighter competition whereas the first year is more lenient and forgiving of mistakes.
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Hi Jerry,
Thanks for replying (again). I really appreciate it :)
Yeah, you're right. Being the first cohort of QCE and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has been such a struggle for me mentally and physically, but I'm sure that's the same for every other QCE student. But now that we are "slowing down" in terms of what we do, I've definitely noticed how I am constantly drained of energy, even before the pandemic. Which is why I'm planning to look after myself more, rather than crash and burn.
But I think that's a valuable lesson that every QCE student should learn, regardless of how the pandemic has affected their school life. It took me years to realise this but health is vital to success . As a student, I used to depend solely on caffeine and sugar to keep me awake when all I wanted to do was sleep. Which is why I cannot stress enough that it should be anyone's top priority to look after themselves -- both mentally and physically -- as we cannot function on anything but our own energy and motivation.
And yes, while being in the class of 2021 will have advantages -- such as hopefully a full, uninterrupted year of Year 12, it may have disadvantages as well. No one can predict what's going to happen tomorrow, in a month or a year, it's up to fate to decide. What Bri MT said about subject and assessment scaling is completely true -- the first cohort of Year 12 (2020) has flexibility because we are "the lab rats" as my English teacher constantly refers to us as. And of course, it is also important for any QCE student to remember that the more years away from the introduction of QCE (2020), the less flexible it will be in terms of the scaling of assessment.
But in terms of not being able to "physically" meet your friends, Jerry, there are many alternatives to "socialising" when isolated. And while I do recognise that it won't be exactly the same as physically seeing your friends, there are actually many benefits of staying in regular contact with your friends via texts, social media or video call apps such as Skype, Zoom, or HouseParty.
These are a few examples of how you can "socialise" while you are isolated, for anyone in particular:
On the HouseParty app, there is an option to play games with your friends as you call each other
You could play Kahoots with your friends (maybe to revise subject content or just for fun)
Or you could download Chrome extensions (I'm pretty sure there's one called Netflix Party) where you can watch movies with your friends at the same time -- or if that doesn't work, you can always FaceTime or Skype your friends.
Anyway, best of luck to you too, to everyone in the nation, people all around the world, people working on the frontlines of medical care, and of course, people working close to home in hospitality -- I wish you all the best for the future.
Kind regards,
Darcy Dillon
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Hey everyone,
Today I heard the news that schools would be opening next week for year 11/12 students. I was overjoyed at the news because I hadn't been too productive in my school work ever since online learning had been enacted in Queensland. I had however been able to stay on top of two of my subjects (English and Legal Studies). All of the content-heavy subjects that I do (General Maths, Business, Economics and Digital Solutions) have taken me longer to finish. For the most part, I've just been sitting at my desk working everyday.
So yeah this is how I've been doing so far in the time of the pandemic.
Keep smiling everyone,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hi Jerry,
I heard about that too and I'm actually really excited to go back to school, to be honest. To say that I was "overjoyed" would be an understatement because I was literally jumping up and down and squealing at the news. But starting physical learning would definitely be a bit of a nightmare for the teachers' to organise and for students to get used to again but I'm glad that we're experimenting to see what works and what doesn't work. For me, I was able to stay on top of my three "light-content"/humanities-based subjects of English, Literature and Modern History but I definitely struggled with my "heavy-content" subjects of General Maths and Biology. And I'm glad to hear that everything is going okay for you during the pandemic.
Keep smiling too, Jerry :)
Kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
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Hi Jerry,
I heard about that too and I'm actually really excited to go back to school, to be honest. To say that I was "overjoyed" would be an understatement because I was literally jumping up and down and squealing at the news. But starting physical learning would definitely be a bit of a nightmare for the teachers' to organise and for students to get used to again but I'm glad that we're experimenting to see what works and what doesn't work. For me, I was able to stay on top of my three "light-content"/humanities-based subjects of English, Literature and Modern History but I definitely struggled with my "heavy-content" subjects of General Maths and Biology. And I'm glad to hear that everything is going okay for you during the pandemic.
Keep smiling too, Jerry :)
Kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
I just turned on the TV and then I grinned and said yesss....finally some good news :)
I believe that all schools are trying to enact social-distancing rules in classrooms by splitting up desks 1.5 metres apart. This isn't possible for all classes of course (due to a sometimes high number of students in a class).
Though, I'm just happy that life is shifting back to normality a little for me :)
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I honestly did more than grinned, I full-on squealed to the point where my sisters looked at me as if I was being possessed by an alien (or demon or both) oops. But yeah I don't know how they're going to organise it. They might split the cohort in half and do one day for each half but I don't know to be honest.
Anyway, have a great week and I'm so glad that you're happier :)
Kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
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Hey Everyone,
Today I finished the majority of my assessments :)
Now I only have one assignment left to complete for this term and then I'm done.
Unfortunately, the assignment is due on the last day of term.
Nonetheless, I feel so much more refreshed now. I feel more relaxed.
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hi Jerry,
That's great to hear! Doesn't it just feel amazing to have the weight of assessment lifted off your shoulders? Being in our final years of high school is sometimes really tough, but hopefully, we can all get through to the other side all okay.
Have a great final week of school and kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
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Hi everyone,
QCE Life Update
So today I'm going to update you all on how year 11 has been going for me :)
So term 3 began on Monday as you all know and the first thought that came to my mind was how mind-blowing it was for me to have only one term of year 11 left.
I begin year 12 (or unit 3) in term 4.
I've already received my exam timetable and assessment schedule for the term. This is great because now I can plan ahead on how I'm going to approach all of my assignments and exams (I have 4 exams and 2 assignments this term).
I got a new teacher for one of my subjects. I don't know how this is going to affect me in the subject but I guess I'll find out soon enough.
I get two long weekends this term which I'm really happy about.
Subject Update
English - Have an exam coming up regarding a novel that I finished reading recently. I really enjoyed the novel so I'm sure that I'll ace the exam.
General Maths - Matrices is actually fun in my opinion.
Business - Marketing is okay but not fun so far.
Economics - Learning how markets work is interesting but I'm waiting on international economics which starts in unit 3 next term.
Legal Studies - Learning how negligence is applied in case studies is very interesting as it shows me how plaintiffs are compensated when defendants commit acts of negligence.
Digital Solutions - I'm happy that we finally have an exam regarding HTML, CSS, SQL and Python. Up until now I've only had assignments for this subject.
I hope you've enjoyed this update :)
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey JerryMouse2019,
Congratulations on reaching the final term of Year 11!🎉
It looks like you are going to be very busy this term, but it is a great idea that you have started planning on how to approach each assignment already.
Good luck with all of your exams and assignments :)
Coolmate 8)
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Hey JerryMouse2019,
Congratulations on reaching the final term of Year 11!🎉
It looks like you are going to be very busy this term, but it is a great idea that you have started planning on how to approach each assignment.
Good luck with all of your exams and assignments :)
Coolmate 8)
Thanks for the reassurance Coolmate :)
I'm still a very big procrastinator and I'm hoping to get over my procrastination once and for all this term.
Your message makes me feel more confident about conquering it :)
Btw, your study guide is awesome!!! ;D ;D ;D
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Thanks for the reassurance Coolmate :)
I'm still a very big procrastinator and I'm hoping to get over my procrastination once and for all this term.
Your message makes me feel more confident about conquering it :)
Btw, your study guide is awesome!!! ;D ;D ;D
That's ok, with procrastination it's all about starting with small tasks then gaining more momentum to complete bigger tasks. ;) Good luck with it :)
Btw, your study guide is awesome!!! ;D ;D ;D
Thankyou! :D
Coolmate 8)
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Hey Jerry!
So term 3 began on Monday as you all know and the first thought that came to my mind was how mind-blowing it was for me to have only one term of year 11 left.
I begin year 12 (or unit 3) in term 4.
Welcome back to the ATAR Notes forums! I'm sure everyone would be glad that you're back from the dead (metaphorically, of course). And yes, the transition from Year 11 to Year 12 can be a rollercoaster of emotions but trust me, I'll bet that you can get through it easy-peasy-lemon squeezy. Personally, my best advice would be to develop a "growth" mindset, if you know what I mean. For me, personally, from the minute I was introduced to my final year of high school, all I could think about was the worse-case scenario. As in, you know, failing all of my exams and as a result, receiving a really bad ATAR which limited my results to pretty much nothing.
However, when I started looking after myself (also really important!) mentally and physically, my mindset did improve. The key word in that sentence is "improve " as unfortunately, life isn't as easy as flicking a switch. My best advice for you is to remember this: "If I am in desperate need of something, I will cram as if there is no tomorrow and will burn my energy and motivation. But if I really want something, I will need to work as hard and as efficently as I can in order to get what I want" - yes, I know it's really cliché, but this has enabled me to jump over so many hurdles.
I've already received my exam timetable and assessment schedule for the term. This is great because now I can plan ahead on how I'm going to approach all of my assignments and exams (I have 4 exams and 2 assignments this term).
And it's great that you have received your exam schedule already! It honestly helps so much to be able to manage and prioritise your workload before you can crunch those numbers and write for those exams. You're actually really lucky because I haven't even received my exam schedule for my mock exams yet and they're less than a month away :(
English - Have an exam coming up regarding a novel that I finished reading recently. I really enjoyed the novel so I'm sure that I'll ace the exam.
General Maths - Matrices is actually fun in my opinion.
Oooh ooh! Please tell me what novel you read for English! I would really love to read it sometime. And I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it because usually reading for school bores people to death to the point where they depend entirely on SparkNotes just to get by. And yes! I loved matrices as well - it was probably my favourite topic of Unit 2, especially since I'm a visual learner and I love sudoku oops.
I hope you've enjoyed this update :)
And yes, I really enjoyed hearing from you again (in a non-weird way of course).
Have a great weekend and kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
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Hey Jerry!
Welcome back to the ATAR Notes forums! I'm sure everyone would be glad that you're back from the dead (metaphorically, of course). And yes, the transition from Year 11 to Year 12 can be a rollercoaster of emotions but trust me, I'll bet that you can get through it easy-peasy-lemon squeezy. Personally, my best advice would be to develop a "growth" mindset, if you know what I mean. For me, personally, from the minute I was introduced to my final year of high school, all I could think about was the worse-case scenario. As in, you know, failing all of my exams and as a result, receiving a really bad ATAR which limited my results to pretty much nothing.
However, when I started looking after myself (also really important!) mentally and physically, my mindset did improve. The key word in that sentence is "improve " as unfortunately, life isn't as easy as flicking a switch. My best advice for you is to remember this: "If I am in desperate need of something, I will cram as if there is no tomorrow and will burn my energy and motivation. But if I really want something, I will need to work as hard and as efficently as I can in order to get what I want" - yes, I know it's really cliché, but this has enabled me to jump over so many hurdles.
And it's great that you have received your exam schedule already! It honestly helps so much to be able to manage and prioritise your workload before you can crunch those numbers and write for those exams. You're actually really lucky because I haven't even received my exam schedule for my mock exams yet and they're less than a month away :(
Oooh ooh! Please tell me what novel you read for English! I would really love to read it sometime. And I'm glad that you enjoyed reading it because usually reading for school bores people to death to the point where they depend entirely on SparkNotes just to get by. And yes! I loved matrices as well - it was probably my favourite topic of Unit 2, especially since I'm a visual learner and I love sudoku oops.
And yes, I really enjoyed hearing from you again (in a non-weird way of course).
Have a great weekend and kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
Hi Darcy,
I'm really happy to be back on ATAR Notes and I'm thankful that I could revive the QCE forums again :)
I've also noticed that my journey journal has been nearing the 10,000 views mark (making it the most read QCE journey journal right now). I guess this means that a lot of people have found my journey journal to be very enjoyable to read.
Thank you everyone for reading my journey journal :)
I really appreciate it :)
The growth mindset is something I've heard about before and I am 100% sure that I am going to implement it this term because I just know that I can't flick a switch and change my habits. Doing this will be good for me in the long run (as Uni is pretty much just me doing everything independently).
For English, I read the novel 'Whisper' by Lynette Noni.
It was super good :)
Good luck with your mock exams,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey everyone,
Today when I finished my final exam for this term I finished year 11.
I've been feeling so optimistic about year 12 after coming out of this final exam.
I'm just looking forward to the more interesting topics in units 3 and 4 of my subjects.
This term was a blast and I'm sure next term will be similar :)
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey everyone,
Today when I finished my final exam for this term I finished year 11.
I've been feeling so optimistic about year 12 after coming out of this final exam.
I'm just looking forward to the more interesting topics in units 3 and 4 of my subjects.
This term was a blast and I'm sure next term will be similar :)
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Congratulations Jerry! I hope Year 12 goes well for you :)
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Hey everyone,
I got another update for you all :)
It's been two weeks since term 4 started and I've started unit 3 in all of my subjects. I've got an opinion column in English. I've got a technical proposal in Digital Solutions and I've got a PSMT in General Maths. Other than that I've got three combination response exams for Business, Economics and Legal Studies. Bivariate Data in General Maths so far has seemed a little challenging for me. However, every other subject has been alright. The short length of this term has made due dates for assignments earlier than ever before (which I don't like). I'm still finding it hard to believe that I'm technically in year 12 (even though I'm still officially in year 11).
Thanks for reading this update,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey everyone,
I got another update for you all :)
It's been two weeks since term 4 started and I've started unit 3 in all of my subjects. I've got an opinion column in English. I've got a technical proposal in Digital Solutions and I've got a PSMT in General Maths. Other than that I've got three combination response exams for Business, Economics and Legal Studies. Bivariate Data in General Maths so far has seemed a little challenging for me. However, every other subject has been alright. The short length of this term has made due dates for assignments earlier than ever before (which I don't like). I'm still finding it hard to believe that I'm technically in year 12 (even though I'm still officially in year 11).
Thanks for reading this update,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Hey Jerry,
I hope all is going well for you! In terms of your "opinion column" in English, which text(s) are you studying? For mine, I studied the film Blade Runner (1982) and the novel Never Let Me Go on what it means to be human. So hopefully, your opinion column is twice as interesting as mine. Also, I can most definitely help you with Bivariate Data if you need, it just so happens to be my strongest topic in General Maths. But I can definitely understand how you feel - the transition between Year 11 to Year 12 is never easy, but ultimately the reason why Year 12 is pushed back a term, is to give you more time (about a term's worth of study, revision and consolidation) for the external exams.
And it may feel a little bit weird being in Year 11 but doing Year 12 work, but ultimately, this term is like a practice-run for the terms ahead. What you do in this term is essentially just a practice of what's to come - think of it as a trial and error process: if you make some bad habits and some mistakes, you can always learn and grow from these mistakes for your final terms of high school.
Hopefully, that helps :)
Have a great week and kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
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Hey Jerry,
I hope all is going well for you! In terms of your "opinion column" in English, which text(s) are you studying? For mine, I studied the film Blade Runner (1982) and the novel Never Let Me Go on what it means to be human. So hopefully, your opinion column is twice as interesting as mine. Also, I can most definitely help you with Bivariate Data if you need, it just so happens to be my strongest topic in General Maths. But I can definitely understand how you feel - the transition between Year 11 to Year 12 is never easy, but ultimately the reason why Year 12 is pushed back a term, is to give you more time (about a term's worth of study, revision and consolidation) for the external exams.
And it may feel a little bit weird being in Year 11 but doing Year 12 work, but ultimately, this term is like a practice-run for the terms ahead. What you do in this term is essentially just a practice of what's to come - think of it as a trial and error process: if you make some bad habits and some mistakes, you can always learn and grow from these mistakes for your final terms of high school.
Hopefully, that helps :)
Have a great week and kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
Hi Darcy,
For my opinion column in English, I'm doing the novel The Great Gatsby and the documentary Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream (2012). The theme for my opinion column is greed. I haven't started writing it yet since I haven't finished studying the novel. If I need any help in Bivariate Data then I'll be sure to ask you (or the people here on ATAR Notes). Thank you for reassuring me on the challenges of transitioning to year 12 from year 11 :)
Good luck with your externals,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Some Advice for Future QCEers:
Do not take Digital Solutions.
Only take the subject if you completely understand what you're doing.
I'm saying this because my experience in the subject so far has stressed me out.
Especially since it's IA1.
If you do decide to take the subject then please consider the following tips (from my own experience):
1. Start your assignments as early as you can.
2. Clear up any confusion that you may have with your teacher asap. If you remain confused about something in this subject then it will cost you later.
3. The assignments take a lot of time to complete so make sure that you are not leaving the assignment to the last minute.
I know these tips sound generic because they apply in every subject but in this subject they really matter.
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Some Advice for Future QCEers:
Do not take Digital Solutions.
Only take the subject if you completely understand what you're doing.
I'm saying this because my experience in the subject so far has stressed me out.
Especially since it's IA1.
If you do decide to take the subject then please consider the following tips (from my own experience):
1. Start your assignments as early as you can.
2. Clear up any confusion that you may have with your teacher asap. If you remain confused about something in this subject then it will cost you later.
3. The assignments take a lot of time to complete so make sure that you are not leaving the assignment to the last minute.
I know these tips sound generic because they apply in every subject but in this subject they really matter.
Ooft :/
I haven't looked too much into the digital solutions subject but I have some coding experience (and will be making a web app over the holidays as part of an internship). If you have any questions about R I'll probably be able to help, js was my first language but I haven't touched it since hs so I probably won't be much help there (and I've barely gone past "hello world" in python :P).
My brother is studying IT game design (his languages are python, c++, c# and java - he's confirmed he can help with quick qs and advice) and one of my housemates teaches code to primary school students (c and python would be the ones you might be interested in iirc) so if you have a question about something I don't know I can probably link your post and get some advice/help to you.
There are definitely other people who are interested in coding on the forums so hopefully we might be able to somewhat help you out.
Digital solutions is very much a folio subject right?
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Ooft :/
I haven't looked too much into the digital solutions subject but I have some coding experience (and will be making a web app over the holidays as part of an internship). If you have any questions about R I'll probably be able to help, js was my first language but I haven't touched it since hs so I probably won't be much help there (and I've barely gone past "hello world" in python :P).
My brother is studying IT game design (his languages are python, c++, c# and java - he's confirmed he can help with quick qs and advice) and one of my housemates teaches code to primary school students (c and python would be the ones you might be interested in iirc) so if you have a question about something I don't know I can probably link your post and get some advice/help to you.
There are definitely other people who are interested in coding on the forums so hopefully we might be able to somewhat help you out.
Digital solutions is very much a folio subject right?
Sadly the assignment that I am doing right now does not require coding. The assignment is known as a 'technical proposal'. It is a type of assignment where we propose/investigate an idea for a web app. I've also found in the syllabus document available on the QCAA website that, Digital Solutions has been slightly influenced by the VCE Computing syllabus.
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Sadly the assignment that I am doing right now does not require coding. The assignment is known as a 'technical proposal'. It is a type of assignment where we propose/investigate an idea for a web app. I've also found in the syllabus document available on the QCAA website that, Digital Solutions has been slightly influenced by the VCE Computing syllabus.
I think Aaron (an honorary moderator and actual maths & IT teacher) still checks the forums so if you post over in the computing area he may very well see it and be able to help you out.
Looking at the sample it looks like the main things you need to do are:
- show the basic nontechnical context
- show that you understand the technical context, what the different options are
- lay out your plan, justifying the choices you've made (showing both user experience and the data side)
- use appropriate language as you do so
True there's no actual coding in this one because essentially it's your plan but can you see how to write the pseudocode for the proposed algorithms you need coding knowledge?
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I think Aaron (an honorary moderator and actual maths & IT teacher) still checks the forums so if you post over in the computing area he may very well see it and be able to help you out.
Looking at the sample it looks like the main things you need to do are:
- show the basic nontechnical context
- show that you understand the technical context, what the different options are
- lay out your plan, justifying the choices you've made (showing both user experience and the data side)
- use appropriate language as you do so
True there's no actual coding in this one because essentially it's your plan but can you see how to write the pseudocode for the proposed algorithms you need coding knowledge?
Is pseudocode the same as algorithms?
Also, where can I find the computing area on the forums?
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Is pseudocode the same as algorithms?
Also, where can I find the computing area on the forums?
Since I don't know which of the two 'Computing' ones you're wanting, here's the forum that contains them as subforums: https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?board=146.0
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Is pseudocode the same as algorithms?
Also, where can I find the computing area on the forums?
psuedocode is when you "write code in English". An algorithm is a process/procedure.
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Hey Everyone,
I got another update for you all :)
Today I finished another one of my IA1 exams.
From what I can tell, I did really good (especially since this was one of my best subjects).
I got one more IA1 exam on Wednesday and then I'm done for the year.
It feels unbelievable that in just a few short days I will have finished year 11 (and IA1 for all of my subjects).
It's been a historic year and I'm very hopeful for 2021.
I'll update you all again soon,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey Everyone,
Another update :)
Today I finished my final IA1 exam (which was a humanities subject).
I wasn't too confident about this exam but I did answer all of the questions. Humanities subjects often require a lot of analytical thinking and I struggled with that in the exam.
It feels great to have finally finished year 11 :)
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey Everyone,
Another update :)
Today I finished my final IA1 exam (which was a humanities subject).
I wasn't too confident about this exam but I did answer all of the questions. Humanities subjects often require a lot of analytical thinking and I struggled with that in the exam.
It feels great to finally have finished year 11 :)
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Congrats!!
I hope that you're able to take a bit of a breather now :)
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Hey Everyone,
Another update :)
Today I finished my final IA1 exam (which was a humanities subject).
I wasn't too confident about this exam but I did answer all of the questions. Humanities subjects often require a lot of analytical thinking and I struggled with that in the exam.
It feels great to have finally finished year 11 :)
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
🎉Congratulations JM2019 for finishing your last Year 11 exam! This is a huge milestone and best of luck for Year 12, I know you will smash it! ;D
Coolmate 8)
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Thank you so much Bri and Coolmate :)
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Big congrats on finishing your Year 11 exams! ;D
All the best for Year 12 next year!
P.S Love your username; Tom and Jerry will always be a favourite of mine haha.
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Hey Everyone,
Another update :)
Today I finished my final IA1 exam (which was a humanities subject).
I wasn't too confident about this exam but I did answer all of the questions. Humanities subjects often require a lot of analytical thinking and I struggled with that in the exam.
It feels great to have finally finished year 11 :)
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Sorry that I couldn't say this earlier but congratulations on getting through Year 11 alive! Senior years of high school are no easy feat but you managed to climb the mountain a-okay (if that makes sense). There is another mountain to climb ahead but now that you've experienced the highs and lows of this mountain, I'm sure you'll be able to climb the next mountain more effectively by reflecting from the past year and learning and growing as an individual. I'm not exactly sure if my analogy makes any sense because my brain is still pretty fuzzy from my surgery today but hopefully it does makes sense :)
And also, all the best for Year 12 next year! It's a big year but I'm sure you'll be able to handle it effectively - personally, the best thing I think you can do to succeed is to prioritise your health. I'm not saying to completely ditch your assessment and study, but I would recommend maintaing a balance between looking after yourself and having some "you time" which could be whatever makes you happy or energised with completing your schoolwork and study.
P.S. Have you seen the trailer for the new Tom and Jerry film? I bet you'll love it as much as I did :)
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Thank you so much Evolio and Darcy and yes I have seen the trailer for the new 'Tom and Jerry' film :)
I just realised the recent significance around my username because of the 'Tom and Jerry' film (Thanks again Evolio) :)
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I'm so happy ;D ;D ;D
Today, I found out that I got 18/20 on my IA1 General Maths PSMT.
Today was also the last day of year 11.
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I'm so happy ;D ;D ;D
Today, I found out that I got 18/20 on my IA1 General Maths PSMT.
Today was also the last day of year 11.
Congratulations!! :D
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I'm so happy ;D ;D ;D
Today, I found out that I got 18/20 on my IA1 General Maths PSMT.
Today was also the last day of year 11.
Great job! :) :D
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Hey Everyone,
This is my first update for 2021 :)
Having spent nearly two weeks in Year 12 officially, I can say that it already feels hard to keep up.
Thankfully, I've only been given 1 assignment off the bat and I've just been studying content for all of my other subjects.
I think that by having 5 assignments and 1 exam for IA2 this term I have an opportunity to do well since I'm usually better at assignments than exams.
Be sure to check in again for more updates which I'll be posting periodically :)
Till next time,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey Everyone,
This is my first update for 2021 :)
Having spent nearly two weeks in Year 12 officially, I can say that it already feels hard to keep up.
Thankfully, I've only been given 1 assignment off the bat and I've just been studying content for all of my other subjects.
I think that by having 5 assignments and 1 exam for IA2 this term I have an opportunity to do well since I'm usually better at assignments than exams.
Be sure to check in again for more updates which I'll be posting periodically :)
Till next time,
Kind Regards
JerryMouse2019
Hey Jerry,
I definitely understand how you feel, especially as Year 12 is one of the biggest years of your life. But just a suggestion - have you tried implementing time management skills into your routines?
It really helped me to plan out and write all of my assignments effectively and even helped me to study for my exams in small and manageable size chunks.
If you need any advice on how to manage your time, feel free to let me know as I would be more than happy to help you :)
Keep up the great work Jerry!
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Having 2 assignments due on the last day of term really sucks.
Also, as I progress through the year I'll talk more about my plans for Uni.
I've been thinking about doing Justice at Uni lately. Anyone have any ideas of what it's like?
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Having 2 assignments due on the last day of term really sucks.
Also, as I progress through the year I'll talk more about my plans for Uni.
I've been thinking about doing Justice at Uni lately. Anyone have any ideas of what it's like?
Ouch, that does suck. Well at least you have heaps of time to prepare for them. And it's awesome that you have an idea of what you want to do at uni! I'm kinda stuck in the middle at the moment.
I'm not sure what Justice is like at uni, but I can definitely ask around at QUT if you would like :)
Have a great weekend and kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
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I was supposed to have an exam today but I guess fate played an Uno reverse card.
I didn't expect a lockdown to be announced but I guess the signs were there.
My exam has been rescheduled to early next term and I'm happy about that because I wasn't really well prepared for it.
I also had 2 assignments due on the last day of term but the due date has also been shifted to early next term.
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I was supposed to have an exam today but I guess fate played an Uno reverse card.
Wow, I'm literally cackling right now. Please send virtual help.
My exam has been rescheduled to early next term and I'm happy about that because I wasn't really well prepared for it. I also had 2 assignments due on the last day of term but the due date has also been shifted to early next term.
But it's great that you have more time to prepare! The only assessment that I have that was rescheduled was a multiple choice quiz that's only worth 10% of my final grade - the rest are going as planned but I would recommend using this time as much as you can, especially as the holidays can fly by in an instant.
Anyway, how's year 12 going? Are your possible career choices still the same or has it changed since your last QCE Journey Journal update?
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Wow, I'm literally cackling right now. Please send virtual help.
But it's great that you have more time to prepare! The only assessment that I have that was rescheduled was a multiple choice quiz that's only worth 10% of my final grade - the rest are going as planned but I would recommend using this time as much as you can, especially as the holidays can fly by in an instant.
Anyway, how's year 12 going? Are your possible career choices still the same or has it changed since your last QCE Journey Journal update?
Year 12 is going okay. I'm not getting a break these holidays due to the lockdown's effects of postponing my assessments. But I guess that is a good thing as I mentioned before in my previous post.
As for what I'm planning post high school, I'm still looking at a variety of degrees. I had a look recently at the UQ Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Honours) (BPPE) but the problem that I have with this degree is that it has a prerequisite of Maths Methods. Since I'm doing General Maths, I would need to do a bridging course to get into it and even then I would need a minimum ATAR of 94. It's an unrealistic option but I'm still thinking about it. I'm more sure of getting into QUT and so I'm focusing more on the options available to me there. The double degree in Business/Justice at QUT is my preferred choice right now (likely majoring in Economics and Politics/Policy).
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Hey Everyone,
Another update for you all :)
I just finished my remaining IA2s last week and so now I'm on my way to my IA3s (last internal assessments ;D ;D ;D).
I mostly got Cs in IA1 and I'm expecting a lot of Cs in IA2 as well. My confidence has been declining due to my average grades.
However, the good news is that I haven't failed any of my IAs yet.
I've found it to be really hard to stop procrastinating and that has caused me to leave assignments and exam preparation to the last minute.
With every day going forward, I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that I can do this.
I've come to a point where sometimes I feel as if I don't care at all about whatever happens in Year 12. Maybe this is a symptom of burn out that I've never noticed before but I hope that eventually everything will turn out alright.
Does anyone have any ideas which can help me get out of this uncomfortable dilemma?
Kind regards
JerryMouse2019
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Hey!
Good to hear from you again :)
If you're finding that not caring about what happens is extending to life general it's probably time to talk to your gp about it.
Nice work on avoiding failing despite the challenges you're facing atm :)
With procrastination, some of the things you can work one are trying to build up consistent habits that make it easier & making the initial starting less daunting (e.g. by using 5 min rule, or doing easier tasks initially).
From a more score-focused perspective, remember that you've still got IA3 + the exam which count for a lot. You still have a chance to make a substantial difference to your marks.
I absolutely believe that everything will turn out alright in the end. It can be hard to pick yourself but up again but 100% you can do it.
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Hey Everyone,
Another update for you all :)
I just finished my remaining IA2s last week and so now I'm on my way to my IA3s (last internal assessments ;D ;D ;D).
I mostly got Cs in IA1 and I'm expecting a lot of Cs in IA2 as well. My confidence has been declining due to my average grades.
However, the good news is that I haven't failed any of my IAs yet.
I've found it to be really hard to stop procrastinating and that has caused me to leave assignments and exam preparation to the last minute.
With every day going forward, I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that I can do this.
I've come to a point where sometimes I feel as if I don't care at all about whatever happens in Year 12. Maybe this is a symptom of burn out that I've never noticed before but I hope that eventually everything will turn out alright.
Does anyone have any ideas which can help me get out of this uncomfortable dilemma?
Kind regards
JerryMouse2019
Hey Jerry,
Thanks so much for the update! Love hearing from you :)
I'm so sorry to hear that your confidence is at an all time low, but from personal experience, my best advice to you would be to recognise and embrace that the lowest moments of your life are the leeway to the highest points of your life. Think of life as a roller-coaster: at the moment, it seems like you're at the bottom of the drop. But with courage and resilience, I'm sure you'll be able to work your way back up to the top of the drop again.
I also struggle with procrastination a lot too but the best way I deal with procrastination is to keep your head up high and dust off your shoulders. As I said before, resilience is vital as a student (especially in year twelve), so what I would recommend doing is the following: after each burst of productivity/study session, reflect on what you did well, what you didn't do so well and what you can improve on for next time. Then, when the next study session comes along, have your reflection next to you to guide you through what you need to do to improve.
I would also recommend setting small, achievable "bite-size" chunks for you to complete. Rather than eating the entire burger all in one go, try eating it one small bite at a time. Try eating the burger (approaching the situation) differently, rather than slurping on a slurpee (avoiding what needs to be done) straight after eating your burger, try to savour the taste (keep focusing on the task at hand) in your mouth and save your favourite part of the burger (the task your looking most forward to) for last to get the ingredients (the tasks that you don't want to do as much) that you don't really want to eat out of the way.
Also create a manageable timetable for yourself to stick to and get someone to hold you accountable. For example, my HSC friend is infamous for procrastinating on her assignments until the very last minute so I always set her a timetable structure for her to follow to get her assignment done in time. Your timetable may look like this:
Example - Unit 3 Exam is tomorrow.
1:00-2:00pm Bivariate Data revision
2:00-2:30pm Energy Break
2:30-3:30pm Time Series Data revision
3:30-4:00pm Energy Break
4:00-5:00pm Sequences and Change revision
5:00-5:30pm Energy Break
5:30-6:30pm Earth Geometry revision
6:30-7:30pm Dinner
7:30-8:00pm Last review of formula sheets, flashcards etc.
8:00-8:30pm Relax, watch a bit of a Marvel movie or TV series.
9:00pm Go to sleep.
Also, this may not work for you but whenever I have the urge to procrastinate, I watch a "study with me video" (ones that are usually 1-2 hours long) while I'm studying to keep myself accountable.
Hopefully, that helps but of course, if you ever need any more tips and tricks for dealing with procrastination, feel free to let me know as I would be more than happy to help :)
Also quick lil daily reminder: I know it may seem hard right now but you got this Jerry - I believe in you :)
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For anyone who is currently doing QCE Economics Units 3&4, I have some news to share with you.
At the ATAR Notes April Lectures, I found out that ATAR Notes is releasing a study guide for QCE Economics Units 3&4 at the end of Term 2 (late June 2021).
While most of us will be done with IA3 by that time, this study guide could be useful for preparing for the external exam.
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A Quick Update:
I only have two weeks left to go for this term :)
I have less than 100 school days left to go until graduation :)
I'm feeling stressed right now but by the end of this term I'll have only two IA3s left to take care of :)
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A Quick Update:
I only have two weeks left to go for this term :)
I have less than 100 school days left to go until graduation :)
I'm feeling stressed right now but by the end of this term I'll have only two IA3s left to take care of :)
Ahhh wow that's so soon.
That's a scary small amount of assessments left - will you mostly be doing revision or do you have more content left?
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Ahhh wow that's so soon.
That's a scary small amount of assessments left - will you mostly be doing revision or do you have more content left?
I'll have an exam and a assignment to take care of when this term finishes. The exam will happen in mid term 3 as I'll still have some content to cover when I come back from the holidays. The assignment has a lot of sections to it and so that is why it'll be due in mid term 3 as well. Once I'm done with those two IA3s, I'll be preparing for mock exams which will then prepare me for the external exams after which I'll graduate.
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I'll have an exam and a assignment to take care of when this term finishes. The exam will happen in mid term 3 as I'll still have some content to cover when I come back from the holidays. The assignment has a lot of sections to it and so that is why it'll be due in mid term 3 as well. Once I'm done with those two IA3s, I'll be preparing for mock exams which will then prepare me for the external exams after which I'll graduate.
Good luck Jerry! I know you'll do great :)
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And...that's a wrap for Term 2 :)
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An Update:
Will be finishing my last two IA3s in the next 3 weeks.
Finding it hard to keep my morale up.
Still confused about my post high school plans.
I keep changing my mind between Business, IT, Law, Justice and Film.
Term 3 is by far the busiest term ever in Year 12 in my opinion.
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Another Update:
Finished my mock exams recently. Feeling really relieved about that. Only got externals left to deal with. Unfortunately due to the rescheduling of the Ekka public holiday my Economics exam got pushed forward a week.
Trying not to think too much about my post high school plans all the time. Right now I'm thinking between a film degree or a dual degree in economics and political science. I haven't really explored film enough as I've been doing humanities-related subjects for my QCE but it is an option that I'm thinking about nonetheless.
I'm grateful for knowing that as of this moment my formal is still happening. However, wearing a mask during most of the formal is an unfortunate price that I'm going to have to pay.
Graduation is finally feeling and getting closer. I'm feeling anxious about the uncertainty of it all but excited for the countless possibilities that await me.
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Another Update:
Finished my mock exams recently. Feeling really relieved about that. Only got externals left to deal with. Unfortunately due to the rescheduling of the Ekka public holiday my Economics exam got pushed forward a week.
Trying not to think too much about my post high school plans all the time. Right now I'm thinking between a film degree or a dual degree in economics and political science. I haven't really explored film enough as I've been doing humanities-related subjects for my QCE but it is an option that I'm thinking about nonetheless.
I'm grateful for knowing that as of this moment my formal is still happening. However, wearing a mask during most of the formal is an unfortunate price that I'm going to have to pay.
Graduation is finally feeling and getting closer. I'm feeling anxious about the uncertainty of it all but excited for the countless possibilities that await me.
Both of those options sound very interesting. Have you checked out Beatroot's film school uni journey journal?
Glad to hear it seems like you'll still be able to have formal - fingers crossed qld is able to keep cases down etc.
Whether you end up changing your mind on paths or anything like that I'm sure the possibilities you pursue will be interesting & you'll be able to keep learning and adapting from them. You certainly don't have to have the "perfect plan" now :)
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Another Update:
Got my first external exam in less than a week.
Not feeling too confident about my preparation as I've found it to be extremely hard to stay focused.
Really want Year 12 to be over already.
Luckily my last external exam is on the 10th of November (which isn't too far away) :)
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Hi,
Hope your exams go well, it is nice your exams are ending soon my vce exams are starting soon as well and I will end a day later yours. Exciting to finally end year 12.
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A Very Significant Update:
Hey Everyone,
So today was a very monumental day for me as I finished my last ever exam and it went mostly well :)
As I edged closer to the end of the exam I thought that I would've felt sentimental about the end of school but I just felt so empty as if I had no idea what to think or do from that moment on. I walked out of the exam with a newfound perspective on what had just happened. It was by far probably one of the most surreal moments of my life (so far). It felt like the conclusion to a chapter that I had been living in as the main character for the past 13 years.
I also still don't have a clear perspective on what I want to do post high school because I really don't know what my passion is but I'm sure that I'll figure it out eventually. Having no motivation and confidence for anything makes deciding on a path a whole lot more difficult.
But hey at least I have a new chapter (with endless possibilities) to look forward to :D
Also, this will probably be one of the last entries in this journey journal btw.
I hope you've all had an amazing time reading my journey journal and I thank you all for that :)
I'm not sure if I'll do a Uni journey journal just yet but I'll let you all know if that ends up happening :)
Cheers to the end of The QCE Years :D,
Kind regards
JerryMouse2019
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A Very Significant Update:
Hey Everyone,
So today was a very monumental day for me as I finished my last ever exam and it went mostly well :)
As I edged closer to the end of the exam I thought that I would've felt sentimental about the end of school but I just felt so empty as if I had no idea what to think or do from that moment on. I walked out of the exam with a newfound perspective on what had just happened. It was by far probably one of the most surreal moments of my life (so far). It felt like the conclusion to a chapter that I had been living in as the main character for the past 13 years.
I also still don't have a clear perspective on what I want to do post high school because I really don't know what my passion is but I'm sure that I'll figure it out eventually. Having no motivation and confidence for anything makes deciding on a path a whole lot more difficult.
But hey at least I have a new chapter (with endless possibilities) to look forward to :D
Also, this will probably be one of the last entries in this journey journal btw.
I hope you've all had an amazing time reading my journey journal and I thank you all for that :)
I'm not sure if I'll do a Uni journey journal just yet but I'll let you all know if that ends up happening :)
Cheers to the end of The QCE Years :D,
Kind regards
JerryMouse2019
Congratulations on finishing all your exams! Its great to hear that you are relieved of finishing your exams and that your exam went relatively well - great job! I just can't wait to feel that sense of relief as well after my physics exam this Friday! Good luck for whatever you do now and in the future!
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Graduated today ;D ;D ;D
Still feels unreal :D :D :D
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Update:
So yesterday I found out my ATAR.
I wasn't disappointed by it because I knew that I had struggled a lot this year.
It's not the ATAR that I wanted but it's not absolutely terrible either.
It'll still help me get into Uni but I'll probably need to take an alternative pathway.
For me, graduating high school successfully is a bigger win than whatever my ATAR has turned out to be.
For any future Year 12s reading, always remember that your ATAR does not define you. There is always another way to get to where you want. It might take you a bit longer to get there but you'll get there eventually.
Merry Christmas Everyone :D
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Congratulations on finishing year 12! No matter the outcome, it's a massive achievement that you should be proud of. Enjoy the break over the holidays, and have a great christmas!
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Congrats on finishing Jerry! I'm so glad you recognize that you did the best you could in difficult circumstances and aren't disappointed. There are always alternative pathways and I'm sure you'll get there no matter what journey you take. Best of luck with all that comes next!
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The journey continues --> https://atarnotes.com/forum/index.php?topic=196384.0