Okay, I'm finally back here.
Last week was hectic; leadership conferences, presentation nights, and that *magical* score that came out for all us Year 12s...the ATAR. After presenting to politicans, teachers and researchers...most of whom are completing a PhD, waking up on Thursday morning didn't feel too bad! I woke up around 6:40, walked out into the family room to grab my phone (I rarely slept in the same room as my phone, superstition sorta thing), and turned it on to open my results on e-mail/app on there. I didn't dare use my PC, at least if bad news came through it'd mean I'd use my phone less, and not be turned off using my computer!
The email came early (6:41 to be exact), and I honestly thought it was some prank initially. Then I checked VCEDS and saw others getting their results, so I knew it was probably legit. So there I was still in bed, about to open my results. I wasn't nearly as nervous opening them as I was opening Business at the end of 2018 (oddly), maybe I was just over it all and knew the score was a bit of a dodgy marker anyway? Then I opened the email, and thought the email was even dodgier, because the scores seemed...well odd at first look. I'll do through it subject by subject:
English Language:
Jan 2019 Goal: 42, Pre-Exam Goal: 42, Post-Exam Goal 37.I really thought I bombed this exam, so getting a 39 was an absolute shock. The statement of marks did put me at some ease, the essay ultimately carried me heavily.
Philosophy Jan 2019 Goal: 40, Pre-Exam Goal: 31, Post-Exam Goal: 35The whole year in Philosophy was pretty painful, but after taking an extended break off it from the end of Term 3 to (basically) the week before the exam did me the world of good, I got an A in the exam, and frankly if I'd done it at the midyear break or earlier, I might've hit that 40 I was aiming for, but I nailed my prediction with 35.
Methods:
Jan 2019 Goal: 38, Pre-Exam Goal: 33, Post-Exam Goal: 30.I found Exam 1 enjoyable, albeit I knew I made one silly mistake. I thought Exam 2 was an absolute trainwreck after Philosophy though, so landing a 32 was quite the (happy) surprise.
Legal Studies Jan 2019 Goal: 45, Pre-Exam Goal: 50, Post-Exam Goal: 50.I know predicting a 50 seemed unreasonable, but I was coming off perfect scores in SACs, and I felt good coming out of a notoriously difficult exam, so coming away with a 43, albeit a score I'm content with, was a huge surprise. I did get my statement of marks for it, and the discrepancy between Section A & B is quite odd. Maybe the Examiners didn't like the fact I used cases as evidence in Section A?
Global Politics Jan 2019 Goal: 40 raw, Pre-Exam Goal: 42, Post-Exam Goal: 39I was basically heartbroken after the exam, knowing I could've had a 20/20 essay had I DONE THE RIGHT PRACTICE ESSAY PROMPT
turns out I got a 15/20 for it anyway, which wasn't awful, but one large question in the short answer was my only blue there, so a 41 is reasonable enough. I dropped 15 marks (out of 120, so 7.5 technically) in the short answer, so it turns out my previous post was quite pessimistic!
Ultimately, I felt very safe with getting into my course both before and after seeing results, so albeit feeling a little bit lost after receiving that email and thinking 'what was it all for?', there was some satisfaction. I still don't necessarily think the work I put in was entirely worth the 'score' I got out of it, but it was beneficial in other ways. I received my offer for Law/Arts at Monash on Wednesday morning, so I was very happy! Had been my first preference for a while, and despite some thoughts of switching it up, I went with my gut and stuck with it on Friday and Saturday.
It's a ridiculous feeling having to totally reorganise your life from the end of school to uni, and that's the biggest challenge I'm finding. Some people seem to detach really easily...I'm not one of those people! The extracurricular(s) have both helped and hurt me, they've strengthened my bond with my school and particular people I know there, which made this year a hell of a lot easier to cope with, but putting so much effort into 'exams' at the end and then just 'leaving' like leaving the house to grab some milk at the shops just doesn't feel right.
This probably won't be my last post here, so stay tuned for a final edition.
I hate endings, so it might take a bit.