Happy New Year all!
I've decided to make a VCE Journal for Year 12 during the holidays because I'm looking for
a way to procrastinate a way to record my thoughts on this year.
I wasn't really sure what to call this thread either, but decided I'd follow the weird username-wordplay trend that has been going on. I actually always planned to change my username. It was made on a whim after watching a Korean drama (lol) called 괜찮아, 사랑이야 (gwaenchana,
sarangiya). ...Yet, here I am.
I have never written a diary or a journal before, so I feel really awkward writing to my 'future self'. Therefore, I'm going to write this like I'm addressing someone, even if no-one reads
I thought I'd use this first post as an ice breaker. So, in the form of commonly asked questions, I'll write my self-introduction.
I put them in spoiler tags so you don't have to bother with things you don't find interesting
Who are you and what school do you go to?
I only realised it after having written this question but it's not that hard to find my name and school lmao.
Nonetheless, I won't reveal either one. I live in a regional town and go to a Catholic school.
For 2017, the median ATAR was 68.
What/when/why/how did you start VCE? etc. etc. (longgg lmao)
I did Unit 2 Japanese in Year 8 when I had Year 8 Japanese classes.
I never intended to do it, but I ended up attending a load of practice SACs and doing well on them so I did all of the actual SACs in like a week and got an S for Unit 2 last minute.
The following year I did Japanese 3/4, but another teacher suggested that I ought to "broaden my horizons" and explore other areas of interest. I didn't really agree but let her pitch her idea to me, which ended up being doing a 1/2 subject through DECV. I thought it sounded alright and so randomly (no joke) picked Philosophy. I did well in that, and got a raw 42 (scaled 48 wowee) in Japanese.
The year after that (we're at Year 10 now... are you keeping up?) I did philosophy 3/4, psychology 3/4 and Japanese SL 3/4 again.
Philosophy was just natural progression. Why not do the 3/4 after doing the 1/2? I ended up getting 36 raw (35 scaled I think) which I was super disappointed with. I had gotten a B+ in the exam, which spoiled the pretty good marks I got in GA1/GA2.
Psychology was because 2016 was the last year of that study design. I always intended to do it and have a great relationship with the teacher who does psychology. So, I ended up getting a 43 raw. Disappointing but I didn't mind too much.
Japanese... again. I actually didn't want to at all. I burnt my cue cards, told my teacher that no matter how much she said I should do it again I wouldn't, and had heated discussions with my mum about why I shouldn't. And then I got the 42. Lmao. In Semester 1, I didn't attend classes at all. In Semester 2, we started doing the detailed conversation, so I came for those lessons. I honestly thought I had bombed the oral exam so hard. I couldn't even speak to my teacher because I was so disappointed in myself lmao. As for the exam, it felt easy (but then again, all of them did at that point), but I felt uneasy afterwards anyway. At the end of it all, I got the 50 (ye boi), perfect oral marks and two marks of the exam.
In 2017, my Year 11 year, I did no 3/4s. I did the UMEP program instead. I was up to Parkville two times a week doing Japanese 7 and Japanese 8. I had actually gotten into the level above "Variations in Japanese" but it wasn't offered in the UMEP program, so I did 7/8. Honestly loved being in Melbourne and fell in love with the UniMelb campus. The classes themselves were average, but boy did I love Melbourne Uni. (This is the origin of one of my biggest points of dissension this year, as you will see should you continue to read). I got H1 average for both Semester 1 and 2 which was great. But overall 2017 was an awful year. I had suffered the effects of 2016, and 2017 was my year of recovery. That's the excuse that I'm going with. But honestly, I'm feeling much better now.
So that's my weird VCE history to date. Hope it clears things up.
When did you start VCE? (TL;DR version)
Year 8. First 3/4 in Year 9. My signature doesn't lie.
Yes, my school allowed me to. Why? There are many reasons I may or may not divulge in the future. Is it because my school is exploiting me for good reputation etc.? No. Does VCAA allow it? Yes. Don't you get 10% of repeated subjects? No. Do people hate you for it? I assume so. Do I regret it? No. Was it hard? Yes.
What are you doing for VCE this year?
3/4: Psychology, Chemistry, Mathematical Methods, English Language
and, an apprenticeship (lol). I'll be working in a surgical clinic 7 hours a week and pick up a Cert III in "Allied Health Assistance". I'm actually pretty keen. And yes, it would have contributed to my ATAR. Problem is it only counts when you have under 6 subjects and I will have 8.
Why am I repeating psychology, I hear you ask. I originally was set on doing Religion and Society but our teacher dropped the subject. Didn't know what else to do, so why not.
What are your hobbies?
Language learning and watching foreign dramas lmao.
Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, German (barely) at the moment.
I watch mostly Korean or Japanese dramas, but am getting into cheesy Chinese ones recently.
Things I like but aren't really 'hobbies' are fashion, drawing/arty stuff, reading about medications on Wikipedia or Drugs.com (lol), programming/computer science (bit of a past thing tho
), music (mainly K-Pop not gonna lie) and making schedules/plans/mindmaps (<- I won't delve into this because I'll seem a bit insane tbh).
I don't play instruments or sport. The reason is because I hate practicing. I have tried piano, drums, guitar, singing, recorder, netball, swimming, ballet, karate, tae kwon do, jazz, tap, acting/musical theatre, tennis, golf, yoga, tai chi, etccccc but anything repetitive I cannot stand. All of these probably get less monotonous after you get good at them, but I never got there.
What is your plan for after VCE?
Medicine. ikr how boring.
Already registered for UMAT so we will see if I get into any undergrad courses. If not I'll go to Melb and do BSc and MD after (if I can lmfao).
I first intended to do BSc and then MD without even trying for undergrad but I think if I don't try I'll regret it. Also the older (?) I get the more I want to do practical study (hence my apprenticeship, as well, which I chose over a VCE subject).
If you're wondering why med (and not something to do with language/linguistics as everyone assumes lol):
I did my work experience at the Royal Women's and Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Honestly it was lit. I can't shake it. If I could go back tomorrow, I would.
No joke I don't even know why I went there for work experience. At the time I wanted to do Speech Pathology (after a time of wanting to do translation/interpreting). I was also vegetarian and I cannot touch meat with bare hands when cooking. And yet, I had no qualms about sticking my finger in a guy's hernia lmfao.
So, in the end, a had a flame lit inside me after those two weeks. Since then, everything I do seems to be fanning (adding oil to?) that flame. 加油!!
What are your goals for 2018?
Dat ATAR boi.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm going for the 99.95. Sure, I might not get it. I might, though.
The one thing I cannot stand is people who "aim" for a 35 or a 42, or a 80 or a 65 ATAR or something like that.
Don't get me wrong, I understand. But you should expect a 35 or 73.95, not aim for it. I'm aiming for 99.95, I might expect less. But I really think that anyone doing anything should always aim for the highest. Always, always, always. You're selling yourself short if you don't and even if you don't get it, I daresay you'll get higher than what you would have had you settled for a 34, or a 98.50 at the beginning of the year, or before your final exam.
But yeah, I don't have any other goals for this year because I honestly just want that mint ATAR so I can get scholarships lol. Sorry not sorry.
I'm "in the process" of making a bucket list of sorts for 2018. Because it's the last year of school, I should probably figure out some things that i would no doubt regret if I didn't do them this year. I'll no doubt write about it some time.
[to be updated
]