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Author Topic: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal  (Read 64031 times)

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sarangiya

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Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« on: January 05, 2018, 04:11:28 pm »
+30
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  ;D

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 ;) ]
« Last Edit: January 05, 2018, 04:24:10 pm by sarangiya »
Sometimes you make choices, and sometimes choices make you.

♡ Subjects ♡
2015: Japanese SL [42]
2016: Psychology [43] Philosophy [36] Japanese SL [50] [Premier's Award]
2017: UMEP Further Advanced Japanese [4.5]
2018: Methods [24] English Language [41] Chemistry [31] Psychology [41] Cert III in Allied Health Assistance [4.3]
ATAR: 97.45
2019-2024: Bachelor of Medical Science/Doctor of Medicine @ UNSW

Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
Is Repeating a VCE Subject Worth It?

cookiedream

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2018, 05:07:15 pm »
+7
Really excited for future updates!! With your current scores, I'm confident you'll do amazingly well! (get that perfect atar boi)
Best of luck for VCE, UMAT, uni and life in general ;D
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VanillaRice

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2018, 05:10:49 pm »
+5
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.

Agree with this 100%. The very reason I do not give advice about what marks someone should be aiming for in SACs and/or the exam to get a certain study score is because you should be aiming to do your very best - why would you settle for anything less? At the end of the day, you can be satisfied that you tried your best, and hold no regrets about what you could or should have done more. A good mentality to have in my opinion :)

Looking forward to reading the rest of your VCE journey!  ;D
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exit

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2018, 08:39:08 pm »
+6
The optimal approach IMO is to aim for the very best but set a lower number that you will be happy with. This way, you will not get dissapointed if you dont get 99.95 lol. Predicting or expecting scores may help with setting a ‘content limit.’
VCE [ATAR: 99.25]: Physics 1/2, English 1/2, EngLang,Methods, Spesh, Accounting, Chem, German

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Maya24

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2018, 08:58:55 pm »
+2
Best of luck for year 12. Its nice to see a fellow kpop and kdrama fan here in the forums.

Orb

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2018, 09:57:57 pm »
+14
Just going to chime in with my two cents on aims:

Having tutored many students and myself having a lot of experience with setting goals: my personal experience suggests that it's more effective to pick an aim that is both achievable and tangible. Aiming for the 'best' that you can do, from my experience, often drives students into:
1. Never feeling like they've done enough for their 'best' (perfectionist) and thus creating more stress than what's necessary, or
2. Having a lowered perception of what they can do, hypothetically studying 5 'units' of content per night and thinking that's their 'best', when in reality they could feasibly do 7 (hypothetical units).

Ideally, if you're starting off Year 12 with Cs in a subject, you don't want to 'aim for 50', because that's going to put you in the '1' category. Instead, aim for understanding the content and getting Bs/B+s in your next assessments. Once you've achieved that, then raise the bar to As and then A+s and then Rank 1, and then a 50. Having mentored B/B+ students to 45+ raw study scores - they don't get there by thinking "i'll aim for 50" from the very start, they got there by improving slowly but steadily - every time they get better, they raise the bar just that little bit higher.

I just want to chuck on a disclaimer - these are just my experiences and what has worked/not worked for my past students. Everyone has a different style of learning, and Sarangiya has evidently used her perspective to great success :)
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peterpiper

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2018, 10:17:13 pm »
+8
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.

Agree with this 100%. The very reason I do not give advice about what marks someone should be aiming for in SACs and/or the exam to get a certain study score is because you should be aiming to do your very best - why would you settle for anything less? At the end of the day, you can be satisfied that you tried your best, and hold no regrets about what you could or should have done more. A good mentality to have in my opinion :)

I think why people "aim" anything less than a perfect score is that people don't want to delude themselves that they can achieve such a score. Or that the perfect score gives more grief than it does help. I hope I'm not coming off as a pessimist because I get this mentality (I really do - and it's kind of logic - ), but being realistic is something some people find more comforting than what they could be achieving (the best in this case). I mean, like how do you know if you're performing at your best? It's all too relative and ambiguous.

People have different coping mechanisms, and respond very differently to many things. It may certainly not be something you would think efficient, or even something you would do/say, but it nevertheless is valid in the other person's perspective. I think it's wonderful that you have this attitude. You will do wonders with something like that motivating you, and I think it's serving you well! But these study-attitudes, life hacks and tips rarely come in a one-size fits all. There are many (many) subtexts you're leaving out when you say you don't "get people who aim for 35". Perhaps, the scores itself bear very little value to them in the many millions of other things they have in their lives, and managing them by saying "if I achieve xyz" gives them a sense of possible achievement. And perhaps, it's not even the achievement itself, but rather a sense of control that they're after in the grand scheme of problems they're having outside of school etc. whatever - you get my point lol.

I really sincerely hope I'm not scaring you away! I just profoundly disagreed with the sentiments expressed.

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.

Hahah you just captured my infatuations with the uni well. I want to study there less because of what I'll be studying there, but because of the campus lol. Arts West; more like fuck yeah take me hombres ~

Anyway, will look forward to future updates 8)
« Last Edit: January 05, 2018, 10:23:14 pm by peterpiper »
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VanillaRice

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2018, 11:25:31 pm »
+5
I absolutely agree that everyone has something different that works for them. VCE is indeed a stressful time, and it's important that students are able to find a way to manage the stress and stay motivated. I guess what I intended from my comment was that one should not sell themself short and be discouraged, believing that they are not capable of achieving a score that they are happy with. It's true that not everyone can get a 50 study score or 99.95 ATAR, and I agree that setting achievable goals is important. A stepwise process is a without a doubt a great way of managing your goals, and my belief is that the best results are given when you are 100% commited towards each step in the process.

One's 'best' is indeed a relative term, and I was probably too ambitious in implying that in order for you to have truly done your best, you will have no regrets about something that you could've done more - hindsight really is a wonderful thing, and experience is indeed one of the best teachers. :)
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sarangiya

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2018, 01:03:51 am »
+4
I can't believe I'm using more spoiler tags lmfao.

Really excited for future updates!! With your current scores, I'm confident you'll do amazingly well! (get that perfect atar boi)
Best of luck for VCE, UMAT, uni and life in general ;D
Spoiler
Thank you so much! Such an honour coming from you!!
I absolutely love your guides so far, seriously. I'm anxiously waiting for your next ones!

Agree with this 100%. The very reason I do not give advice about what marks someone should be aiming for in SACs and/or the exam to get a certain study score is because you should be aiming to do your very best - why would you settle for anything less? At the end of the day, you can be satisfied that you tried your best, and hold no regrets about what you could or should have done more. A good mentality to have in my opinion :)

Looking forward to reading the rest of your VCE journey!  ;D
Spoiler
Thank you so much for your reply! We must have similar strategies/mindsets towards VCE :D
I am definitely in the same boat regarding giving advice about goals for SACs and exams. In the end, it isn't my business anyway. Having realistic expectations based on SAC and exam results is important, so I try to encourage that after everything that can be done is done. Before that though, there is always room to strive higher!

The optimal approach IMO is to aim for the very best but set a lower number that you will be happy with. This way, you will not get dissapointed if you dont get 99.95 lol. Predicting or expecting scores may help with setting a ‘content limit.’
Spoiler
Thank you so much for your reply :D
I definitely know where you're coming from!
Setting a content limit would be a fantastic way to avoid the pain from disappointment, which I will more than likely experience.
From my own experience though, striving for higher is great thing. If not, surely I would have been contented with my 42 from Japanese. And I'm really glad that I wasn't, because I would not have tried again if I were.
I think your advice about predicting is great though. After all SACs and exams are over, its probably best to "brace oneself" by having a realistic idea. But for the time when you're striving towards it, I think it's important not too be satisfied too easily or too early.

Best of luck for year 12. Its nice to see a fellow kpop and kdrama fan here in the forums.
Spoiler
Yasss! Do shoot me a message sometime! Thanks for your reply as well! <3

1. Never feeling like they've done enough for their 'best' (perfectionist) and thus creating more stress than what's necessary, or
I have to admit, this is definitely me.
2. Having a lowered perception of what they can do, hypothetically studying 5 'units' of content per night and thinking that's their 'best', when in reality they could feasibly do 7 (hypothetical units).
Spoiler
I actually would have thought this is the result when aiming for a lower score than what is possible! Thinking "surely this is enough to get me a 40", when in reality more work could have earned that person a 45. (as an example)
But, it could be the case that because the goal seems more tangible, motivation increases and people do closer to their best. Quite interesting!
Ideally, if you're starting off Year 12 with Cs in a subject, you don't want to 'aim for 50', because that's going to put you in the '1' category. Instead, aim for understanding the content and getting Bs/B+s in your next assessments. Once you've achieved that, then raise the bar to As and then A+s and then Rank 1, and then a 50. Having mentored B/B+ students to 45+ raw study scores - they don't get there by thinking "i'll aim for 50" from the very start, they got there by improving slowly but steadily - every time they get better, they raise the bar just that little bit higher.
Spoiler
Absolutely! I wasn't very clear in the beginning, but this is definitely how I'd go about striving higher! I think smaller, achievable goals are absolutely necessary. But, just as you say, the bar should be raised higher each time. And my opinion is that the overall goal the smaller goals are working towards, the height to which the bar is raised, is as high as possible. What I say I can't stand is when people stop raising that bar, and become satisfied when really they could have done more. Maybe the bar won't be raised as far as it can go - there are only so many days of Year 12! But if you continually push it higher, at least you know that where it ended up was your best in the circumstances, and not short of your full potential.
I just want to chuck on a disclaimer - these are just my experiences and what has worked/not worked for my past students. Everyone has a different style of learning, and Sarangiya has evidently used her perspective to great success :)
Spoiler
Thank you so much for your reply and your wisdom!!
I also want to make a disclaimer that I don't mean to push my opinion onto anyone (though I did word it pretty strongly lmao).
Especially, I know that some time ago this mentality would not have been practical for myself either. At that time, I was very vulnerable to pain and guilt from not satisfying my perfectionism. Therefore, it was much more important for me to avoid that - which I could have done by setting achievable goals. Our priorities and needs change all the time. Before, I think it was avoiding that disappointment. At the moment, my priority is to keep motivated and try my hardest. Towards the end of the year, I might realise my current mentality is too naive (the beauty of recording it down I guess!).

...being realistic is something some people find more comforting than what they could be achieving (the best in this case). I mean, like how do you know if you're performing at your best? It's all too relative and ambiguous.

There are many (many) subtexts you're leaving out when you say you don't "get people who aim for 35". Perhaps, the scores itself bear very little value to them in the many millions of other things they have in their lives, and managing them by saying "if I achieve xyz" gives them a sense of possible achievement. And perhaps, it's not even the achievement itself, but rather a sense of control that they're after in the grand scheme of problems they're having outside of school etc. whatever - you get my point lol.

I really sincerely hope I'm not scaring you away! I just profoundly disagreed with the sentiments expressed.
Spoiler
Not in the slightest. This is really fantastic post and I admire how thoughtfully and coherently you expressed what needed to be said.
Thank you so much for your post.
My controversial one-liner absolutely did leave out many circumstances in which it is not practical. I wrote in this post too my own experience of when it was not. In those situations, it is more important to do what is best in the circumstances, dependent upon one's priories etc.
However, I still think striving higher each time is an optimistic coping strategy as opposed to avoiding possible disappointment. Ultimately, my belief is that if one does "aim" for something less than perfect, they are more unlikely to reach that goal than they would had they continuously made efforts. That is not to say they should not be satisfied with a 35 in the end if that's what they wanted. It is just to say that while effort can still be made, it is worth making that effort to ensure you can achieve that goal, instead of being satisfied prematurely and being at risk of not achieving it.
But I really do hope that anyone reading takes your message because I absolutely agree. This mentality did not suit me in the past, and it may very well not serve me in the future. As you say, nothing is really one-size-fits-all in terms of advice. Just for now, this what I think is a good way to achieve our best (whatever that may be, and whether or not we can tell it is or not).
Hahah you just captured my infatuations with the uni well. I want to study there less because of what I'll be studying there, but because of the campus lol. Arts West; more like fuck yeah take me hombres ~

Anyway, will look forward to future updates 8)
   
Omf I know!!! I had tutes in Arts West and honestly it was just amaze. I never knew I could actually enjoy something based on the environment I was in lmao
Thank you!!!!

A stepwise process is a without a doubt a great way of managing your goals, and my belief is that the best results are given when you are 100% commited towards each step in the process.
Couldn't agree more with this!
Sometimes you make choices, and sometimes choices make you.

♡ Subjects ♡
2015: Japanese SL [42]
2016: Psychology [43] Philosophy [36] Japanese SL [50] [Premier's Award]
2017: UMEP Further Advanced Japanese [4.5]
2018: Methods [24] English Language [41] Chemistry [31] Psychology [41] Cert III in Allied Health Assistance [4.3]
ATAR: 97.45
2019-2024: Bachelor of Medical Science/Doctor of Medicine @ UNSW

Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
Is Repeating a VCE Subject Worth It?

sarangiya

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2018, 12:58:20 pm »
+10
The second week of January is almost over! Crazy, isn't it?
I should be getting ready for work at the moment, but I thought I would write a few things down before I left.

I was lucky enough to go to the ATAR Notes lectures on Monday and Tuesday this week! I went to Chemistry and English Language on Monday, and Psychology then Methods on Tuesday. It's kind of surreal thinking that someone reading this might have been in the same room.
The lectures were really great. My personal favourite was chemistry because I had already watched most of the Edrolo videos on Unit 3 (so I wasn't so bewildered) and because my motivation was high. My (motivational) arousal levels have been decreasing ever since lol but they were all fantastic and I'm so glad I dragged a few friends to the train station at half past 7 to go to them :)
On Friday I went out with some friends from work. We smashed out a litre of icecream, some sushi and then dinner afterwards. This morning I went out for a surprise breakfast and shopping for snacks with some friends, in preparation for a music festival tomorrow.

I’ve decided I’ll have to write more frequently, and then make a weekly summary to post on this VCE journal. There’s a lot I want to record for my future self to read, but a lot of it is irrelevant to VCE and perhaps private, so I think I’ll try having another journaling method.
For example
I was going to write about Jonghyun, a member of the South Korean group ‘SHINee’ who committed suicide late 2017. I didn’t think it would affect me so much because I had never invested real interest in SHINee as a group, let alone in Jonghyun himself. Bur for some reason I can’t stop thinking about it. I watched a drama called ‘Andante’, featuring Kim Jong-in of EXO (same company as SHINee). In the drama, Jong-in’s character goes through a mourning period and it really struck a chord. Thinking that Jonghyun’s death must have affected him, and seeing the depiction of mourning was really heartbreaking.

In light of those events, Baekhyun, another member of EXO, also made insensitive comments about depression recently.
I’ve had episodes in my life where I have stood up for what I believe contradicts my personal maxims or values, and times when I have not. Even though recognising I was going against my morals led me to let go of something, I don’t regret doing so. And I promised that from that point I was going to stand by my beliefs, because it felt righteous and dignified. Whether I have been doing that is another thing (haha), but I feel that my thoughts towards Baekhyun should be harsher. Yet, I feel that I want to deny that he had any wrong intentions. It’s difficult to see where my moral compass is pointing, especially in a case that is so far removed from my life.
I'm keeping relatively on top of my study schedule so far, so I've been in a great mood. I ought to knock off the overdue tasks but having work in the evening means I spend my day "getting ready". For this reason alone, I know that reducing my hours for this year is a must.

Anyway, that's a short description of my week so far. I'll update again next week :)
Sometimes you make choices, and sometimes choices make you.

♡ Subjects ♡
2015: Japanese SL [42]
2016: Psychology [43] Philosophy [36] Japanese SL [50] [Premier's Award]
2017: UMEP Further Advanced Japanese [4.5]
2018: Methods [24] English Language [41] Chemistry [31] Psychology [41] Cert III in Allied Health Assistance [4.3]
ATAR: 97.45
2019-2024: Bachelor of Medical Science/Doctor of Medicine @ UNSW

Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
Is Repeating a VCE Subject Worth It?

sarangiya

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2018, 10:53:31 pm »
+7
I didn’t notice it until writing this but there is only two weeks until school goes back.
A lot of friends are nervous to go back but I’m feeling pretty prepared. I’m more ‘unprepared’ for school events and other commitments. But I’m planning to just tackle those one by one - they’ll work out without me thinking over them.

There was a RMIT event on this week where you could ‘drop in’ and ask questions about maths. I was going to go Monday and Tuesday, only to discover I have lost my CAS. Great.
I thought on Tuesday (and Friday) I’d go nonetheless, but my mum was off work all this week, so I decided to stay home. Not going to lie, it was more because I am avoiding methods. But also, I think it worked out well. I still have two weeks to work with so hopefully I’ll face the mass of textbook questions waiting for me.
On math
Honestly, I quite like math and a don’t even mind textbook questions. What stresses me out is getting them wrong. Do I rub it out and do it again? Do I just leave it? Do I cross it out? If most of the page is wrong should I just rip the page out? The lack of organisation kills me lmao. I thought because of that loose leaf is best so I can just dispose of it afterwards, but then I forget which questions I’ve done… etc. So now I’m using a exercise book, but the ones I like are from Japan and about $2. Wasting those stresses me out too. What to do.
My math teacher says “it’s okay, because it is worth it.” I agree with him, but it also just seems like such a shame.
.

On Wednesday and Thursday I studied and had work.
On work antics
My boss introduced her to a Japanese girl who has come for the month. I was initially meant to host her but I couldn’t in the end, so promised to take her around. Problem was, I had no idea she was coming that day. So here I was, no makeup, dirty work apron and on a whopping 4 hours of sleep. Embarrassing! Thursday I made sure to come in looking like a snacc..

Today I went to a market. Not bad. I didn’t buy anything. I did a bit of chemistry.

I’m actually more excited about next week than I am this week. I’ve got the Senior First Aid course on Monday and Wednesday. I’m getting because I will be working in a day procedure clinic for seven hours a week this year (during class hours ayo). And most workplaces require first aid training, but especially my placement. I was told I wasn’t allowed to start until I did it.
On my placement
I’m super excited for my apprenticeship. The more I read about med school interviews, the more I think working in a healthcare setting and getting an allied health qualification will help me give some good responses.
In saying that, I notice that a lot of the questions posted on medstudentsonline are ethics-based. This worries me, but I also think having studied philosophy, I have a good capacity to discuss ethics. In saying that, I’ll really have to do some research and deep thinking lmao. It’s all well and good to get decent SAC marks after studying for terms, but a different thing to come up with a relatively well-versed moral stance within a few minutes.
Someone mentioned on that particular thread that “your career as a doctor could be likened to an endless series of these scenario questions”. Honestly speaking, I was a little shookt, but having thought about it, the idea isn’t too bad. The more you make those kind of ethical decisions, the more you understand about yourself and what is important to you. That’s one of the things I liked about medicine when I began to look at it as a career. I think I could do a lot for other careers, but I think medicine is a career which will do a lot for me as well.

Anyway, I’m off to finish the chemistry I started today and maybe some psychology as well if it doesn’t get too late.
Have a great weekend everyone :)
Sometimes you make choices, and sometimes choices make you.

♡ Subjects ♡
2015: Japanese SL [42]
2016: Psychology [43] Philosophy [36] Japanese SL [50] [Premier's Award]
2017: UMEP Further Advanced Japanese [4.5]
2018: Methods [24] English Language [41] Chemistry [31] Psychology [41] Cert III in Allied Health Assistance [4.3]
ATAR: 97.45
2019-2024: Bachelor of Medical Science/Doctor of Medicine @ UNSW

Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
Is Repeating a VCE Subject Worth It?

sarangiya

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #11 on: January 29, 2018, 05:26:26 pm »
+8
I attempted to write something earlier but I feel as though I'm deviating too far from VCE as a discussion topic.
So, this is last week's summary exclusively in regards to VCE and study.

...that being said, I haven't done all that much.
I have a stack of overdues because I'm trying to get textbook and Edrolo for psychology and chemistry finished ASAP.
I can understand if that sounds absurd, but I think it is best to have heard the content at least once before going to class. Going to the chemistry lecture run by ATARNotes, my friend was almost on the verge of crying because it was overwhelming. I remember feeling overwhelmed reading through the textbook/watching Edrolo, but actually thought the lecture was easy to understand and not confronting at all. And I reasoned that it was probably because I had the advantage of prior exposure.
So, with that I have my long list of to-dos. This week I'm meant to be up to Chapter 10 and Chapter 9 in chem and psych respectively, but I'm not there yet. I'll hopefully get there before school starts.
I've also got my holiday homework to do. I haven't not started any but I have yet to finish anything other than psych. Great. Three days left and I've still got this much to do.

I'm thinking that when the term starts it will be easier to discipline myself. I mean, having two months of no commitments makes procrastination and laziness so easy. Having school and impending deadlines will give me a bit of positive pressure, right? I'm not so sure. I'm beginning to think it might have the opposite effect and I convince myself that I "should enjoy the few hours I have to myself". It's not wrong, it just isn't really that productive.
Fingers crossed school will be a source of motivation to work, and not to fob off things that should have been done long before.

At the moment, I'm most looking forward to chemistry. It seems to be not too difficult, but not easy or mundane enough to sap me of vigour. Comparatively, methods seems too difficult and I'm very worried with my track record, while English Language and Psychology are things I'm putting off because the content is "been there, done that".
Who knows. Only a few more days til I do, apparently.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2018, 05:28:28 pm by sarangiya »
Sometimes you make choices, and sometimes choices make you.

♡ Subjects ♡
2015: Japanese SL [42]
2016: Psychology [43] Philosophy [36] Japanese SL [50] [Premier's Award]
2017: UMEP Further Advanced Japanese [4.5]
2018: Methods [24] English Language [41] Chemistry [31] Psychology [41] Cert III in Allied Health Assistance [4.3]
ATAR: 97.45
2019-2024: Bachelor of Medical Science/Doctor of Medicine @ UNSW

Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
Is Repeating a VCE Subject Worth It?

Lear

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #12 on: January 29, 2018, 05:35:18 pm »
+3
 Only a few days to go woo!
I also agree that some positive pressure can really kick a person into doing well. I’m just concerned that I might come under too much pressure!
Chemistry really does look enjoyable doesn’t it? Especially unit 3 for me, it’s quite interesting!

What do you think of edrolo? Do you believe hearing and going through questions really helps you? I find it to be a great source for a subject like chemistry but methods and English not so much.

I hope you’ve had a refreshing holiday and good luck for this year :)
2018: ATAR: 99.35
Subjects
English: 44
Methods: 43
Further Maths: 50
Chemistry: 46
Legal: 40
2019: Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine @ Monash

sarangiya

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2018, 06:31:10 pm »
+3
Only a few days to go woo!
I also agree that some positive pressure can really kick a person into doing well. I’m just concerned that I might come under too much pressure!
Chemistry really does look enjoyable doesn’t it? Especially unit 3 for me, it’s quite interesting!

What do you think of edrolo? Do you believe hearing and going through questions really helps you? I find it to be a great source for a subject like chemistry but methods and English not so much.

I hope you’ve had a refreshing holiday and good luck for this year :)
Yeah too much pressure is definitely a worry too! We gotta stick through it together!! Haha
Absolutely! I thought I wouldn't enjoy it but actually it's a lot more interesting than what I had imagined. Not sure how much I'll like equations to do with equilibrium and stuff but the rest is pretty good. Although, I'm pretty excited for organic chemistry as well - admittedly a little moreso.

Edrolo is great! I can feel the memes this year with "hey guys welcome back to another episode of chemistry" and "yeah you can" lmfao.
I'm hoping it will be good as a revision resource because I've made more bookmark note things than I ever have before. Hopefully it's useful.
I don't have it for English (language) but I have it for psych and methods. Psych is a little mundane. I feel like it is already enough to go through the textbook. But methods I haven't touched yet because afaik some videos weren't even uploaded yet. Don't know how I'll like it. I didn't in Year 11 :\

Thanks for your reply by the way!
What subjects are you looking forward to most?
Sometimes you make choices, and sometimes choices make you.

♡ Subjects ♡
2015: Japanese SL [42]
2016: Psychology [43] Philosophy [36] Japanese SL [50] [Premier's Award]
2017: UMEP Further Advanced Japanese [4.5]
2018: Methods [24] English Language [41] Chemistry [31] Psychology [41] Cert III in Allied Health Assistance [4.3]
ATAR: 97.45
2019-2024: Bachelor of Medical Science/Doctor of Medicine @ UNSW

Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
Is Repeating a VCE Subject Worth It?

vcestressed

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Re: Sarangiya's 사랑하는 VCE Journal
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2018, 07:25:35 pm »
+1
Edrolo is great! I can feel the memes this year with "hey guys welcome back to another episode of chemistry" and "yeah you can" lmfao.
Oh my god my chem teacher has started saying that at the start and end of lesson too hahahaha. Only the people who watched edrolo understood it.
''If ever you're lost or want to give up, remember, yeah you can'' :'')