Getting Through Year 10 & Preparing For VCE

[Joseph41]

Hey! I found Year 10 pretty difficult, to be honest. The workload was starting to ramp up a bit, and I sort of felt in no man's land - not at the top of the school, but definitely not at the bottom. In this thread, I'm going to give some advice on how to get through the year, and also how to prepare yourself well for Year 11 starting next year.


#1 Perception: your marks are important, but not so important.
Okay, first thing's first.

I remember in Year 10 having, very genuinely, no clue how VCE worked, or what would even count toward my final results. If you're in a similar position at the moment, you can read all about the VCE system here. But the point I want to make right off the bat is that your Year 10 results will not count toward your final ATAR.

BUT - that's not to say that they're not important.

Even though they don't directly count toward your final results, your Year 10 performance is important for a few reasons. Firstly, it may change what subjects are available to you at VCE level. For example, your school might only let you study Maths Methods in Year 11 if you perform at a certain level through Year 10 maths. Working hard through Year 10 can also indirectly impact your Year 12 results. I'll explain what I mean here.

If you don't try through Year 10, you're not setting yourself up very well for Year 11. What that means is that, in Year 11, you'll b playing catch-up, doing the work that you probably should have done through Year 10. You might become more stressed as a result, or lose confidence in subjects you used to be really good at. Then, in Year 12, the domino effect continues. Basically, giving Year 10 your best shot sets yourself up really well for subsequent years, even though your Year 10 marks don't directly count.


#2 Use Year 10 to work out how you study best.
There are literally thousands of ways to study - literally thousands. It doesn't make sense to not at least try some different study techniques throughout Year 10. You never know - you might stumble upon one that really suits you, and makes studying a whole lot easier.

If you're not sure where to start, get around this article here, which outlines 18 different techniques you might like to try.

The idea here is that, come Year 12, you won't really have the time to be testing out different study techniques. Your best bet is to start early, and settle on a technique (or techniques) that works for you. Not your friends, not your teachers, not your family - you. Everybody's different, and if a certain way of studying works for you, then that's great!

The other benefit is that study doesn't have to be all drab and repetitive. You can draw, sing songs, write poems - whatever it is that helps you remember those pesky definitions and concepts.


#3 Nail your Units 1/2 subjects.
If you happen to be studying one or more Unit 1/2 subjects this year, give them some love. Starting VCE early is a nifty idea - I wrote about it in some detail here. Smashing your 1/2 subjects gives you a great little foundation for success in the 3/4 equivalents (the ones that, y'know, actually count).

Don't neglect your regular Year 10 subjects, by any means. As we've established, it's still important to give them your best shot. But all other things equal, if you have to prioritise a Year 10 subject or a 1/2 subject, I'd be prioritising the latter.


#4 Treat your exams seriously.
In the same way that learning how to study is important, so too is learning how to sit exams. In VCE, a big chunk of your marks will come directly from exam performance.

For some of you, Year 10 exams will be your first proper exams ever (I know that some schools start them much earlier, but my school, for example, only started in Year 10). They can be draining, scary things - but they can also be a good deal of fun if you prepare well for them, and feel as though you perform strongly. Such is the importance of test-taking skills that we have an entire article focusing on it!


#5 VCE subject selection is important.
Come the end of Year 10, you'll be faced with selecting your VCE subjects. Exciting, but also difficult. There are so many subjects to choose from, and let's be honest - it's difficult to truly know what you're going to like.

But it's an important procedure, because the subjects you choose can have a pretty profound influence on your VCE experience. I'm not going to elaborate *too* much in this specific thread, because we have dedicated guides to VCE subject selection, which you can find here:
* Heidi's VCE subject selection guide
* Glasses' VCE subject selection guide

But my general advice is as follows:
* Pick subjects you need as "pre-requisites" for any university course you're considering
* Then, pick subjects you think you'll enjoy or are passionate about

Simples!

And don't give much weight to:
* Scaling, which you can read more about here
* What subjects your friends are taking
* What you think you "should" be studying


#6 But most importantly...
Try to enjoy the ride!

Realistically, there's not much need to think about what's to come at all, despite any of the advice given in this thread. Try to do your best on a day-to-day basis, have fun with your friends, and try to enjoy school for what it is - it won't last forever.

We're always here to help you if you want or need it. You can make a new thread in this Year 10 section of the forums - or, indeed, anywhere else on the forums that's relevant!

And we really encourage you to make your own VCE Journey Journal, so that you can vent about/think about /explain/discuss/question/diarise your own journey through Year 10 and beyond.

Good luck!