School starts in a week and I have done nothing so far.
I haven't been productive at all and my sleep schedule is absolutely messed up.
Cheers to everyone for their tips, but it's so hard when you're lazy as
Definitely not ready for year 12, but oh well, I'll see how I go.
Hello!
Agree with AngelWings that habits, especially when it comes to being productive, usually needs some time to form and it's okay if you don't start off Year 12 with the most productive mindset. For the moment, you should focus on getting all the compulsory stuff done, namely holiday homework, and look through the study designs for your 3/4 subjects.
In response to your original post, as a previous Nossalonian, I can verify that 90% of the teachers at Nossal love it when you come to them to ask for help, whether it be before school, during class, through email, during free periods, after class or even after school. They want all of their students to do the best they can, and coming up to them regularly for questions is something they always welcome,
especially when you're in Year 12. Personally I was really lucky to go to this school because (and I kid you not) one of the biggest factors that led me to my increased motivation to do well was the fact that I could go to my teachers for help at any time and that it wasn't perceived as annoying to them.
I remember one time in Year 10 I was really confused about the 'mole' concept, and I couldn't really understand the explanations my teacher gave me during class. So I went to the Science staffroom during lunch and asked for whether my teacher was available, but he wasn't at that time. However, another teacher asked what kind of question I had and I said that it was the 'mole' concept for chem, and I couldn't understand their own explanation even more; it really was as if they were speaking another language! I told them that I didn't get it, and they repeated it a few times, but I still couldn't understand. In the end, about three or so teachers in total gave their own explanation and made it as simple as they could, with different analogies, until I finally got it. Another iconic moment was when my Year 12 Chemistry teacher spent an
entire lunchtime to explain equilibrium.
On top of the amazing pieces of advice that has already been posted, here are my tips for Year 12 in general:
- Make the best use of your free periods!! Have a separate checklist to see what you need to get done that's only possible when you're at school (e.g. ask your English teacher about SAC feedback, organise a meeting with the careers counsellor). If you have any of these in common with your friends, meet up with them and study as a group. If you have a free period at the end of the day, go home early unless you find yourself being more productive in the school setting. I sometimes did this, because I found that when I came home early I have a greater tendency to just waste my time and watch Youtube videos, which I wouldn't really think of doing at school
- Use the separate Year 12 study room! Usually it's really quiet (and nicely air conditioned!!) so it's a great place to concentrate on your personal study, SAC revision and exam revision. The Nossal library can sometimes get really loud, despite the librarian telling people to be quiet, so if you want to study there then I recommend doing it before or after school, where there aren't as many people so it's a lot quieter.
- Keep a balance and participate in extracurricular activities. There are
so many that are offered by the school, such as Science Peer Coaching, being a student ambassador at the Careers and Pathways Expo and interhouse debating. These can really help combat the stress that Year 12 put students through and can help make some of the best memories of this final year.
- Constantly remind yourself of your ultimate goal. This may sound a bit harsh, but is being lazy and putting off important work
really worth not getting into your coveted course? Having some lazy days is completely fine (I had plenty of them!) since they can be a good opportunity to rewind and relax. But as soon as you notice that you haven't touched study in a while, try and jump right back into it. What matters is that you do your best to utilise whatever time you have and leave no regrets, because you won't get this time back.
Hope this helps and best of luck for Year 12!!