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March 29, 2024, 07:46:35 am

Author Topic: I received a 99+ ATAR and a perfect GPA - ask me anything.  (Read 92535 times)  Share 

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DBA-144

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #30 on: March 22, 2018, 10:38:53 pm »
+2
Hey Joseph41!

Really like the idea of this thread.

Had a few questions myself!

1. While reading the textbook, do you think it would be a good idea to make notes as I go, or should I simply just read the chapter and answer the questions as I go? Shoulx I do questions open or closed book? I reckon it would depend on how well i understand what is being presented,  right?

2. How might one go about balancing so many (5) subjects? ok maybe 5 isnt THAT much

3. How to study for eng lang? Just take notes of the different metalanguage and then go about finding examples? Then write some answers to practice questions, i suppose?

4. How does it feel to have graduated from uni- are you looking towards any career paths, apart from ATAR NOTES? Do you think your bachelor of arts was interesting enough for you to pursue uni or more further education? PLEASE ONLY ANSWER THIS ONE IF YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE

Thanks! Really like the idea of this thread. Sort of shows what this community seems to be a bit about- helping each other out!
PM me for Methods (raw 46) and Chemistry (raw 48) resources (notes, practice SACs, etc.)

I also offer tutoring for these subjects, units 1-4 :)

Joseph41

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #31 on: March 23, 2018, 09:43:12 am »
+7
Hey!
just some questions about further maths...
1. Do you have any study tips that you found really helpful?
2. Did you do a theory book, and if so how did you do it and what sort of layout do you recommend?
3. If you don't mind sharing, what were your average SAC and exam marks (if you can remember :) )

Thank-you!

Hey there! Love the username haha. ;) I'll try to answer your questions one by one.

1. Do you have any study tips that you found really helpful?
Hmm, honestly I didn't really enjoy Further all that much during the year, so I wasn't hugely motivated to study for it. I think having a neat/legible/practical summary book is really important - obviously for the end-of-year exam, but also for your own sake during the year (for me, the process of making my bound reference was a lot more useful than the bound reference itself, which I didn't consult at all during the exams). For this reason, I'm an advocate for having at least a couple of notebooks - one for work in class and practice questions etc., and the other as your bound reference. How you actually do this is up to you, but that's what worked for me.

For Further specifically, a solid understanding of why things are the way they are is good, too. It's relatively easy to get through the year, see questions that look familiar, and do them based on what you knew worked for similar questions in the past. But if you can look at each question in isolation and work out how to approach it from there, I think that's a much better option. Further throws in a bunch of trick questions (well, not really - but questions worded in strange ways and the like) to try to differentiate the good exams from the great ones. It can be easy to be tricked, and fall into your default way of answering things when a different approach would actually be more suitable.

In terms of motivation, I think a bit-by-bit approach is good. I found Further pretty dry to be honest, and couldn't sit down for more than an hour or so without losing focus (until the end of the year, at least, at which point I just did heaps of practice exams back-to-back haha). Ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there - it all adds up.

2. Did you do a theory book, and if so how did you do it and what sort of layout do you recommend?
Yep - see response above. I had a specific theory book, which I added to throughout the year. This was separate to the notebook(s) I used during class for textbook exercises, practice questions and so on.

I ordered my book chronologically - so, roughly dot point by dot point of the study design. I highlighted formulae with a yellow highlighter, I had practice questions in red, and key points to remember in green. These details are pretty irrelevant - what's more relevant is having a system that you stick to. So for me, I could flick through my book if I needed to, and all of the formulae would be immediately apparent (because they were highlighted in yellow). Throughout the year, I added practice questions I found particularly difficult, or those I got wrong in SACs, and explained how to do them step by step. The rationale here was that if something similar came up on the exam, I'd have an example to go off.

I also used an A5 book, but I think most people use A4 (not sure on this). Regardless, I'd recommend making your own summary book instead of taking in a textbook or similar as your bound reference.

The key is to make it as easy as possible. You really don't want to be wasting time flicking through your bound reference in the exam(s). If you need to find something specific, you'll want a system to get there as quickly as possible. I know some people used tabs and stuff (be careful to adhere to VCAA guidelines, here) - I just had very clear headings and divisions.

3. If you don't mind sharing, what were your average SAC and exam marks (if you can remember :) )
No worries! I definitely don't remember specifically, but if I had to guess, probably ~85-90% for SAC marks? I'm not really sure. They were decent, but not absolutely amazing, and I definitely wasn't ranked in the top few of the cohort by any means. I never ordered a statement of marks for my exams, but I'm confident I didn't drop any marks in Exam 1, and only dropped one in Exam 2.

As I mentioned earlier, though, SAC marks are really difficult to compare, so if you received exactly the same SAC marks and exam scores as me, that wouldn't guarantee you'd get the same study score - perhaps not even close. It's really not worth worrying too much about the technical side of VCE, but if you are interested, there's a good thread on it here where you can learn more. :)

1. Do you miss university (or certain aspects of it)?

2. Excited for the start of the AFL season? How do you think Melbourne's shaping up?

3. How long as it taken you to write out such detailed replies in this thread? :o

Hey Vaike!

1. Do you miss university (or certain aspects of it)?
Yeah, I certainly miss certain aspects of university. Not all of it. Good question - see below.

Things I miss about uni:
* Honours - having a small cohort and all working concurrently toward a similar goal.
* Honours - relationships with supervisors and teaching staff.
* Content - I'm feeling almost dirty that I'm not actively learning new stuff about linguistics. I'm trying to find free lectures and stuff haha. I definitely miss that.
* To a degree, the satisfaction of completing assignments to a high level, and writing papers I was genuinely proud of.
* I probably had more time to do other stuff than I do now.
* Crazy long holidays - at least sometimes. Time to travel etc.

Things I don't miss about uni:
* The fact that no matter how much work you do, you could always theoretically study more.
* Being assessed. I like now how I can work on stuff, give it my absolute all, and be proud of the result - without having a number assigned to it.
* Frustration pertaining to vague assessment criteria.
* Group work. Or more precisely, the effort required to actively avoid group work.
* Some units, readings, assignments and the like just didn't tickle my whiskers as much as others.
* The feeling in the back of my mind that I didn't really know what it was all leading to.

Regardless, I'd like to go back to uni at some point to pursue a PhD. I'm not sure when, or where, or even why, but I'd love to further explore the intersection of linguistics, gender and the media.

2. Excited for the start of the AFL season? How do you think Melbourne's shaping up?
Absolutely. My peak enthusiasm for the footy was probably 6-7 years ago, but I'm still a big fan. I used to go to every Melbourne game in Melbourne (didn't miss one for many years); now, I'll realistically have to miss a couple due to work and other commitments. But yes, I'm glad it's back - also very much enjoyed the AFLW season (until Melbourne were eliminated in typical Melbourne fashion).

Last year was pretty upsetting. In the 8 with a round to come, playing against Collingwood at the 'G to cement our first finals position since 2006. And we lost, and then Adelaide lost to West Coast, and we missed the finals by the smallest margin in the history of the V/AFL. It was just so Melbourne. To put this in perspective, the last time we played finals, I was 12, and still in primary school. I've since graduated from primary school, been through all of high school, spent four years at university, and am now in my second year working full-time. It's been a long stretch!

A rough approximation of our best 22 the way I see it, ignoring injury (which has already hit us pretty hard):

B: N Jetta | O McDonald | M Hibberd
HB: N Jones | J Lever | J Lewis
C: J Hunt | J Harmes | A Neal-Bullen
HF: C Petracca | J Hogan | J Melksham
F: J Garlett | T McDonald | B Fritsch
R: M Gawn | J Viney | C Oliver
I/C: D Tyson | C Salem | M Hannan | S Frost

E: A Brayshaw | B Vince | C Pedersen | T Bugg

I think that's pretty good, and we have way more depth than we have in previous years (Stretch, Maynard, Weideman, Balic, Wagner etc. further to the emergencies above), so I'm cautiously optimistic. But it is Melbourne, so who knows?

3. How long as it taken you to write out such detailed replies in this thread? :o

It's been time well spent. ;)

But like, the tea just isn't enjoyable that way. Teabags are designed for only one use. After that, they make sub-par tea. You might as well be drinking hot water. It's an insult to good cups of tea all over the world

I wouldn't say so; I think this is simply personal preference. I enjoy the first brew most, don't get me wrong. But when I'm working, I just need some sort of hot beverage - and weak tea is fine by me.

What did you do to unwind in year 12 without wasting time? Is that even possible?

For sure!

I drew quite a lot in Year 12 - I liked designing stuff. This sort of tied in with one of my subjects, but I also did it for recreation. Otherwise, a lot of sport - mostly watching in Year 12 due to aforementioned injuries. I love a good walk. Also, writing poetry was very good for me. Chilling with friends, reading, travelling - it's all part of the fun. :)

But yeah, unwinding throughout Year 12 certainly is possible - and, indeed, important!

Hey Joseph41!

Really like the idea of this thread.

Had a few questions myself!

1. While reading the textbook, do you think it would be a good idea to make notes as I go, or should I simply just read the chapter and answer the questions as I go? Shoulx I do questions open or closed book? I reckon it would depend on how well i understand what is being presented,  right?

2. How might one go about balancing so many (5) subjects? ok maybe 5 isnt THAT much

3. How to study for eng lang? Just take notes of the different metalanguage and then go about finding examples? Then write some answers to practice questions, i suppose?

4. How does it feel to have graduated from uni- are you looking towards any career paths, apart from ATAR NOTES? Do you think your bachelor of arts was interesting enough for you to pursue uni or more further education?

Thanks! Really like the idea of this thread. Sort of shows what this community seems to be a bit about- helping each other out!

Hey DBA-144! :) Glad you're enjoying the thread.

1. While reading the textbook, do you think it would be a good idea to make notes as I go, or should I simply just read the chapter and answer the questions as I go? Shoulx I do questions open or closed book? I reckon it would depend on how well i understand what is being presented,  right?

Is it a good idea? Depends on whether or not you find it a good idea, IMO. That might work for some people; it might not for others. I don't say that as a cop-out sort of answer - I genuinely believe that study techniques are pretty personal things, and you can't just pick up a technique because it's worked for somebody else.

In saying that (depending on the content a little), I'd usually:
* Read it once without taking notes or anything.
* Go back and read it a second time, noting key points and making annotations (in my summary notebook).
* Answer any relevant questions for that content to solidify understanding.

Should you do questions open or closed book? That's a tough question to answer. It's like asking if you should do every practice exam under the sun, or none at all - I don't really agree with either option haha. Why not start open book, and then push yourself to answer questions closed book when you're feeling more comfortable? Sometimes, I'd spend ages on perfecting a response to a question (open book), and then a few days later, try to answer that same question closed book. What I found was that the process of constructing a good response was sort of cemented in my mind, and I could remember what I wrote the first time. That gave me confidence. Then, I'd try answering similar questions, and noticed that I already knew what I had to do to construct a good response.

It's up to you - I honestly don't think there's a right answer for this one.

2. How might one go about balancing so many (5) subjects? ok maybe 5 isnt THAT much
Sometimes with some difficulty! But like, if you think about it, you've done it many times before. Through Year 7/8/9/10 etc., you probably had several more subjects than you do now, or than what is typically the case in Year 12. Yeah, the stakes are a little higher this year, but you're also more developed. It's a natural progression, and confidence in yourself can play a big part.

In saying that, time management and being able to prioritise tasks are big things. It's important not to prioritise subjects just because you like them more than others, because if you do that, that's the only subject you'll ever study for. Sometimes, you have to just sit down and smash out a bit of revision for a subject you don't enjoy as much. The benefit here is that when you go back to what you are more passionate about, it won't even feel like studying!

For me, to-do lists were really, really useful. I spoke a bit about how I used to-do lists in this post here. :)

3. How to study for eng lang? Just take notes of the different metalanguage and then go about finding examples? Then write some answers to practice questions, i suppose?
EngLang. Great subject!

For metalanguage, I think taking notes is a good start, but I'd also recommend having one go-to example for each. That is, an example of a simple sentence, a compound sentence, a complex sentence, a compound-complex sentence etc.; an example of personification; an example of a bound morpheme. To me, having these examples improves understanding, because you're not just rattling off definitions from a textbook or lecture slides. Go through texts - literally any text you can find - and try to note each example of metalanguage you can see. If you have a solid understanding of the course, your page should be absolutely full of notes and annotations. Do this for all different types of texts: formal and informal, written and spoken, and so on.

Examples - yeah, these are important, particularly for the essay, as you know. Same as quotes. We have a nice thread here where people are collecting heaps of really useful language examples and quotes throughout the year. It's run by our English Language lecturer, who's doing a top-notch job. That might be a good place to start. But otherwise, trawl through the interwebz (search for key English Language terms in Google News), and you'll probably find a heap of good stuff.

Of course, finding those examples is one thing - remembering them, and them using them appropriately, is another.

What I often recommend for English Language revision is simply to be curious. There aren't that many formal EngLang resources around, but by nature of the subject, you have the entire language at your disposal. What that means is that every day, you could do a bit of English Language revision, and it's actually really easy. All you need to do is to look at any piece of writing, or listen to any example of spoken language, and think about it. Think about why that particular language has been used over alternatives (there are always alternatives), and try to link it back to the function of the text, the social purpose, the audience, the register and so on. This will be really helpful for your analytical commentaries in particular. Listen to the news and think about it; listen to your friends' conversation and think about it; read an article in a newspaper and think about it.

There's really no limit to how much you could do this in theory. Don't get me wrong: there's no need to analyse language every single time you come across it haha. That would be incredibly tiring, and probably frustrating. But now and then, just be actively curious about language.

4. How does it feel to have graduated from uni- are you looking towards any career paths, apart from ATAR NOTES? Do you think your bachelor of arts was interesting enough for you to pursue uni or more further education?
I think it feels pretty good! I'm proud of what I achieved at uni, and I think I developed as a person quite a lot over my four years there.

Career paths - not sure! My plan was to pursue a PhD straight after Honours, but I didn't end up doing that. Academia was my vague goal for much of uni, and I'm still somewhat interested in that path down the track, but I'm absolutely loving what I'm doing right now and have no intentions of changing that haha. I'm in a very fortunate position.

Teaching was also an option but I think I'm off that idea now. Education management might be more up my alley.

Was Arts interesting enough to pursue uni or further education? 100% - you can read more about my thoughts on Arts here. ;)
« Last Edit: March 23, 2018, 10:07:52 am by Joseph41 »

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PhoenixxFire

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #32 on: March 23, 2018, 10:41:49 am »
+1
If you could be any animal what would you be and why?

How cute are baby turtles?!

sorry my brain’s a bit fried from camp, I’ll have better questions later.
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Joseph41

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #33 on: March 23, 2018, 10:56:44 am »
+3
If you could be any animal what would you be and why?

How cute are baby turtles?!

sorry my brain’s a bit fried from camp, I’ll have better questions later.

Can I be a human? If not, probably a cat. Cats are my favourite animals, and I think I have a cat-appropriate personality.

Baby turtles are extremely cute. I saw a bunch of baby turtles when I was on exchange in Malaysia, and I can definitely confirm their cuteness haha.

Hope camp was great - looking forward to your future questions!

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Glasses

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #34 on: March 23, 2018, 12:10:24 pm »
+5
Are you single?
And if so, will you marry me?

Spoiler
And if not, would you consider leaving your partner..?
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Joseph41

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #35 on: March 23, 2018, 12:19:36 pm »
+1
Are you single?
And if so, will you marry me?

Spoiler
And if not, would you consider leaving your partner..?

Hey friend!

I am very happily in a relationship, won't be leaving my partner and, therefore, will have to politely turn down your very kind offer haha.

<3

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Glasses

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #36 on: March 23, 2018, 01:06:58 pm »
+5
Hey friend!

I am very happily in a relationship, won't be leaving my partner and, therefore, will have to politely turn down your very kind offer haha.

<3

Aww that's the cutest rejection I've ever heard
2015 - 2016 (VCE): Psychology, Religion & Society, Legal Studies, Business Management, Literature and English
2017 - Present: Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Arts (Criminology & Psychology) @ Monash University

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>em<

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #37 on: March 23, 2018, 04:36:55 pm »
+1
Hey!
Thanks!  ;D Really didn't know much apart from that it was a great website when i joined so didn't realise it would be my actual name! :P ;D
But thanks for your help!

Joseph41

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #38 on: March 23, 2018, 04:39:03 pm »
0
Hey!
Thanks!  ;D Really didn't know much apart from that it was a great website when i joined so didn't realise it would be my actual name! :P ;D
But thanks for your help!

No worries at all! If you want it changed for anonymity reasons, send me a message directly (you'll have a "My Messages") section near the top of the screen, and I can change it for you. :)

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ssillyssnakes

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #39 on: March 23, 2018, 04:41:50 pm »
+1
Hey, this Q&A thing is really cool - it's like a nerd's version of a Reddit AMA haha

Did you go to a "good" (academically oriented) school or get tutoring or anything like that? And do you think that having those kinds of resources is as relevant to your ATAR as many say it is?

How much of a role does sucking up to your teachers and writing what the examiners want to hear have on the total result? Do you think that in any of the subjects you did that there was a bias towards certain ideas and ways of answer questions?

Have you watched the show "My Year 12 Life"? If so, what did you think of it?

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #40 on: March 23, 2018, 09:14:14 pm »
+5
Questions... so many questions..... hmmmm.
Well here goes nothing a series of questions that are varying, interesting and thought-provoking for you :).

  • What is the book (or books) you've given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that you have greatly influenced your life?
  • How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a "favorite failure" of yours?
  • What is the one of the best or most worthwhile investments you've ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)
  • What advice would you give to a smart, driven highschool and/or university student about to enter the "real world"? What advice should they ignore?
  • When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?)
« Last Edit: March 24, 2018, 12:43:58 pm by zofromuxo »
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Hence why i'm in all these different threads and boards.

DBA-144

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #41 on: March 23, 2018, 10:55:12 pm »
0
Questions... so many questions..... hmmmm.
Well here goes nothing a series of questions that are varying, interesting and thought-provoking for you :).
  • What is the book (or books) you've given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that you have greatly influenced your life?
  • How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a "favorite failure" of yours?
  • What is the one of the best or most worthwhile investments you've ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)
  • What advice would you give to a smart, driven highschool and/or university student about to enter the "real world"? What advice should they ignore?
  • When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?)


Excellent questions here! Would really like be interested in the response!
PM me for Methods (raw 46) and Chemistry (raw 48) resources (notes, practice SACs, etc.)

I also offer tutoring for these subjects, units 1-4 :)

Joseph41

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #42 on: March 25, 2018, 10:13:12 am »
0
Hi all! Sorry for the slight delay - currently in Bendigo, will be back home tomorrow.

Until then, keep the questions coming! :)

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nice!

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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #43 on: March 25, 2018, 10:25:39 pm »
+2
Hey Joseph41 !

Any tips for what to do on mid-sem break for uni??
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Re: I received a 99+ ATAR - ask me anything.
« Reply #44 on: March 25, 2018, 10:48:58 pm »
+1
Hey I am in year 11 and I am stuck on my biology assignment.

Do you know what a hydrophilic channel is and what the function of a alpha helix structure.