Stressed and Complacent - The Journal of a Confused Student

[darthone]

Hey y'all
Im not too confident with my abilities, and Im hoping making a journal will make me accountable for my work.
I got to a top 10 selective school and im doing: Maths Ext 2, Chemistry, Economics and of course, Advanced English.
I did the 2 Unit maths exam last year, got 94/100. I did not try much for the Trials, but I crammed a lot for HSC, yet I got a two mark difference  . I did stuff up a bit on the last questions in the actual HSC exam, when I practiced at home I got high 90's and even 100 once, so I was surprised (in a bad way) with 94.

Im not very confident in my economics and English, looking for some tips or anything like that. Maths and Chemistry is fine. Im decent at maths and I find Chemistry pretty fun 

I have around 2 hours of travel time in the train every day, Im thinking of making flashcards (which I have never tried before). I hope to post some samples here to get an opinion of its usefulness, since I have no idea.
Also planning on laminating and adding sheets in the shower + other parts of the house so that I can read them (also something new).

I have trouble with procrastination and game addiction (although right now I'm going cold turkey). Seems to be working, but sometimes I feel like I want to relax and play, for which I can't. Therefore it makes studying or relaxing through other means (eg Youtube, Tv shows) feel less effective and like time waste.

Hit me up with some advise ATAR gods, ill try posting here when possible.

Note: the "Hey y'all" running across the screen at a post indicates a journal entry
Just to separate it from my replies to other comments 

[Bri MT]

Hey!

I used to travel 3 hours each way to uni (so glad I don't do that anymore) and I found doing flashcards on my phone to be a good way to make use of the travel time, as it's often easier to pull out your phone than other study resources. Have you read this article on economics or this one on English tips for math students? Seems like they might be pretty relevant to you.

Good luck with managing your procrastination and with your HSC journey in general!

[darthone]

Thanks a lot

I found the English article very interesting, maybe ill put some complicated words and their definitions on here too.
Anyways, what apps do you use for flashcards?

[Ionic Doc]

Thanks a lot

I found the English article very interesting, maybe ill put some complicated words and their definitions on here too.
Anyways, what apps do you use for flashcards?

Hey, keen to read your journal entries in the future and I love your signature lol.

Anyways as I have been using flashcards this year too, some of the apps I use are Quizlet and Anki.
They're both great but both different. IMO Quizlet is better, you can even search for premade sets on Quizlet instead of having to make your own flashcards. (making your own flashcards is always better though)

Me personally, I like to make physical flashcards that I can carry around, I'm very pen/paper-oriented but yeah Quizlet is more user-friendly and if your able to get Quizlet Pro it's literally the best thing. 

 

[angewina_naguen]

So excited to read your journal, darthone! The flashcards are a great starting point  Keen to hear more of your HSC journey over the year 

[Bri MT]

Thanks a lot

I found the English article very interesting, maybe ill put some complicated words and their definitions on here too.
Anyways, what apps do you use for flashcards?

No worries!

I used Quizlet

[darthone]

Hey y'all,
Basically, I was wondering when I should start doing past papers, I've tried chemistry and economics past papers. The problem is that a lot of questions are ignored as I have not learnt the content.
What should I do? My parents want me to do past papers, but I feel like past papers should be used closer to the trials, and that instead I should work on making notes by going through the text book instead of doing past papers based on what I learnt so far. Is there anything else you recommend?
Today, I don't have school so a quick reply would be greatly appreciated so that I can begin right away.

TL;DR
Two options to study:

Do Past Papers
Learn from mistakes and by researching questions

Make notes by going through textbooks
Learn everything and apply to past papers closer to the exam date.

Word of the Day
Beleaguered
- to lay siege to
- to put in a very difficult position

[Bri MT]

Hey,

If you're ready to do exam style questions you might want to try finding some by topic  rather than doing whole papers at this stage. If you don't feel like you have the knowledge, skills & understanding for exam-style questions I recommend developing those things first. Imo when you start exam style questions should be based on that rather than a date

[darthone]

Thanks for the advice
Are there any good websites or anything like that, or do I have to go through each paper to filter the topic questions out?

[Bri MT]

I'm not sure about economics but you can find some questions here for vce chem (vce and hsc have significant overlap in topics):
- groups of questions with topic highlighted
- revision questions - no answers

[angewina_naguen]

Hey y'all,

Basically, I was wondering when I should start doing past papers, I've tried chemistry and economics past papers. The problem is that a lot of questions are ignored as I have not learnt the content.
What should I do? My parents want me to do past papers, but I feel like past papers should be used closer to the trials, and that instead I should work on making notes by going through the text book instead of doing past papers based on what I learnt so far. Is there anything else you recommend?
Today, I don't have school so a quick reply would be greatly appreciated so that I can begin right away.

TL;DR
Two options to study:

Do Past Papers
Learn from mistakes and by researching questions

Make notes by going through textbooks
Learn everything and apply to past papers closer to the exam date.

Word of the Day
Beleaguered
- to lay siege to
- to put in a very difficult position

Hey, darthone!

I didn't do the subjects you mentioned above so I won't be as much of help but I do have a suggested approach for English. I would recommend motivating yourself to attempt a practice essay question for the module you're studying done and submit it to your teacher for marking by the end of a fortnight period. I started doing this in Term 2 and found it really effective because it helped me gauge how to best utilise the two weeks I had before my English assessment was due when it was coming up and I gained a momentum that stayed for the rest of the year. It also exposed me to a variety of essay questions I could possibly get asked and by the time Trials came, I was even writing original questions to test my knowledge of the rubric and to tackle other possibilities I hadn't faced. Even if the essay attempt isn't your best work, still force yourself to give it in to your teacher so you can get feedback and gradually improve your writing over time. It will take a lot of self-discipline but it reaps rewards beyond compare.

See if this is something that might work for you and good luck with finding the best study strategies for the rest of your subjects!

Angelina 

[darthone]

Hey y'all,
My studying process hasn't been going well lately. I have been stuck in a homework cycle, and I never find much time for self study. It think this is partly due to the reason I'm still trying to find a method to self study. If anyone got some very detailed methods please help

Also matching my school ranking with my ATAR, I'm estimated to get 95. I do feel somewhat demotivated, but I am unsure to why for some reason. Maybe its because I was expecting a higher ATAR, or maybe its just stress building for the lack of self study.

In all honesty, just looking for someone who was in a similar situation to help me get back on track.

BTW, I deleted all (addictive) social media and games, so procrastination isn't a reason as to my aforementioned 'homework cycle'. I think its partly because the only goals I have is to finish homework. I think once I learn the technique to self-study, I can set goals to self study for a certain amount, making me more efficient in completing homework, therefore allowing me to self study.
Sorry to sound so whiny, it'll get better later 

Word of the Day
Antithesis
- A contrast or opposition between two things

[LoneWolf]

Hey,

What about simply dropping some of your school work.
I used to face a similar phenomenon and have since just focused on the super important home work like essays and questions and simply got on with my study.

Your assessments count more than your class work does,

[angewina_naguen]

Hey y'all,
My studying process hasn't been going well lately. I have been stuck in a homework cycle, and I never find much time for self study. It think this is partly due to the reason I'm still trying to find a method to self study. If anyone got some very detailed methods please help

Also matching my school ranking with my ATAR, I'm estimated to get 95. I do feel somewhat demotivated, but I am unsure to why for some reason. Maybe its because I was expecting a higher ATAR, or maybe its just stress building for the lack of self study.

In all honesty, just looking for someone who was in a similar situation to help me get back on track.

BTW, I deleted all (addictive) social media and games, so procrastination isn't a reason as to my aforementioned 'homework cycle'. I think its partly because the only goals I have is to finish homework. I think once I learn the technique to self-study, I can set goals to self study for a certain amount, making me more efficient in completing homework, therefore allowing me to self study.
Sorry to sound so whiny, it'll get better later 

Word of the Day
Antithesis
- A contrast or opposition between two things

Hey, darthone!

If you find that completing homework is becoming monotonous, try and set other tasks that can motivate you further. Let's say your goal is to get some chemistry class work revised; your "extension" activity could be to watch a Youtube video or listen to a podcast on the topic you're studying. Whenever I feel really demotivated and not in the mood for study, I always make it a game for myself to be creative and see what other ways I can study. Make use of the resources around you and push yourself into different study atmospheres (perhaps try a library? You could even go outdoors to a local park). Everyone studies differently; for some people, completing homework is all it takes for them to feel productive but for others, it might be more or less.

Self-studying also comes with the content you cover in class as well. Whenever I had questions about the work that was being taught or just wanted to explore something in more depth, I made a note of it in my book and set it as an extension activity when I got home. I also tried to make sure I was studying with purpose. The biggest trick to motivating yourself to study is to remind yourself of why you're doing it in the first place. It can be as simple as "I thought the point Miss made on Shakespeare being manipulated to write by Elizabethan standards interesting. I wonder if there is more I can read up on it to improve my understanding of the composer and engagement with authorial intent in my essay." See if that helps in any way!

Hey,

What about simply dropping some of your school work.
I used to face a similar phenomenon and have since just focused on the super important home work like essays and questions and simply got on with my study.

Your assessments count more than your class work does,

While I'm glad this works for you, I don't think it's wise to suggest anyone to disregard the importance of completing set work, whether it be in class or for homework. Your assessments are what ultimately count towards your performance but dismissing work isn't particularly a smart way going about preparing yourself for those assessments, especially if they are related to the content. Your class work is also where you can best gauge where you are at with the subject. I identified my areas of improvement more from the homework I did and was able to prevent them affecting me drastically in final assessments. Perhaps I may be wrong and am not in a position to give advice on this as I haven't been in this sort of situation myself, but from a teacher's perspective, class work is just as essential, no matter how small or big the task is, to your success than your assessments. Happy to discuss this further if you disagree 

Angelina 

[darthone]

Hey,

What about simply dropping some of your school work.
I used to face a similar phenomenon and have since just focused on the super important home work like essays and questions and simply got on with my study.

Your assessments count more than your class work does,

Yeah thanks for the advice Lonewolf, but I find that homework is really important for my learning process. I just have the problem of only doing homework, and not getting enough time for self study. Of course everybody studies differently, so its not like your idea is invalid, but it doesn't work for me. Thanks though

Hey, darthone!

If you find that completing homework is becoming monotonous, try and set other tasks that can motivate you further. Let's say your goal is to get some chemistry class work revised; your "extension" activity could be to watch a Youtube video or listen to a podcast on the topic you're studying. Whenever I feel really demotivated and not in the mood for study, I always make it a game for myself to be creative and see what other ways I can study. Make use of the resources around you and push yourself into different study atmospheres (perhaps try a library? You could even go outdoors to a local park). Everyone studies differently; for some people, completing homework is all it takes for them to feel productive but for others, it might be more or less.

Self-studying also comes with the content you cover in class as well. Whenever I had questions about the work that was being taught or just wanted to explore something in more depth, I made a note of it in my book and set it as an extension activity when I got home. I also tried to make sure I was studying with purpose. The biggest trick to motivating yourself to study is to remind yourself of why you're doing it in the first place. It can be as simple as "I thought the point Miss made on Shakespeare being manipulated to write by Elizabethan standards interesting. I wonder if there is more I can read up on it to improve my understanding of the composer and engagement with authorial intent in my essay." See if that helps in any way!

While I'm glad this works for you, I don't think it's wise to suggest anyone to disregard the importance of completing set work, whether it be in class or for homework. Your assessments are what ultimately count towards your performance but dismissing work isn't particularly a smart way going about preparing yourself for those assessments, especially if they are related to the content. Your class work is also where you can best gauge where you are at with the subject. I identified my areas of improvement more from the homework I did and was able to prevent them affecting me drastically in final assessments. Perhaps I may be wrong and am not in a position to give advice on this as I haven't been in this sort of situation myself, but from a teacher's perspective, class work is just as essential, no matter how small or big the task is, to your success than your assessments. Happy to discuss this further if you disagree 

Angelina 

Thanks so much Angelina for the advice! I think the problem is that Im a bit lost on how to self study, so I have not tangible goals apart from homework. 
Did you self study, if so how? Did you just read a textbook and take notes, or do exercises? 

Thanks everyone for the help