A 99+ student's reflection on VCE - advice and experiences

[Kenny wang]

My Reflections on VCE

Being at home gave me a lot of time to think and reflect lately, I’ve always been a reflective person and this is my way of learning from my own experiences as well as a form of thank you to all the people who have lent me advice, help and inspiration during my journey in VCE. As I can not directly repay them for their time and energy, I hope instead to pass on the favour and extend my experiences, advices and reflections from my VCE journey, to those who need it. NOTE, this is not content or subject specific advice but rather a collection of the most valuable insights and tools from my experience that has helped me achieve at a high level.

Context:

I graduated in 2019 from JMSS with an ATAR of 99.20 and is currently a first year Biomedical Science student at Monash. I studied Methods, English, Physics, Chemistry, Specialist Maths and Chinese SLA.

The mindset

My goal was simple: to achieve the highest ATAR I could without sacrificing my health. The importance of school was instilled in me at an early age and I manifested that (somewhat tunnel-visioned, more on this later) belief into a drive to study and be exceptional. My drive was that I knew I would be short-changing myself to be average, not in the sense of “I have so much talent” but rather from a place of self-respect and knowing I am capable of more if I would commit my efforts into this goal. So, the fear of me coming out of high school knowing and regretting that I left pieces of potential behind which I could’ve realised if I had just worked harder would always keep me going.


How I organise
Being organised is critical, knowing what you’re supposed to be doing at all times not only alleviates a whole lot of stress but also keeps me focused and stops me from wasting time. I have a weekly plan of all the tasks I need to complete for each subject, a daily plan of the tasks I need to complete that day as well as a daily schedule of what I would work on down to the hour.

The three apps I used for this are

-   OneNote – Weekly tasks
-   Power Planner – Daily tasks
-   Sticky note – Daily schedule
I’ve attached screenshots of examples




How I stay motivated

Despite the overall productive mindset, I still found it extremely helpful to find tactics and ways to keep myself motivated on a daily basis. Perhaps I would liken it to how a car with a strong engine would still need constant fuel. My main source of motivation came from people, those around me and inspiring individuals in the world. You don’t change your mindset overnight or just by watching one video, but you do slowly adopt the mindset of those you interact with often over time, so make sure those you consume are positive.

1.   Successful people, interviews, podcasts
The people and shows that has had a huge impact on me include: (all on Youtube)
-   Impact theory by Tom Bilyeu -> inspiring stories and accounts of successful people
-   The Joe Rogan Experience podcast -> wide range of content, science, martial arts, motivation etc.
-   Jocko Willink podcast -> war stories that give me perspective what real struggle is
-   The Tim ferris show -> being strategic and methodical in any pursuit
-   Kobe Bryant interviews (RIP) -> mindset of a competitor, my favourite athlete/mindset of all time
-   David Goggins -> an inspiring testimony that one can defy all odds and circumstantial disadvantages, the epitome of mental toughness!
-   And other compilation motivational videos -> gives some energy and focus, but sometimes just hype, not super informative

2.   Those around me

Those who work hard inspires me, I try to be around them more, talk to them, ask for tips and how they study. Being around people with certain qualities tend to sway you in the same direction so in that way I got energy from them.
Those who don’t work hard also inspires me, I would see them and know I could get ahead of my competition. When they waste time, you work. When they work, you work. Who’s going to win at the end of the day? That mental edge would always give me more energy to focus and grind just a bit harder.

A further point on the influence of people. You become the average of those who you spend the most time with, so don’t let people who don’t share your ambition to drag you down. If that means sitting with the quiet kids, those who will inspire you to do work rather than having fun in class with your noisy friends, that’s a price you will have to be willing to pay if you want your results to be extraordinary. Sometimes, that even means being alone. Year 12 for me was a lonely journey at times, I had to overcome the mental barrier of appearing as the kid who sits by himself during study periods or lunchtime. It doesn’t mean abandoning all connections and friendships, but it does mean purposely staying away from your energetic friends at times in order to focus. At the end of the day, if you were to ask me was it all worth it? Hell yes.





Comparing yourself to others
My teachers often emphasised that we as a cohort were on the same team and therefore shouldn’t compare ourselves to each other. I’ve come to agree that they are right, but not for that reason. I don’t shy away from the reality of competition and I believe VCE was a game of individual success for me. But here is why I think you shouldn’t compare test results:
Consider two scenarios:

1.    You get better scores on a test than someone

-   Comparing in this case leads to complacency, I never found myself more motivated to study harder after knowing I did better on a test than someone else. You could feel smarter than you really are but, if you compare up, there’s always someone better than you. Stay humble, stay focused.

2.   You get worse scores on a test than someone

-   For some people this may be a wake-up call, and therefore motivating. For me in many cases, once you’ve studied hard for this test yet got worse results than someone who you perceive as more talented and put in seemingly less effort (It could be you were just oblivious to how hard they worked), it leads to discouragement. You could feel like your hard work still doesn’t measure up to someone’s talent, so why try? Having said that, I don’t believe in deluding yourself into thinking that you can outwork everyone’s talent but at the same time mindlessly comparing yourself to others without a healthy mindset can lead to damage in your productivity.

Alternatively, I believe the key is to have your own standards and judge yourself against that. Rather than being hung up on how I did compared to others in a test, I would focus on myself: my preparation, my performance during the test, what went right? What when wrong? Learn and do better in the next one. I was never truly satisfied, not beating myself up every time but rather just knowing I could always do better. That, I believe was the most productive approach, given that you have a drive to improve regardless of how you do compared to others. So, don’t around asking people how they did, for the sake of bragging about your scores. If people asked how I did I would answer honestly, but I try to keep myself away from that comparison.




Working hard vs working smart

The answer is both, but not in the way you might think. Working smart isn’t finding a shortcut, it isn’t about saving time or energy but rather it is about putting in more thought in making sure your efforts are effective. In fact, working smart required more mental energy than blindly spending hours in repetition, because it requires reflection. I believe the path of most resistance is often the most effective and there are two levels to this. When you’re picking to spend hours doing the same types of practice questions from your textbook yes you are working hard and picking a path of resistance, compared to not studying at all. But what people often miss is the second level of reflecting and strategically planning how to apply your efforts? Answering that question is often even more mentally draining than just simply “doing work”. This is why although some people can do 50 practice exams but still not do well, because you didn’t choose the hardest path, which is reflecting. It takes more mental effort to carefully mark your mistakes, figure out why you make that mistake and how to not make that same mistake again, before moving onto another practice question. Why should you choose the hardest path of reflection instead of settling for just blind work which is “good enough”? Because there is no worse feeling in the world than to work your ass off and still achieve poorly.

Here’s my method of making sure I do the work of reflection:
-   On the front cover of every practice test or worksheet I’ve completed, I write two headings: Mistakes and Knowledge Gaps, in red pen. Then I go through the test and analyse exactly what mistake I made and what content knowledge I am missing. Afterwards, I think of ways to mitigate those mistakes in the future and I compile that on a summary sheet by topic along with the knowledge gaps, which I make sure to read before I do another practice test.
-   Being aware of the mistakes you make is the way to prevent making them, read your list of common mistakes before attempting another practice test
-   If the mistake is skill-based, for example if you suck at integrating by hand, then go practice, simply being aware isn’t going to help.

The above applies to all the math and science subjects I did. For English and other essay-based subjects, reflection is also crucial, but may come in a less obvious way.

-   For English, I highlighted all the languages and sentences I used that the teacher pointed out were good and tried to emulate that in my next essay. The same goes for any parts that were bad, don’t make the same mistakes.
-   Same goes for Chinese
-   Compile a bank of effective ideas and language to draw from




Never exhale
“rest at the end, not in the middle” – Kobe Bryant.
There were many times after a SAC out of a series of SACs or an exam period where I’ve let go of the pressure and exhaled way too early, and that costed me in preparation for the upcoming assessments. It was also easy to feel relaxed at the end of a term or semester, even though holidays should be an opportunity to further separate yourself from the competition because that’s when everyone else is taking a break. That failure to maintain the pressure has costed me several days of organised studying, I would feel unmotivated and find myself having accomplished very little one week into the semester break. This is even more crucial during the final exam period, where exhaustion can really set in after the initial ones, but for those who have their exams spaced out over almost a month of time like I had, the feeling of apathy and just wanting to “get it over with” can really cost your preparation for the later exams. So never exhale, it is not over until you step out of your final exam, keep studying, keep planning.
-   Plan and organise what you want to get done the moment holiday starts, don’t allow yourself to fall into autopilot

Note, this doesn’t mean you never take a break and never relax, taking time off is critical to reset your mind but I’m sure you get this message plenty from your teachers. If you want exceptional results, you will have to have an exceptional work ethic. Schedule breaks into your days and weeks, never out of spontaneous laziness, but rather strategically planned to keep yourself functioning optimally.


Naps

Short note on naps, I started utilizing them towards the end of year 12 where I really had to put in the hours. Afterschool, before I start studying again I would usually feel destroyed from the afternoon crash (more on this in diet), so I would set an alarm for 10 minutes and just slump down on a quiet table to take a nap. I would wake up so much more refreshed, it is amazing what a 10 minute nap can get you.
-   Set an alarm for 10 – 12 minutes to take a nap in the afternoon to recharge your energy
-   No more than 15 minutes or else you will feel even more tired from the sleep inertia


Reading

One of the most impactful hobbies I’ve picked up in year 11 was reading. Self-development, science, productivity, leadership, psychology, business, relationships, mindset, those were the books I was interested in. At first it started as a suggestion by my English teacher on how to improve my writing, but then it became the greatest source of inspiration, insight and growth for me. The books I’ve read have shaped me as a person to a great extent and I definitely wouldn’t have the mindset I have today without them. Here are some all-time favourites:
-   Relentless by Tim Grover
-   Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
-   Extreme ownership by Jocko Willink
-   The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
-   The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey
-   Deep Work by Cal Newport
-   The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

A little bonus for those who like fiction instead, I usually don’t like fiction with the exception of this author, her books are so good I was almost addicted haha. Might be even better for purpose of improving English:
-   Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
-   A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Exercise

Exercise was one of the two most important habits for me during VCE. I won’t go into the well-known benefits as there are an ocean of information out there, but rather I will talk about how it affected me in dealing with VCE. My exercise consisted of working out every night/morning and playing basketball at school or on the weekends (not for a team, didn’t have time for that). Exercising every night became a “pillar” in my routine that helped ground everything else. It made my sleep schedule more or less consistent, it was a mark for the beginning or the end of a study day and was just a constant among the chaos that VCE can bring. Basketball was the best stress-relief as well as conduit of creative energy for me, I could literally feel the pressure and fog of stress lift off my mind when I’m on the court. VCE was a heavy stress and wear on the mind and basketball helped re-new my attention and energy, which ultimately kept me going in the long run. I’m not saying everyone needs to pick up basketball or working out, but any form of exercise or hobby that can temporarily liberate your mind from studying (but also not a huge time-sink) will be highly valuable in sustaining your mental wellbeing in the long run.
 

What I could’ve done differently
I have no real regrets when it comes to VCE, I felt like I’ve left everything on the table and I’m satisfied with the outcome, both in my achievements and who I’ve become. However, there is always room for improvement, and these are the things I would’ve reconsidered if I were to re-do VCE.

Leadership involvement
Looking back from a perspective of a first-year uni student who is in a different game now, I’ve really come to realise the importance of experiences such as leadership, volunteering or community involvement in accessing future employment, internship and leadership programs.
A little seems to go a long way in this context, a seemingly insignificant involvement in high school could be what opens you up to other smaller opportunities such as student representative or a first year leadership program which could ultimately compound into great opportunities such as internships which would really set you apart from the competition. Because at the end of the day, hundreds or even thousands are going have the same piece of credential you have as a graduate someday. Skills and experiences are what I believe at this stage will set you apart in the future. Therefore, if I could do VCE all over again I perhaps would have invested a more time in pursuit of a leadership role such as house captain as to strike a balance between the cost of time (ATAR) and the experience gained for my resume.

-   Get involved in leadership or extra-curricular team projects to help build that future resume

VTAC
Get on top of your VTAC early! I didn’t do this and I had to pay for it at the end of the year with stress and most likely many missed opportunities. Do your research early, carve out some time each week to think about your future career and what sorts of course you want to get into.
-   Schedule some time on the weekends or throughout the week to research your career and get your VTAC stuff done early

Relationships with teachers and staff
I didn’t have the maturity or foresight back then to know the importance of networking and connections, sometimes who you know is more important than what you know in getting an opportunity in the future.
-   Establish more rapport and connection with the teachers, they are valuable resources and networks for references and future opportunities
-   Talk to them casually, get to know them, you will be surprised what you can learn

Diet
I didn’t have the worst diet but I definitely could’ve have optimised my energy levels much more had I known more about nutrition at that time. I would have afternoon energy crashes almost every day which many would think it was due to lack of sleep but I’ve come to known that having a heavy lunch full of carbs and other unhealthy stuff was the real culprit. So if you want to have a steady energy level throughout the day instead of zombie-ing your way through the last period and after school, here’s what I recommend:
-   Pack a healthy lunch with more protein and healthy fats instead of buying junk food from the canteen, it can be the difference between having that daily afternoon crash and maintaining your energy throughout the day to be more productive

Final thoughts
VCE wasn’t just about ATAR, even though at times it certainly did feel that way. Compared to the content and knowledge, or even the momentary exhilaration of success, what was more valuable were the many invaluable attributes, skills and the character I’ve built in the process. Content can be forgotten, but I learned how to learn, how to persevere, how to organise, how to handle disappointments and pressure, how to set goals, how to stay disciplined, how to stay humble and how to stay focused. More importantly, it has given me the proof to be able to have the confidence to aim high in my life and become the best version of myself possible.

[Coolmate]

Thankyou so much for this Kenny wang!
I found this very helpful and insightful and found some amazing methods for study which I will implement into my current studies.