Going into Year 11? - some advice from a 2014 HSC'er (1 Viewer)

rumbleroar

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Hey, so I don't know if this has been done before, but I wanted to post something for the incoming Year 11's, which I wished someone told me before I leapt from year 10 to 11. Note this is based on my personal experience, so it will probably be different for a lot of people.

Year 11 is a great year - I think it's been one of my favourite years. Not only do you get to pursue the subjects you (hopefully) like, but you will probably find yourself more involved with school (not only with academics, but with EC's too). With that being said, I really would like to press on the importance of picking subjects you enjoy. You have the first few weeks to swap out. As soon as you feel as though you've picked the wrong subject, I recommend switching out. A lot of my friends who have swapped out of subjects do not regret it one bit, and if intuition tells you something is wrong, it's probably right. You're going to find the year much more enjoyable doing subjects you actually like. I think that was definitely something that contributed to my general enjoyment of my first senior year of HS :)

Onto my second point, get involved with EC's wherever you can. It teaches you about time management and organisational skills. It also provides you with responsibilities that can teach you life lessons. For example, I was elected as a design head, as part of event coordination team and that took up a lot of time, which taught me how to maintain and balance my school work and EC's better. I still did decently academic-wise, despite the extra responsibility. Doing more EC's removes potential procrastination time as well, and I was kind of grateful for that. I had so much to do, I couldn't procrastinate (it's a pretty good situation to be in!) EC's also teach a lot about people, especially about how to deal with difficult ones. It was a somewhat harrowing experience, but a necessary one.

I really recommend keeping a somewhat balanced lifestyle. Don't forget to exercise or do sport! It's so worth it to do physical activity, because it actually destresses you a lot and gets your head in the right space.

A lot of people have probably told you this, but Year 11 is a great time to practice study and organisational skills. Decide on an organisational system that works for you (assessments can get extremely hectic) and get into regular study habits. I really regret not doing the latter, as my study habits now are extremely poor and I need to get my act together really soon before the next school year starts (I have to use my holidays to kick those dirty habits to the curb :( ) You will thank yourself for getting your shit together in year 11, once you are in year 12.

With assessments, a good way to manage them is to break them up into multiple mini tasks you can cross off. I found this method of breaking down tasks extremely helpful, and I also think it was extremely gratifying crossing off doing certain tasks. It kind of builds you towards a goal and once that assessment is over, it feels awesome. Don't forget to plan out your assessments the day you get them, or you will be extremely frustrated with yourself for not doing it earlier (sound familiar?)

The next point might be a bit oxymoronic, but don't put too much energy into year 11, but at the same time, don't completely slack off. Don't put your biggest effort into year 11, because it can be mentally exhausting and you need that capacity for year 12, where things actually count. However, with that being said, don't completely slack off either. You want to start off with some momentum for year 12 and get into a regular rhythm of doing things. I put in a lot of effort in year 11, but I guess I'm lucky enough not to be completely worn out.

Don't be disheartened by your assessment marks and ranks, because they don't matter. No one cares about your year 11 marks. I have no idea what I even got for my assignments anymore, all I know are the ranks (haha) but use your disappointing results as a stepping board. Look at how you can do better, not about what you could've done. I think that's something extremely important you can't rote learn (unlike the entire HSC lol) and it's a skill you will carry on with you throughout life. I look back on the times people have cried about their marks, and it honestly doesn't matter. In the end, no one is going to remember you by your 50% in maths or whatever, but for bigger things than a measly year 11 mark.

Use your summer holidays to relax, because you will actually need it. It is one of the only holidays you will have before HSC, so enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend doing too much work (unless you're bored, then that's understandable), because you will really want to use these holidays to chillax and have a good time. Also don't forget socialising still exists in year 11 (less in year 12 lol), so try and go out with friends whenever possible, because it's really good to get away from the stress of school.

When selecting subjects for year 12, go with your gut. I had the hardest decision for my year 12 subject choices - deciding between two subjects I was ranked really well in, but ultimately decided on the one I was better at and liked more. I've talked to people who've done the opposite and going with the "higher-scaling" subject they weren't so great at instead of the one they liked more and were good at. They all regret it. So when you're given the opportunity to drop a subject in order to pick up some extensions, always go for the one you like better. You will hate yourself less during your HSC year for picking it :)

ALSO - talking about extensions, don't pick up 4U math for the scaling. I know this has been stressed a lot across many forums, but if you're considering doing MX2, you must love maths to a certain degree. At least 40% of my time is dedicated purely to maths, with a large percentage as MX2. If you only want to do 4U math for the scaling, reconsider, because you're going to end up hating it and possibly bombing out.

Also, Year 11 is a MASSIVE game changer. As everyone does subjects they like/forced to do, you will notice some people standing out because they've suddenly gone from ranking at the bottom of their cohort to the top. Would just like to point this out, because it happened at my school (haha happened to me :p) and I think it surprised quite a few people. So I would just like to slip that in, just so you guys know that it could happen to you!

I hope this advice will help anyone entering year 11, and if I have any more advice, I will try and update this post. Feel free to PM me with any questions :) I'm happy to answer anything and best of luck entering your final years of high school!
 

DanS

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The above is really, really very good advice. Certainly true about not getting disheartened by bad marks etc. I wasted marks here and there in year 11 because of my bad time management and started kicking myself, knowing I could have done much better if I had been working on the assessment from the day I got it, or using the holidays to study more and so on. However, this got me much more motivated for year 12. You can, and should, put in a decent effort for year 11, but remember to look back once you've finished and think, 'Well, that was just the practice run.' Identify where you went wrong and WRITE IT DOWN, then figure out how you will avoid it in year 12.

And on top of everything, WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS. Write down what you really want to achieve. Many people don't do this because they are afraid of aiming to high and failing to reach those goals - this is one of the worst mistakes you could make. When you have clear, definite goals to strive for that are high but still realistic, then you will be ever so much more directed in your approach to learning. People without goals tend to 'wander' aimlessly - its a sorry sight to see when you know just how much more they could be achieving.

Sorry this is a bit jumbled, but just a bit of advice - hope it helps! :) good luck to you all - todays achievers are tomorrows leaders!
 

lilcutetricker

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Any advice on teachers demoralising you and wanting to drop you from a subject you want to pursue?
 

timeflies

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Any advice on teachers demoralising you and wanting to drop you from a subject you want to pursue?
That should depend on how well you're you doing at that subject. Teachers will only demoralise you and tell you to drop a subject if you're not doing well in it. The truth is if you love a subject but fail to get good marks but don't like another and do well in it, come hsc time, you'll be better off getting the better marks. It's one thing loving a subject, but if you cant portray that in your results, there's no use doing it. If you're in Prelim and you love a subject, I'd suggest keeping it till the end of the year and trying to get the marks but if you fail to do this, you will have to ultimately let it go!

Don't be demoralised by teachers telling you to drop a subject. It's your choice in the end, not theirs. Take it as motivation to prove them wrong and show them that you can do it! :D
 
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rumbleroar

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The above is really, really very good advice. Certainly true about not getting disheartened by bad marks etc. I wasted marks here and there in year 11 because of my bad time management and started kicking myself, knowing I could have done much better if I had been working on the assessment from the day I got it, or using the holidays to study more and so on. However, this got me much more motivated for year 12. You can, and should, put in a decent effort for year 11, but remember to look back once you've finished and think, 'Well, that was just the practice run.' Identify where you went wrong and WRITE IT DOWN, then figure out how you will avoid it in year 12.

And on top of everything, WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS. Write down what you really want to achieve. Many people don't do this because they are afraid of aiming to high and failing to reach those goals - this is one of the worst mistakes you could make. When you have clear, definite goals to strive for that are high but still realistic, then you will be ever so much more directed in your approach to learning. People without goals tend to 'wander' aimlessly - its a sorry sight to see when you know just how much more they could be achieving.

Sorry this is a bit jumbled, but just a bit of advice - hope it helps! :) good luck to you all - todays achievers are tomorrows leaders!
I think this is such an important point - it is really crucial to identify where you went wrong. Yes, year 11 is a "trial" run, but with all "trials", it's a good opportunity to see where you went wrong and figure out how to improve. (sounds like you're doing past papers for maths hahah!!)
 

rumbleroar

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Any advice on teachers demoralising you and wanting to drop you from a subject you want to pursue?
I haven't personally experienced this (although there is a lot of bias against science and math in our school, i.e. execs are jumping for joy and shitting themselves when people choose to drop maths/science), but I think it depends on a lot of different factors. If you really enjoy the subject, but your passion isn't reflected in your results, you need to find out where you are going wrong and work towards fixing it. You also need to think about why you want to pursue it. Is it because you actually enjoy the subject or is it external pressures? (Hm!)

If you have a really legitimate and solid reason for doing the subject, prove your teachers wrong and show them you can do well. I reckon they only tell you to drop if they're worried you may not perform that well in your particular subject.

However, if your marks are not adequate enough, you should consider dropping. It is probably for your own benefit, so you don't get roped into a cycle of disheartenment when you get not-so-great marks.

I hope this advice was somewhat useful :)
 

J280

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Thank you so much for this, was a great read. Will keep these tips in mind for next year :)
 

iEatOysters

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Don't forget to enjoy year 11!! Year 11 has honestly been one of the best years for me (in both an academic and non-academic sense). Definitely do as many co-curriculars while you can and keep your eye out for potential scholarships, information days, etc!!
ALSO, use any free periods as productively as you can!! They're a great opportunity to catch up on work or to simply make notes. I personally did all my homework during my frees so I would have time to study/revise at home :p
And yeah, I know this has been said countless times but definitely don't burn out in year 11! Save your energy for year 12. There's really no point in topping all your subjects in year 11 and losing motivation in year 12.
 

dinomyte

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Any advice on teachers demoralising you and wanting to drop you from a subject you want to pursue?
I had my Modern History teacher pull me out of class to tell me I wasn't doing as well as I did last year and that I should pick up my game if I wanted to continue. I really liked the subject so I started studying harder and ended up ranking pretty well.
If you really like the subject, I think the key is to not look at this as demoralising but more, err, pro-moralising (??). I know about some people who get almost 50% in their first assessment marks but then they get motivated to do better and they pull up their final marks.
If you really like it, show your teacher how much you like it and prove them wrong - look at this like a stepping stone to success, not the end. :) Especially because it's the start of Year 11 - SO much change and improvement in one year!!!
 
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anomalousdecay

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My favourite years were year 8 (such a bad kid, and did so much funny stuff), year 11 and 12 (I basically changed my personality in 2 years).
 

Erinaceous

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Just curious - what are some of the EC you guys did in year 11? :)
 

hawkrider

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This was in year 10, but I did:

Duke of Ed (going to gold soon)
Student Council
Helped with barbecues
Involved with the formal committee
Part of the worship band
Lead at our connect group
Participated in cross country, athletics carnival, and swimming carnival

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
 
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iJimmy

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u can do duke of ed in yr 10, o_O, my school its only yr 11 and 12
 

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