HSC Tips and Tricks | Part 1: Year 12 Info Round-up (1 Viewer)

stazi

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1time4theppl’s HSC Tips and Tricks

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**If any mod wants to make this a sticky that'd be swell. If anyone wishes to add anything: equally swell**
Part 1: Year 12 information round-up

Prep-talk
“I want to go to Uni,” you cry as a student in Year 12. You obviously know that you’ll get into the course of your choice and will ace all your subjects because you attended in excess of fifty HSC preparation days, even for subjects you don’t do such as ‘Vikings and Wenches – 16th Century studies in feminism’. Sure, you’re ranked first in that prestigious Latin course at your school that only you do. Does this all guarantee you a high UAI? My answer is simply “No”.
What you do from now on counts. I don’t want to scare you into studying 24/7, especially if it means that your time spent watching Teletubbies will be minimised. The fact is, you don’t have to. What does matter, though, is how well you complete your assessments, how much you stay on top of your classes and how well you would do if the teacher randomly threw a 50% weighted quiz in one of your classes.
I’m not going to argue and say this: hey, there’s plenty of time in Year 12 to go out and have a kick-ass social life, accumulate at least 3 varieties of STD’s (one tropical) and pillage villages. Well, there is, especially in the early stages, but everyone’s different. Some people prefer to stay home and study; on occasions reading a book and watching a good film. So don’t have a go at someone on this forum just because they haven’t seen sunlight for the past six months (for all you know they may live in Scandinavia).
So let me paraphrase all that minus the comedy: ‘Year 12 is a time where you can continue to have fun in moderation, as long as you can stay on top of your studies and when it comes down to the clichéd ‘crunch time’, then you need to commit yourself 100% in order to obtain the maximum result.

What result am I aiming for?

Lie to yourself. If you need to get an 83 UAI, convince yourself that the cutoff will rise by more than 2 points in the following year. That way you set the bar a bit higher and allow yourself some valuable leeway for mistakes that can occur during the HSC. Obviously, I have to make references to myself. I made a lot of mistakes, which is why it is a great idea for the ‘05ers to learn of them. Mind you, I think I did a lot of things right as well. I needed to get about an 86uai for the Bachelor of Arts degree at Sydney Uni. However, I kept telling myself that the cutoff will rise to 89, and I’d need a 90 result for safety.
Whilst concrete goals can work (i.e. I wish to get a 91.25 UAI), they aren’t the best approach. You don’t know how much your career and degree aspirations will change throughout the year. With myself, I could never expect to do anything bar an Arts degree and after the HSC, I realised that Marketing/Advertising would be the perfect profession for me. Never, in setting my goals would I have included a 92+ UAI requirement for such a course. Luckily, I did get the UAI that I needed for it but it was extremely nerve-racking wishing that I tried harder whilst waiting for the results. ‘The skies the limit’ – sorry to use a cliché again but this is definitely true. Aim for the 100 mark. Believe me, anyone can do it. If someone like myself ranked in the bottom 20 out of 190 people in my grade for my school years in years 7-11 can pull of a ranking in the top 50 for his final year in most subjects, you can do it to (oh, and this is a selective school).

Every Assessment matters

Every assessment (no matter how little it's worth) will matter as it will greatly shape your ranking. In PDHPE, I could have potentially topped the state or come close to it, had I thought that a 10% weighted assessment was important at the beginning of the year. I only scored 5/10 on an assessment it was easy to get 10/10 in (in fact most of the class did). These 5 extra marks would have increased my internal ranking from 9th/11 to around 3rd-4th/11. This in turn would have shifted my 87 internal mark to something a lot closer to my 93 external mark, if not higher.

Studying tactics

Make friends with a library (preferably the State Library as they have famous dictators patrolling the hallways, urging you not to talk). Perhaps the reason for why I didn’t do as well for my internal examinations, is because I had not familiarised myself with Libraries yet. Once, considered by me, to be scary places populated by the homeless and the craziest of nerds, they turned out to be great institutions for studying…and the homeless. The fact is, at home you have distractions: your computer, books, TV, movies, gay porn etc etc. In the library, you’re almost forced to study and there’s nothing else to do. The first 6-hour study day will be difficult, the second will go slightly faster and by the third it will just fly by.
The only way that I think I saved my HSC is by going to the library every day for 2 weeks and doing 6 hours of study each day. (I only wish that I started earlier than 2 weeks prior to the HSC).
Don’t type up your notes. Instead, manually write them down, summarising from your text book and cross-referencing them to the syllabus (this is for text book subjects). The syllabus is your greatest friend. Study it and remember it. Make sure you can answer each syllabus dot point.
For subjects such as English, memorise your practice essays. If need be, tape them on a tape recorder or record them in mp3 format and listen to them a lot – and I mean A LOT. Once you can quote easily from the texts you are doing, then you can safely say that you have prepared yourself enough.

Coming up Next:
Closer to the HSC, I will give you further study tips for individual exams. What you need to remember. What you need to put on forms etc etc.
After the HSC, I will type up info about UAC, preferences and how not to royally poop them up like many a mate had done in the past. Also about selecting the uni and course for you.
Then I will provide details on selecting subjects and starting your University life.
Finally, study and social life at uni will be discussed.

Hope this helps for now.

I will leave you guys with a parting thought:

"the future hangs over our heads
And it moves with each current event
Until it falls around like a cold, steady rain
Just stay in when it's looking this way"

-Conor Oberst
 

need2study_girl

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Reading all that is way motivating... mabey i should get off the computer now and actally study 4 my half-yearlies which are... TOMORROW!!!

I am just so unmotivated. I do well at school...well not great but better then most people and I'm coming 1st in 3 out of 6 subjects and i'm up there in the ranking of my other subjects but the actual marks aren't very good. I won't a good UAI by i don't know what I wanna do after i leave school...mabey this is why i'm so unmotivated?? I don't know :(
Like i know i should be studing yet i don't want to
I'm just being lazy i guess :)
 

stazi

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Thanks for that reply.
I was exactly like that. I would be on my computer or watching a movie or going out and the whole time thinking "shit! what the hell am I doing. I've got something due tomorrow. Ahhhh!"

The fact that you don't know what you want to do with your life, is perhaps an indication that you should achieve the highest result possible. Something will always come up (eg. you discover you have a natural ability in statistics because numbers arouse you). Even if you're doing a low UAI requirement course at that stage, you could always transfer into another course if you have a sufficient UAI.

Use 'Uni' as a motivational tool for yourself. Because trust me, you want to get into a good uni. It's an exuberant amount of fun. It's funny, I have a one week holiday right now, yet I can't wait to go back. Partially because theres not that many classes and they are actually pretty entertaining. The other part is due to the amazing social life that you will have.

What kind of things are you considering doing when leaving school?
 

HellVeN

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1Time4thePpl said:
The fact is, at home you have distractions: your computer, books, TV, movies, gay porn etc etc.
Straight porn kkthnx.

Next.
 

*ashlea*

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i'm not really sure exactly what i wanna do with the rest of my life either, so my goal is 2 do well enough 2 get a scholarship, since i dont know exactly what course i wanna do, so im aiming 4 high 90's UAI..
 

acmilan

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*ashlea* said:
i'm not really sure exactly what i wanna do with the rest of my life either, so my goal is 2 do well enough 2 get a scholarship, since i dont know exactly what course i wanna do, so im aiming 4 high 90's UAI..
Remember that scholarships are not only based on UAI's so you should get some extracurricular things going to increase your chances
 

*ashlea*

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yeah i know, but at uni newcastle there are ones based solely on uai, and thats where i intend 2 go, so im aiming to get one of those.. plus i checked out the scholarship info on their site and found id be eligible 4 a few of the faculty scholarships as well..
 

Pointy Ears

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1Time4thePpl said:
1time4theppl’s HSC Tips and Tricks


Every Assessment matters

Every assessment (no matter how little it's worth) will matter as it will greatly shape your ranking. In PDHPE, I could have potentially topped the state or come close to it, had I thought that a 10% weighted assessment was important at the beginning of the year. I only scored 5/10 on an assessment it was easy to get 10/10 in (in fact most of the class did). These 5 extra marks would have increased my internal ranking from 9th/11 to around 3rd-4th/11. This in turn would have shifted my 87 internal mark to something a lot closer to my 93 external mark, if not higher. .


O Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez, I'm just crapping myself right now. I was doing fine in school, like, over 90s for most of my assesments so far, and then all of a sudden i stuff up my 2u eng and 2u maths exams....I'm just so depressed now, cos i know that these are going to be the difference between me getting an >95 uai, and not getting it. I guess i cant see myself coping with any other kind of career other than the one that i want to get into, but then, if im capable of handling the course...........


O well, all i can say is that S*#T happens.

O, and thanks for the advice! Thats great and entertaining stuff youve got there 1time4theppl!
 

*ashlea*

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hey, dont stress out about it! there's still time to fix things up and get the uai u want.. just study the exams u skrewed up and see where u went wrong, teachers can probably give u some tips on how 2 improve in those areas.. then study up 4 the rest of the assessments.. everybody stuffs up at least 1 of their HSC assessments, just be thankful u did it now, not in the more highly weighted exams like trials and the actual HSC.. if u do well in the remaining ones u can get yourself in a good rank 2 benefit from your peers results, scaling up your results.. u'll be fine!
 

hello99999

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Pointy Ears said:
O Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez, I'm just crapping myself right now. I was doing fine in school, like, over 90s for most of my assesments so far, and then all of a sudden i stuff up my 2u eng and 2u maths exams....I'm just so depressed now, cos i know that these are going to be the difference between me getting an >95 uai, and not getting it. I guess i cant see myself coping with any other kind of career other than the one that i want to get into, but then, if im capable of handling the course...........


O well, all i can say is that S*#T happens.

O, and thanks for the advice! Thats great and entertaining stuff youve got there 1time4theppl!
Seriously, don't worry. I did really well in my first assessments for yr 12 and then really stuffed up my half yearlies. I was really upset because I thought that that meant that I couldn't do well any more. I was wrong, because I still had plenty of opportunities to catch up on the marks.

If you go to one of the top ranking schools, your school ranks don't really matter that much. As long as you get average or a little bit above for all your subjects you can still get 99+ UAI, if you ace the actual HSC exams. If you don't go to one of the top ranking schools, you have a better chance of catching up to everyone else on your in-school assessments, so it all evens out really.

Don't be depressed, you can still do really well.
 

Eagles

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I don't share this much, so consider it an oddity.

Seriously; Read this, then act:

I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, everyday, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing, and the action which follows becomes as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every action necessary for my success…. I will act now for now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed. I am not a failure. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the person.
- Og Mandino



What you do from here, is up to you.
 

Pointy Ears

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Hey, thanks Ashlea and Hello99999, i guess i needed some reassurance, and Eagles, thanks for giving us one of ur rare contributions, its a great quote.
 

stazi

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Pointy Ears said:
O Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez, I'm just crapping myself right now. I was doing fine in school, like, over 90s for most of my assesments so far, and then all of a sudden i stuff up my 2u eng and 2u maths exams....I'm just so depressed now, cos i know that these are going to be the difference between me getting an >95 uai, and not getting it. I guess i cant see myself coping with any other kind of career other than the one that i want to get into, but then, if im capable of handling the course...........


O well, all i can say is that S*#T happens.

O, and thanks for the advice! Thats great and entertaining stuff youve got there 1time4theppl!
Trust me when I tell you this one you havent stuffed up your >95 uai hopes. This is what i thought when i scored 25% in my first biology prac worth 10%. Then 54% in my halfyearly worth 20%. One assessment won't put you off. Anything can and will happen in the lead up to the HSC. Learn from your mistakes and in time for trials and the HSC exam you will clear up your errors.

What career are you looking into?
 

IceBreaker

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you should write a book about it. hehe you will be rich mate!!

good guide by the way.
 

Meldrum

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Eagles said:
I don't share this much, so consider it an oddity.

Seriously; Read this, then act:

I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, everyday, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing, and the action which follows becomes as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every action necessary for my success…. I will act now for now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed. I am not a failure. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the person.
- Og Mandino



What you do from here, is up to you.
Thank




You
 

LiVe&LeArN:)

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thank you for everyones advice... i feel so much better now, especially knowing that im not the only one experiencing it ... and i don't feel like so much of a failure any more...

u know wat... i think im gonna act now... start doing some efficient study for my next exam on monday, i.e legal studies
 

Pointy Ears

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1Time4thePpl said:
Trust me when I tell you this one you havent stuffed up your >95 uai hopes. This is what i thought when i scored 25% in my first biology prac worth 10%. Then 54% in my halfyearly worth 20%. One assessment won't put you off. Anything can and will happen in the lead up to the HSC. Learn from your mistakes and in time for trials and the HSC exam you will clear up your errors.

What career are you looking into?
Well, i come from one of those typical asian families u no, how they are all pressured to do well. Yea, i would have just gone for some career that i liked if i was an only child, but i dun wanna break my families >90 trend and their careers in medicine and pharmacy. However, if there was some career that involved the Lord of the Rings, i would drop everything and run for it!
And yea, thanks for the reassurance.

And Live&Learn, I'm glad that your taking control of your studies!
 

wrong_turn

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that was highly inspiring. did you go to a top ranked school or an average school?

that quote was very inspiring!!!
 

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