So here we are, and I wish I could say that we’ve come to the end of the road.
But it has all just begun.
Thirteen years… Thirteen years of schooling narrowed down to one score. And I’m not sure what to say.
I am caught between a world of apprehension and indifference. I know I stopped trying at some point, but I never lost direction – never lost sight of where I wanted to be. And where I still want to be. With uni interviews over and finding out my ATAR just around the corner, let’s see what I’ve had piled on my plate thus far.
The subject fisasco
Last year, I wanted physics and got media. This year, I wanted history and got physics.
I can’t say that it was easy to make the decisions I did, and to follow through with them, but I feel an enriched person because of it… My advice is to do what you love. It is easier to balance a science and a folio than two folios, and you should never feel as though you need to forefeit what you love to scale your marks. If you do well, you don’t NEED scaling: you’re already at the top.
I am not recommending stepping out of your comfort zone in year 12 at all. If anything stick to what you know. I was thrown in the deep end, and I slowly taught myself how to doggy paddle through survival instincts. There are certainly other people who were in similar situations to me, and flourished much greater than I did due to intensive work. With that said, there were many others that had to set fire to the plans they’d made for whatever reason, and had a much more terrible time than I. When something like what I experienced happens, it’s a great discouragement, and although it can be worked through, you do feel cheated if things go sour. Don’t disadvantage yourself.
Working hard and not at all
Year 12 is not easy on the work load. Nobody expects it to be. How I managed? I admit I usually didn’t, by everyone else’s measure. I didn’t have teachers on my back. For the first time in my life, people weren’t demanding work from me. And I absolutely loved it. I only did what I felt adequate, no more useless homework assignments telling me things that I already knew and understood.
Nobody but you knows where you stand, the work I didn’t do probably would have helped, the work I DID do certainly helped, because I knew it would. I was more engaged in the work I did, because it was work I knew I needed to do, and usually wanted to do. Given the freedom to assess and plan according to efficiency was the greatest skill gained and used in VCE. Surpassing the days of rote learning enforced through strict regime was the best thing that happened to me. I didn’t burn out, and I didn’t slack off. I can’t wait until university (or tafe, or working full time, if that is what happens), and the future is bright.
I guess it depends on what school you go to and its atmosphere, and how much faith your teachers have in you, not to mention where your dreams lie. It’s a balance between teachers trusting you to do your work, and them knowing if you want to be pushed hard enough to get a 99.999999999999999999. I think my teachers realised I had a head on my shoulders but was tired of work. They didn’t give up on me, but they had learned as I had, that I was doing what worked best for me and not for them. They already had their degrees, and I knew what I had to do to go and get the ones I wanted. You need to figure out where you want to be.
So yeah. When I recycled the past two years’ work after all exams had passed, I knew that my pile was large, but not as large many other peoples’. And I knew exactly why, and I had no shame at this fact. I was adult and mature in how I handled VCE, and I will take my score, whatever it may be, with equal understanding. It is over, and I strategised and tried to enjoy it. And that is all that matters to me.
Counting down days
I never had a study timetable. Not even when exams rolled out. If I had something I need to do, I wrote it in my planner. If I had a sac coming up, I wrote it in my planner. If I had to study, I wrote it in my planner. And If I had a party coming up, I wrote it in my goddamn planner. Chamber Choir? Planner. Debating? Planner. Gaming? Planner. I have grown a reliance on school planners, because they tell you exactly what you felt you needed to remember… and my short term memory is ridiculously stupid. I colour coded subjects in ways that made sense to me, and used the leftover colours for stuff not relating to school. At a glance, without my glasses on, I could tell what needed attention. When I actually read what I had written, I knew exactly what those things were. I could never use study timetables. I don’t know how it’d be possible for me to pre-determine what work I’d need to do and how much. Sure, constant studying of all subjects works for some people, but not for me. It never has, and like I said, year 12 is about what you know works for you. Year 11 is when you try colour coding and reading while exercising and flow charts on your ceiling to read before you sleep. By year 12, you can’t waste your time on ridiculous experiments. You need to know yourself.
The fine line between leisure and pain
I never gave up what I loved doing to chunk in more study time. I needed balance. The best way to do this is to do subjects that you know you’ll enjoy. By incorporating the things that interest you in the subjects you do, often, your hobbies and interests will interact with those subjects. If you are studying something that interests you, it is more likely that you’ll be paying attention.
Reading
I didn’t read a single novel for ‘leisure’ this year which is unlike me – an admitted bibliophile. However, I was studying English and Literature this year, so I already had the ability to read both classics and contemporary works throughout. Sure, I had no choice because the texts were prescribed (I hate Austen so much), and sure, I had to answer piles of relating comprehension questions, but I never had to ‘give up’ reading, nor enriching myself through reading. I read in class, I read at home, and I enjoyed most of the texts that I studied. I also had, for this year, a Fortean Times and The Age subscription, paired with the occasional perusing through webcomics on breaks. It was these things that kept me informed, intrigued, entertained and contsantly learning more in areas that sadly aren’t exam related. If you like reading, look into comics that are updated regularly: they will get you through some tough times. And stay away from MSpaintadventures until you graduate, because it will eat your time and and your brain.
Drawing
I didn’t draw as much as I wanted to, but with that said, I churned out a combined 80 pages for my Studio Arts folio. It got me an A, but more than that, I built my skills in portraiture and general design. Considering I want to BE an industrial designer, this was probably a good choice. Not as good as say, Visual Communication and Design would be, but as I said, VCE is about what you are comfortable with, and I have the rest of my life ahead of me to build skills for my chosen profession. Doing Studio put life into my timetable, and gave me a reason to struggle through the more mentally exhaustive work of some other subjects. Any drawings (or art) I created this year up until term 2 ended, was put into that folio. And the subject matter of the folio was what I was interested in, so it never ended up a chore to continue adding to it. I grew with it, and it reflects me. And now it’s what will get me into the university of my choice. What more could I ask for?
Science
I remember watching TED talks here and there in the good old times, where I had enough time to research, but really, it was physics that drove home my understanding of the universe. Aside from watching some of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos on the ‘holidays’ (read: study without classes), physics classes helped me make sense of things. The amount of eureka moments I that I had were innumerable, and the amount of questions I asked was equally intimidating. I cannot stress enough how important it is not to blindly roll around in a wallow of pseudoscience. Please choose subjects that intrigue you. As an ‘artist’ (for lack of a better word), the sciences, especially physics, open my mind to understanding how what we see actually works. Light and matter interactions. The way the universe holds itself together. Relativity and special relativity. Never think art and science are mutually exclusive. The overlap is large, and inherently intriguing. Many of the greatest artists were more caught up in the science world than the art world, as the scientific world is a construct beyond all human creation.
Music and Public Speaking.
Don’t forget the extra curriculars your school offers. Most groups meet once a week, and debating was something like once every few weeks. Whether it be sport, music or drama, make sure to take hold of what your campus can offer. Time at school doesn’t always have to be classroom education. Doing choir and chamber choir ever year of highschool taught me music skills that I’d have not had the opportunity to learn otherwise. I got to be a part of a group that went beyond year levels and academics. What mattered in those practices were team work and commitment, much like debating. The Arts Nights my school would host were something that I will probably never experience again, and debating and public speaking was a way to improve confidence, speaking skills, meet new people, and learn the intricacies of current affairs. Debating was something that kept my teammates and I close. Something that created understanding. And something that I always considered a challenge more than a chore. This kind of highschool experience is something that I can take with me wherever I go.
Humanities
I lost out on the Russian and French revolution, but that’s okay. Learning is constant and unrelenting. I’d already studied the Russian Rev last year, as I had time for extra work, and I have the rest of my life to learn about France, if it ever interests me more than all of the other magnificent things to learn about history and culture. I have been a history enthusiast for much of my life, and greatly admired the teacher of the class, but at the same time, I wouldn’t let a single year of not having a class of it stop me. There is a revolution here and now, and at our fingertips. The world is changing and we need to be aware individuals. The humanities matter to everyone.
Gaming and Socialising.
Oh man. The part of my life that VCE didn’t involve itself in was probably the best. Gaming is obviously something to be enjoyed, and I made damn well sure to not give it up. Sure, I gamed less than I wanted, but I still gamed. And because most of my other areas of interest were covered, gaming is where it was at, when I made time for it. Once every few weeks, I got together with friends and nerded out, playing traditional boardgames, RPGs and the like. Occasionally, I’d have a LAN of Unreal Tournament with my brother and some friends. If I wasn’t seeing my friends for games, I would be to stay up one night of a long weekend watching terrible movies, going to someone’s 18th birthday celebration, going out for a nice dinner or just getting out for some fresh air. I regret nothing of these times, they have helped shape me as a person. I could have been studying when I engaged in all of those things, but I could have also been learning herb lore from a tribe of forest Druids. We choose the path we lead, and I didn’t want to forefeit growing as a person to the tremendous fear of failure that has admittedly otherwise made me a workoholic. Can’t get enough of that workohol.
So anyway, that’s VCE down. For good.
I’m no longer a part of this system.
Let y’all know when the results come out, and I’ll find something humorous to write about.
