#macrobvce

Hey there! 

I think we all struggle with this - well I for one definitely understand. Let’s say there are about 4 hours a day to study. You dedicate half of that time to your ¾ and the other half to your other subjects. A thing about VCE is that many teachers don’t set you homework and expect you to do your own thing and kinda help yourself to keep up with the content and do your own work. Another thing I do is to maximise class time. If you do a maths subject, try to finish the exercise in class. Sometimes I ALMOST finish in class and finish it during lunch.

You’ll notice that between SACs there’s kinda a little lull in stress. Like when there are no SACs or assessments coming up, rather than using that time to procrastinate, you could get ahead in the content. For me, the UMAT was coming up and I knew I was solely going to study for it for a week, so during the holidays and the first week of school I tried really hard to complete as many spesh exercises as possible so I wouldn’t fall behind. It’s also good to have a timeline of your ¾ course. Usually they’re very accurate so you can tell when a SAC is coming even if your teacher doesn’t tell you. If you see it coming up in 3 weeks, rather than waiting until 1 week before to fully study, you could start your revision earlier and do a little bit everyday. By the time it comes to 1 week beforehand you’ve cut down so much of the workload and can focus on really solidifying your knowledge.

Every subject is different. You know yourself better than anybody else and should know which subjects require more effort/practise/attention.One tip my teacher taught me was to have 3 levels of intensity. High level - such as doing a practice sac/essay/exam/etc. Medium level - Writing/finalising notes. Low level - revising flash cards/notes. These are just a few examples and could vary depending on subject. But you should do the lower intensity activities later at night cos you’ll be tired. There are also heaps of articles on how to manage your time and be more productive.

Hope this helps!

Hey,

To get straight to the point, you absolutely can jump straight into Bio ¾ in Year 11 despite not doing a science elective in Year 10. It would of course be helpful to do a semester of science, whatever science that might be, but seeing as the school doesn’t provide mandatory classes in science for Year 10s, everything that you need for science subjects at VCE level will be provided to you. If you would really prefer to study Bio Unit 1 over one of your other electives, definitely try and get in contact with your YLCs to just see whether or not there is an opportunity for you to switch into it.

Hey there,

FAM Member 1: First off, it’s super okay to be scared or nervous but trust me when I say you’ve got this and I believe in you!

For me, methods was not one of my favourite subjects which was actually quite disappointing as maths was a subject I used to really enjoy. I hate to say it, but I do think my teacher had a great impact on my learning experience and thus my motivation when it came to methods.

If I had any advice to give in terms of motivation and commitment it would be to envision a goal or an endpoint that you want to reach at the end of the year in terms of this subject (this can apply to any subject really) and then come up with ways to get there. For example, before I started Year 12, I wrote a list on how I planned to ‘Slay VCE’ where I wrote down each of my subjects and little things I should remember throughout the year. For methods I had things like: ask questions, stay up to date, write out examples and difficult questions you come across, constantly add to reference booklet, etc. 

Hey there,

FAM Member 1: In my experience, although it’s a seemingly big jump from year 10 to year 11, you’re integrated quite smoothly into VCE and you quickly adapt to your situations.

Reflecting on Year 9 and 10, I was a major stress-head so moving into VCE was incredibly daunting for me just as I feel like it is for you. The reality is that a lot of people will be feeling this way and that it’s normal to be nervous. Just know that you’re not alone in it.

I realised after a little while that, whilst there were seemingly more things to stress about in VCE, my level of stress over four years seemed to be relatively the same. This obviously isn’t the best thing but what I want to share with you is that the reason I didn’t feel more stress was because with time I was able to cope better with it. So whilst there might’ve been more to stress about, I was also better at dealing with it and whilst the level of stress may have remained at a similar point in previous years, I definitely felt much better about it despite all the things around me that could’ve stressed me out.

Hey there,

This sounds super tough and we wish you all the best in whatever you choose in the end. Remember that ultimately it is your education and it is your choice.

If you enjoy the subject, chances are you’re going to be more motivated and work harder regardless of how tough it is and if you need an extra hand with tutoring then so be it. However, if the difficulty of the subject is taking over the enjoyment of it and the cons are overruling the pros, perhaps it’d be worth considering other subjects in its place that you might enjoy more.

Some subjects that don’t require ½ include: Accounting, History: Revolutions, Economics, Health and Human Development, Geography, Psychology, Biology

Hey there,

We hate to hear that you’re feeling this way, but also know that it is extremely common and that you’re not alone.

VCE is a learning experience and in saying that, it is a different experience for everyone. Please know that you are so much more capable than you think you are and although the thought of VCE is incredibly daunting, you absolutely can take it! Sometimes it’ll require a bit of trial and error to figure out what’s best for you – that’s totally okay!

Remember that everyone around you is there to help; Mac.Rob is a very special community in that sense. Don’t be afraid to approach your teachers for help if you feel like you need it because there is no shame in asking for and needing help as this is your education and you need to be getting the most out of it. Also, sometimes teachers don’t notice where every student is at because they’ve got so many students to keep an eye on so definitely call out if you need it. Also remember that we have a most supportive wellbeing centre and that, again, there is absolutely no shame in needing help. It’s also what FAM is here for! And we greatly encourage you to reach out.

We have full faith in you, remember to have full faith in yourself too.

Hey,

This sucks and we’re sorry to hear you feel this way. The best thing you should do would probably be to talk to your teacher about your progress and what you’re currently doing in terms of study to gain their perspective as to whether or not what you’re doing is the most useful to you or if there are alternatives they could suggest so that you can do better. You may need to try a few different study techniques in order to produce better marks

Also remember that what you perceive as ‘shit’ or otherwise not so good, someone else – perhaps even your teacher – might perceive it as good so try not to be too hard on yourself.

Hey there,

We’re sure you’ve heard this phrase before but it is so important to remember: “Study smarter, not harder”. No matter how much you’re studying, it won’t help if you’re not actually learning anything. Are you learning from your mistakes? Revising stuff that you don’t remember after a while? There are certain habits you’ll have to maintain when you’re taking a VCE subject. Chances are you’re not actually bad at maths, rather it’s your study habits that need a bit of refinement and that’s okay! You have the whole of next year to try new things, or maybe stick to what you’re doing right now (studying I mean) and add on improvements.

Take some time to reflect on how you study and learn maths and take some steps, no matter how small, to improve your studying techniques and this should then help you improve your maths application skills.

Though, remember to believe in yourself and never give up. When you get your test back it might be good to see if you can make a time to meet with your teacher to go over areas you can improve on, discuss where you’re at and how you can improve.