the chronicles of an atar kidlet.

there are so many practical tips out there, like meditation, listening to music, etc. but what i want to suggest to you is to keep it in perspective. as someone who has gone through externals and made it to the other side, i can tell you now that they will be so far in the back of your mind after you get your results back. and this is for everyone; even if the results didn't go the way they wanted them to, they didn't get accepted into uni, or they did, or whatever happens, in a few months you will be already on your next step, whatever it be, and no one cares. no one talks about your atar or your results in any genuine way in the new year and onwards, and if they do, trust me they're the wacko ones.

okay but where does time go?

this time last year i was preparing for my own mock exams... how has it been a year ???? some updates: i have completed my first very eventful semester of university, my oh my what a learning curve in every aspect of my life but i am lovin it, i’m back into studying and netball, finally got my license woop woop and have started tutoring peeps.

just a friendly psa to anyone about to sit their mock exams: it’s okay if they suck bc guess what most of my grade failed theirs and then by the time externals rolled around, we weren’t half bad. don’t freak out about cramming for them- external exams are still a very long way away! peep my wall after mocks:

three main tips:

- revise what you find hardest. if you just revise and spend time doing questions or topics you're good at, that's cool and all but you gotta get to the crunch of it if you really want to improve your performance. plus, it's super satisfying when you have that "aha!" moment. you can and will get there, keep it up.

- it's over-said but pls- take breaks and rest. i was a smidge away from burnout for pretty much all of year twelve and i do not recommend. take time off, lounge, walk, whatever.

- don't overthink your mocks: like i was saying above, srsly i know many people who straight up failed their chemistry mocks and then ended up picking up to a very high 90+ standard by the real thing. use it as a learning tool. prepare, but don't cram. use it as a chance to figure out where you need to dedicate your time.

hi kidlets

guess what. she graduated. it’s over. the living hell of year twelve is over. yes, i did kind of dip big time i guess because of life events hehe final exams were full on, and i had a trip with friends, stressfully received my results and got my uni offers. my mum moved back home, i turned seventeen (bloody finally) and life is feeling pretty swell honestly. 

a message to my past self, the gal during that crappy october/november time who was crying everyday for some reason or another and was struggling to make it through: bruh it gets better, i promise. just trudge along. the same goes for everyone out there x

i want to do my last stretch of high school justice with a few posts i have backlogged, but exciting news- she’s a fecking med student now. i guess the blog is gonna take a new direction heh.

write a plan for what you will do in your exam time, before your exam - it feels so over the top, but this is highly advantageous, especially when in subjects like english or modern history. i’ll expand on this later. 

working crazy hard in your work or study is nice and all but don’t forget to live a little, whatever that means for you :))

let’s take you through some of my little exam routine, as i have a mightily important exam tonight. honestly, i’m quite excited to sit it... i’ve put a fat amount of prep, and though i still have zero clue on how i shall do, what will be, will be and i never have to do this exam again.

have a hearty breakfast - i find when i eat right before an exam, i feel all sleepy and my body goes into njehejhejr-digestion-mode-nskjdhasd and that’s not ideal. so, for an evening exam, i have a big breakfast, medium lunch, light snack an hour or two before, and maybe a sneaky tea beforehand.

pack my exam pack - usually i do this the night before but since i have until eight p.m., i threw my uTeNsiLs into a bag this morning and put it next to my house keys and waterbottle; all i have to do later is walk out.

journal - something i do before each exam is rant in my journal. i let out all my nervous energy, and write to myself a reminder: sure, the exam is important, and i’ve put a lot of time into it, but in the grand scheme of my life... it doesn’t really matter! say it with me, kids: academic performance does not determine self worth. 

get moving - i always gotta get my blood flowing (even just a little) before any big brain activity and i love to run, so i’ll go out for a run this afternoon. it gets me out of the house, keeps me refreshed and gives me that runner’s high that helps get me hyped for that infernal exam.

do! not! cram! - each to their own, but cramming an hour before the exam is just not worth it. all it does for me is stress me out more. all i’m doing this afternoon is reading over my final tips, then spending the last few hours doing other things. 

keep brain active leading up to the exam - i have all day to kill, but i don’t want to veg and then feel all sluggish. instead, i’ll keep lightly busy, and stay away from the desk. today, i’m journalling, playing piano and sorting out our herb garden.

dress well - i like to have a nice shower, wear some nice clothes and do my hair nicely for every exam- it’s something small and silly, but it gives me a little power/confidence kick when i walk into the exam. gonna beat the living hell out of this exam letsgoooooo.

breathe - when i’m at the exam room, before i begin, three deep breaths! this is my grandma’s advice to me for every exam i’ve ever had, and i live by it. settle your nerves, and at this point, all you can control is what you do in the next two hours. leave everything else at the door, and try your best. at the end of the day, things aren’t as big and scary as they seem.

oh my freaking gosh, we have had a fat hiatus. 

what a month. i finished my last senior assignments, visited my mother and friends back in my hometown, lost my marbles (not literally) more times than i have at any other point of my life, lived through the start of a very intense love-thingo idek what to call it honestly, got selected for a high-level netball team, nearly had a fatal crash while driving and had an utterly disastrous fall out with my family. 

so you can likely guess this all contributed to my lack of posts. but here we are, and i’m ready to get out of this strange headspace. i am ready to get a grip on myself. also my medical exam is this friday to add more confetti to the party. 

countdown: one hundred and twenty-three days until graduation. 

peep some scenes from my home visit above. 

hey there :))

aw thanks so much, i feel like my posts are janky heh so ty ty. 

my tips are probably just to keep it authentic- write or post what you’re interested in or what you personally think is cool, and don’t fret and get bogged down by trying to fit into an aesthetic or a genre... go with the flow. what i try to do is keep it real, and have a balance of photos, text, etc. to keep my content well-rounded.