Drowning!!! (1 Viewer)

Joined
May 17, 2018
Messages
31
Gender
Female
HSC
2019
Its been 2 weeks of year 12 and im struggling. I work my ass off in all my frees and every night... im exhausted. All this work and i still feel like im not making a dent in the ever growing "to do list".

My subjects are

4u maths
Advanced english
Legal
French
Textiles

4u easily takes up 85% of my time as im not naturally smart at math. The other 15% is split between the rest, which i know is not good enough! and i can already feel that pressure.

Any tips/advice would be very much thanked
 

RivalryofTroll

Sleep Deprived Entity
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Messages
3,805
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Uni Grad
2019
I did 12 units including Extension 2 (4U) maths back in Year 12 as well.

I'd say that I spent 40% of my time max on 3U + 4U combined, and it worked out well for me because I was doing great in my other subjects (still scraped the highest band for both courses and I knew that 3U + 4U would align and scale well). I had a few friends who perhaps spent probably 70% of their time on 4U maths and their other subjects really suffered (thus, detrimental to their ATAR from a strategic point of view even if their maths marks were slightly better than mine).

3U + 4U maths is essentially 40% of your ATAR (since only 10 units will count) so, if your goal is to maximise your ATAR, it's a good idea to perhaps limit your time to dedicated to maths to about 50%. Yes you can spend more time but, if its at the expense of your other subjects, is it worth it?
 

TeheeCat

Active Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2017
Messages
100
Gender
Female
HSC
2019
Hi there, we don't share the same subjects so I can't really give you specific advice for those subjects. :/ But I definitely had the same problem when year 11 first started, felt so overwhelmed to the point my mental health suffered for quite a bit... it's better now but I still freak out from time to time. Even though these tips are SO generic, they have helped me personally:

Talk to someone about it: Honestly, we are all in the same boat; every one of us is stressed (or will be, especially leading up to the assessment blocks). Whether it's family or friends or classmates, it's crucial to have a support system to help you endure your last year. If there is no one you can speak to, write down your emotions onto a journal or you can PM me. :)

Prioritise: It is physically impossible to study everything! You have to decide which tasks are important and urgent. Consider the subject, due date and whether it is actually beneficial to you. Sometimes, teachers can set unnecessary homework and you could be better off writing your study notes. What are your weaknesses? Focus on those to improve! Be strategic!

Break down your homework into mini tasks: Yes, technically it's the same amount of workload but when tasks are broken down into small bits, it becomes less overwhelming and therefore easier to complete. For example, instead of trying to finish an entire math exercise in one night, break it down into maybe 5-10 questions each study block! So in your to do list, simply write "Finish 10 questions of this exercise" and "Finish the remaining questions" rather than "Entire exercise blah blah blah". Seems easier to manage right? Another advantage of this is in the event you couldn't finish your homework on time, you would have at least made progress!

I actually pulled this off in year 11 3U: Further Trig was one of my weakest topics at the time. I attempted to finish the entire exercise in one night but realised I was losing LOTS of time to finish other homework. So, I aimed to finish at least 5-10 questions every school night. That way, I gave myself time to focus on my other subjects but I made progress in my math homework at the same time!

It is crucial to embrace this tip especially when you have assignments or major projects. Finishing small chunks of the assignment everyday is better than finishing the entire assignment in the night before it's due. Same with studying for exams.

Reward yourself: You are more likely to feel exhausted if you don't take breaks and reward yourself. Study in 45-50 min blocks and take 5mins breaks in between! During those breaks, make sure to go outside your study room so your brain knows it is a break. Drink water as well! Try not to take one hour breaks which I am guilty of doing on weekends HAHAH.

Another important thing is to reward yourself after finishing tasks. You finished that English essay draft? Watch one episode of a TV show! Finished that daunting math exercise for homework? Go watch another episode! Give yourself incentives so you have something to look forward to when you are finished for the night. :) You worked hard all day, so you definitely deserve to have a reward.

Good luck and look after yourself!
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2015
Messages
35
Gender
Female
HSC
2017
you don't seem to be balancing your time well between the subjects
for math, probably cap it off at 2h/day? Set a timer and try to get as much done in that time as possible
once time is up, just leave it
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top