Hey team! I think this new AMA section will be a great resource for people interested in different pathway options, or subject selection, or study techniques - or a whole range of things! So I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon a bit and start my own AMA in case anybody is interested. 😃

I did a similar thing on the previous forums, which you can find here if desired.

Some things about me, which might influence questions:

  • 99.65 ATAR in 2012 (five of six subjects scaled down).
  • Then studied Arts at uni, culminating in an honours year in Linguistics. Received HD in every unit.
  • Subsequently completed Grad Cert in Careers Education and Development.
  • Have worked in education (but not teaching) for several years.

But IMO the more interesting things:

  • I'm a big sport person. Mostly cricket and footy. I support Melbourne in the AFL, so I'm a very happy person after 2021!
  • I enjoy twisty puzzles (like Rubik's cubes), and also enjoy collecting them.
  • I didn't get my Ps until I was 24.
  • In my spare time, I like watching Super Mario 64 speedruns.

So if you're interested in any of the above, please feel free to ask me anything! 😄

    1. Favourite subject in high school and why?
    2. Why didn't you get your Ps until you were 24? I'm on learners atm and I really need to catch up on hours as I want to drive myself to school when I'm in year 12 hehe (might not be possible as fuel prices be too high)
    3. Since you mentioned super mario, I must ask what video game are you most nostalgic about?

      charl Hey - thanks for your questions!

      1. Favourite subject in high school and why?
      This chopped and changed a bit, and I've probably provided different answers at different times depending on my mood lol. I'm not sure if I really had a favourite for a lot of it (I liked maths in primary school, but not in high school; I found English interesting, but it made me nervous; I had no confidence in science whatsoever). But in Year 12, I probably had four favourites on rotation:

      • Visual Communication Design
      • English Language
      • Health and Human Development
      • Psychology

      If I put myself back in my Year 12 shoes, I guess I'd go with VCD. It was just a bit different (folio subject), and gave a bit of an outlet. I found that when I felt like studying but I didn't really want to study (if that made sense), I could just work on my folio, as it required a different type of mindset - so I think I enjoyed that.

      2. Why didn't you get your Ps until you were 24? I'm on learners atm and I really need to catch up on hours as I want to drive myself to school when I'm in year 12 hehe (might not be possible as fuel prices be too high)
      Probably just straight up anxiety, I think. I didn't get my Ls right away, either, and then once I got my Ls, I didn't get many hours at all for several years. I wish I started driving earlier in hindsight, but I guess I just wasn't ready at the time.

      How are you finding being on Ls at the moment? I wrote a bit more about my experience on Ls here if you're interested. Perhaps you could do a similar thing in the new accountability discussion section!

      3. Since you mentioned super mario, I must ask what video game are you most nostalgic about?
      Definitely Stickybun, which is a game I haven't' been able to locate for many years, and which is a bit of a fever dream. Otherwise, games on the Nintendo 64 are probably the earliest console games of which I have clear memories (like Super Mario 64) - though I think I watched people play a lot more than I played myself!

      Thanks again for your questions. 😄

          Joseph41

          If it makes you feel any better my L's are 15 hrs and it won't be getting any better any time soon. I hope I can catch up after school finishes. I parked in a proper carpark once and that was a straight up nightmare. Even just normal parking on the street, its always far away from the curb. 😭😣

              beep_boop

              Even just normal parking on the street, its always far away from the curb.

              I can relate to this so much. When I first started driving it was either too far away from the curb or I hit the curb. 💀
              I'm getting better at it though 😂

              Joseph41

              The most nostalgic game for me is probably Minecraft or Sonic Unleashed. My first console was the Wii, good times. I hope you are eventually able to find Stickybun! Nintendo/sega games I have most childhood memories about.

              I've done about 35 hours on Ls so far, I'm finding it most difficult to travel in congested areas (in the city) and freeway being easier than anticipated. Still have a lot more hours and skill to get through. I was never really anxious about getting my Ls, I was actually really excited, first thing I did when I turned 16 was obtain the permit. I remember when I first drove on a main road I was nervous as.

              I'm doing Psychology right now (u1/2) and I'm finding it quite fun. I'm considering picking up English Language but I'm not too sure if that's the right choice for me as I'm not the strongest English student, it's moreso the fact that the study design for EngLang seems far more interesting than English. Might be wrong here, but based on the study design it sounds like they tried to turn english into a bit of a science-y subject which is what I like about it, more objective than mainstream.

              In what cases do you believe a student should choose to study English Language?

                    charl

                    I'm doing Psychology right now (u1/2) and I'm finding it quite fun. I'm considering picking up English Language but I'm not too sure if that's the right choice for me as I'm not the strongest English student, it's moreso the fact that the study design for EngLang seems far more interesting than English. Might be wrong here, but based on the study design it sounds like they tried to turn english into a bit of a science-y subject which is what I like about it, more objective than mainstream.

                    In what cases do you believe a student should choose to study English Language?

                    Interesting thoughts and question! By "I'm not the strongest English student", what do you mean by that specifically? I didn't do English so I guess it's a bit hard to compare, but the threads below may be of interest (note that the study design has probably changed since):

                    In terms of when students "should" choose EngLang (quotation marks as I'm not sure "should" is even the right word), I think it just comes down to the regular subject selection factors: what you think you will enjoy, and what is required for a course/pathway you wish to pursue. I recognise it can be hard to know exactly what you'll enjoy without doing it. My advice here would be:

                    1. Check out the study designs/syllabuses, which it sounds like you've done.
                    2. Why not tune in to excerpts of the free online ATAR Notes lectures for the relevant subject(s)? This might at least give you a better vibe of what the subject is like.

                      What twisty puzzles aside from Rubik's cubes and their variations do you enjoy?

                        BriMT I guess they might all fall under the Rubik's cube banner broadly, but I have cubes from 2x2 (smaller than the regular Rubik's cube) up until 7x7 (obviously a fair bit larger), and also puzzles called the pyraminx, megaminx, kilominx, skewb, square-1, mirror block, and possibly some others.

                        The square-1 is the only one I haven't solved yet (it's a shape-shifting puzzle, so you need to get it back to cube form before you can go about getting the colours/faces right).

                        They're all quite similar in a way - they're all about moving parts, "hiding" pieces, and following certain processes to get to the end result, which I think is what I like about them.

                            Joseph41

                            I am of the opinion that what major you study is generally irrelevant for Arts degrees (minus a select few exceptions), though I'm curious to know your thoughts as I've never spoken to a linguistics major about this. Would you say linguistics is a bit more technical than most Arts majors (eg. philosophy, sociology, politics, history, criminology etc) where the skills you learn is a lot more specialised? Are there any specific aspects from your undergrad (incl. honours) which you found to be helpful in your career in the education sector?

                            What is one oddly specific advice you would give to someone who recently graduated from an arts degree and is still a newbie in the workforce? (totally not asking out of self interest).

                            Mains for each NxN and favourite PLL?

                                hums_student Hey, nice to hear from you. Thanks for the interesting questions!

                                I am of the opinion that what major you study is generally irrelevant for Arts degrees (minus a select few exceptions),
                                Why is that, out of interest?

                                though I'm curious to know your thoughts as I've never spoken to a linguistics major about this. Would you say linguistics is a bit more technical than most Arts majors (eg. philosophy, sociology, politics, history, criminology etc) where the skills you learn is a lot more specialised?
                                I guess it's somewhat hard to say having only majored in linguistics and international studies (double majored), though I did also do units from bioethics, philosophy, psychology, human rights theory, gender studies, and the like. I'm inclined to agree that linguistics was perhaps a bit more technical than those other areas I studied, but even in writing this I'm not sure that that's exactly right, or at least framed correctly. Every area has specialised knowledge, of course - that's why it's a major in the first place, I guess - but at least some units in linguistics felt quite technical. I'm not sure if I learnt more technical skills in linguistics than in other areas, but I also tended to opt for more sociolinguisticsy units rather than what I consider to be the more technical areas (things like phonology, syntax).

                                I'm really happy with my linguistics major. If I had my time again, I'd probably change international studies for something like gender studies (although from memory this wasn't available to me as a major at the time) or philosophy. If you're looking for a career in a linguisticsy area, I think having majored in it would be very helpful indeed.

                                Are there any specific aspects from your undergrad (incl. honours) which you found to be helpful in your career in the education sector?
                                You could tenuously say general knowledge about writing and grammar and things like that, though I don't think you need to have that knowledge to be good at it. I learnt a lot about writing through my thesis, which has been helpful with work for sure - but that probably would have been the case in writing a thesis from any area.

                                I think more helpful has just been general analysis stuff, and a general attitude of clarity being the number one goal over and above "correctness".

                                What is one oddly specific advice you would give to someone who recently graduated from an arts degree and is still a newbie in the workforce? (totally not asking out of self interest).
                                Don't undersell what you have. I think Arts degrees are very employable, which I think you agreed with in your other thread. When people asked me what I studied, I used to say things like "just Arts", but that "just" really isn't helpful at all, and minimises what you've taken out of the course.

                                Mains for each NxN and favourite PLL?
                                Now we're talking! Might need to make a new cubing discussion area haha. I'd also be interested in your answers to the same questions!

                                • 2x2: Meilong 2M
                                • 3x3: GAN Mini M Pro, though more recently I've been using the MoreTry Tianma V3, and that's a real contender (though much too loud). Past mains have included the GAN 11 M Duo, Valk Elite, RS3M 2020, MeiLong M, Dayan TengYun V1, and GAN 354M. I switch fairly often, but I'd say GAN Mini M Pro for sure if pushed.
                                • 4x4: Meilong 4M
                                • 5x5: Meilong 5M
                                • 6x6: YJ YuShi V2 M
                                • 7x7: YJ YuFu V2 M

                                Of the above, I only ever do long sessions with 3x3 (and mains in other NxNs probably reflect that). The others are cool but don't appeal to me as much, and I'm not as good at them.

                                Favourite PLL is definitely H perm, but I use the beginner method still, despite cubing for 10+ years on and off lol. It's been a long-term thing for me where I've been trying to motivate myself to learn CFOP, but I've just never done it, and now my muscle memory is so hard to break. Current PBs:

                                • Single solve: 10.01 (GAN Mini M Pro)
                                • Mean of 3: 16.87 (MoreTry Tianma V3)
                                • Average of 5: 17.79 (GAN Mini M Pro)
                                • Average of 12: 19.09 (MoreTry Tianma V3)
                                • Average of 100: 21.37 (GAN Mini M Pro)
                                • Average of 1,000: 22.59 (GAN Mini M Pro)
                                • Average of 5,000: 23.06 (GAN Mini M Pro)
                                • Average of 10,000: 23.32 (GAN Mini M Pro)

                                Thanks again for the questions! 😀

                                    Joseph41
                                    Hey Nick! So exciting to see this AMA on the new site 😃

                                    Joseph41 I didn't get my Ps until I was 24.

                                    So glad to hear I'm not the only one with a similar experience! I also didn't get my Ls straight away and it took me a few years of on-and-off driving to accumulate my hours after that.

                                    I actually have my driving test next week, a week shy of my 22nd birthday, so wish me luck! I was going to do it earlier this month but then I caught COVID which really threw a spanner in the works.

                                    Joseph41 I have cubes from 2x2 (smaller than the regular Rubik's cube) up until 7x7 (obviously a fair bit larger), and also puzzles called the pyraminx, megaminx, kilominx, skewb, square-1, mirror block, and possibly some others.

                                    That's a very impressive collection! I only have the 2x2 up to 5x5, the pyraminx and the mirror block. I have to say, the mirror block is so gorgeous — it's a beautiful dynamic sculpture that changes with every scramble! And it's very satisfying seeing how the same algorithms which work on the regular 3x3 by colour can be used on the mirror block but with shape instead. What colour is your mirror block? Gold or silver? I have both but I'm partial to the gold one...

                                    Do you have any picture 3x3s? As a huge Swiftie, I have a custom-ordered 3x3 where the 6 faces are the covers to Taylor's first 6 studio albums! Very fun to solve.

                                    Joseph41 Favourite PLL is definitely H perm, but I use the beginner method still, despite cubing for 10+ years on and off lol. It's been a long-term thing for me where I've been trying to motivate myself to learn CFOP, but I've just never done it, and now my muscle memory is so hard to break

                                    The beginner method is still sort of modelled from CFOP though, right? I follow the CFOP structure too but I use intuitive F2L and 2-Look OLL because I don't think I could memorise all those algorithms haha! Have you ever considered learning an alternate way of solving the cube such as the Roux method?

                                    Lastly, when will Lauren and you come visit Sydney? I've gotten to meet Ollie, David and Alvin over the years but the rest of the Victorian team remains a mystery...

                                              Joseph41

                                              I am of the opinion that what major you study is generally irrelevant for Arts degrees (minus a select few exceptions),
                                              Why is that, out of interest?

                                              I found that with most Arts subjects, the importance of soft skills like research and academic writing outweighed the content itself, also the content had huge overlaps between different majors. And in terms of careers, most majors aren’t particularly specialised / lock you into certain fields (eg. no one would bat an eye if a history major worked in international relations). Of course you could say the same for many other degrees but I feel this is especially true for Arts. Curious to know whether you agree/disagree? And why do you think if you rewind the clock you would change IR for gender studies or philosophy?

                                              I think Arts degrees are very employable,

                                              PREACH!

                                              Now we're talking! Might need to make a new cubing discussion area haha. I'd also be interested in your answers to the same questions!

                                              I am very down for a cubing discussion thread.

                                              I’ve mained the RS3M 2020 as well – still think it’s the best value for money! Are you a fan of mini cubes in general? (seeing you also mained GAN 354M). It is impressive that you can have an almost sub-10 PB using the beginner method – you must have insane TPS!

                                              Oh and A Perm for favourite PLL – with U Perm being a close second.

                                                  leotlion Best of luck for your test! Hope it all goes well and there's a favourable result. 😃

                                                  What colour is your mirror block? Gold or silver? I have both but I'm partial to the gold one...

                                                  Neither! I went for the GAN Mirror Block, which is purple and shiny and magnetic haha. I think they all look wonderful, though - I agree with you!

                                                  Do you have any picture 3x3s? As a huge Swiftie, I have a custom-ordered 3x3 where the 6 faces are the covers to Taylor's first 6 studio albums! Very fun to solve.

                                                  No, not at this stage. Where'd you find the picture cube?

                                                  The beginner method is still sort of modelled from CFOP though, right? I follow the CFOP structure too but I use intuitive F2L and 2-Look OLL because I don't think I could memorise all those algorithms haha! Have you ever considered learning an alternate way of solving the cube such as the Roux method?

                                                  There are similarities, yeah. I'm slowly working my way through intuitive F2L - the algs are a bit overwhelming. I considered Roux, but CFOP just seems like a pretty safe bet overall, y'know?

                                                  @hums_student made a cubing discussion - join us here.

                                                  Lastly, when will Lauren and you come visit Sydney? I've gotten to meet Ollie, David and Alvin over the years but the rest of the Victorian team remains a mystery...

                                                  I'm not too sure! With COVID over the last few years, interstate travel has become a lot more difficult, but we'll see! 😁

                                                      hums_student Yeah, I think I would tend to agree with that re: Arts majors and content etc. I don't have any personal experience studying other areas, but that seems like a fair summary to me based on what I know.

                                                      Re: international studies (not international relations), I enjoyed it at the time, but ultimately it just felt like a combination of a bunch of different areas, and I'd probably prefer to have just studied one of those specific areas in hindsight. I think as I've aged, I've also just become more interested in philosophy/gender studies (and they'd have been more relevant for my thesis).

                                                      P.S. TPS isn't amazing. I was extremely lucky with that 10.01 second solve (last layer skip). Aside from that solve, I haven't had any sub-13 solves, and only about five 13s.

                                                        Any tips on writing essays I am failing english

                                                          XZY Hey there! Thanks for the question. What specifically are you struggling with? Forming arguments? Writing fluently? Finding enough to write about?

                                                              Joseph41 I struggle with sentence fluency and also grammar while writing essays. As English is my second language.