This is a continuation of this discussion thread here (there are a bunch of student stories at that link if this new discussion hasn't yet kicked off!), which is now archived, but which I found really interesting. Basically, I'd love to hear stories about receiving your ATAR - for the Class of 2022, you'll be able to add your own in a couple of months (and I'd love to hear about how you're feeling about the whole process now, too).

Opening post from the original discussion thread:

What was receiving your results like for you? As expected? Anti-climatic? Did you sleep that night?

For me, it was a bit of a weird one. Between exams and ATAR release, I had a sort of excited/nervous combination going on, but I was broadly looking forward to ATAR day just to get it all over and done with.

I went to bed pretty early the night before (I was tired haha), and got to sleep. But then I was woken at like 2am by a friend texting me saying that the Herald Sun had leaked results. Crazy. Basically, what had happened was they'd published an article or something early (perhaps they were testing it - I'm not sure), and you could search by name. It didn't show every study score, but it showed all 40+ raw study scores (in Victoria, this means you're in the top 9% or so of the state for that subject), so some people got a pretty decent indication of what they were going to get.

The thing is, though, is that nobody knew if it was legit or some sort of weird, elaborate hoax. I didn't get back to sleep after that, so the next five hours or something were spent basically refreshing waiting to see if the results were legit or not. They were, so when I opened my official ATAR, it probably wasn't as nerve-wracking as perhaps it would have otherwise been.

Anyway, I spent ATAR day just walking along St. Kilda beach trying to work out what I wanted to do the next year. My ATAR threw me a bit, and I ended up changing my preferences fairly considerably, but it all worked out in the end.

/rambling story

    14 days later
    a month later

    My ATAR story:

    I was in a different country when I received my ATAR, so it came out at 3am in the morning lol. I did sleep that night because I already got into uni through the early offer scheme. But I was still excited to see how much my hard work actually paid off haha. Night before, I was messing around and logged into QCAA to see my final results and stuff. I saw 93/100 for Chemistry and I was instantly like, “what????” And then I looked at my final exam marks for all my subjects and was like, “how exactly did I do that well?” I was only disappointed with my English mark for my final which was 15/25. Lol. I calculated the average and it was 81.4. This is before scaling and everything so I stood there and was kinda disappointed. The next morning, I woke up early and before brushing my teeth, I ran and logged into the ATAR portal. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw 91.75, because I thought my ATAR would be below 85 or something. Scaling did some crazy stuff dude. I told my mum and she was really proud.

    I messaged all my mates and asked how’d you all go and most of em got above 90. It was really nice knowing all of us had our backs throughout the past 2 years and our hard work paid off. Even writing about it now brings a smile to my face 😊

    It was then I realised, that the most important thing in year 12 isn’t studying a crazy amount of hours. It’s having a good support system. It’s having one person or multiple to lean on (physically and/or emotionally) and that you’ll know will have your back. I know I couldn’t have made it through years 11 and 12 without my mates always being there for me. When we share and talk about stuff that’s stressing us out, we feel lighter, and it gives us this happiness when they talk about their life to you.

    So, my number one tip:
    Have a good support system, and be there for others if you can,
    -jinx_58

    Lol I rambled 😂😅 sorry bout that

    5 days later

    My ATAR story:

    I was super nervous the day before getting my results. Like I was excited but since some of my exams didn't feel like they went very well (cough cough chemistry and further), I wasn't sure sure to expect. I needed an 86 ATAR and whilst I'd worked as hard as I could during the year, I never knew whether I would have what it takes to get into my dream science course. I never knew how much work was needed, so I just worked as hard as I could despite the ups and downs along the way. I tried to distract myself with Netflix shows, reading, and YouTube the night before, and thankfully I did fall asleep. Although, I did end up constantly dreaming about opening my results. One of my dreams involved me getting a 96 ATAR, which I knew was impossible, and another was about me completely failing all together. I ended up waking up at 6:15am that morning, having to then wait 45min hours get my results. Even though VCAA sent out my study scores at 6:30am, I wanted to wait until my ATAR was released so I could check it at the same time as my scores (or else I'd be paranoid for 30min). I messaged a few friends who were waiting as well and listened to a podcast episode to take my mind off things...except it didn't really help considering my heart was pounded in my ears by the time it was 6:45am. Finally, it was 7am and I instantly logged in. When my study scores showed up I was in complete shock. I'd managed to get 40+ study scores for all my subjects, something I never thought was even possible for me. My goal was always to achieve a 40 study score in one of my subjects, but in all of them...I was crying with joy. I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. I then clicked to check my ATAR and was in even more shock when I saw 97.10. My goal the whole year had been an 86, and I wasn't even sure if that was possible by the end of the exams. I was so happy and relieved that my hard work had paid off...and definitely in an unexpected way. Never in a million years did I think I'd crack the 90s and I did. Most of all, I knew I was into my course!!!! I messaged some of my friends and they were all super happy. My parent were super proud too. It ended up being a really awesome day and it really reminded me that I'm capable of more than think (I'm always really hard on myself). For any younger students, remember that you've got this. Work hard and make sure you have a good support network, because in the end, you might just surprise yourself!!!

      _sophiestudies_ omg congrats!! Very well deserved!! 😁😁👏👏I'm going into year 10 next year and it's crazy that I will start my VCE studies then! And by the looks of what people have written on this forum, the journey isn't easy, but if I will put my mind to it and have great support then I will get through it

          Arielle you've got this! VCE is super hard, but if you put your mind to it and honestly have some faith in yourself, you will see your hard work pay off in some way. Goodluck for next year!!!

            7 months later

            _sophiestudies_ hii!!
            congrats heaps on your phenomenal results
            just wanted to ask what subjects you did and what you were averaging to get 40+
            I'm currently in year 12 and need some hope that it's possible

                zarqnoor I did english, further maths, biology, chemistry, and visual communication design. I think my SAC grades were mostly in the 80s or 90s, but I'm really not too sure. It's all a bit of a blur haha, and I feel like once I got my ATAR, I just forgot about it all (same for all my friends too). But yeah, most of SACs were in that range, but of course I had a few here and there that were lower. I'm also not sure exactly what I got on the exams, except that they were all A+ except for chemistry, which was an A (those grades have huge ranges though). At the end of the day, my biggest tip is to not stress yourself silly over your SAC grades. The exams are weighted the highest, and even then, it's not the end of the world if something stuffs up or you have a bad exam. This is coming from retrospect, and someone who used to fixate a lot of grades. They're important, but not everything! You're worth isn't defined by your grades. Getting 40+ study scores is cool, but even if you get scores in the 20s or 30s, that's also completely fine. Just know you did your best and that's what matters. I do understand that some people need high ATARs to get into uni courses, but transferring is actually so common and uni students do it all the time anyway (even if they got into their "dream" course). Anyway, I'm kinda ranting at this point haha. What I'm trying to say is that your not your grades! You're so much more than that and have so much potential! Good luck for rest of year 12! You've got this!

                  a year later

                  Joseph41
                  I graduated in 2020, so my last exam was 30th of November, and I got my results on the 30th of December. Unit 4 and the exams weren't great for me, but thought I had what I needed to get to uni; an ATAR above 60, and an English study score of 20. I woke up around 10AMish, checked the website and I was gutted. I didn't have either the ATAR or English study score for uni.

                  I was absolutely devastated for the entire day, and a few weeks after as well. I was embarrassed and ashamed, yet happy for my friends who all got good scores. One of my friends got a score of 99.35, but I was dealt with a score of 53.35.

                  I knew I wanted to have a gap year anyway, so I guess having a second one, and waiting an extra year wouldn't be too bad. During my gap year (2021), I travelled all around Victoria and beyond, worked at the snow, and dodged COVID lockdowns. In 2022, I did a semester at uni, learning how to study, research, write essays, and more at a university level. Now, I've finished my 2nd year at uni, and things couldn't be better. I'm confident in my studies, I'm proud of the work I've done, and cannot wait to finish uni and enter the workforce.

                  It's important to always have a backup, and if you're going to take an unplanned gap year, make the most of it. Work, travel, make money, volunteer, do it all

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