Hi,
I’ve always heard that to get a great atar, these students dedicate hours of studying per day. I’m worried about this as I start Year 11 next year and I’ve never been good with consistently studying without distractions. I am also worried because I travel an hour to and from school every day but I know students who travel even longer to selective schools in the city do phenomenal. I am aiming for a high atar as I strive to study medicine. So, I wanted to know if anyone had any tips as I start VCE, and I wanted to hear the brutal but realistic truth of what is expected to receive a near or perfect star

    08 As a current year 12 aiming for a high ATAR (not a perfect one tho) I'd say the biggest advice is to figure out how you learn. Spending hours and hours studying doesn't neccessarily mean you're learning. Generally learning can be hands-on, visual (images or text), auditory or a combination of these. Knowing which of these suits you best can help you figure out the most effective way for you to revise your content.
    It can also be really helpful to figure out whether you study/learn well in group settings because a study group can be an incredible way to stay motivated/teach others(which is a really good way to reinforce content you've learnt)/learn from others but it doesn't work for everyone.

    I'm also going to be honest, VCE can be really stressful and it's so easy to fall into the comparison game so keep an eye on your mental health. Your health should come before your ATAR, although that can be a very hard thing sometimes because the VCE system is not really built to support students.
    Find your community, your interests/hobbies, ways to relax or support your mental health.
    And try to have at least one subject you genuinely enjoy, it makes the year so much better.

    Goodluck!

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