Hii welcome to my journal!! I'm mismortal and I'm currently at the end of Year 10 (literally graduating tomorrow WHAT) going into VCE, and decided to start a journal here cuz it seemed cool!! Hopefully I can actually consistently update 😭
My classes for next year are:

  • English
  • General Maths
  • Legal Studies
  • Psychology
  • Indonesian (Through VSL)
    I start these classes next week in Headstart (not sure if its a thing elsewhere? Basically we have three weeks of our new classes at the very end of the year) and honestly I'm kinda terrified??? To be completely honest, I haven't done great throughout Year 10, so hopefully I can do better next year!
    Anyways, I'll write again sometime next week!

    mismortal
    Hi Mismortal!
    Welcome to the harrowing, scary, yet somewhat fulfilling journey of VCE!! Seems like you have a pretty good spread of subjects, we can't wait to see your adventure unfold! Enjoy headstart, and your summer break too!

        hii mismortal good luck with year 11 next year!! it's definetly a lot but also super fun as u finally get to do subjects that u get to choose 🙂 I loved year 11 Psychology and hope u do to!! am happy to share resources for Psych if u like

          FinFin-3rdYearUni
          Hii, thanks!! I did kinda similar subjects in Year 9 and start of Year 10, so I'll hopefully be somewhat ready! I'll probably still have to do some Indonesian revision before VSL starts, I feel like everyone else there is going to know way more than me 😭 😭

            frog_of_spades
            Hii!! Yea, probably what I'm most looking forward to is doing classes that I actually like again, especially since I kept getting put into investing and business classes throughout 9/10 💀
            Also, with psych resources, that would be really helpful if its not too much of a hassle!! I'm kinda worried about falling behind a little, since its been a hot second since I've done psychology : DD

                mismortal No worries! I'd be happy to send through some Psych resources 🙂
                For Unit 1 AOS 3 I created these flashcards on quizlet and somehow mangaged to get 100% which was awesome. Feel free to share these with others as well, idm if it can help others do well too 🙂
                https://quizlet.com/au/674390613/psych-sac-3-flash-cards/?i=2vo8l8&x=1jqt

                And I'm sure you'll do well too! Psych is a content heavy subject but if you try your best in class and, if you can, do some practice questions as SACs are coming up, you'll be more than prepared. I also made sure to create summary notes for key topics mentioned in the VCAA study design dot points and had a colour coding system for identifying key terms (mentioned in the VCAA study design), and for examples. Not saying you have to do this ofc!! And I'm usually not so organised, so creating my notes like this was a little out of the ordinary for me too! But just thought to share in case it helps!

                Also, I know that it can be daunting but make sure to ask questions to clarify things in class or ask your teacher privately if you need help. There's no shame in falling behind though ik it might feel like it, trust me I've been there, but there are ways you can get back on top of your classwork and study.

                I'll see if I can find more of my Psych resources and send them through. A lot of the resources I used though were supplied by my school such as Edrolo, worksheets and practice SACs and exams. My main study method was doing these questions and asking my teacher for feedback, consistently throughout the year. I even redid the questions several times to improve upon my previous answers, which I think helped me be ready for the SACs. You don't need to have an excess of resources to do well, so make the most of the resources your teachers might have as well as notes or tips from those who have studied the subject before such as friends, older students at your school, or even here on the ATARNotes discussion.

                For context I achieved over 90% on all my Psych SACs this year, and one 100% for Unit 1 AOS 3. I scored 90% on my Unit 1 exam. If you need any help with definitions or tips for memorisation, feel free to lmk! I'll also try scan and upload my Psych notes to the ATARNotes free resources tab. And I'll link it here when I upload them. I might not be able to do this until sometime on the weekend though. Sorry about that! And sorry for such a long reply, and not so many resources just yet!!

                    Hello!
                    I hope the graduation went well for you!
                    I know that it must be very scary for you to be starting VCE, specially since Psychology and Legal Studies are somewhat content heavy (I have finished psychology and I did units 1&2 of Legal Studies last year with 0 background knowledge.) and languages are intimidating if it isn't your first language, but don't be too nervous.(a little bit of stress can be adaptive and good though!) With consistency, all subjects are manageable!
                    I do have some advice regarding psychology and legal studies, if you would like! Otherwise, ignore me as I go off.
                    Psychology and legal studies are both subjects that often require explanation and a lot of writing and knowing how to structure your answers properly. To answer questions in these subjects, students have to rely on 'command terms' within the question like 'explain', 'discuss', 'evaluate' and the number of marks per question. So throughout year 11, the focus should be on both knowing the content very well, and how to structure your answer based on the question (this can improve and maximise your scores).
                    Legal Studies is really heavy on this, because there are no multiple choice questions in the exams (unit 3&4) but psychology does have multiple choice questions in the exams. (Just one thing: no SAC (school assessed coursework) will contain multiple choice questions.)
                    Both subjects also have a lot of scenario/case study questions, so you'll have to make peace with reading a lot, especially legal articles.
                    For psychology, I recommend learning Key science skills well, because a lot of content was removed from the current study design so that VCAA can emphasise on KSS.
                    Lastly, check the study designs for all subjects to be better informed about what you need to learn and what can and will be assessed.
                    I hope that you enjoy the upcoming two years of study!

                      frog_of_spades
                      omgg tysm!! I'll def use these when I start next week!!
                      Also about falling behind, that's another small goal of mine next year; to actually ask teachers for help!! I made the mistake of never asking teachers anything in Year 10 and obviously fell behind because I didn't know anything 😭

                        Koala4444
                        Tysm for the advice!! I'll keep this in mine when preparing for next year : DD

                          5 days later

                          Hii! Here's my first update in VCE!
                          Graduation was pretty good ig, tho it was only really a slideshow :/
                          VCE isn't as terrifying as I though it would be! Bigger workload, but at least I'm actually doing stuff in class now!
                          Though my psych teacher hasn't been here AT ALL, and we keep getting bad subs 😭
                          Luckily, I get a study period every day but Friday during headstart, since VSL doesn't start till next year, so I've been doing that to catch up on any work and practice my Indonesian : DD While I was in Jogja for a school trip, I picked up an Indonesian copy of the first Percy Jackson book, so I've been practicing with that, as well as some other stuff!!

                          A question about studying: How many hours a week am I generally supposed to be studying? I'm getting a lot of conflicting answers when I ask anyone, some saying 10, some 15h, some higher??
                          Also, what exactly am I supposed to be doing while studying 😭 kinda stupid question, but I somehow managed to get through the last 10 years without ever really studying, so what do I do?? If I need to prepare for an exam or something, I usually just review my notes, should I be doing anything else as well?

                            mismortal
                            Hello!
                            About studying hours, the correct answer is however much you actually need. Because people have different needs in regards to time for learning and understanding.
                            As for what to study: this varies in each subject.

                            • English: Review texts' events and quotes (text response essays) and practice essays for all three types of essays (in the exam) throughout the next two years. You don't have to write full essays, even a paragraph or two on top of homework and SAC prep can help you improve beyond other classmates. But don't rush into it, you will be guided.

                            • Indonesian: It's amazing that you've picked up a book! Immersing yourself in the language is the best way to improve! Also, I suggest writing in Indonesian. Check the study design and past exams to see what type of texts they require you to write throughout the two years and in the exam and the level of fluency required and how to work yourself up there.

                            • General math: practicing questions is the only way to go for any math subject.

                            • Psychology and Legal Studies: other than reviewing the content so you don't forget it throughout the semester (or the year if your teacher decides to have a final exam on both units), you should be doing practice questions for both subjects. The skills of knowing how to answer questions in these two subjects is somewhat similar, and it carries onto next year. And this skill needs practice by writing/typing your answers and correcting them.

                            • legal studies(again): try to source case studies and articles in Victoria about civil and criminal cases occurring because lots of exam and SAC type of questions will be taken from similar articles and by analysing those articles in relation to what you read (no need to do that on paper if your teachers don't require you to) you will ultimately enhance your understanding and ability to draw connections.

                            Anyway, I hope my answer gives you a rough idea of what you can do to study to stay on top of the class consistently.
                            Good luck with your headstart and studies!

                                mismortal
                                When reviewing content for exams, you can use the Unit 3/4 Study Design of each subject as a checklist. Go through and see what you know well, kind of well, sort of, and not very well, then revise on all those. Practice exams come in handy for assessing your knowledge and what you may need to also work on

                                    12 days later

                                    Koala4444
                                    Hii tysm sorry for the late reply, thanks for the suggestions!! Also, related to psychology, do you know if it has many pracs? I know there's the practical thing for assessment, but apart from that we've only really been doing notes ^^

                                        FinFin-3rdYearUni
                                        Hii sorry for the late reply!! I didn't think of checking the 3/4 study design, but it makes sense, thanks ^^

                                          Hii, here's a short update as I start the final week of headstart!
                                          So far, its been pretty good, I like my classes more than the ones I had this year!! I have definitely been more focused on my work then previously, so I don't think I've fallen behind!
                                          Not really much to update on, since I've only just started, but yeah! I'll probably next update sometime towards the start of next year ^^

                                            mismortal
                                            Hi
                                            Glad to know things are going well.
                                            Other than the poster SAC (unit 4, area of study 3) we didn't do any experiments and practical activities that we had to write reports for.
                                            But your teachers may organise some activities for fun and enhanced learning.

                                              mismortal
                                              It's good that you're excited for Year 12, and you enjoy your classes too (for now). Focus is definitely key in these classes too

                                                17 days later

                                                mismortal
                                                Hey mismortal!
                                                I am a bit late to this post, but have only just joined ATAR notes as a recent Year 12 graduate who also studied VCE Indonesian! It's great to see another Indo student on here due to it being such a small cohort. Whilst I didn't do AMAZINGLY in the class (high 30s raw study score), Indo was my favourite subject and is such a rewarding course.
                                                If you have any questions about the language, the way the course is structured, or any tips that I found helpful, I would be more than happy to help! It is GREAT that you are already immersing yourself in the language with the Indo book, this will certainly help in the long run!!
                                                Good luck for VCE!

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