That’s it. The HSC year started now. We’ve all heard the stories about what the upcoming ten months will require: hours of studying, numerous all-nighters, absurdly high caffeine intake, and the list goes on. However, a common omission is the fact that the HSC year is larger than the HSC itself. It’s the busiest, most hectic year of school; blink your eyes, and you’ll miss it. It’s the year of the “18th and last time ever.”
It doesn’t exclude you from having sleepless nights over your grades. But in the end, how you handle it will determine how successful your last year of school is.
Here are the 5 things you must refrain from doing to make the hectic journey ahead a little easier and more enjoyable:
1. Don’t go it alone.
Going it alone is likely the worst decision you can make this year. And by that I mean going it alone in all of its manifestations.
You have a complete year group who is going through the same thing as you are, as well as your family, and instructors who are there to support you. If you choose to ride this HSC roller coaster alone, you will not only miss out on experiencing the ups and downs with your friends, but you will also miss out on the opportunity to establish an incredibly important support network, which, believe me, comes in handy every now, and then.
Having a support system is beneficial for more than just emotional support; it also allows you to have great conversations with your friends about specific topics or ideas. It is one of the best ways to: finish your study of a particular subject, learn new perspectives on or ways to memorize something, and is such an excellent way to discover the significant gaps in your own understanding.
Everyone should be thought of as a mentor for any subject, in a way. While asking your teacher to read a practice essay via email can be reassuring and trustworthy, you shouldn’t view them as the only person with the authority to make track-changes. Instead, gather a group of friends and plan to exchange responses on a regular basis, proofread one another’s writing, and offer each other helpful criticism. You will be able to improve your own response before sending it to your teacher, resulting in an even better final product, in addition to learning from each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Listen, as corny as it may sound, you’re all in this together, and going it alone will only cause you to fall behind, no matter how competitive the HSC may feel.
Working together will make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
2. Don’t put your life on hold.
It is the 12th year. Unless you’re a fantastic fifteen-year-old baller, you’re probably 17 or 18 years old. These are some of the best days of your life, and you’ll never get them back. You must understand that there is a time for work and a time for enjoyment. Any brilliant thinker you know takes time off – Bill Gates vacationed in Napa, while Steve Jobs visited India. The list goes on.
You cannot allow yourself to be overwhelmed by a study at all costs’ mentality; it simply does not work. Hopefully, as we guide you through your Year 12 journey with our films, you’ll see the benefits and approach of working smarter, not simply harder.
It leaves you with plenty of time to take care of yourself. Sports and road trips with your friends are two examples. Making time for yourself not only reduces stress and increases enjoyment, but it can also help you approach your studies in a deeper, more concentrated manner.
Many people are unaware of an extremely important fact: you have both physical and mental health. For many of us, there will be a point this year when we feel like our future is crumbling around us and our dream life will never come true. Taking a step back, going out and socializing, and letting people know how you’re doing are all crucial components of a successful HSC year.
So, as important as a good ATAR or grades may appear, your life should not be dominated by the 6 or so tests you’ll be taking in October. Things will be a year of highs and lows, so be conscious of this and stay on top of it, but don’t put your life on hold!
After all, we don’t want to exhaust ourselves.
3. Don’t burn out.
If there’s a symbol of burnout, it’s a cyclist squeezing ahead of the chasing pack and then hitting the wall. A 10-minute lead vanishes almost instantaneously, and they find themselves alone on a mountain with 100 kilometers to go.
It’s a lesson in self-pacing unlike any other. Finally, you can be ahead of the pack for the entire year if you hammer session after session of rigorous study. When the going gets tough and you need to shift into high gear for trials or the HSC, you drop off and finish far behind because you’re exhausted and overworked.
Pace yourself and study smartly rather than hard.
4. Don’t try to study only when you have an exam.
Studying simply when you have an upcoming exam or assessment puts you at a significant disadvantage. It’s like tying your writing hand behind your back to take an exam. Why would you do such a thing?
Dominating any subject, like anything else in life, needs continuous and prolonged effort. Athletes, like you, have a sports pre-season. Musicians practice their instruments even when there is no upcoming performance. The same should be said about your exams!
The main issue with simply studying during crunch times is that you don’t devote nearly enough time to each subject. Even if you covered the topic, you’d be speeding through it without fully knowing it and ignoring the finer, more intriguing details that set you apart.
At this point, top students know what to do: have all of the subjects completed and summarized by the time exam periods arrive so you can avoid cramming and focus on practice questions and critical debates in class. That is when you comprehend a subject and can begin to see the big picture.
There’s also a pro tip for you: it’s a great habit to develop for university, where you’ll have less time to study and more content than you’ve ever seen!
This leads us to our final 5th rule.
5. Don’t rely solely on textbooks and past papers.
It’s astonishing how many people arrive at university and declare, “I never really knew what I was doing in high school, and I wish I did!” Textbooks and old papers are hypnotizing psychics. They dupe you into thinking that actual mastery of a subject comes from answering a lot of questions, but it doesn’t.
You may have noticed the implicit theme in our blog, seasoned blog readers. Essentially, true mastery of any subject in the HSC entails all modes of learning. Everything from classic techniques of taking notes and answering questions to more modern and scientific approaches like discussing topics with your classmates and using flashcards to help you comprehend the content better. Also you can join the best HSC coaching in Parramatta, Sydney as they have the faculties with higher experience in mathematics, english and science subjects.
The issue with textbooks is that they are only marginally effective because they only teach you the fundamentals and theory of a given area. There are numerous inventive ways to expand on textbook knowledge that will truly help you apply what you’ve learned. Textbooks aren’t your only source of information, either. As much as we like to blow our own trumpet and encourage you to keep up with our videos as you mail in content.
The same is true for previous exams. If you only use BOSTES past papers and answer sheets, you’ll quickly find yourself boxed in, knowing the method to some types of questions but not really understanding how it relates to the subject, or the syllabus. This will only make it more difficult for you to reach your full potential and to ace any exam question.
Final Words
So, if you keep these 5 things in mind as you begin your HSC year, you will be able to enjoy and succeed in your final year without burning out.
Go ahead and start today your high school coaching in Sydney, Australia with Cosmos. Here at Cosmos, we prepare the students to score the best marks and achieve the higher grades for the Mathematics and Science HSC exams.
