Hi all,
I must admit I was a procrastinator last year. Never really did any work out of school hours unless there was an assessment due the next day
Came out with a UAI of 92.95, not too bad, and got into the course I wanted too.
Lots of guesswork here, but:
I think there are some people in this world who can promise themselves that they *will* work, and then they do. And then there are the other people who promise themselves that they *will* work, but then they don't.
I hate rote-learning, I hate it with a passion. Furthermore, a great deal of the HSC is rote-learning/regurgitation, and so this time last year, I refused to study on moral grounds.
Somewhere along the line I was smart enough to realise that writing a "Your HSC sucks" to the Board of Studies wasn't going to guarentee me a pass. So, I looked at other alternatives. I did a lot of english subjects and found I love talking out my notes, and discussing issues with other students (either here, on msn, or in person at school) rather than working alone by myself, was a lot better for me. We got an informal kind of study support thing - we'd ring each other up and go "ARE YOU STUDYING?!?!?!!! No? Me too! hahaha! Ok, we'd better start now...". We also did paragraph tag ("Ok. We both have to write one paragraph each in the next twenty minutes. It can be crap, but you still have to write a paragraph. Ready...steady...write!") and that sort of thing to help ourselves along.
I didn't do much "real" studying last year, but I did a lot of talking, which is kinda the same thing.
The more you know your modules and what's involved, the better chance you have of getting good marks without having stayed up the night before writing practice essays. Find out the way that works for you, and do it.
I guess this is what makes BOS such a great place - time spent on here is rarely bludging. If you take care to post on the "academic" forums, you can actually be learning a fair bit
You could also get a bos study group happening on msn (this is something I did last year, very very very helpful for last-minute discussion!!!!).
Oh and also guys - make sure there is a balance in your life. For those who have happy supportive families, you'll be fine. For those that don't, find something else for you to zone out in, otherwise you are putting yourself at major risk of burnout. I kept my dance training up all through last year, if you guys aren't already doing something like sport, or art, or something else that you enjoy, I strongly suggest you do so. And make sure it doesn't have anything to do with a computer
