Help with HSC Please! :( I'm going so crap at it... (1 Viewer)

[ragemaster1]

Hey, I'm currently really struggling with HSC at the moment. I do the following subjects: Biology, Economics, Advanced English, Chemistry, and Mathematics (2 Unit). For all my assessments and assignments I've been getting really bad ranks (last, and second last). This is not me and it is being affected by general HSC stress and issues occurring at home. So basically my mum understands that as long as I try whatever ATAR I get I can still get into University by another pathway, but with my father he is expecting great things from me, like getting 75+ for my ATAR, but when i had plugged my scores into a few ATAR calculators I get in the 40's or <30. I'm not a dumb person and I'm quite capable of doing so much but with all this stress I've just lost hope. I did used to see a counsellor but all of the tips are just general tips and not 'tailored' to my issues where my father teases me (calls me fat, lazy etc), gets to the point of near hitting me, and also just blames a lot of things on me and tells me off for extremely minor things.

I've had thoughts of suicide but I'm just scared of the pain I might endure. I'm currently doing trials now and I have a Chemistry exam tomorrow and I tried studying it but I don't even know the basics like balancing the equation. Hopefully there's someone on here that may be able to help me out, because it can be easy as calling DOC's and me being put into care by another caregiver but my mother is on my side and I have siblings. I'm also doing one on one tutoring for maths and it's really embarrassing when I don't even know how to answer a question just after I was told how to.

Me personally, I understand that there are other pathways of getting into University but thinking from now, I'm going to get a crappy ATAR and in the back of my mind I'm thinking what my father is going to do to me when I receive the SMS on December 17th and my ATAR is either in the 40's or <30.

Here's how I'm going in my subjects:

Chemistry: Terrible, still don't understand basics even when tried to study, and if I do end up learning it I forget it.
Maths: I'm ok when it comes to doing the questions in class but when under pressure/stress in exams I get pretty crap marks like 30%.
Adv. English: I struggle to remember quotes, techniques etc.
Economics: Have issues understanding certain concepts, then again I seem to go well in class but under exam conditions I get pretty crap.
Biology: I go well in class, but under exam conditions I go crap.

Thank you so much guys for any help or tips that you may give.

 

[Dennis1348]

Re: Going bad at the HSC...

holy shit man, before you do anything see a psychologist ........

Your dad sounds like an idiot, that type of negative motivation never works for anyone. Even for those with mental power of steel.
In my opinion try and get to the library everyday after school so your away from him and can study. Go to your teachers for your desired subjects, asking for help. At first they may be lazy kunts, but if you persist they will eventually help you.

Don't stress man 75+ atar is still achievable with externals

 

[Dennis1348]

Re: Going bad at the HSC...

plus if you don't get your desired atar theres always UWS then transferring

 

[ragemaster1]

Re: Going bad at the HSC...

holy shit man, before you do anything see a psychologist ........

Ok, I'll look into that as a solution, but I'm just so stressed out at the moment, I physically feel the pain in the middle of my chest from this anxiety. I went crap in year 11 as well and it was because of the exact reason. Year 11 was when I started seeing a counsellor but as I said in my first post it didn't really help out much. I also have a tutor coming at 10pm for a one-on-one lesson and I have NO IDEA what to tell him to help me with because I don't even know what I need help with, that's how screwed I am .

 

[ragemaster1]

Re: Going bad at the HSC...

plus if you don't get your desired atar theres always UWS then transferring

Yeah, but dude my ranks and marks are so crap. It's not normal for me. All of my marks for each subject average out at 30-35% and I'm coming 2nd last and last in my subjects.

 

[Chris_S]

Re: Going bad at the HSC...

You need confidence man you have absolutely zero at the moment! Remember everybody has a good shot at a good ATAR no matter the situation so just study hard get help from loved ones, friends or professionals and get in the right mindset and smash the HSC! All the best and don't worry it is all going to be fine!

 

[ragemaster1]

Re: Going bad at the HSC...

You need confidence man you have absolutely zero at the moment! Remember everybody has a good shot at a good ATAR no matter the situation so just study hard get help from loved ones, friends or professionals and get in the right mindset and smash the HSC! All the best!

Well, do you reckon if I still try hard for my HSC Finals I can still get a pretty good ATAR? I mean like I'm coming LAST for god's sake.

Thanks.

 

[Chris_S]

Well you can definitely improve and yes in my opinion you can get a decent ATAR! Also try to get as many bonus points as possible to help you get into your desired course! If you need any help ask me or anyone else on this site! And also I improved by 30% in chemistry, mathematics and extension mathematics from prelim to trials so anything is impossible and all I did was study hard and managed my life so I had adequate times of leisure to reenergise

 

[ragemaster1]

Well you can definitely improve and yes in my opinion you can get a decent ATAR! Also try to get as many bonus points as possible to help you get into your desired course! If you need any help ask me or anyone else on this site! And also I improved by 30% in chemistry, mathematics and extension mathematics from prelim to trials so anything is impossible and all I did was study hard and managed my life so I had adequate times of leisure to reenergise

Thank you so much! I'll most likely go see a psychologist to help me get into the mindset of studying again, as I've honestly lost the motivation to do so.

 

[Helium head]

Dw just do well in externals
And with ur tutor , maybe just go thru a past paper and address whatever issues u come across?
Dw ur not alone I feel exactly the same atm

 

[Chris_S]

Well I suggest if you have no more exams maybe having a few days off to regroup yourself and feel better! This will hopefully get guilt to kick into you for not studying and than get motivated to study lol (works for me)

 

[ragemaster1]

Dw just do well in externals
And with ur tutor , maybe just go thru a past paper and address whatever issues u come across?
Dw ur not alone I feel exactly the same atm

Ok, thanks. What do you mean by externals? When the tutor comes in an hour's time, yeah I'll just go across the issues I overcome when doing the past papers.

 

[ragemaster1]

Well I suggest if you have no more exams maybe having a few days off to regroup yourself and feel better! This will hopefully get guilt to kick into you for not studying and than get motivated to study lol (works for me)

Haha yeah. I still have Chemistry tomorrow, then Maths on Friday. Then Monday I have Bio, then Wednesday Bio Prac, and Tuesday Economics.

 

[Chris_S]

Externals are the final HSC exams which worth 50%

 

[ragemaster1]

Externals are the final HSC exams which worth 50%

Oh, ok.

 

[ragemaster1]

Re: Going bad at the HSC...

holy shit man, before you do anything see a psychologist ........

Your dad sounds like an idiot, that type of negative motivation never works for anyone. Even for those with mental power of steel.
In my opinion try and get to the library everyday after school so your away from him and can study. Go to your teachers for your desired subjects, asking for help. At first they may be lazy kunts, but if you persist they will eventually help you.

Don't stress man 75+ atar is still achievable with externals

Thanks, I feel much better now after this discussion with others haha.

 

[Fiction]

Hey, I'm currently really struggling with HSC at the moment. I do the following subjects: Biology, Economics, Advanced English, Chemistry, and Mathematics (2 Unit). For all my assessments and assignments I've been getting really bad ranks (last, and second last). This is not me and it is being affected by general HSC stress and issues occurring at home. So basically my mum understands that as long as I try whatever ATAR I get I can still get into University by another pathway, but with my father he is expecting great things from me, like getting 75+ for my ATAR, but when i had plugged my scores into a few ATAR calculators I get in the 40's or <30. I'm not a dumb person and I'm quite capable of doing so much but with all this stress I've just lost hope. I did used to see a counsellor but all of the tips are just general tips and not 'tailored' to my issues where my father teases me (calls me fat, lazy etc), gets to the point of near hitting me, and also just blames a lot of things on me and tells me off for extremely minor things.

I've had thoughts of suicide but I'm just scared of the pain I might endure. I'm currently doing trials now and I have a Chemistry exam tomorrow and I tried studying it but I don't even know the basics like balancing the equation. Hopefully there's someone on here that may be able to help me out, because it can be easy as calling DOC's and me being put into care by another caregiver but my mother is on my side and I have siblings. I'm also doing one on one tutoring for maths and it's really embarrassing when I don't even know how to answer a question just after I was told how to.

Me personally, I understand that there are other pathways of getting into University but thinking from now, I'm going to get a crappy ATAR and in the back of my mind I'm thinking what my father is going to do to me when I receive the SMS on December 17th and my ATAR is either in the 40's or <30.

Here's how I'm going in my subjects:

Chemistry: Terrible, still don't understand basics even when tried to study, and if I do end up learning it I forget it.
Maths: I'm ok when it comes to doing the questions in class but when under pressure/stress in exams I get pretty crap marks like 30%.
Adv. English: I struggle to remember quotes, techniques etc.
Economics: Have issues understanding certain concepts, then again I seem to go well in class but under exam conditions I get pretty crap.
Biology: I go well in class, but under exam conditions I go crap.

Thank you so much guys for any help or tips that you may give.

Hey,
First of all - I just want to say, you're not an idiot, you're not stupid, you're not a failure or any other degenerative features you may think you are. The HSC and your father's expectations are just an obstacle that you can overcome. At the end of the day, the mark you'll get is what you'll get. There are definitely, 100%, ways of improving your marks for your externals and getting a higher ATAR than what you're expecting. Being ranked last in your school does not always, definately, 100% mean that you'll get a ATAR that's bordering a mystery mark. If you try hard for the externals, you should be able to get a higher mark. Have you tried looking into scholarship or bonus points/ other features that can potentially raise your ATAR? I feel like the stress is hindering on your academic progress, and is causing you to make silly mistakes. Remember, as cheesy as it sounds, if you truely believe you can do well, you will do well. That top maths kid doesn't believe that he/she is going to get 0 in their test. They're confident and they know that they'll get a good mark. This assurance comes from doing past papers and getting high marks in those past papers. Ideally this is where you want to be at.

Secondly - it's awesome that you have a tutor. There's nothing to be ashamed of if you don't get a question right after you've been taught it - give your brain time to process the answer. Everyone started off as a beginner. You just need to work the extra mile to catch up to your classmates - but I can promise you it's not hard. Chunk your workload first - so maybe do one exercise of maths today, review your notes for biology tomorrow etc. As you go through these excersises you'll start to figure out what you know and what you don't know. The more you do, the more you'll know and the more confident you'll be. Really start thinking you can do something and build up your confidence because it really, really, really does affect your performance. You have 5 more weeks of school (I think) and the HSC doesn't start until something like 3 weeks after school ends. You've got HEAPS of time. Don't be stressed or worried if you've failed to complete whatever workload you've assigned to yourself for the day - you still have a while to go. Studying is about being consistent, try not to cram if you can. That being said, while you should give yourself frequent breaks and ease yourself into studying, don't get complacent. Try and study at a place where you won't have that many distractions either - so e.g, if your father is stressing you out, maybe study at a library?

From your evaluation of your subjects, I would say that maybe you're struggling with memorising? Have you found an efficient way to retain information? For example, I like to read out loud and that helps me retain information. Try memory techniques etc if you feel like you're struggling. English - I know 800-1000 words of an essay seems like a lot to remember. Break it up, memorise paragraph by paragraph. Take 2 days to remember a paragraph, then on the third night write out the paragraph you remembered. Repeat with all your paragraphs - you can break your analysis up and use recollection techniques as well. Understand what you're trying to say. If you're really struggling, maybe consider findng a tutor? I know it's a bit late, but the externals does count for 50% of your mark.
Chemistry in the HSC course, unlike prelim, has alot of rote. So although you need to understand it, kinda, it's definately achievable. Practise is the key. If you're really struggling - just look at the textbook. Conquering chemistry I find is pretty good. Read it, and try to understand it. Then compile a list of equations and memorise that. If you understand the content, you should do OK. Then practise past papers. You can also make your own summarised notes to make sure you understand everything.

Lastly, you've identified exam pressure as the concern for the rest of your subjects. (Good job on identifying what's wrong! You're already half-way on the road to improvement! Now all you need to do is fix this mistake) Ask your tutor and/or teachers. Remember, in an exam, you're not aiming to answer everything if you can't. Don't stress if you don't get all the questions - you're aiming to maximise your marks. So if you don't know a question, skip it, leave it for later, and do all the ones you can first. Similarly in a question - if you don't know some components of it, don't stress. Answer what you can. If it's more than one mark, try and figure out what the other marks are for. Again you're not aiming for full marks, you're aiming to get all the marks you can. E.g, in chemistry - if it's a 4 mark question asking about nuclear isotopes. If you don't remember the equations for examples of isotopes, don't worry. It's probably only 1-2 marks of the 4 at most. Realistically, you can still get 2-3 of that four marks. etc

Hope that helped and all the best!

 

[Flop21]

Thank you so much! I'll most likely go see a psychologist to help me get into the mindset of studying again, as I've honestly lost the motivation to do so.

Don't blame yourself.

You're father is a total... asshole. He is abusing you.

Read emotional maltreatment in this link.

I'm just saying that so you know what he is doing is wrong. He's in the wrong.

If he ever lays a hand on you call the police, non emergency number ASAP (or obviously if you are in fear of your life, call 000). Trust me. Or you'll regret it later, because it will just escalate.

Sorry for you to here this, it might be hard to understand, but your mum is also in the wrong if she lets this happen and allows her kids to experience this sort of thing.


But I just wanted you to know that so you know that they are in the wrong, so you can accept that, or act on it if need be, and try to move on with your life. Next year hopefully you'll get into university, you'll probably be 18, get a job, move out, maybe live on campus? Try and get youth allowance. Or maybe your parents will help you with rent.


Anyway, about your marks. Your subjects are great. They are definitely not easy subjects, but doable. We've got so little time left. Yet, quite a while until the final exams. That means a lot of time to just study study.

You need to learn to try to let go of the stress, practice breathing, breathing in exams and when studying will help SO MUCH. When you are stressed you get brain fog, and cannot think effectively. Psychologist will help with the stress management and techniques.

Don't worry about the tutor thing. Try not to stress. Again, when you stress you don't think properly. They are there to help you.

Can answer any specific questions you have, or PM me if you want

 

[ragemaster1]

If you get all band 5s externally, which isn't hard imo, you can easily scrap in 70+ and possibly 75 + and that is assuming worst. Your dad sounds kind of like a dick, just ignore him, it's what I do. I mean, you have to understand as long as you get into university, you're 'in the system', so to speak - so you can basically transfer much easier than it is to catch up on all the hsc work. My friend got a 40ish atar or something, went to university of western sydney since there isn't much demand for their courses and he just transferred second year after getting a decent mark in his course. He was actually going to transfer to macq, but liked UWS so he just changed courses there..but I digress

Cool! Thanks for the info, and yeah my dad is kind of a dick !

 

[ragemaster1]

Don't blame yourself.

You're father is a total... asshole. He is abusing you.

Read emotional maltreatment in this link.

I'm just saying that so you know what he is doing is wrong. He's in the wrong.

If he ever lays a hand on you call the police, non emergency number ASAP (or obviously if you are in fear of your life, call 000). Trust me. Or you'll regret it later, because it will just escalate.

Sorry for you to here this, it might be hard to understand, but your mum is also in the wrong if she lets this happen and allows her kids to experience this sort of thing.


But I just wanted you to know that so you know that they are in the wrong, so you can accept that, or act on it if need be, and try to move on with your life. Next year hopefully you'll get into university, you'll probably be 18, get a job, move out, maybe live on campus? Try and get youth allowance. Or maybe your parents will help you with rent.


Anyway, about your marks. Your subjects are great. They are definitely not easy subjects, but doable. We've got so little time left. Yet, quite a while until the final exams. That means a lot of time to just study study.

You need to learn to try to let go of the stress, practice breathing, breathing in exams and when studying will help SO MUCH. When you are stressed you get brain fog, and cannot think effectively. Psychologist will help with the stress management and techniques.

Don't worry about the tutor thing. Try not to stress. Again, when you stress you don't think properly. They are there to help you.

Can answer any specific questions you have, or PM me if you want

Thank you so much for this info!