#macrobmotivation

[qwedfas]

Created by Macrob student (2018). 

[qwedfas]

Hey guys, would you be able to make a masterlist of info regarding year 11 entry?

Hey,

We’re very sorry but no one from year 12 this year was from year 11 entry, so we can’t share any personal experiences concerning the test or the interview! But feel free to check out the information regarding Year 11 entry, on our school website at: http://www.macrob.vic.edu.au/enrolment-information.html

However here are some tips for VCE!

Starting VCE can seem a little daunting but it really is just being stricter with yourself, have better time management, etc. Perhaps the thing people have the most problem with is how they study. Here’s a list of links that’ll direct you to our previous answers relevant to Year 11.

Beginning VCE:http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171358988257/hi-fam-just-wondering-what-is-the-jump-from-year

Studying links:

Procrastinating/Time management: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171445405767/im-such-a-procrastinator-halp-im-in-yr-12-and-sohttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170902151917/hey-fam-i-am-unable-to-get-any-work-done-inhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170864599637/how-do-you-guys-focus-when-studying-and-nothttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170789245507/i-honestly-dont-know-how-to-stop-procrastinating

Resources:http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171434157482/what-are-some-useful-apps-for-schools-andhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/172053083452/what-did-you-guys-do-with-last-years-notes-whathttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171750006692/do-you-use-loose-leafs-or-notebooks-do-you-have-ahttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171404688387/what-are-some-great-topical-practice-exams-andhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171407509932/hey-what-do-you-do-with-past-testsexams-and

Tests:http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171749714827/hi-fam-just-wondering-how-do-you-guys-prepare

Self Study:http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171142228342/hey-what-are-some-effective-ways-to-self-study

Subjects links:

Year 11: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171445048297/hi-fam-im-now-in-year-11-and-i-keep-hearinghttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/173126752167/hey-fam-please-help-me-im-in-year-12-and-therehttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/172549739532/hey-fam-how-many-12s-can-i-do-in-yr-11-and-alsohttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/172372785302/hi-fam-is-it-possible-to-drop-a-unit-12-subject

Doing two 3/4s: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/173114909452/hey-fam-i-am-in-yr-10-and-am-doing-2-vcehttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171570407612/am-currently-in-year-11-and-doing-two-34s-how

Languages: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/172306165917/how-do-you-study-for-a-language-how-to-youhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171407304437/hi-fam-for-those-doing-french-or-just-any

English: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171749245277/how-do-you-annotate-a-novelbookplay-for-englishhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170789180992/hi-fam-i-would-like-to-know-how-to-improve-myhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/172955925697/hey-fam-english-is-like-literally-my-weakesthttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171125339187/hi-are-all-english-vce-exams-the-same-or-do-they

Maths: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171650154802/heyy-fam-so-basically-ive-been-having-troublehttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171126384107/hey-those-of-you-who-did-methods-last-year-do-youhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171125373137/how-do-i-become-a-maths-god

Eco: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171407422192/hey-fam-members-who-did-eco-i-was-really-set-onhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170567132817/hey-fam-im-in-year-10-and-im-really-stressed

Biohttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/173140812777/guys-do-you-think-biozone-biology-units-1-2

VET: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/172709662062/hey-fam-i-just-wanted-to-know-about-doing-a-vethttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171125382402/hi-im-interested-in-studying-allied-health-next

HHD: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171219399832/hey-fam-have-any-of-you-done-both-34-accounting

Spesh: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170705344262/do-any-of-you-guys-do-spesh-maths-is-it-really

Psych: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170640123667/hi-fam-i-was-wondering-if-anyone-has-done-unithttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/173052876307/hey-avon-i-was-just-wondering-if-you-can-share

Glopol/history:http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170482898047/hey-i-was-planning-my-vce-subjects-and-i-cant

Balancing life links:

http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171917283892/is-there-anything-more-to-life-other-than-schoolhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171585133197/hi-fam-i-have-no-idea-how-to-fit-everything-into

Stress, motivation, bad feelings links:

Workload:http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171858074157/hey-fam-i-have-tons-of-work-to-do-every-day-andhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171691125447/do-you-guys-ever-feel-like-your-so-done-withhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171858074157/hey-fam-i-have-tons-of-work-to-do-every-day-and

Motivation: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/173052821112/i-feel-dead-all-the-timehttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171650036307/how-to-stop-procrastinating-and-be-motivated-to-do

Stress: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171514805747/hey-hey-i-have-my-first-sac-coming-at-up-and-imhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171620919012/ways-to-stop-thinking-about-all-the-mistakes-i-didhttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170863778962/hey-sometimes-i-cant-really-deal-with-stress

Doing extracurricular/ exchanges/ etc links:

http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/172404517212/hey-fam-is-it-ok-to-start-a-sport-late-like-ihttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171404653717/i-always-get-rejected-i-tried-out-for-a-couple

Exchanges: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170902108662/hi-fam-so-im-in-year-10-and-i-wanted-to-do-2-34shttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/170705250817/what-is-the-best-year-to-go-on-overseas-exchange

Things specific to Year 11:

Olympiads: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171445715387/has-anyone-done-the-chemistry-olympiad-was-ithttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171445474032/what-are-some-textbooks-and-resources-do-you-guyshttp://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/171570540647/hey-fam-apparently-the-yr-11s-had-to-resit-their

These are only the links to this year’s answers - there are a many more from previous years that you can find here: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/tags

Love,FAM xx

[qwedfas]

Hey fam!! I am unable to get any work done in class. I don’t know, but I get sidetracked or don’t know how to do it, so I postpone til I get home. But when I reach home I never seem to do anything and can’t concentrate. In the end, I sleep really late and dont get hw or extra study done.

Hi there!

This is quite a relatable situation to be in, for many of us, since different classes and teachers use different teaching techniques, which may not necessarily suit us. In these times, it is important to ask yourself questions to figure out why this is the case… Do you not enjoy the content? Do you not feel like studying it? Do you not feel motivated during class time?

Once you address the reasons for this, you can work on it to change it. For example, if don’t feel motivated in class, maybe you can talk to your teacher about your class learning. If you don’t understand the content, or take longer to understand, that can put many people off, so maybe you can read ahead before that class to solve that issue. Reading ahead, learning the class material before your actual class at school, is a very effective way to get the most out of class. If you do this at home, then when you go to class, it will be revision for you, and you can take it more chill as well as avoid stress.

As for studying at home, this is a much more flexible place where you can arrange your study area and routine the way you want it. Although it is easy to sometimes get distracted, you have to take responsibility to maintain your focus. Again, ask yourself why you tend to not be productive at home. It may because of travel time, or family or anything else… but be aware of this, so that you can stop yourself when you get distracted.

Another very important thing is that you should always make time to do the things you enjoy and make you happy. Anything that sparks you up, whether it be going for a run, playing board games, swimming, something you are passionate about. Because this will probably give you more motivation for the rest of the things in your life such as school work, as well as build a positive mindset to handle it with.

Good luck this year! Remember to sleep well. Health comes first. We know you can do it girl!

Love,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

if it's already like 10-10:30pm and I spent the entire day procrastinating, should I just go to bed or should I stay up a bit more and try to start something? I'm usually very behind and should do work but i also need more sleep :// this dilemma is a common occurrence for me and I never know what to do halp

Hey love,

Sorry for the late reply! But you should go to sleep when this happens because your health is what is most important!!! Your body needs sleep and before you begin studying properly again I advise you to go to sleep, to catch up on sleep so you can concentrate again and better too. Once you have caught up on sleep your brain will be so much more refreshed and ready to learn, so take baby steps to catch up on what you have missed out on. What you learn when you are tired will probably not consolidate into your memory so there is no point pushing yourself.

Tips with dealing with procrastination

Try a new study space such as state library

Get rid of distractions: turn your phone off

For more tips go on our previous answered http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/search/procrastinating

Love, 

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

yo im kinda dying in every subject

Hey there!

We definitely feel you and have been there before but remember there’s always time and a way to bounce back. We reckon having a look through our study tips, motivation and stress tags would be the best help

Love,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

hii what do you do when you can't seem to care about anything anymore? eg things that were fun aren't anymore, constantly bored, don't care about school at all. tytytyty

Hey there!

We hope you are feeling okay, in some serious cases this can be a sign of depression but it can also be a sign of just general tiredness or the ‘slump’. If along disinterest, you’re finding that you’ve lost your appetite, disturbed sleep pattern whether that be oversleeping or lack of, extreme irritability, hopelessness, etc., please do talk to someone about this! Gillian is one of the best go to people if you are feeling depressed or may be.

However, it could not be as serious as depression and may be your ‘slump’. A lot of people usually get this, where they don’t really want to try anymore. One of my friends used to try super hard, and since last year she pretty much stopped trying at all just because she was so tired of doing so. In a way, it’s good to give yourself a break but of course it can be a problem when it comes at a time when you should be trying your best, such as during VCE.

I’d recommend that you try to figure out when and why you started to feel this way. Could it be that you’re tired, too stressed, that everything is the same and feels like a constant cycle, etc.? Also, when we get older we do change; what we used to find fun may not be anymore and that could be a possible reason too. From there, you can approach it one at a time. Try to spice up your routine and this can include starting a new hobby, following a new TV show, make your friends do something different from their normal lunchtime activity, etc. Regarding schoolwork, take it easy. Don’t plunge yourself all at the work, but still do it so that you’re not failing and doing relatively well. Do what you think will help you and not everything that is required if it’s just a waste of time. This could even mean only doing homework for 30 minutes if not necessary; I have days where I don’t do any homework (not sure if a good idea but at least I feel relaxed).

When you can, try to get outside and do some exercise! Find something that will make you feel exhilarated and tired in a non-mental way; ensuring that your adrenaline is pumping and all those good hormones. Exercise is a real pain to start with but once you’re in the zone it feels really nice (this is coming from someone who hates walking 2 metres to her desk to do homework so does it in bed).

Hope this helps,

FAM Xx

[qwedfas]

im in year 10 and gosh i just want to skip through years 11 and 12 im so worried about vce

Hey there,

I totally understand why you’re scared. VCE is daunting - even the terminology you have to learn just to get with the program is hard enough as it is, but don’t let that get you down in the dumps. VCE, whilst by many, are considered the hardest two years of their schooling life, it’s also two of the most valuable years of personal growth and development. Through it all, I’ve learned that your ATAR is just a ticket from one door to another (that is if you plan to continue onto university. In no way is it possible in this world for a 4 digit number and a decimal point to summarise your entire being - however, that’s how our education system is structured that way. Just know, that they are other systems in place, so if you are facing disadvantages, there is a thing called SEAS that will help you when applying for university. My point is, that at the end of it all (and I’m talking about your high school experience), you’ll come to realise that you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and more loved than you’ll ever know.

So hold onto hope and just know that whatever this world throws at you, you’ll survive it!

Love,

FAMxx

[qwedfas]

best life advice?

Hey there!

FAM Leader 1:Set goals to motivate yourself, but don’t stress out too much if it doesn’t work out. The work you put in during the process ends up benefiting you anyways.

FAM Leader 2:Things really do get better. Just keep swimming.

FAM Leader 3:Be grateful for the small things.

FAM Leader 4:

Remember, there are people you haven’t met yet who will love you

No one is keeping track of the sacrifices you make, so if you make them, do so without expectations. Feeling entitled to a return that isn’t guaranteed isn’t healthy and will hurt you.

FAM Leader 5:Love yourself!

FAM Leader 6:The struggle to leave the cocoon is what strengthens the butterfly’s wings so she can fly.

Hope some or one of these inspires you,

FAM Xx

[qwedfas]

I'm failing everything I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do, there's so much sht I have to catch up on and there's fking holiday homework I haven't started yet (I'm in year 11 doing two 3/4s that I absolutely hate and haven't put any effort into​ and honestly I can't be bothered) can I just give up already and accept that I'm going to fail life

Hey there,

Don’t give up! Firstly, define what failing is to you because you might actually not be technically speaking, but rather failing to your expectations. It’s only the beginning of the year so you still have time to pick yourself up before the exams. Don’t worry too much about your SACs because although they do count, the exams are what really matter as they count towards the majority of your study score.

Take a deep breath, and approach it systematically. Try writing a timetable and to-do list of what you need to do. From there, spread it out in the remaining days of the holidays, prioritising what matters. Don’t concentrate on your 1/2s too much, just do enough to get an S on them! Even though you don’t like your ¾ subjects, you’ve already chosen them to commit to and from what I know it’s probably too late to drop them now. Do enough to pass through them; you don’t need to ace them so don’t put too much pressure on yourself. At least now, from experience, you know not to choose subjects you don’t enjoy but follow what you like, because you will naturally do better in subjects you prefer.

I remember in year 11, I was extremely behind in one of my ¾ subjects and completely neglected the other. During the Term 1 holidays, I was honestly a mess as well, but picked myself from there. I started to get my life together, set a timetable and reminders so that I knew I had to focus on my 3/4s at least once a day, and then fit in my 1/2s from there. Unless I had an assignment for ½ coming, I never really paid attention to them minus methods since it’s good foundation for ¾. If this doesn’t work for you, try talking to Ms Baldock (or your wellbeing counsellor if you don’t go to Macrob) or year level coordinators. From what I know, there are students who have been allowed to drop one of their ½ subjects because it was too overwhelming so it’s worth a try talking to someone!

I hope this helps, and don’t give up! There are always ways around it, so you have not failed unless you let yourself think that way. Don’t give yourself such high expectations or pressure either. Just because you don’t get a high score, into a course that requires a high ATAR or getting straight into a course you wanted but having to go around doesn’t mean you will fail in life. You fail in life if you give up, because there are endless possibilities as long as you try though it may be hard.

Love,

FAM Xx

[qwedfas]

hey fam, I keep waking up during the night and sometimes lie there thinking about things that stress me out. how can I get back to sleep? any strategies

Hey there,

This can be super frustrating so we hope this doesn’t happen for an extended period of time. If you find that it does, be sure to check it out with a GP.

When you wake up during the night DO NOT GO TO CHECK YOUR PHONE

This will make it so much harder for you to fall asleep again as the display from your phone will trigger your brain into thinking that it’s daytime and will stop releasing the hormones that help you sleep

Try and find out what’s causing you to wake up in the night:

Perhaps you got too hot (or too cold!) – to find out if this is the case, try your best to remember how you’re feeling the moment you wake up in the night so that you know what to do right then and there to help you fall asleep again

Stress is a common cause of insomniac tendencies so try your best to go to bed with a clear mind – maybe listen to calming music, drink tea, meditate, etc. before going to bed to settle down and reduce stress levels before sleep

Maintaining good sleep hygiene (habits) may help to reduce the likelihood of waking in the night

Avoid stimulants such as caffeine if you can past mid-afternoon as these can make it harder to fall asleep and also affect the quality of your sleep when you finally do fall asleep

Trying to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning may help to regulate your sleep but make sure you’re getting enough sleep (in terms of quantity)!

So far, these have been preventative methods to waking up in the middle of the night. When you have difficulty falling asleep again after waking up and don’t feel drowsy, get up and go for a walk around the house, maybe grab a glass of water or read a book until you feel sleepy again. Staying in bed when you aren’t tired and are worried about things can cause you to subconsciously create negative associations with your bed which can make going to bed feeling really awful. In terms of worrying about things, it might help to write down what’s bothering you or make a to-do list so that you aren’t focusing on these things when you’re trying to sleep.

Good luck and remember that if the situation worsens, talk to a professional about it.

Love,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

hey fam, how do I know if I am studying effectively? what are some ways/strategies that help you guys to study effectively?

Hi there,

What people find to be effective study methods for them is very personal. In terms of knowing whether or not your current methods are effective, it might be worth asking yourself what exactly you want to gain out of each study session you have. For example, if you have the goal to complete two maths exercises in one night and you reach that goal, then it might be fair to say that you have studied effectively. Or perhaps you’re trying to learn and understand a particular concept that you haven’t quite got the hang of and this may require a different approach compared to studying maths.

Sometimes it’s hard to recognise whether or not what you’re doing is effective but if you identify a study goal before you begin, it might be easier to gauge how effective your study methods are. These things may also take time and experimenting to find out what works best for you so don’t be afraid to give a few different things a go so that you can really make the most out of your time in future.

Be sure to check out our study tips tag (#macrobstudytips) to find out ways that we study and other things we have recommended to others within the community that might be helpful to your case.

Good luck,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

I don't want to be friends with my friend anymore. It feels like a chore to talk to her ever day now

Hey there,

We’re sorry to hear that. Know that these things do happen and it’s okay to feel the way that you do. This might be something you need to bring up with your friend but first evaluate the reasons as to why you feel like talking to her is a chore. Is it that the conversations are uninteresting? Is she unsupportive? Are you more tired? Whatever the reason might be, find out what it is just to give yourself a bit of clarity as to why you feel this way.

If you’re adamant on not being friends with her but you don’t want to explicitly say it to her, you can always slowly start to distance yourself by saying ‘Hey I’m going to hang out with ___ today” or “I was actually planning on doing this today”. Remember you have no obligation to be friends with a person and you should do what you feel is right for yourself.

All the best,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

how will going to macrob affect my atar? (yr 9 next year)

Hi,

Macrob will not have any direct effect on your atar. You will still need to work smart to achieve your atar goals.

FAM Member 1: I guess the best thing about macrob is the supportive environment with like-minded students and friendly competition which really motivates me.

FAM Member 2: Don’t view Mac.Rob as an elevation or deflation to your ATAR; instead view it as a tool/environment to propel yourself into the real world. Mac.Rob will prepare for the real world, which is much more than your ATAR. Speaking as  a Yr 12 student, (something you’ll come to realise too), your ATAR does not and will not ever represent you, as you are so much more than that! Mac.Rob has helped me grow into the individual I am - helping me build the skills of resilience, leadership, self-belief and determination in my future, wherever my path leads me. When I came to Mac.Rob, I had this image of Mac.Rob - that everyone was in love with their calculators, spent all their lunchtime and recesses in the library and everyone graduated with a 99.95. That is so far from the truth. Mac.Rob is filled to the brim with amazing, unique individuals who hold so many different talents, graduating from this place to go on to achieve things you wouldn’t even dream of. So, come on in with an open mind and a blossoming heart, that’s willing to grow and learn, (in so so many ways)! Oh, and congratulations on getting into Mac.Rob!

Hope this has helped!

Love,

FAMxx

[qwedfas]

Hi Fam :) So recently I have been feeling upset whenever I think about my parents and how hard they work to provide for our family. Every time I think of them I feel like crying and feel so guilty for procastinating. They hardly put pressure on me to study either but I just feel so thankful for everything they do. But I am horrible at expressing my emotions and I think I come across as ungrateful. Do you guys have some tips on how to express my love to them more? Thanks so much!!

Hey,

Yes I really relate to this so much! If you want to express how grateful you are, small things like saying ‘I love you’ or ‘thank you for dinner/lunch’ can brighten up their day! As someone who can sometimes be closed off, starting a conversation about your day and just letting them know how you feel can make them feel appreciated. I know I was talking to my friend the other day and she didn’t realise how happy it made her mum that she was engaging in their conversation. You could also buy them a small gift or do some house chores to lighten their load for a day.

Love

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

Hi FAM, I was wondering what an easy 1/2 subject may be as I am doing external language and need 7 subjects in year 11, I want to use this subject as a block-filler. Thanks!

Hey,

FAM Member 1: I was in this situation last year and I think Studio Art and Computing are pretty good block fillers because I didn’t have to put much time into them out of class.

FAM Member 2: I highly recommend doing a VET subject! I did Allied Health which was held in Richmond on a Wednesday afternoon from 1:30-4:30 (I think they have changed when it is run though). Doing a VET means you get an extra 4 frees which is sooo helpful as I used this time to do more revision. The content you learn in Allied Health isn’t too hard to grasp and the teacher I had tried to make sure that we never had to do work outside of class so the workload won’t be too much more.

Hope this helps!

Love,

FAM xx

[qwedfas]

hi fam! Have any of you have applied for or been involved in the Kwong lee dow young scholars program and if so, what was the experience like? Thanks :)

Hi there,

None of FAM have been involved in the program so unfortunately, we can’t share any experiences about it. Unlike with the Monash Scholars program, where the school lets anyone choose to apply and then will approve them from there), because a large number of students want to apply for the Kwong lee dow young scholars program, and the school is only allowed to recommend up to 5 (i think), they decide to shortlist a set of students, interview them and pick who they think are the best candidates for the program. Picking them doesn’t guarantee they will get in, it just means these are the students they approve to submit an application. Though we aren’t entirely sure how the school decides to shortlist students to be nominated for the program, we assume it depends on how well you do in class/ school involvement from which your teachers choose.

We can get you in touch with the recipients of the Kwong Lee Dow scholarship if you contact one of us directly :)

Love,

FAM xx