Well, the exams are finally over for those of us who did uni maths. Hopefully all the intense cramming (50 pages) has paid off, although judging from the fact a lot of us got different answers I can't get too confident.
Its only been a few days since exams have finished, but I'm starting to get bored already. Too much time at home not doing too much. In the past, gaming seemed like the awesomest thing to do, but now the prospect of playing doesn't seem to have the insatiable appeal it used to back in those heady days of year 9 and 10.
It's strange how my mood seems to swing significantly. Yesterday, for example, I was sorting out all my year 12 handouts and practice exams on the table to the positive beats on '101.9 the Fox' feeling motivated and purposeful, and today I'm moping about the same house not knowing what to do, just refreshing the facebook page (live feed and news feed) hoping for something interesting to pop up.
I'm hoping that getting a part time job will help with this...stagnation? and give me a bit more of a purpose in my day to day routine. I think its just that I'm not yet used to this freedom so instead of feeling free I feel unsupported, like a young bird free to fly for the first time but unsure quite how to do it properly.
Please feel free to post a comment or write something in the chat box!
Showing posts with label exams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exams. Show all posts
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
UMEP
It is now about 34 hours away from the first uni maths exam, and I've got no clue how I'm going to go.
With all of my other exams I've felt fairly confident about my knowledge of the course and that nothing much can throw me too off guard; its like the cliche about having a solid foundation, a deep knowledge of what is happening.
With uni maths, that foundation is more like the thin ice that forms across the lake- a strangely worded problem, or a slight mental blank, and I have as much of a chance of working out the problem as most of you who haven't done the subject.
Its funny how I always thought it was slightly disappointing how I didn't really have a clean 'cut' which signified the end of my VCE exams, because this subject isn't really a proper VCAA subject. I always thought that after chemistry it would be a kinda-not-really end to VCE while after uni maths its another sort-of-in-a-way ending too, so there wouldn't be a clear point where I can celebrate the end of my secondary schooling.
The disappointment stemmed from my belief that I could bludge my way through the subject and scrape through with some last minute cramming.
How wrong I was.
I've heard that the brain is one of the highest energy users out of all the organs in the body. Whether or not this is true, I wish there was a way I could measure my brain activity over the last week or so, or calculate how much content i've tried to force into it. I've been relearning the course, one intense, painful 'problem sheet' at a time.
I think I express myself pretty reservedly when I work; its usually only in the desperation of sporting arenas that I physically release my emotions. At most, I would clench my fists in quiet celebration at the end of a particularly hard english or chem exam, or possibly even after solving an annoying problem.
With umep, I can do full half minute celebrations after completing a single problem without getting it wrong, and slump my head into my hands when it is incorrect. That is how draining it can be.
It's funny because I always thought that a week and a bit would have been plenty of time, but the reality is I've been working far harder than I did for the vce exams and have desperately needed every minute of the break. People who did uni bio or accounting crammed their study in the day before the exam due to timetabling, and if it was anything like this, they must been absolutely BEAST.
To any fellow uni maths students reading this, hang in there. It's only a few more days left, and judging from just about everyone else, the light at the end of this long, dark, slippery and frustrating tunnel is very bright indeed.
Good Luck,
Loz
With all of my other exams I've felt fairly confident about my knowledge of the course and that nothing much can throw me too off guard; its like the cliche about having a solid foundation, a deep knowledge of what is happening.
With uni maths, that foundation is more like the thin ice that forms across the lake- a strangely worded problem, or a slight mental blank, and I have as much of a chance of working out the problem as most of you who haven't done the subject.
Its funny how I always thought it was slightly disappointing how I didn't really have a clean 'cut' which signified the end of my VCE exams, because this subject isn't really a proper VCAA subject. I always thought that after chemistry it would be a kinda-not-really end to VCE while after uni maths its another sort-of-in-a-way ending too, so there wouldn't be a clear point where I can celebrate the end of my secondary schooling.
The disappointment stemmed from my belief that I could bludge my way through the subject and scrape through with some last minute cramming.
How wrong I was.
I've heard that the brain is one of the highest energy users out of all the organs in the body. Whether or not this is true, I wish there was a way I could measure my brain activity over the last week or so, or calculate how much content i've tried to force into it. I've been relearning the course, one intense, painful 'problem sheet' at a time.
I think I express myself pretty reservedly when I work; its usually only in the desperation of sporting arenas that I physically release my emotions. At most, I would clench my fists in quiet celebration at the end of a particularly hard english or chem exam, or possibly even after solving an annoying problem.
With umep, I can do full half minute celebrations after completing a single problem without getting it wrong, and slump my head into my hands when it is incorrect. That is how draining it can be.
It's funny because I always thought that a week and a bit would have been plenty of time, but the reality is I've been working far harder than I did for the vce exams and have desperately needed every minute of the break. People who did uni bio or accounting crammed their study in the day before the exam due to timetabling, and if it was anything like this, they must been absolutely BEAST.
To any fellow uni maths students reading this, hang in there. It's only a few more days left, and judging from just about everyone else, the light at the end of this long, dark, slippery and frustrating tunnel is very bright indeed.
Good Luck,
Loz
Monday, November 9, 2009
flat
3 exams down, 4 to go, although two of them are just for uni maths.
Been feeling kinda flat recently. Motivation's been low; I can slog through practice exams but can't really be bothered doing other things. It's not what I imagined life after english to be like.
I think too much time is the problem. I'm alone most of the day with the whole house to myself and cant really force myself to do work because its so relaxed. I think about the time I realised I forgot to do chem homework 45 minutes beforehand, a worksheet which other people said took ages, and I finished it with 5 minutes to spare. Maybe I work best under pressure, but it would be nice to be able to work well without it.
Hopefully I'll find a part time job to fill the gaping expanses of time after chemistry.
If I can't do that I'll probably end up some fat lazy slob who can't be bothered doing anything.
On a more positive note, I went out to msac to watch the firsts badminton team play on saturday. My brother was playing at around the same time so I decided to see how the team was going.
They were pretty good; the year 7 and 8 newcomers have good technique and strength, and their attitude is quite good too. Going back to msac, I realise I don't really seem to belong there anymore. It's like a primary school once you left it. It made me realise just how fast time flies, and how you must appreciate and take the opportunities given.
I don't really feel like doing anything else now, but then again I've got nothing more of value to say in this post.
-end-
Been feeling kinda flat recently. Motivation's been low; I can slog through practice exams but can't really be bothered doing other things. It's not what I imagined life after english to be like.
I think too much time is the problem. I'm alone most of the day with the whole house to myself and cant really force myself to do work because its so relaxed. I think about the time I realised I forgot to do chem homework 45 minutes beforehand, a worksheet which other people said took ages, and I finished it with 5 minutes to spare. Maybe I work best under pressure, but it would be nice to be able to work well without it.
Hopefully I'll find a part time job to fill the gaping expanses of time after chemistry.
If I can't do that I'll probably end up some fat lazy slob who can't be bothered doing anything.
On a more positive note, I went out to msac to watch the firsts badminton team play on saturday. My brother was playing at around the same time so I decided to see how the team was going.
They were pretty good; the year 7 and 8 newcomers have good technique and strength, and their attitude is quite good too. Going back to msac, I realise I don't really seem to belong there anymore. It's like a primary school once you left it. It made me realise just how fast time flies, and how you must appreciate and take the opportunities given.
I don't really feel like doing anything else now, but then again I've got nothing more of value to say in this post.
-end-
Monday, October 12, 2009
12-Oct-09: Stress
Are you stressed? You seem stressed. Don't get stressed. It's nearly over. Omg exams!
In the space of about an hour, both my brother and my dad commented on my stress levels because they thought 'I looked stressed'. I'm not really sure how to take that; sure I am sliiightly stressed at the moment (don't think too many year 12s now would say they don't feel ANY kind of subconcious pressure at this time of the year), but I don't think I was particularly stressed today.
After all I just had a pretty good solid day of study, and I was feeling quietly content with myself.
Done today:
-Spec 1 hour exam
-Spec 2 hour exam
-Chemistry exam
-English essay
Admittedly the english essay was just finding the right concluding sentence, but even so, that was about 4 hours worth of solid work. I'm not bragging about how much I've done and trying to make you feel bad about yourself; after all this was probably more than I did for the whole weekend preceding today.
I think I just work better on Mondays, when I'm spurred on by the feeling of a fresh start to the week (I see the week as Monday-Sunday rather than Sunday-Saturday), sitting down at my desk in quiet with the rest of the family out, a nice iPod playlist, and the guilt of yet another squandered weekend in which so much was promised but so little delivered.
The funny thing is, I got home at 3:30 but I don't think I started working until 4:30, and took a liesurely shower at 5:10 too. It's not like I completely spent all of my time hard core working until now. It just seemed like my concentration decided to dock at my consciousness today.
As I've said, monday's usually a good day for me. Sometimes tuesday is decent despite a draining 2 hours of uni maths, but most of the time by wednesday I'm pretty much all fizzled out and already looking forward to the weekend. However, I think now I won't be hoping for time to pass quickly; I wan't as much preparation for English as I can get!
I've been dreaming of how it would be like at 12:25pm on October 30th in a couple of weeks time; how the massive weight and pressure (most of it probably imaginary and self imposed) of writing the best three essay I possibly could would be lifted from my shoulders. After that I can approach spec, physics, chemistry and uni maths knowing that I won't have to think about English ever again!
What will the reality be like? I'll have to wait and see.
In the space of about an hour, both my brother and my dad commented on my stress levels because they thought 'I looked stressed'. I'm not really sure how to take that; sure I am sliiightly stressed at the moment (don't think too many year 12s now would say they don't feel ANY kind of subconcious pressure at this time of the year), but I don't think I was particularly stressed today.
After all I just had a pretty good solid day of study, and I was feeling quietly content with myself.
Done today:
-Spec 1 hour exam
-Spec 2 hour exam
-Chemistry exam
-English essay
Admittedly the english essay was just finding the right concluding sentence, but even so, that was about 4 hours worth of solid work. I'm not bragging about how much I've done and trying to make you feel bad about yourself; after all this was probably more than I did for the whole weekend preceding today.
I think I just work better on Mondays, when I'm spurred on by the feeling of a fresh start to the week (I see the week as Monday-Sunday rather than Sunday-Saturday), sitting down at my desk in quiet with the rest of the family out, a nice iPod playlist, and the guilt of yet another squandered weekend in which so much was promised but so little delivered.
The funny thing is, I got home at 3:30 but I don't think I started working until 4:30, and took a liesurely shower at 5:10 too. It's not like I completely spent all of my time hard core working until now. It just seemed like my concentration decided to dock at my consciousness today.
As I've said, monday's usually a good day for me. Sometimes tuesday is decent despite a draining 2 hours of uni maths, but most of the time by wednesday I'm pretty much all fizzled out and already looking forward to the weekend. However, I think now I won't be hoping for time to pass quickly; I wan't as much preparation for English as I can get!
I've been dreaming of how it would be like at 12:25pm on October 30th in a couple of weeks time; how the massive weight and pressure (most of it probably imaginary and self imposed) of writing the best three essay I possibly could would be lifted from my shoulders. After that I can approach spec, physics, chemistry and uni maths knowing that I won't have to think about English ever again!
What will the reality be like? I'll have to wait and see.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
26-Aug-09: sacs are winding up.
Nothing much to talk about here.
Went for a run around the block, pushing myself hard in the second lap to come up with the best time I've got recently, only to realise when I got home that it still wasn't as good as the one set 5 months and a day ago. Still felt good though; I reckon a run once in a while helps refresh the body and gives a break from all the study we have to slog through.
Today was the first time I used the internet since Sunday night. In a way I'm proud of this 'achievement', but it throws up an interesting question: does that mean I'm ashamed of using the internet?
Initially, the answer is no. The internet's a great way for connecting and entertainment. However, I think the sense of achievement comes from the fact that many times in the past, I have moped about on the computer; not so much surfing on the net as wallowing in its vast ocean of potential distractions.
We just had our last prac sac for chem. We've already had our last ever english sac as well as our last non-trial-exam spec sac, and physics sacs are starting to run out. It seemed just a few months ago that we were having our first sacs and getting all worked up about them, but now they're just another stop on the way to the big thing: the end of year exams.
Revision for these exams are starting to pick up, with a full blown english trial exam in about a week. In private study today I was talking to some students who did methods with me last year, and while I did do a lot of practice exams, it was nowhere near what they did; some of them did double or even triple the number that I did. Even though my methods mark was better than I had hoped, perhaps doing those extra trial exams would've given me the score I truly wanted.
I think that this, like my recent running time, shows me just how much harder I can work; that no matter how difficult things may seem during the revision period, there is no real limit to how much practice one can have, and if there is one, it's certainly way above how hard I worked for methods and bio last year.
I'm determined not to make the same mistake this year, and I know that while the year is nearly over, there's still half of the english assesment, 2/3rds of maths, and 1/3 of the sciences left to go, so there's plently of room for all of us to do well!
Cheers,
Lawrence
Went for a run around the block, pushing myself hard in the second lap to come up with the best time I've got recently, only to realise when I got home that it still wasn't as good as the one set 5 months and a day ago. Still felt good though; I reckon a run once in a while helps refresh the body and gives a break from all the study we have to slog through.
Today was the first time I used the internet since Sunday night. In a way I'm proud of this 'achievement', but it throws up an interesting question: does that mean I'm ashamed of using the internet?
Initially, the answer is no. The internet's a great way for connecting and entertainment. However, I think the sense of achievement comes from the fact that many times in the past, I have moped about on the computer; not so much surfing on the net as wallowing in its vast ocean of potential distractions.
We just had our last prac sac for chem. We've already had our last ever english sac as well as our last non-trial-exam spec sac, and physics sacs are starting to run out. It seemed just a few months ago that we were having our first sacs and getting all worked up about them, but now they're just another stop on the way to the big thing: the end of year exams.
Revision for these exams are starting to pick up, with a full blown english trial exam in about a week. In private study today I was talking to some students who did methods with me last year, and while I did do a lot of practice exams, it was nowhere near what they did; some of them did double or even triple the number that I did. Even though my methods mark was better than I had hoped, perhaps doing those extra trial exams would've given me the score I truly wanted.
I think that this, like my recent running time, shows me just how much harder I can work; that no matter how difficult things may seem during the revision period, there is no real limit to how much practice one can have, and if there is one, it's certainly way above how hard I worked for methods and bio last year.
I'm determined not to make the same mistake this year, and I know that while the year is nearly over, there's still half of the english assesment, 2/3rds of maths, and 1/3 of the sciences left to go, so there's plently of room for all of us to do well!
Cheers,
Lawrence
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