Anyone else going into year 11 next year?
What are you looking forward to? What do you absolutely dread? What subjects did you choose?
I'll go first:
- I'm looking forward to taking the next step into my life. Since I turn 16 next year, this means I'm looking to grind my 100 hours on an L Plate
- I'm dreading the exams, and the fact that any screw-ups may cost a lot of what I'm working towards
- I chose General English, Essential Maths, Modern History, Geography, Business, and Psychology.
Let's talk in the replies!
Comments
Hi, nice to meet you 😉
*incoming long boi*
I just graduated from Year 12 this year, so thanks for giving me a chance to reflect about and share my experiences in Y11 and Y12!
- I was also excited about growing up. Driving is fun!! And it gives you a sense of independence too (at least that's what I've heard, I failed the driver knowledge test twice 🙂, make sure to have a look at the questions before doing it). What's equally as fun is getting driven around by friends hehe
- It's nice that you're approaching Year 11 with a degree of caution. This is lowkey embarrassing for me but going into Year 11, I was a bit blindly optimistic. Things had been working out well for me and, though I heard Y11 was a challenge, I walked in with an attitude of "challenge? what nonsense. watch me breeze through this-". It's safe to say I got knocked down a few pegs within the first term... and maybe the rest of Y11 didn't go so great either. But it's ok because my wonderful tutors helped me work through what to improve, and I knew what I had to do for Y12 *** (see below).
- Thinking back now, I can't even remember all the mess-ups I had in year 11, and the ones I do remember make a good funny story! The most important part of Y11 and 12 for me was the beautiful memories and strange/ wonderful stuff I did with friends. I actually met two of my besties halfway through Y11, though it feels like we've known each other forever now. We did a whole host of things like stick weird things on each other's lockers, raid a specific spot in lunchtimes, annoy our favourite teachers, study together, start a rubber duck cult... So yep definitely keep an eye out, you never know where you'll meet someone who you just click with, and who'll make your senior years as fun as they may be stressful
- I chose advanced english, extension maths, chemistry, italian, music 🙂
Just a few pieces of advice I feel was really true for me:
1. *** It's good to screw up in Year 11. Screw-ups in Y11 will cost you pretty much nothing but will give you incredibly valuable insight and feedback. You could almost see it like Y11 exams are there for you to mess up, so that you can see what study methods work for you, what your strengths are and the skills/ content gotta focus on and, basically, what you need to know so that you do well in Y12. As you may have already heard, none of your marks in Y11 will actually matter for anything except early entries. Obviously, for the feedback to be useful, you'll need to take your exams seriously and try your best ~ and that's all you have to worry about ❤️
and 2. your health comes first. I feel like there's this grindset/ no sleep/ caffeine culture developing. I watched those around me get too into it, especially the no-sleep part, and it had a hugely negative impact on both their long-term academic performance and their mental health.
Taking breaks to rest and sleep is part of studying. Research shows that your memory of the stuff you learn/ experience during the day gets revisited and transferred from your short-term to your long-term memory when you sleep (if anyone knows, please fact check me on this).
Getting enough sleep will also regulate your emotions and motivation, and especially in the lead-up to exams, getting even a few hours less sleep than I needed made me unable to focus for the whole day, and I actually noticed myself getting stressed and disorganised more easily. And most importantly - most of us love sleeping! ~ zonking out into dreamland ~
Let's keep chatting here if you feel like! Any subjects are you particularly excited for? Do you do any co-curriculars/ activities out of school?
Thanks for your reply, and Happy New Year! The advice you gave, as well as the little story about getting knocked down a peg about year 11 being harder than it sounds, I think all of that can be translated beautifully in the real world. And yes, although my body rejects it until at least twelve in the morning, sleep is important and I should probably work on getting more if I can.
Personally, living in a rural area, we don't really get a lot of the cool stuff that people in bigger towns and cities get. So basically, keeping ourselves entertained (by any means) is sort of the only option. I do have a mountain bike that I can use to get to neighbouring towns anywhere from 20 minutes to around an hour, what gear settings I use, depending on how many cars are on the road, the route I follow, how many breaks I take, etc.
Since we're getting a subject you would not expect from a small country school - psychology - I'm excited about that. I'm also hyped for General English as well - free easy B's (sorry if this sounds cocky or anything but I never fail English).
But yeah, I'm down to talk here more often ☺️
Yep so true, I'm starting Uni this year, hopefully with a few less pegs this time round 😅
Same thoo I got in this habit of sleeping at/ past midnight, and ngl I feel like it's a part of 21st century lifestyle at this point, so no need to be too harsh on yourself. As long as you're not sleeping weirdly late (e.g. 4am), getting enough rest that you feel good is all you gotta worry about (like probably 8+ hrs for most ppl)
If you'd like to sleep earlier but are having trouble, there are things that might help: not looking at a screen for 1h before bedtime, dimming the lights 1h before bedtime, drinking something warm, getting enough physical exercise/ movement under the sun during the day - though you seem quite active already -, not doing work on/near your bed so you can associate bed with sleeping etc. What definitely worked for me: doing maths questions past 10pm. Fell asleep within the hour, guaranteed. You'll find what works for you ❤️
It's lowkey such a skill to be able to entertain yourself. Now I feel lucky to have entertainment readily available, though I feel like a problem with city life is falling into the trap of needing the commercialized stuff e.g. movies, arcades, shopping - to avoid boredom. Do you have any hobbies/ stuff you do for fun in neighbouring towns? I play an instrument hehe
I actually find it really cool that you can bike to other towns! I wish I was fit like that - I'm a bit of a passenger princess/ couch potato 🥔. So you ride on the main road, like alongside cars and stuff? woahh 😮
Yess I thought psychology as a high school subject sounds exciting! I don't think it's an option for the HSC in my state >.<
If you feel up to it, let us know if you're learning anything interesting 🙂 Choices aren't set in stone for me yet, but funnily enough I'm excited for psychology too - in Uni ^,^
And no, doesn't sound cocky and in fact, I love the confidence! I found senior english was tough, but also fun and rewarding, thanks to my amazing English tutor supporting me the whole way. But seems like you've got a strong foundation already, so you've got this!!
Thanks for replying, fun chatting with ya
Hello @AllOf05 (or Platinum),
The Equivalent of year 11 ( I think it’s Form 4 on my end) has long passed me hahaha.
But ya as with your previous post, year 11 is a rather intense year and for me during that stage was we were grouped into either a “Business”, “Science” or “Arts” Class, so it was a time when we had to choose ( or for Science Class) earn our way into this classes. So these classes have certain set subjects ( apart from the usual subjects everyone took), there were also subjects that were only taught in these classes ( Like Biology or Chemistry in the “Science” Classes and like Economics in the “Business” Classes).
And I do hope it’s not overly confusing the way I said it. In any case, I went into a “Science Class” and took Chemistry, Physics, English, Malay, Morals, History, Accounting, Math and Additional Math. ( It is kinda funny because I ended up doing a Psychology degree later on 😂, but like what I’m getting at from this is that the subjects you choose don’t always define your future so there’s always a chance to change your mind in the end).
Also I feel you on the exams as well, personally I didn’t like the exams too much ( like most people don’t as well I think lol) and I can’t say much for people aiming to be Doctors or Engineers or Dentists ( since their requirements are a bit different) but even so I seen people transition from other degrees to Medical degrees as well so there are always a chance there I would say ( it would be a tad longer though but it’s there as well). So in my experience, your grades are important to some extent but it doesn’t define you in the end in regards to my experience
And wow driving! I took that after I got out of High school ( because the law on the age you could drive was different back in my home country so I only got around to it when I was 18). I’m embarrassed to say it took me 3 tries to get my license but in any case, it is rather stressful for me at first ( I sweated quite a bit for my first few rounds) but you get used to it after a while so take your time and enjoy it. Although, I have not drove in a while since I’m in Australia, so I might have to brush up on it quite a bit when I get back 😅
That’s all for now on my end 😁, do ask me anything that you are curious about if have some questions
Hello @AllOf05!
I left high school 5 years ago, but I still think about how crucial Year 11 and Year 12 were for me. Those years really shaped what I’m passionate about now. The subjects I chose gave me a clearer idea of what I enjoy and what I’m good at, and they played a big part in helping me decide on my career path. It wasn’t always easy—balancing study with everything else was a challenge, and the pressure of exams felt overwhelming at times. But looking back, those experiences taught me resilience and gave me a sense of direction that I’m grateful for today.
Your subject choices sound really interesting—Modern History and Psychology in particular are such great areas to dive into. Do you have one you’re especially excited to explore?
I myself loved Modern History so much, as well as psychology, and I am now completing postgraduate study in psychology! I credit my wonderful teachers during my HSC and all the research and writing skills I learned during that time to pushing me to pursue this career.
It sounds like you’re well prepared and you should be proud of yourself for everything you’re setting yourself up to accomplish. I hope some of your peers can reply to you to provide you some reassurance.
Best of luck with everything! You’ve got this 😎
