21 Sep 2021

I know this sounds a little redundant but.. Be prepared but do not be over prepared.

The pressure that this time of year brings when you’re in year 12 is insane. You’re taught that this is what counts - all the effort you put in from here on out will count towards that one number. You channel into a fight or flight response of being in the zone or being completely overwhelmed. You go from confusing productive studying sessions with all-nighters because you’re thinking you haven’t done enough over the last few months.

In my senior years of high school, I struggled to focus on all of my subjects equally and to be completely honest, you probably are too. You’re practicing past papers and finishing major works for the subjects you enjoy and not necessarily the ones you have trouble with. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Year13 (@year13)

No matter whether you’re failing visually or academically, it’s hard to catch up when you’ve lost your footing and simply don’t have the time to focus on it.

Looking back now, I was in school for six hours out of a day and when I settled at home in the afternoon, studying for five. I was mentally clocked into studying for 11 hours a day and I just can’t ever see myself ever being in that headspace again. When I wasn’t studying, I wasn’t using my downtime to relax with my mates - I was procrastinating and upset with myself for not using my time more efficiently.

Although I thought I was being productive by staring at a screen and giving myself early-onset arthritis (my right wrist after scribbling essays for two hours straight was not too happy with me) the truth is, I wasn’t. I didn’t give myself enough breaks and felt a little brain dead - I didn’t retain any information and I went into my exams with little confidence, thinking what I should have done. 

I was left thinking, should I have put off more shifts at work? Should I have gone to the library with my friends to study more? Would those days have been the difference between a band five and six?

I had everything I needed to ace my exams - the study plan, the notebooks filled with dot points, summaries, key topics, formulas and prescribed text examples. But I was dedicating massive slabs of time to one subject rather than ticking off tasks and the topics that needed the most attention. I’ve only recently realised, this build up of pressure and the idea that everything we do counts isn’t fair. We’re taught in a one-to-many style; we all absorb information differently, there are multiple variations of learning styles and I simply could not compete with my peers that got math. Like seriously - pythagoras theorem was not getting any love from me.

There will always be a disparity between everyone’s marks - you’ll have mates that worked their asses off and got the result they wanted. Others will also work their asses off but be devastated and embarrassed, reflecting that their 13 years of schooling meant nothing with this lower mark.

Instead of working yourself to the bone, find a routine that works for you. Control what you can and pay no mind to what you can’t. Keep calm, look after your health and take those well deserved breaks. And if you’re struggling right now, it gets easier, I promise 💛