Tips for Starting Year 11
It’s time to start your most important years of schooling and it can feel like these are the most important years of your life. If you’re feeling the pressure, you’re not alone. We’ve got some tips to ease your nerves and set you on the right track.
This is not the most important year of your life
This is not the most important year of your life, and neither is year 12. Yes, even though your exams will determine whether you get the UAC or VTAC offer you’re hoping for.
(UAC is the ATAR-based university admissions organization for NSW and ACT, VTAC is the one for Victoria, and the other states also have similar organizations)
ATAR - the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank - is not the be all and end all (did you know that that’s a Macbeth reference?). Yes, it could get you into a great degree, but think of it more as a shortcut rather than the only route. Many, many people get into uni through special preparation courses or as mature age students. If you don’t get into your dream course you’ll likely just have to spend 1-2 years studying something else to boost your marks and let you transfer courses.
While it can feel like your grades this year will determine your whole university experience, career and life - it really won’t. There are plenty of opportunities to switch things up after you finish school.
2. Strike a balance with study
Even if the ATAR is just a shortcut into the degree you want, a shortcut sure would be nice! You’ll probably want to try hard to achieve it (and many schools make you feel like your life depends on it).
We recommend having a hard think about your goals and thinking about what you are willing to do to achieve them. Do not say “whatever it takes”! A good answer might be that you’re willing to do nothing but study on weeknights except for going to sport practice, and then on the weekends it’s all about sport and friends. Another good balance might be that on weeknights you study for 2 hours after school each day, but spend the rest of the evening relaxing. Then on the weekends, knuckle down and do two long days at your local library.
We strongly believe that every year 11 and 12 student should have one physical activity (eg. a sport with one training and one game each week), one fun activity (eg. a games night with friends), and one other skill activity (eg. music rehearsal or debating practice) per week. These will keep you healthy and happy and give you a much needed reminder that school isn’t the only thing you’re good at.
3. Surround yourself with people with similar goals
People a usually very good at fitting in with a group, and chances are that you modify your behavior so that you conform to those around you without even thinking about it. This means that if you surround yourself with people who study regularly, you’ll find it easier to do. The opposite is also true. If you sit down to study only to have the group chat popping off all afternoon, you’ll find it very hard to force yourself to miss out on those conversations.
We’d never advocate for you to abandon your friends in what is going to be a stressful year, but if your usual friends don’t have the study habits you’re looking for see if you can add in some more diligent peers. Try creating a new group chat for your math class to share questions, memes and frustrations about your classwork. You might be able to find common ground with some really engaged people and set up a study group.
4. Be there for each other
There is going to be a lot of competitiveness for top rank over the next two years. Your internal rank is an important ingredient in your ATAR so it will be very easy to view your classmates’ success as a threat to your own.
Top ranks are only necessary for people aiming for 99+ ATARs, which should be very few people! Only a few courses require such high entry requirements, and many of them are only slightly better versions of courses with much lower requirements.
If you’re not aiming for something like undergraduate medicine, you don’t need to be worried about being rank 1 at your school. Instead, realize that the better you all do on that external exam the more marks there will be for all of you. (The HSC does a kind of mark allotment out of your combined pool of marks from the external exam, shared according to your internal rank).
Help each other. Share your ideas. Give feedback on each other’s work. You will all benefit and you won’t feel so alone.
5. Your parents might not get it
Your parents probably won’t understand what an English marker is looking for in an essay and they probably won’t know what integration is, let alone how to do it. It’s been a long time since they were at school. If your parents can’t seem to fully grasp why you’re so stressed or why your tests are so hard, it’s okay. Communicate what you can and accept the help that they can give.
Most parents desperately want to help, but don’t know what to do. You’re allowed to give them suggestions! When I (Future Tutor Founder, Breanna, here) was in a desperate moment in Year 11, I confessed to my mum that my dad would make me a cup of tea and a slice of toast for breakfast every day when I was at his house and that being able to sit in bed for 10 more minutes to gather my courage really made a big difference. Mum made me tea and toast every single day after that.
6. There’s no shame in getting a tutor
Sometimes people feel embarrassed that they need a bit of extra help, but getting a tutor to help you is very normal. About one in four students in NSW have a tutor (according to the ATA), and at private schools the prevalence is much higher. A tutor can help with all aspects of school whether that’s particular course content or planning your study throughout the week.
Reach out to Future Tutor for a free 20 min consultation!