The Cheltonian

13 Tips for VCE

13 Tips for VCE

(Arthur Bolkas)

1.  If you’re leaving school this year have a plan

  • Don’t drop out of school into nothing – have a job or apprenticeship etc. because unemployment = bad career path

2.   Mentor

  • If you don’t have a mentor, find one
  • An adult you respect and can talk to about any issues (including study) that might arise
  • Ideally part of a ‘support network’ of different people who can help you in practical and personal ways

3.   Address Problems

  • In your life, parents’/carers’ lives, family life, relationships
  • Talk to an adult (parents, mentor, etc) about problems
  • Get professional help – through school, local council, ‘help’ line

4.   Communicate needs with teachers & parents

  • Connect with teachers – they’re there to do more than ‘teach’
  • Look for ways to communicate what you think and feel with your parents/carers – maybe write them a letter

5.   Pace yourself

  • It’s a marathon, not a sprint – work steadily through the year to avoid burning out from over exertion towards the end.

6.   Relieve stress

  • Positive time out with family & friends
  • Movies, picnic, etc. to veg out; play & watch sport/recreate
  • Eat well
  • Associate with affirming/positive people
  • Focus on strengths, not  weaknesses

7.   Partying  & ‘burning the candle at both ends’

  • Don’t kid yourself – substance use and study don’t mix
  • Find out whether you’ve got a (potential) drink/drug problem
  • Sleep + deprivation = torture

8.   Self-discipline, routine & sacrifice

  • Learn to say “NO” to distractions
  • Establish positive living & study habits – good practice for university or work
  • Access university resources – libraries etc.
  • Practise ‘exams’ using past exam papers
  • Create effective study space – the garage if necessary

9.   Beware of being too competitive

  • Pressure to succeed (from parents, society) creates extreme competitiveness, sometimes rivalry, even amongst friends
  • Compete against yourself to achieve your best possible result

10.  Remember the benefits of education

  • Increases self-esteem – you’re not ‘dumb’ or inferior
  • Personal empowerment – to think, communicate, learn
  • Work/study/life options
  • Help yourself & others
  • You can always return to school – mature age student

11.  Failure

  • Is not getting lower marks than somebody else, it’s when you don’t achieve the best that you can achieve
  • Failure can be ‘success in disguise’
  • Even academic failure isn’t ultimate failure
  • You can succeed academically but fail in your personal life – note the growing tertiary drop-outs rates
  • Failure = completely giving up/not trying
  • Finish what you started – a positive ‘inner voice’

12.  VCE – more than an enter score

  • A means to an end, not an end in itself
  • A stepping stone to the rest of your life – not the most important year in your life
  • Maintain balance/perspective – education = life-long process

13.  Practise holistic lifestyle

  • The ‘4 legged stool’ – maintain physical, mental, emotional, moral/spiritual balance in your life.

 

HAVE A GOOD YEAR, AND A GREAT LIFE