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| Ves |
Wow! That is such a motivational post, Hyperdimension!
| quote: | | it's usually only accidental mistakes that distinguishes one student from another. |
Yes, that’s very true... I missed out on a prize in French because of 1.5 marks! When I looked over my exam I could see that I lost one mark for not answering a question (it was a multiple choice too, I had a 1/3 chance of getting it right), and I lost another mark for looking too deep into a comprehension question. I tried to write some strange answer about the state of the French franc, when in actual fact all I needed to do was copy the sentence that corresponded to the question, word for word, out of the comprehension itself. Ah dear... I really must stop making silly mistakes like that.
*ves shakes her head sadly*
| quote: | | I think there will be times when you simply don't know the answer... that's when you need to make up an answer... so you should also improve your abilities in this art form... |
Sometimes the bullting and the verbiage works unbelievably well. It’s almost criminal! However, sometimes it can backfire dreadfully. I once had to write a Geography essay, and I knew nothing about the issue they wanted me to write about. So I had no choice, I had to make it up... and I failed miserably. The examiner saw through all the flowery language and awarded me a grade that was rather dismal.
| quote: | | I used to do my homework while sitting in class, partially concentrating on the teacher's ramblings to detect whether he/she has said anything important... |
Yes, that’s what I do now. I do whatever I can in class so that I have time to do other things at home. However, I have found that a few teachers have issues with students doing their homework while they are rambling. These teachers have the belief that students are incapable of doing two things at once, and by not concentrating on what they are saying grades are compromised. Teachers like that can be incredibly annoying; especially when they spend their time mainly telling other students to shut up rather than actually teaching. It’s quite discouraging. Now that I’m older and moving progressively towards the top of the school hierarchy this fortunately happens less often than it used to.
| quote: |
I think the competition with your friend is still a healthy kind. How much a mark means to a student is influenced by the amount of time and effort it took to get the marks...
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I feel that if I work hard enough I will succeed. She tells me that she does not study…but her parents tell me that she is very diligent regarding school. Her parents even said that if I studied more and put in the effort, I will get higher marks than her (hmm, rather strange thing for her parents to tell me!). So yes, I’m willing to "brainwash" myself into achieving my goals.
| quote: | Don't let anyone drag you down!
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I’ll remember that!
Heheh, I now feel intensely competitive. I think I’m ready to work hard this year, and aim for dux :eyespop:
Thanks! :)
| quote: | Originally posted by Trancey Ash
GRRRR Like 2nd in History
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HA HA!
...:cool: :cool: :cool:
You need to refine your bullting skills, Mr!
*looks fondly upon her history assessments*
Ah well, next year you can have Ancient. Modern's mine! ;) hahah |
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| Philby |
ahaha
[lecture]
| quote: | Originally posted by Hyperdimension
In year 11 and 12, I had to do a few late nights and all-nighters, and many in university. But it was only because of work overload and my obsession with getting top marks... I'm not a genius, so it took time, effort, and even suffering (and possibly psychological damage [yes I think I did go crazy, maybe I still am]) to consistently get marks like that.
Clear and efficient thinking is a very important factor in determining the amount of time it takes to do work. I mentioned psychoactive recreational substances before because they can impair mental efficiency and clarity, and it's up to you to decide what your priority is of having great fun with the aid of such substances as compared to that of getting marks in the top range.
As ideal as it sounds to managing your time effectively, in practice it's often impossible... because it's difficult to estimate how long it's going to take you to learn things, to have a good understanding of difficult concepts, and to do assignments.
If you're only aiming to pass a subject, it's okay to not even attempt to understand difficult subject material. But to get top marks, you usually need to understand almost everything. In the few cases that it really is almost impossible to understand particular things, the trick is to be very good at answering questions/problems by going through sample answers and practising to mimic the answers. With this kind of practise, it's easy to do very well in exams in which the questions/problems are very similar to those you did in your homework and class. A lot of exams are like that, and it's usually only accidental mistakes that distinguishes one student from another. But often the odd completely unfamiliar and tricky questions/problems are put in that really test your understanding of particular concepts and your ability to to use your understanding. That's where you can stand out above the rest, and the effort and time spent pays off. The question to ask yourself is how much effort and time you are willing to spend at the expense of other things in life in order to achieve the goals you set.
An analogy would be those sportspeople who do whatever it takes, including keeping to an extremely strict lifestyle, to be able to eventually have a chance in making it into a highly-regarded team e.g. an olympic team.
I think there will be times when you simply don't know the answer... that's when you need to make up an answer... so you should also improve your abilities in this art form. I have found that neat writing helps. I'm a messy writer, so I wasn't too good when it came to these situations, but a friend at uni was neat, and he often got away with his bogus exam answers that "looked" right. :)
Classes are mostly a waste of time if you are motivated and a fast learner and worker. Classes can drag you back to an "average" student's pace, when really if you read the material you could take it all in within a fraction of the time. However you don't want to miss out on important points that the teacher might tell in class, and that the text may not have mentioned or emphasised. Teachers are also useful for answering quieries you might have, or for assistance if you are stuck on a problem.
I used to do my homework while sitting in class, partially concentrating on the teacher's ramblings to detect whether he/she has said anything important. Homework was usually just questions from the text book. I got to have more time to do other things. Save time wherever you can!
I think the competition with your friend is still a healthy kind. How much a mark means to a student is influenced by the amount of time and effort it took to get the marks. It's easy to be jealous because you may have spent a lot more time and effort than her yet she still gets better results. If you say she is a genius, then intelligence would be her advantage over you. Intelligence is pretty much a constant, so to get better marks than her you would need to improve other factors that influence marks, like mindset/attitude, and even mental and physical health. Modifying your mindset/attitude really is the same as willingly "brainwashing" yourself. You make yourself think and behave in a different way.
Most dedicated sportspeople would have trained their minds in various ways to help them achieve their goals. An "average normal person" mindset obviously would not be appropriate for their purposes. In terms of school/university marks, "average normal person" marks would be I'd say around 60% +/- 15%... think of something like the "normal" or "bell" curve you would have studied in mathematics. University entrance scores close to 100% would not be of an "average normal person".
I knew of someone at school who was unhealthily competitive - he was selfish and arrogant. At the time, I thought that was the way to go... so I adopted his ways to an extent... I was aggressive. Marks improved immensely but I was disliked by some people... I dismissed it as jealousy, but now I believe it's because I held no respect for anyone. If I could push everyone down just so there was a bigger gap between myself and the others, I would. It's not the way to go. Unhealthy competition can have negative consequences in various ways... whether or not you believe in karma.
It's not a bad idea to get the text books and study ahead while you actually have the time. It makes more spare time available during the school year, and you'll thank yourself for it. I actually finished the entire year 11 2 unit mathematics course in a month during the holidays. That's what you call motivation. :) I came first in the subject, I even finished the final exam 1.5h early and got 100%! And during the school year I had more time for other things.
Similarly, before my university course commenced I covered most of the Discrete Mathematics first semester subject in the holidays... and ended up getting 98% in the subject, and that's not a scaled mark!
It may sound like it's going too far when you study ahead in the holidays... but I see it as similar to reading a long novel, or doing crosswords. The difference is that reading a text book or novel for a future class will improve your marks, and if it's considered to be fun, it could be similar to playing strategy games everyday... you're using your mind a lot doing something that you enjoy.
Making the work feel interesting and fun is one strategy to get yourself to do the work - it becomes like a game that you have to succeed in and win with the highest possible score you can achieve. You are competing with tens of thousands of other players from around the state. What will be your rank in the hall of fame?
People may say that there is little point in achieving too highly in school and university.
One of the purposes of school is to get a final mark to be eligible for a university course. However, school also gives young people a good foundation of training and knowledge which they can apply beneficially in their lives... whether it be in their finances, written and verbal communication, or how things work.
School provides valuable education for people, and should be regarded a lot more highly by students than currently. Education is important for a society to develop well and flourish.
Students may be too young to realise the importance of what they are going through, and take school for granted. There are many parts of the world in which school is an exclusive privilege and not a right, and opportunity for children to go to school is slim or non-existent.
If students realised and appreciated the importance of education and committed themselves to it to a higher degree, it would not only benefit themselves but possibly also the society in which they live, and then ultimately, the human race. Therefore, academic excellence should not be discouraged, but encouarged and commended. We should encourage students to be the best that they can be, not just "average normal people".
Technology has become an essential part of our lives, and it could not have come as far as how it is today if it were not for the pioneers who developed the theorems and theories of mathematics and science. The pioneers themselves were not "average normal people". The work they did are not the things that "average normal people" come up with.
Don't let anyone drag you down! |
[/lecture] |
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| escee |
| quote: | Originally posted by Philby
ahaha
[lecture]
[/lecture] |
haha :stongue: |
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| Hyperdimension |
| quote: | Originally posted by escee
Hyperdimension, where do you get your motivation from? what motivates you to spend all your time studying? |
The desire to be good at something.
The desire to be better than everyone else.
The desire to be better than the best.
The desire to win first prize.
[lecture]
School is a big game, each year is a level in the game.
University is a slightly different game, as are the workforce and workplace.
Our whole life is full of competition, and everyone wants to be better than everyone else in everything in life. What varies are the levels of motivation and opportunity.
Personally, it was the arsehole I had mentioned whom I wanted to beat. I fought back in competition... and then as time went by I found that I had become hooked on the euphoric feelings that you experience when you get results above almost everyone else. I'd continue to put in the effort to continue to get those feelings. Anyone who is seriously into sport would understand the feeling of winning and being addicted to it.
I don't study anymore though, because I've finished school and university and have an okay job. My work in my job is where I focus my mental efforts now, they are my assignments that I need to complete within deadlines. Other than that, these days TV satisfies my thirst for mental stimulation rather than books!
It's easy to become mentally lazy once you get out of academic life. The mind is like a muscle. "If you don't use it, you lose it".
[/lecture] |
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| Hyperdimension |
| quote: | Originally posted by Trancey Ash
I wanna come first at Advanced English. I used to hate it, now I love it thanks to awsome teacher.
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Trancey Ash, I can relate to this, because I had an amazing English teacher in year 11. Teachers like that really put a lot of soul and passion into their work. They make the work fun and inspire the students to really get involved and develop a love for the work. A subject like English needs you to think deeply, widely and creatively, and having a teacher that inspires a lot of ideas in you really helps. I was quite poor in English at the beginning of year 10... I remember that it once took me 4 hours to be able to write a 15 line response to a question. (I got 10/10 for it so my time and effort wasn't totally wasted.) But with good inspiring English teachers and my own perseverence I improved immensely and came first in year 11 2 unit related English. |
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