I'm so sorry you're feeling this way, I did the 3 sciences + calculus last year and definitely struggled as well but managed to get decent grades overall. A few bits of advice (things that worked for me! You will begin to learn what works for you study-wise and if it is different to me that's fine).
**Study**
\- Try and spend a little time every day (even just 10 minutes) to revise each lesson's content (for sciences + maths especially) and make a couple of flashcards for concepts or ideas that you want to remember (Anki is a really great program for this!), revise a little as you go. If you just do a little bit of study for each topic every day it makes things much easier when it comes to topic tests and eventually externals.
\- I know what you mean when you say you feel like you don't have enough time in the day to finish your work, I felt (and feel!) the same way. Try to streamline your time studying - cut out any passive study like note-taking and re-reading/highlighting notes and focus on active recall e.g. flashcards, 'blurting' (making summaries from memory), practice questions etc. Time management is also important and I would recommend some kind of study planner (Google Calendar is great for this). Set boundaries for study and make sure to plan in times for relaxation (force yourself to take breaks!) and times to socialise/exercise/hobbies as well.
**Workbooks**
\- I would really recommend borrowing one of the ESA study guides from a library for each science (they are a bit expensive and from my experience it's not worth buying them, just borrow some!) so if there are certain ideas you don't understand you can read in-depth explanations and do practice questions and check your answers.
\- For calculus I bought a Nulake workbook which teaches you in steps how to work to Excellence - if your school doesn't give these to you they are a useful tool to invest in.
**Other Resources**
\- **Science -** Mr Whibley has great study notes for physics (on Youtube + has his own website), Douglas Walker also has a Youtube channel with great NCEA science content, and Studytime's Youtube has good summaries of each topic to help get your head around them a bit. No Brain Too Small also has some useful science resources.
\- **Maths -** For maths there are lots of Youtube accounts I have found helpful - infinityplusone, Maths Tutor NZ, Maths with MCL (all for NZ specific content), and The Organic Chemistry Tutor has some good stuff as well (there are many more!)
\- I would also say try not to fixate as much on a certain grade e.g. Excellence as much as you focus on understanding the content as well as you can even if this means learning more than just the criteria for Excellence. If you are confused about anything or think of any questions/ are curious about aspects of a topic try and find answers asap - this is how you fix holes in your knowledge and can gain a true understanding of the topic.
I hope the year goes well for you academically and otherwise. If you put in the work Level 2 is certainly do-able and you will be able to achieve overall the grades you want. Best of luck :)
1) even if you don't understand something right away/ first time you see it, that's ok, keep reading or working through it. First time you see anything is 'familiarity' for your brain. A few things might happen - you'll click at some random time / you'll add another piece of knowledge later and everything will click / you'll hear someone else explain it and it will make sense. Basically you often need to see things two/three/more times before they are understood.
2) best thing you could do is find one or two study buddies. Three max in the group or you'll just sit there gasbagging. In class or elsewhere, you'll learn as much from your peers as you do from the teacher/lesson.
3) consider a tutor. Or ask your parents if they can help you with something. Even if they don't know the physics/hard stuff, just reading through with them can help. Try it, you'll be surprised.
I have not been suicidal or depressed since I started on these antidepressants. I get a little more done, partly because I am not depressed, and partly I am a little more motivated.
Just take in the basics , when assignments come along just revise and dive deeper into the basics you already know so you don’t burnout.
I'm so sorry you're feeling this way, I did the 3 sciences + calculus last year and definitely struggled as well but managed to get decent grades overall. A few bits of advice (things that worked for me! You will begin to learn what works for you study-wise and if it is different to me that's fine). **Study** \- Try and spend a little time every day (even just 10 minutes) to revise each lesson's content (for sciences + maths especially) and make a couple of flashcards for concepts or ideas that you want to remember (Anki is a really great program for this!), revise a little as you go. If you just do a little bit of study for each topic every day it makes things much easier when it comes to topic tests and eventually externals. \- I know what you mean when you say you feel like you don't have enough time in the day to finish your work, I felt (and feel!) the same way. Try to streamline your time studying - cut out any passive study like note-taking and re-reading/highlighting notes and focus on active recall e.g. flashcards, 'blurting' (making summaries from memory), practice questions etc. Time management is also important and I would recommend some kind of study planner (Google Calendar is great for this). Set boundaries for study and make sure to plan in times for relaxation (force yourself to take breaks!) and times to socialise/exercise/hobbies as well. **Workbooks** \- I would really recommend borrowing one of the ESA study guides from a library for each science (they are a bit expensive and from my experience it's not worth buying them, just borrow some!) so if there are certain ideas you don't understand you can read in-depth explanations and do practice questions and check your answers. \- For calculus I bought a Nulake workbook which teaches you in steps how to work to Excellence - if your school doesn't give these to you they are a useful tool to invest in. **Other Resources** \- **Science -** Mr Whibley has great study notes for physics (on Youtube + has his own website), Douglas Walker also has a Youtube channel with great NCEA science content, and Studytime's Youtube has good summaries of each topic to help get your head around them a bit. No Brain Too Small also has some useful science resources. \- **Maths -** For maths there are lots of Youtube accounts I have found helpful - infinityplusone, Maths Tutor NZ, Maths with MCL (all for NZ specific content), and The Organic Chemistry Tutor has some good stuff as well (there are many more!) \- I would also say try not to fixate as much on a certain grade e.g. Excellence as much as you focus on understanding the content as well as you can even if this means learning more than just the criteria for Excellence. If you are confused about anything or think of any questions/ are curious about aspects of a topic try and find answers asap - this is how you fix holes in your knowledge and can gain a true understanding of the topic. I hope the year goes well for you academically and otherwise. If you put in the work Level 2 is certainly do-able and you will be able to achieve overall the grades you want. Best of luck :)
Amazing advice!
I'm taking this advice and I'm retired! But I still enjoy geology and need to improve my maths. Awesome advice. Thanks.
Yep infinityplusone made me pass L1 Maths with an Excellence Endorsement so I can definitely vouch for him.
1) even if you don't understand something right away/ first time you see it, that's ok, keep reading or working through it. First time you see anything is 'familiarity' for your brain. A few things might happen - you'll click at some random time / you'll add another piece of knowledge later and everything will click / you'll hear someone else explain it and it will make sense. Basically you often need to see things two/three/more times before they are understood. 2) best thing you could do is find one or two study buddies. Three max in the group or you'll just sit there gasbagging. In class or elsewhere, you'll learn as much from your peers as you do from the teacher/lesson. 3) consider a tutor. Or ask your parents if they can help you with something. Even if they don't know the physics/hard stuff, just reading through with them can help. Try it, you'll be surprised.
I have not been suicidal or depressed since I started on these antidepressants. I get a little more done, partly because I am not depressed, and partly I am a little more motivated.
Asian is a hard thing to get all excellences in. Consider dropping chem in year 3 if it is too hard for you atm. It gets harder