How I got a 99.95 ATAR: tackling each subject

Matrix and Northern Beaches Christian School graduate, Jake, shares how he tackled each of his subjects. He reveals his top tips for maintaining your passions and finding joy in your Year 12 learning to succeed. Read on to learn how he got a 99.95 ATAR.

Please note: this was written by Jake during Year 12 before he completed his HSC exams.

Me, Myself, and I

Name: Jake Murray

School: Northern Beaches Christian School

Grade: 12

ATAR: 99.95

University goal: B Arts/B Law or B Science/B Law at USYD!

A little about me

I am somewhat of a mathematics, philosophy and literature enthusiast – an unconventional mix, I’m aware, but it works for me! I love nothing more than getting stuck into a good book. And, I have been known to spend a little too much time binging old sitcoms and analysing old films. I adore spending time with family, friends and (perhaps most of all) dogs.

I’m Vice Captain of my school, currently wading through the sea that is Duke of Ed Gold, captain of my school’s International Ethics Olympiad team, and an International Science School alumnus.

Now, that’s all good and well, but I’m sure you’re still a little unsure as to why you ought to stick around to the end of this article.

Well, over the past few years, I’ve accrued a few tips and tricks I’d love to share regarding how we, even as senior students, can enjoy school. Dare I say, even love school.

I know, I know, an absurd hypothesis, but please do bear with me. The reality is, schools aren’t designed to produce numbers. They’re designed to produce thinkers. Sadly, this sometimes gets lost in translation when the ATAR remains on our heels, ever-present, polluting the air we breathe and the thoughts we think.

The joyous news is, this most certainly does not need to be the case. Believe it or not, you can find joy in your year 12 learning, just as I have!

My subjects

• Mathematics Advanced
• Mathematics Extension 1
• Mathematics Extension 2
• English Advanced
• English Extension 1
• English Extension 2
• Physics
• Modern History

My school life

By virtue of my academic load’s skew towards extension courses, I’m at school early and late very often, and I’ve one, two or even three study periods interspersed into any given day.

In the transition from Preliminary to HSC courses, I ended up dropping economics and picking up extension 2 mathematics and English – I realised I’d taken economics in the first place not out of passion but, rather, a belief that I should.

Thankfully, I ended up thoroughly enjoying preliminary economics (in no small part due to a phenomenal teacher), but I recognised it’s not where my passions lie. Taking both extension 2 courses is indeed as tricky, tumultuous and tiring as it sounds, but the passion I have for the course content has pulled me through thus far, and I suspect it’ll continue to do so.

I am comfortable with:

• English: To cruelly decontextualise the words of Hamlet‘s eponym, the purpose of literature is “to hold as ‘twere the mirror up to nature”. English is perhaps the most efficient path to understanding yourself, to your nature and to the natures of those around you. That in itself is a gift, and if you’re able to develop an appreciation for it the subject becomes unfathomably more accessible – approach it like a human willing to learn, not a robot programmed to write unimaginative essays… let your ideas do the talking!
• Mathematics: Maths is, fundamentally, a language. A language that allows for the description of the natural world. While I’m no professional at it, I’d say the biggest reason I’m quite comfortable in maths is my willingness to pursue answers when that little voice in the back of my mind asks, why? Why is this formula the way it is? From where did it originate? Does it perhaps have any graphical implications? Allow yourself to explore and don’t make that voice of curiosity ever quieter by simply saying “it’s in the textbook” and moving on… have some fun with it!

Want to ace school like Jake?

I sometimes struggle with:

• Physics: Don’t get me wrong, I love physics. Physics in the theoretical sense. Unfortunately, practicals have always been a source of stress for me (I’d attribute this to a certain unfortunate experience in 7th grade involving an acid spill and the ruining of a set of results mid-exam). In every practical task since, I’ve found myself in a fairly panicked state. As with anything of this nature, I’ve found the best way to mitigate my aversion to practicals has been, unsurprisingly, doing more practicals.Everyone’s got that one topic in that one subject that’s, well, somewhat of a source of misery. And this, of course, is unideal. Fortunately, in almost every case, exposure is the cure. If you’re like me and don’t love practicals, challenge yourself to do more practicals! You’ll thank yourself for it. Oh, and don’t be like me – don’t wait until year 12 to acknowledge an area of discomfort. Tackle it early!

My routine

During the term

Ah, the in-term study routine. A fair bit to unpack here. Let me start by saying that organisational systems will, and should, vary from one individual to the next. There are certain systems that are generally well-liked, but your final approach is entirely your call! The one thing that I would most certainly suggest is to establish an organisation system at a micro and macro level:

• For example, I use a termly planner, which provides an overview of the term, and here I note any important dates. It can be pretty overwhelming to stare at what seems like an endless list of To-Dos, so being able to visualise the coming weeks is invaluable.
  
• Then, of course, I keep a regular list of To-Dos (including school and Matrix homework, and miscellaneous tasks that crop up), allocating each a date of completion so as to provide some structure to my week.
  
• Lastly, each day when I sit down to work I’ll hand-write a list of what I need to do in that given session – yes, I’ve already got it virtually, but there’s something cathartic about physically ticking off elements of a visibly finite list.

Overkill? Perhaps, in the eyes of some. I personally find this system to be highly useful, and again, organisation and rhythm are highly subjective. I do recommend spending time finding what works for you and what doesn’t (the holidays are a prime opportunity for this), and, of course, don’t be afraid to make it a little aesthetic!

During my holidays

The holidays are the primest of prime opportunities to get ahead of the curve and put yourself in a great position for the coming term. Yet, as I’m sure is the case for many, Netflix beckons vehemently and, well, I’m only human.

The tricky thing is, studying over the break can lack accountability and structure, and this is precisely the reason why I enrolled in my first Matrix holiday course.

I found that the lessons not only acted as a form of study but a point of consistency in my days, and I was able to form a more solid routine around such.

The other (in my eyes) essential note regarding holiday study is to schedule in breaks. We all have an idealistic image of what the perfect year 12 student’s holidays would look like; studying 10 hours a day, churning through so much paper that local mills are forced to up production, et cetera, et cetera… unfortunately, we’re all human. We all need breaks, and that’s perfectly fine.

To maximise the benefit of a break and eliminate any guilt surrounding ‘unproductiveness’, work it into your schedule – this provides a goal to push towards as well!

Staying on top

I fight distractions by:

• Using a 25-minute Pomodoro timer and rotating between 25 minutes of work and 5-minute breaks.
• Listening to good (but not too good, lest I get distracted) music to keep me motivated and maintain a rhythm.
• Scheduling in breaks and time with family and friends to:
  • Provide something fun to work towards.
  • Ensure I don’t… implode from exhaustion?

I keep healthy by:

• Trying my best to go on a run a few mornings each week (although, in all honesty, I could definitely be more consistent…).
• Starting the day with fresh fruit – I’ve found this has provided me with a boost of energy and, honestly, something tasty to look forward to each morning!
• Journalling. No, I don’t mean writing pages upon pages, each beginning with “dear diary…” (although, if that works for you, great!); I mean noting goals for the day, motivations, mood and so forth. I’ve found that the very process of articulating this stuff makes it all incomprehensibly clearer, not to mention the meditative qualities of such a practice.

My subject hacks – finding joy in your senior courses

English [Adv, E1, E2]

1 – Read!

This one’s fairly self-explanatory. Even so, I’ll add a caveat; read what you enjoy. For some, that’s a collection of the essays of Freud, for others, that’s Harry Potter. Amongst all the other benefits of reading frequently (which, I know, is a difficult thing to make habitual), it’ll help reframe the subject of English as something more free and even relaxing, and by exposing yourself to ideas that extend beyond the classroom you’ll be able to create more nuanced, enjoyable and distinctive essays.

When you read and find what you like and what you don’t, you’re developing your own authorial voice.

2 – Follow ideas, not numbers!

Don’t confine yourself to here’s an idea that I think will get me a 20/20. Embrace your curiosity, extend your thinking to here’s an idea that truly interests me, or truly scares me, or truly comforts me. Again, this reframes the intention of the study of English – it’s not about a mark, it’s about you as a thinker. Yes, marks are important, but in my (limited) experience I’ve always performed better in tasks in which I’ve actually felt connected to my ideas than those in which I’ve whipped something up that I figured ought to get a high score.

Find peers who are willing to have these conversations with you! I’m overwhelmingly thankful to have one of my dearest friends in all of my English courses with me, and we talk every day or two about what we’ve been reading or thinking about and, importantly, what we found particularly engaging in such.

Whenever you read/think/hear/see something and make an audible “wow!” or “ooohhhhhh” in response, bring it to a friend and chat – this helps clarify your thinking and, truly, is a lot of fun.

Lastly, I’ve never known a teacher who doesn’t want to chat about the subject they teach. Talk to them! I liked English in early high school, but never loved it. It was through conversations with my Year 10 English teacher about film, philosophy and the like that I discovered the extent of my passion for the subject, and hey, now I’m doing four-unit!

Likewise, your Matrix teachers are exceptional people to chat to about these interests – your passions will fairly often overlap with theirs! I’m sure we all have aspects of subjects that we love, so embrace those interests and chat about them to the experts – you never know what else you might be prompted to read or consider… you could discover your interest extends a lot deeper than a single writer, filmmaker, dramatist or thinker!

Side note: the above likewise applies to students studying modern, ancient or extension history.

Mathematics [Adv, E1, E2]

1 – Do the questions that force you to think!

The fun in maths comes from the feeling of accomplishment.

The accomplishment of a tricky concept finally ‘clicking’, or of finding the answer to an unfamiliar question.

Biologically, overcoming an intellectual hurdle releases a rush of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which in turn boosts your mood and increases motivation. Use this knowledge to your advantage! Seek challenges! Yes, it’s hard to sit down at your desk and say, I really want to do something brutally difficult right now, but once that initial barrier is overcome your subsequent study becomes more enjoyable, engaging and effective. This, of course, depends on how comfortable you are with your maths – for many, the textbooks prescribed by schools are sufficiently challenging. For others, something more might be sought.

I’ve found that Matrix’s mathematics courses, especially extension 2, provide such a range of problems that all can find those which are sufficiently challenging and, in some cases, thrillingly terrifying (thanks Hugh!). The main point here is don’t restrict yourself to styles of problems you know you’re already comfortable with – the study will feel repetitious, it’ll decrease motivation and it’s not exceedingly effective. Seek a challenge – your future self will thank you for it!

2 – Don’t be afraid to explore independently!

Whenever you cover a new chunk of content in class and find yourself fixated curiously on some aspect of it, go and explore! Talk to your teachers, Matrix tutors, or research on your own. Perhaps you’re curious about the origins of some element of mathematics, or how one topic might intersect with another – that’s a great thing!

The internet is an absolute treasure trove when it comes to supplementary learning resources. My personal favourite is Dr Simon Singh’s ‘Parallel Maths Project’, where each week students are offered a set of challenging problems that extend beyond the scope of high school maths, interspersed with little lessons on mathematical history and applications of the theory you’ll learn. I know it’s very, very difficult to justify expending time and mental energy on non-curricular content every week, but please trust me on this one – the best thing you can do for yourself as a student is keep the flame of curiosity alive and burning.

3 – Work with friends that share your passion!

I’m fortunate enough to have a very close friend with just as much of an interest in the nuances of maths as me, and we make it a point to designate some time each week for fun, challenging problems. How could this possibly be justified in year 12? It’s simple. It’s what keeps us motivated. Of course, this is merely an extension upon tips 1 and 2… they’re much easier to implement when you’ve got a mate by your side.

Physics

1 – Work to understand the gravity of it all.

Wow. See what I did there?

What I mean by that is, a lot of what we do in HSC physics can simply be seen as a collection of formulae and qualitative rules. That’s no fun. The content in the course has vast, vast implications and applications – explore this! It brings a real sense of gravity (I’ve done it again) and context to your learning.

The Matrix Theory books are a great place to start with this kind of thing – amidst the theory notes are numerous references to how the content’s being applied in the real world.

Or maybe you might want to follow NASA on Instagram and watch the progress of the James Webb telescope launch? When a topic in physics piques your interest, go have a look at its applications. Personally, this has helped me develop an appreciation for the elegance of our universe… it could do the same for you!

Online or On-Campus learning?

My regrets

• Despite all I’ve written in this article, I’ve still found myself fixated on marks and numbers at times over the past year, and this has diminished my enjoyment of some truly fascinating courses.
• I wish I’d kept more of my extracurricular commitments going into year 11. The biggest one I dropped was guitar, and now I find myself craving nothing more than a creative outlet.

3 things you must do in Year 12

1. Choose courses you like, not courses you think you should like.
2. Challenge yourself and have fun doing so.
3. Maintain a balanced routine, and have faith in your ability to succeed in doing so.

3 things you must not do in Year 12

1. Choose courses because of external pressures or perceptions.
2. Allow the workload to stifle the flame of curiosity within you.
3. Expect perfection of yourself – all we have total control over is our intentions and efforts, so do what you can with that and let that which is external go!

My advice to future year 12 students

Above all else, just remember that school is a place to learn to think, not merely to snag a good ATAR. The ATAR won’t stick with you for the rest of your life, but good memories, cultivated passions and an ability to critically think will.

Do your best to find fun in your last year of school – all the best!