is it still possible to get an atar above 91? (3 Viewers)

[enoilgam]

A friend of mine got 3 state ranks and 99.95 (I don't think he was featured on TV though lol), and he definitely did not study that much. Maybe 1.5-3 hours a night, 4-6 hours on weekends?

With 5 hours every day, you should be aiming for at least 6 or 7 state ranks and 1st in at least 3 of those.

What do they do in those 4-5 hours? Facebook?

If you studied intensely for 4 hours every day, you could theoretically pump out 5 english essays done every day (with breaks in between!), or 2 maths tests, or an HSC paper + a whole lot of study. How do you manage to study 4 hours a day and get 70?

I assure you, that is quite a fair bit more work than what the average, 70ish ATAR person would be doing. Besides, everyone is different, someone may need only an hours worth of work a day to get a state rank, others may need 3 a day just to get a band 6.

 

[ZombieApocalypse]

Guys, let's try to keep things on topic.

 

[Spiritual Being]

You also need to be honest with yourself. I never said it was impossible, I just said that it was hard work and not a light undertaking. When asking for an ATAR estimate, many people say "I've done nothing up until now, if I engage beast mode, how much better can I do?" but the truth is few people suddenly go from doing nothing to turning things around in the middle of the year and improving dramatically.

As much as I'd like to offer advice that's all sunshine and rainbows, I think it's irresponsible not to give a person a realistic take on the situation (I made the mistake of giving someone overly optimistic advice earlier in the year and I've been regretting it ever since).

TBH, I think that if one has high ranks across the board, they are generally more complacent; because they believe they are in a superior position and they "cannot drop that much".

Having ranks which need slight improvement or if they are not at your desired point acts to motivate more, but if it is a significant leap from one's aims, they should reconsider their perspective.

 

[enoilgam]

TBH, I think that if one has high ranks across the board, they are generally more complacent to work; because they believe they are in a superior position and they "cannot drop that much".

Having ranks which need slight improvement or if they are not at your desired point acts to motivate more, but if it is a significant leap from one's aims, they should reconsider their perspective.

I think if a person is exceeding their aims and believes that they can coast to their ATAR easily, then they are more likely to become complacent. Many people who take the HSC seriously often set goals which are high relative to their capabilities. Plus, given the nature of the HSC, a lot of people under-estimate just how well they are doing. So a lot of times people dont become complacent even with solid ranks.

At my HS, most of the people who were on top at the begining, stayed on top. The ones who fell were mainly those who didnt pace themselves earlier in the year.

 

[Spiritual Being]

I think if a person is exceeding their aims and believes that they can coast to their ATAR easily, then they are more likely to become complacent. Many people who take the HSC seriously often set goals which are high relative to their capabilities. Plus, given the nature of the HSC, a lot of people under-estimate just how well they are doing. So a lot of times people dont become complacent even with solid ranks.

At my HS, most of the people who were on top at the begining, stayed on top. The ones who fell were mainly those who didnt pace themselves earlier in the year.

If there wasn't such unnecessary emphasis placed on the HSC, I'm sure that OP would not be so depressed at this point in time as he believes he has up-ended his life with the underachievement in the HSC.

When you say 'pace themselves', did these people generally drop at trials? I know this kid (thank God he's not in any of my subjects) - topping nearly all his subjects, and he's been doing 4-5 hours per day consistently. He never loses the 'mindset' (as such).

Heck, I've even heard that he does math equations during the loading time of FIFA or COD.

 

[joshyoshieee]

i think it is possible,
but you're gonna need to blitz your trials and HSC, now when i say blitz i mean top 5 in all your trials and even better in your HSC,
now you say "i hardly opened a book before my half yearlies" is what im worried about. Think about the other students. They already know the first half of the course much better then you AND they are learning the new stuff too. If you really want it then of course yeah you can get it.
your school rank isn't too bad. you have to set up a timetable and be as strict as possible with it. no breaks where they aren't needed, no naps when you're tired, no distractions while studying. sleep 8hrs a day (you need sleep to study) drink 2 cups of water when you wake up (helps studying heaps) and try to minimise time wasted so you can study well such as time wasted on transport, lunch,recess, waiting.
GET RID OF YOUR SMARTPHONE,
when you study, dont have your computer on, all you need is a pen, paper, textbook, lights and a desk, no phone nearby no computer nearby, set up a place to study.


that all being said, it's possible for you to achieve it, even if you don't it builds character and discipline which you need if you want to be successful in life
as others have said just transfer if you don't get the atar you want
"if you can't squeeze through the doorway, you can always climbs through the window"
i realized all of this probably just before half yearlies and i blitzed them setting myself up for ATAR around 98.00
i recommend that you spend some time alone maybe as you try to sleep or when you exercise, anytime when you can gather your thoughts (in the shower) and have a long hard think, then promise yourself that you're gonna give it your best shot.

GOOD LUCK, AND I HOPE YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT!

 

[vradet]

i think it is possible,
but you're gonna need to blitz your trials and HSC, now when i say blitz i mean top 5 in all your trials and even better in your HSC,
now you say "i hardly opened a book before my half yearlies" is what im worried about. Think about the other students. They already know the first half of the course much better then you AND they are learning the new stuff too. If you really want it then of course yeah you can get it.
your school rank isn't too bad. you have to set up a timetable and be as strict as possible with it. no breaks where they aren't needed, no naps when you're tired, no distractions while studying. sleep 8hrs a day (you need sleep to study) drink 2 cups of water when you wake up (helps studying heaps) and try to minimise time wasted so you can study well such as time wasted on transport, lunch,recess, waiting.
GET RID OF YOUR SMARTPHONE,
when you study, dont have your computer on, all you need is a pen, paper, textbook, lights and a desk, no phone nearby no computer nearby, set up a place to study.


that all being said, it's possible for you to achieve it, even if you don't it builds character and discipline which you need if you want to be successful in life
as others have said just transfer if you don't get the atar you want
"if you can't squeeze through the doorway, you can always climbs through the window"
i realized all of this probably just before half yearlies and i blitzed them setting myself up for ATAR around 98.00
i recommend that you spend some time alone maybe as you try to sleep or when you exercise, anytime when you can gather your thoughts (in the shower) and have a long hard think, then promise yourself that you're gonna give it your best shot.

GOOD LUCK, AND I HOPE YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT!

thanks man. this is the type of answer i was looking for

 

[enoilgam]

If there wasn't such unnecessary emphasis placed on the HSC, I'm sure that OP would not be so depressed at this point in time as he believes he has up-ended his life with the underachievement in the HSC.

When you say 'pace themselves', did these people generally drop at trials? I know this kid (thank God he's not in any of my subjects) - topping nearly all his subjects, and he's been doing 4-5 hours per day consistently. He never loses the 'mindset' (as such).

Well, a lot of the guys who didnt pace themselves were the kind of people who bludged through HS, but were smart (when I mean nothing, I dont mean the BoS version of nothing, I mean nothing at all). When they got to year 12, the whole HSC mentality kicked and they started putting in the work. But because they didnt have any experience with study or pacing themselves, they went too hard too soon and fizzled out. Added to the fact that many didnt have solid goals which made things worse.

Dont get me wrong, there were one or two who came out of nowhere and stayed on top. But at my HS, most of the people with the best ATARs were the ones who did well throughout most of HS and at least made some effort from year to year.

 

[Spiritual Being]

Well, a lot of the guys who didnt pace themselves were the kind of people who bludged through HS, but were smart (when I mean nothing, I dont mean the BoS version of nothing, I mean nothing at all). When they got to year 12, the whole HSC mentality kicked and they started putting in the work. But because they didnt have any experience with study or pacing themselves, they went too hard too soon and fizzled out. Added to the fact that many didnt have solid goals which made things worse.

Dont get me wrong, there were one or two who came out of nowhere and stayed on top. But at my HS, most of the people with the best ATARs were the ones who did well throughout most of HS and at least made some effort from year to year.

Word.

Very true.

 

[blaine]

at unsw you can apply for the FEAS program

 

[albertcamus]

He'll need hope in order to do well. I dont think saying stuff like that is going to help him at all :/

He needs some self-control and self-motivation, not 'hope'. And this self-control and self-motivation is intrinsic, so not much we can do besides be realistic.

OP, remember that UNSW Engineering does give a possible of 5 bonus points, and with other programs, the cut-off could be lower than 86 too! So there is a chance that you can make UNSW Engineering.

 

[D94]

remember that UNSW Engineering does give a possible of 5 bonus points, and with other programs, the cut-off could be lower than 86 too! So there is a chance that you can make UNSW Engineering.

In this case, the OP is only doing 2 subjects which HSC Plus (UNSW's bonus points scheme) is applicable - Maths and Physics. So the maximum amount of points is 3; 1 point for Band 6 in Mathematics, 2 Points for Band 6 in Physics OR 1 Point for Band 5 in Physics.

 

[vradet]

He needs some self-control and self-motivation, not 'hope'. And this self-control and self-motivation is intrinsic, so not much we can do besides be realistic.

OP, remember that UNSW Engineering does give a possible of 5 bonus points, and with other programs, the cut-off could be lower than 86 too! So there is a chance that you can make UNSW Engineering.

Intrinsic? dude i was in the top quarter of my my grade for all my subjects in year 10/9/8 and the beginning of year 11.. i just got exposed to some really bad shit last year

 

[sirable1]

Try improving your English, Maths, and S&C marks. I don't think you can get 90s or above, but maybe 80s at this stage. What ever course/uni you're intending to go/do, bonus points may apply so don't worry too much.

If you keep this rank til the trials, you might have end up here:

 

[AnimeX]

OP, though you may not necessarily be able to get that 91+, you may still be eligible for UNSW engineering.

Considering english/economics does not have much to do with engineering but maths, physics and senior science do, if you get reasonable marks in those subjects you can go through some interviews with the people at UNSW and still get in (I remember going to an open day at UNSW and one of the people mentioning that he got an atar of 84 but did will in the engineering related subjects but stuffed up english and another subject unrelated to engineering, so what they did was interview him and they considered and accepted him, not sure what scheme this is but I'm sure it can be found on their website).

Hope this helps~

 

[D94]

You may be interested in the Faculty of Engineering Admissions Scheme (FEAS): http://www.eng.unsw.edu.au/feas

 

[vradet]

sup guys came 3rd in my grade in my last phys assessment and turns out there are way more people in the cohort than i had mentioned in the OP
eg. theres like 290 people doing english adv..

hopefully i can apply for feas and still get eng? thanks

 

[Spiritual Being]

sup guys came 3rd in my grade in my last phys assessment and turns out there are way more people in the cohort than i had mentioned in the OP
eg. theres like 290 people doing english adv..

hopefully i can apply for feas and still get eng? thanks

Give us some of your updated ranks bro. Glad you've been okay.

 

[vradet]

Give us some of your updated ranks bro. Glad you've been okay.

Will update once i get my report

 

[JohnMaximus]

I think you have a good chance of getting into UNSW engineering- whether you should do it with anything less than a high E3 in 4U math is another story.

Unless you really think you can suddenly become significantly better at both learning and applying maths (because that's what engineering is)- in which case you should just start doing it now and get a minimum 90 raw mark in the 2U HSC (raw of 80 might be all you need for a band 6 but it is not enough to get through UNSW engineering)- you shouldn't be doing engo.

It's a damn hard course- dont underestimate it just because it has a 91 atar requirement. If anything, you should be wondering why a course with such great job prospects and earning prospects has such low demand- ps. The answer is because its damn hard.

I know a guy who ranked in 3U and dropped out of electrical engineering- sure he says its cuz it "wasn't the right choice", but we all know its because he couldn't handle it.