• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

top 120 school vs bottom 200 school (1 Viewer)

jane1820

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2024
Messages
1,021
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
for people who went to a high ranked school and those who went to a bottom school can each one write their own experiences in the school (cohort performance, ranks, what you did to lock in, did you lock in, were people actually studying, was it hard regardless of the schools rank, etc. - idk if im making sense but ykwim?)

i would like to compare experiences and decide if i want to move from a 400-something ranked school to a 120 ranked school but with MY best decision and interest

ik that i already made a previous post asking if i should or not and a lot were telling me not to but my friends were telling me that i should move and it is a once-in-a-lifetime offer and should take it so now im more conflicted about the whole thing (im now leaning more towards moving)

@Shavi Masee (or @143tunipfrog) said to ask about people's experiences in top and bottom school to get a gist about the differences and no better audience reach than bos since it has people from all sorts of schools hence my question here

(side note: both school - my current and the more i might go to - are gateway schools with UNSW and are considered socio-economically (is that the word?) disadvantaged - unsure if relevant but i think it's important to mention)
 

Solarised

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2024
Messages
1,701
Location
exploring the depths of our galaxy
Gender
Male
HSC
2024
for people who went to a high ranked school and those who went to a bottom school can each one write their own experiences in the school (cohort performance, ranks, what you did to lock in, did you lock in, were people actually studying, was it hard regardless of the schools rank, etc. - idk if im making sense but ykwim?)

i would like to compare experiences and decide if i want to move from a 400-something ranked school to a 120 ranked school but with MY best decision and interest

ik that i already made a previous post asking if i should or not and a lot were telling me not to but my friends were telling me that i should move and it is a once-in-a-lifetime offer and should take it so now im more conflicted about the whole thing (im now leaning more towards moving)

@Shavi Masee (or @143tunipfrog) said to ask about people's experiences in top and bottom school to get a gist about the differences and no better audience reach than bos since it has people from all sorts of schools hence my question here

(side note: both school - my current and the more i might go to - are gateway schools with UNSW and are considered socio-economically (is that the word?) disadvantaged - unsure if relevant but i think it's important to mention)
your back? guess @xoNat was right
 

gooner

Member
Joined
May 15, 2023
Messages
89
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2024
for people who went to a high ranked school and those who went to a bottom school can each one write their own experiences in the school (cohort performance, ranks, what you did to lock in, did you lock in, were people actually studying, was it hard regardless of the schools rank, etc. - idk if im making sense but ykwim?)

i would like to compare experiences and decide if i want to move from a 400-something ranked school to a 120 ranked school but with MY best decision and interest

ik that i already made a previous post asking if i should or not and a lot were telling me not to but my friends were telling me that i should move and it is a once-in-a-lifetime offer and should take it so now im more conflicted about the whole thing (im now leaning more towards moving)

@Shavi Masee (or @143tunipfrog) said to ask about people's experiences in top and bottom school to get a gist about the differences and no better audience reach than bos since it has people from all sorts of schools hence my question here

(side note: both school - my current and the more i might go to - are gateway schools with UNSW and are considered socio-economically (is that the word?) disadvantaged - unsure if relevant but i think it's important to mention)
bruh why wouldnt you move
 

jane1820

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2024
Messages
1,021
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
bruh why wouldnt you move
the only main reason is that im moving in yr 11 n i didnt even know the school existed before july this yr so i have no one there n i dont have 'stable' classes which makes it harder to get good grades in group projects n stuff (other less important factors too far, i only moved this yr to my current school and i love the ppl at my current school - not rlly strong points but idk if ykwim?)
 

Study to success

Active Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2024
Messages
123
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
I moved from a school around in the top 350 to a school in the top 150 a few years ago and for me it kinda made me more motivated to study because more people around me were doing it. In my old school the teachers and education were kinda shit and the learning environment was really disruptive. But at my current school it is better. So it depends what you Are looking for in a new school. If it is the environment, teachers, resources, etc and whether or not it is worth the move
 

jane1820

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2024
Messages
1,021
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
Do u guys think its better if i rank low in a 120 ranked school compared to average in a 400 ranked school?

bc after my yearlies im really reconsidering rn
 

KanyeWestLover76

Active Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2024
Messages
114
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Do u guys think its better if i rank low in a 120 ranked school compared to average in a 400 ranked school?

bc after my yearlies im really reconsidering rn
Nah I think like you should like stay in your school cause like in hsc like ranking is like more important than like your marks I think so like stay at your school cause like you can like do good anywhere as long as you like put in the work
 

liamkk112

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2022
Messages
1,064
Gender
Female
HSC
2023
Do u guys think its better if i rank low in a 120 ranked school compared to average in a 400 ranked school?

bc after my yearlies im really reconsidering rn
youre in year 10 tho. its not gonna define your hsc marks, if you work harder
 

Study to success

Active Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2024
Messages
123
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
Do u guys think its better if i rank low in a 120 ranked school compared to average in a 400 ranked school?

bc after my yearlies im really reconsidering rn
Well if u think u will thrive better in a higher ranked school due to extra resources, environment then u can consider moving but if not then just stay
 

jane1820

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2024
Messages
1,021
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
Nah I think like you should like stay in your school cause like in hsc like ranking is like more important than like your marks I think so like stay at your school cause like you can like do good anywhere as long as you like put in the work
Bro used “like” at least 10 times 😭🙏

but im not sure if im able to rank top 5-10 at my school n i dont want to take the risk of being average (eg 30/50) in a 400-something ranked school

i mean realistically isnt ranking 30/50 in a top school “better” than ranking 30/50 in a low school?
 

jane1820

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2024
Messages
1,021
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
youre in year 10 tho. its not gonna define your hsc marks, if you work harder
Yh ik but im just not sure if im able to top 5-10 of at least a subject i just dont believe i can do it so im scared of taking the risk if ykwim
 

liamkk112

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2022
Messages
1,064
Gender
Female
HSC
2023
Bro used “like” at least 10 times 😭🙏

but im not sure if im able to rank top 5-10 at my school n i dont want to take the risk of being average (eg 30/50) in a 400-something ranked school

i mean realistically isnt ranking 30/50 in a top school “better” than ranking 30/50 in a low school?
it is but it isn't
firstly the average is going to be higher. say at your current school its 50%, at the other school it might be a relative 70% (more motivated people so more higher grades/harder tasks so a 50% average is "worth more"). so a 30/50 in a low school, might correspond to a 40/50 in a top school, so you can't line it up one to one
by the same argument, if you can push yourself for a 5-10 in your current lower ranked school, that might only be equivalent to an average rank at the higher ranked school. so your effort might have less reward

additionally, half of your grade will be the hsc exam mark anyway, so ranking isn't everything. i mean that a 30/50 rank in a top school but you only get a 70% on the final exam, won't push your grade up to a 80%, the effect isn't that strong (you might even get a 60% internal mark, so it could pull you down). where as if you can manage a top 5 at a lower ranked school, chances are that there will be a couple of people who are going to get decent results, which will mean that you can be mostly confident that your final exam mark will be consistent with the internal mark you receive

also, you don't really know if you're able to rank top 5-10 yet. if you're not studying consistently and pushing yourself to get high grades, then you can't say that you won't be able to rank highly. year 10 is troll compared to hsc (which is troll compared to uni) and basically no one is no lifeing it (exception: selective few), not to say you're not trying at all but assessments in year 10 for me were like basic reports and essentially textbook questions for math, i did have lockdown school during that time which definetly inflated my grades tho. compare that to hsc where you need to go through past exam papers, study the syllabus etc, it's a whole different game and you can definetly do well if you try

imo you just have to look at your environment rn and decide if its worthwhile to switch. i went to probably one of the worst schools in victoria for 2.5 years, basically no one tried me included and i would have flunked year 12 because it just wasn't a place to succeed academically. then i went to a top 100 public school for 1.5 years, which you would think would have been miles better, but socially i was destroyed and it was hard to get through a day of school (and the environment just wasn't great), then i went to a ~top 250 school for year 11-12 where i had really good teachers and found that it was academically conducive. dont get me wrong the ranking can matter at the extremes, but try to think about why you think you will be average at your current school. is it because everyone else around you doesn't study so you feel demotivated, is it because you're not really studying right now, teachers aren't conducive to your learning style etc. if the reason why you want to move is just because you're "not smart" then you're also going to be "not smart" at a higher ranked school lol, the best thing to do if you can is stick and study hard because changing schools can be tough atop the hsc, ultimately hsc (marks) are an individual journey for the most part and school isn't going to 180 your results unless if it's the primary reason holding you back
 

KanyeWestLover76

Active Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2024
Messages
114
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
it is but it isn't
firstly the average is going to be higher. say at your current school its 50%, at the other school it might be a relative 70% (more motivated people so more higher grades/harder tasks so a 50% average is "worth more"). so a 30/50 in a low school, might correspond to a 40/50 in a top school, so you can't line it up one to one
by the same argument, if you can push yourself for a 5-10 in your current lower ranked school, that might only be equivalent to an average rank at the higher ranked school. so your effort might have less reward

additionally, half of your grade will be the hsc exam mark anyway, so ranking isn't everything. i mean that a 30/50 rank in a top school but you only get a 70% on the final exam, won't push your grade up to a 80%, the effect isn't that strong (you might even get a 60% internal mark, so it could pull you down). where as if you can manage a top 5 at a lower ranked school, chances are that there will be a couple of people who are going to get decent results, which will mean that you can be mostly confident that your final exam mark will be consistent with the internal mark you receive

also, you don't really know if you're able to rank top 5-10 yet. if you're not studying consistently and pushing yourself to get high grades, then you can't say that you won't be able to rank highly. year 10 is troll compared to hsc (which is troll compared to uni) and basically no one is no lifeing it (exception: selective few), not to say you're not trying at all but assessments in year 10 for me were like basic reports and essentially textbook questions for math, i did have lockdown school during that time which definetly inflated my grades tho. compare that to hsc where you need to go through past exam papers, study the syllabus etc, it's a whole different game and you can definetly do well if you try

imo you just have to look at your environment rn and decide if its worthwhile to switch. i went to probably one of the worst schools in victoria for 2.5 years, basically no one tried me included and i would have flunked year 12 because it just wasn't a place to succeed academically. then i went to a top 100 public school for 1.5 years, which you would think would have been miles better, but socially i was destroyed and it was hard to get through a day of school (and the environment just wasn't great), then i went to a ~top 250 school for year 11-12 where i had really good teachers and found that it was academically conducive. dont get me wrong the ranking can matter at the extremes, but try to think about why you think you will be average at your current school. is it because everyone else around you doesn't study so you feel demotivated, is it because you're not really studying right now, teachers aren't conducive to your learning style etc. if the reason why you want to move is just because you're "not smart" then you're also going to be "not smart" at a higher ranked school lol, the best thing to do if you can is stick and study hard because changing schools can be tough atop the hsc, ultimately hsc (marks) are an individual journey for the most part and school isn't going to 180 your results unless if it's the primary reason holding you back
Too many words
 

jane1820

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2024
Messages
1,021
Gender
Female
HSC
2026
it's up to u btw, i don't think either is a bad choice
ok thx
i sent my mum a screenshot of ur message since my parents n i r both confused abt whether i should or shouldnt move, waiting for her to respond lol
but generally thank u for helping me <3
 

iloveeggs

future cat lady <3
Joined
Aug 1, 2023
Messages
868
Gender
Female
HSC
2025
@jane1820 ik you're probs sick of me and ive like responded so many times, and im not here to talk abt the schools thing but when i read your messages on this thread i get the impression that you think you aren't good enough to do well in the hsc on your own and you need a high performing cohort to help prop you up or smth. if thats true hear me out

if its the fact that you don't think you are going to do well no matter the school that is worrying you, you're most likely to be wrong unless you have already decided ahead of time you dont mean to work hard in y11 and y12 at all, which i think you haven't. this is because everyone works harder in y11 and y12 and at some point even the ppl you think are like bottom of the barrel make a comeback if they decide to start putting in the work.

you cannot tell in y10 how you are going to do in the hsc lol you don't have a crystal ball, you don't know if it is achievable to rank higher or not bc y10 marks dont mean anything in terms of your hsc. whether or not you improve your rank is really in your hands and its important to stay accountable because ppl in top 100 schools start blaming their cohorts performance/school ranking for their poor marks just like ppl in schools that rank worse than that, believe me or not. and at the end of the day its pointless worrying about the effect other people/your school has on your hsc performance bc it is out of your control and you just have to maximise your own performance.

moving to a higher ranked school with a fixed mindset of "im average at my old school, im going to be bottom of the grade in this school" will not help you and even if you go there i don't understand why you would want to settle for being bottom of the cohort, why not try your best to do better? if you stay there is still a probability of you being top 5-10 in your school and if not there is a chance to do well at your new school too. why would you limit yourself to being average?
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top