How I utilised my school holidays to achieve an ATAR of 99.95
Hi, my name is Lalita Arora. I got an ATAR of 99.95. What is my secret, you ask? Excelling in high school didn't just mean studying during the school term but also doing some studying during the holidays. As the holidays approach, it's vital to have some relaxation time and continue with good study habits to motivate you for the next year. I found this is what really set me apart and had a tremendous positive impact on my ATAR.
When the holidays arrive, it is very tempting to sit back, relax, and forget about school. However, keeping up with studies and the habit of studying helps keep your mindset focused on learning. While relaxing for a bit is important, continuing with good study habits is suitable for good learning strategies and individual development.
In the school holidays, I would look back through my tests and work on anything I was confused about or consolidate that year's work. Even just taking a few hours a day (2-3 hours) to do this made such a difference in refreshing my memory and not forgetting the content.
Another strategy that I recommend for all students is after consolidating the year's work, to start getting ahead of everyone else and self-teach the upcoming year's content to yourself. The best way to go about this is to purchase a recommended book next year on that subject and start going through a bit each day. This will ensure that you already know about the topic when you go over it in school the following year, saving time trying to figure it out then! Allowing you to move on to my difficult questions on that topic.
Why is studying during the holidays important?
1. Routine
In school sitting down and studying continuously becomes a routine. Maintaining this positive study routine throughout the holidays to maintain motivation to work as hard the next year is so important. There are so many situations where students don’t keep up this study routine during the holidays and find out they forgot how to study once they are back in school the following year.
2. Your brain is a muscle
Just like all other muscles in your body, the brain needs consistent activity to perform at an optimal level. Therefore studying during the holidays allows your brain to continue practicing and remembering content.
3. Enjoy learning
The holidays allow time to start enjoying learning! You are no longer under the time pressure of school and you can dive deep into what you truly enjoy.
4. Study with friends
Finding some like-minded friends to discuss the content for the next year and discuss strategies to get ahead now can help. Even planning, how to study during the holidays and working on problems together can motivate you both! Also creating a positive mindset into the new year.
How to go about structuring this to make use of the time you have off to get ahead of the year?
The first week or so of the holiday I recommend just relaxing! It's good to take some time off and surround yourself with friends and family that you wouldn't have much time to do in the school year.
After the first week or so this is when you should start planning how to make use of this time. I recommend you to go through your previous tests and also the content of that subject's book and write out anything you're confused about or need to improve.
Once you have done this I recommend taking 2-3 hours a day to revise these things, to help you not get stuck watching some videos on the topic can help. Looking at a variety of resources that have different ways of explaining how to do the questions can also be very helpful. If you are still stuck, getting a tutor also helps drastically!
Depending on the difficulty of each subject and how long it takes you to figure the questions out I would say 2-3 weeks for this. After the 3-week mark, this is when you want to plan to get ahead.
For getting ahead in each subject the first thing to do is buy a textbook that suits your style of learning and goes through the topics nicely. Then I would plan out which chapters you want to do each day for each subject. Again only spend around 2-3 hours a day on this. I would aim for 1 chapter over 2 days. I would then work on this for the rest of the holidays so when you go over it in school it's just revision!
Then as soon as the school year comes around, not only are you familiar with how to study and don't have to relearn this but you are ahead! This lessens the stress of the topics coming and saves time.
Just by studying 2-3 hours a day and having the rest of the day to relax really does make the difference as is what will differentiate you from everyone else. In high school, I found this was the most effective way to do well and still have time to relax.
FAQs
Should I be aiming to get the entire next year's content done in the holidays?
Short answer no! You should focus on taking your time and properly going through each chapter and making sure to understand everything. If you are going through it slowly you won't have finished the whole topic by the next year. Focus on not rushing and putting an expectation or pressure on yourself to get it done, there is enough stress during the year!
How do I find the motivation to study during the holidays?
Just start! The biggest thing that keeps motivation is interest, by starting and seeing what there is to learn can spark interest and keep you wanting to go through the content in the holidays.
How do I make sure I get through content in every subject?
Setting goals and having a good structured plan for each day, also gives more time for subjects that you think you would struggle with more.
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