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. I found that finding some motivation to get some studying done in the holidays is what really set me apart from the rest, and it had a tremendous impact on my ATAR.
Table of Content:
- What Mindset should you Adopt during the Holidays?
- Why is Studying during the Holidays Important?
- How to plan a Holiday Study Routine?
- FAQs
What Mindset should you Adopt during the Holidays?
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, and it also ensures you do not forget the content learned in school.
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!
After you're done consolidating the year's work, you can move on to learning the upcoming year's content yourself. The easiest way to go about this is to check out the syllabus and study designs of the subjects you are taking next year. This will ensure that you already know about the topic when you go over it in school the following year, which saves you time trying to figure it out when the school year begins. You can also purchase a recommended book you need for that subject and go through a bit each day.
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 plan a Holiday Study Routine?
Week 1: Relax
I recommend just relaxing for the first week or so of the holiday! It is good to take some time off and surround yourself with friends and family, especially if you do not have much time to do that the school year.
Week 2-3: Revise past content
After the first week or so, I recommend you to go through your previous tests and also the content of your subjects to identify 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. You can watch some videos on any topics you require additional help with. If you are still stuck, getting a tutor from KIS Academics also helps drastically!
Depending on the difficulty of each subject, and how long it takes you to figure the questions out, I would say you will take 2-3 weeks for this.
Week 4: Start Learning Ahead
To begin this process, download the syllabus and/or study designs of your subjects next year, and go through them. Then, plan out which chapters you want to do each day, for each subject.
Once you've planned the schedule out, buy a textbook that suits your style of learning and goes through the topics nicely. Begin self-teaching, and I also recommend spending around 2-3 hours a day on this. For me, I aimed to cover 1 chapter over 2 days.
I would then work on this for the rest of the holidays, so that when the school year comes around, not only are you familiar with how to study and don't have to relearn the topics, but you are ahead of your peers! This lessens the stress of the school year.
Conclusion
Just by studying 2-3 hours a day, and having the rest of the day to relax really does make the difference. Personally, I found this was the most effective way to do well, but still have time to relax during the holidays. If you are looking for more study tips, here are some more KIS Academics articles:
FAQs
Should I be aiming to get the entire next year's content done in the holidays?
Short answer is 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.
Written by Lalita Arora, a KIS Academics tutor specialising in WACE subjects. Lalita has received many outstanding reviews from past KIS Academics students, which you can view, and also request her, on her profile page here.
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