TER Results

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Okay, before I even continue, I must let it be known to the world that I was MISLEAD.

I was told the results were coming out on the 23rd of December, and here I was happily thinking that I'd be free from the world of results till tomorrow.

Not quite so.

It turns out the results came out TODAY.

So yes, I have been completely and totally mislead.

So I called my mum in an absolute panic. And while yes my mum was really good about delving into my pig sty of a room to look for my ID number, her belief that I would not tell her my results was not so cool.

After arguing with her for at least 5 minutes and forcing her to finally tell me my Student ID with the promise that I'd keep her on the phone and reveal my results then and there, I finally managed to log in.

Okay, so at first glance, I was pretty impressed with myself. It was a good score by Australian standards. Then I remembered what the school had predicted for me and I grew even more impressed. Then I remembered what I was actually aiming for and grew steadily depressed again.

Of course, they then gave me a break down of my scores and I grew slightly more depressed at my scores.

Well, I guess I can't have everything.

But yes, before I stretch the suspense any longer, I got a grand score of: 90.25.

So yes, compared to a whole load of other people, it's pretty great. At first glance it definitely is! But compared to other people, and considering what my pride is like, it's not the best in the world.

Individual marks were...kind of dismal. Lit greeted me with 71.4%, whilst everything else ended up with 60 something and 50 something percents.

I so knew I wasn't going to do great in Human Biology and Political and Legal Studies.
History was disappointing on a dismal level. I was hoping for a score a lot higher than what I achieved. And History is pretty much my favourite subject! But Lit and History were my top two, so no complaints there. Chemistry was...on the ball. But I achieved a higher score than my Chemistry mock! Maths was again, dismally disappointing. [Sorry Mr. Mirichlis]
Those were the four subjects that were used in my TER calculation. Just like I predicted they would be.

So after a year of freaking out, almost endless turmoil, and wondering when the hell this torture would end- it's almost over.

I still have to get over the obstacle that is...

UNIVERSITY OFFERS!!!

Mishy <3

MIA

Which I have been for a while. Year 12 is no bed of roses, let me tell you.

With 5 weeks to go before mock exams, I can't really even begin to comprehend keeping up with anything. My head of year decided to have a River Rock in two weeks time. Which would have been all fine and well, even if I didn't go, I would have considered going. Except for the fact that it was on a Wednesday. Yes, Wednesday. Who puts things like these on a school day?? It's like having the Valentine's Dance in GIS on a Wednesday. Or having the Barn Dance at Saints on a Wednesday. Simply not done. And completely wrong timing too, especially for us poor souls doing six TEE subjects, who, really, would love nothing more than a break, but simply cannot go due to wrong timing on the organiser's part.

I am currently looking for scholarships to apply to and such. I mean, yes, I may not ever get the top TER in the school, and yes, perhaps my headmistress doesn't actually believe that I will be the person to best achieve my goals in university, but I guess it never hurts to try. =)

I have also finally finally [finally] FINALLY received my TISC application guide for university. I can FINALLY apply without trying to murder myself with worry over getting something wrong. Or at least I believe I can. Who knows, I may actually get something wrong, even WITH the TISC guide. Life is so weird.

With regards to Leaver's Week, I have been pleasantly surprised. My MOM is letting me go. I said it would be in Moore River, and even though she is rather unsure of where it is [don't look at the geography failure please] she is STILL willing to let me go! This is the biggest shock I've had since being told I was moving to Africa 3 years ago. I've moved out already, but the shock still remains. And, well, she's okay with it, with the exception that she is rather worried about me being driven there by P plate drivers. Casey, JB and Teo, much as the RAC believes that you are capable of driving the streets, unharmed, my parents still have their doubts. I forsee problems with this for when I get my Ls and licence next year. Or, well, at least attempt to.

I meet Elaine tomorrow!!! I can't wait, and I am tres excited. What can I say, even in the midst of exams, and whatnot. :P Of course, I sincerily hope that I will not get lost in the city.

I had four things due in today. I had a history essay [which I am almost certain I failed, due to the whole class being completely unsure of what to write about], a chemistry quiz [which I am absolutely certain I failed- I mean, Conto even FORGOT that we had a quiz today...], a P&L debate [which I never got to finish due to running out of time], and a maths test [which was so long, I only just finished in time as opposed to my ten minutes before the ending finish]. It is appaling, the conditions I am forced to work in really.

I am also rather surprised at the amount of people who visit my blog on a daily basis. Of course it may help that I actually add in labels and such so people google it and find it more easily [someone in Morley SHS googled Morley SHS and chanced upon this blog during english lit, which is a class I belong to. How embarrassing]. But quick message: if you read this, AND you know me, OR you think you find something worthwhile commenting on, please please do so? I like to hear other opinions, and views. It make life just that much more interesting. =)

More soon.

Mishy <3

Time Marches On...

It just kind of hit home a few hours ago that I had just about 13.5 weeks left before the exams.
And the teachers have given us all motivational talks on how to prepare.

I missed the worst with my Chem teacher for now, because he's been off somewhere [possibly America]. Although it hasn't been quite so sane with the other teachers.
My human biology teacher has started to shape up. The Asian group now sitting behind me has begun to shut up for 60% of the lesson. I think we may have just witnessed a miracle in Human Biology.
My P&L teacher decided to spend two entire leassons teaching us how to study. =/ Instead of P&L. I have absolute reason to be worried at this stage.
My history teacher may be the only one who doesn't give a damn if the school gets uprooted by floods, or if Western Australia suddenly discovers that a volcano was hidden under the Perth CBD by all the buildings. With him, the show MUST go on!
Mirichlis in Maths was in a pretty good mood today. I'll have to watch out very closely for him tomorrow. I shudder to think what he may have up his sleeve if he's in this good a mood straight after Open Day Reporting. Or, maybe he just likes our parents better than he does us.
Lit went on as normal. Lots of procrastination, endless talking, debates with McInerny...

He's also badgered us to take a look at our scaled average on the TER calculator which is on the TISC website.

If I do no scaling whatsoever, I figure that I will get 91.65. Which is tres brilliant in my case! But with scaling, I figure that I actually only get 88.95 or something similar to that. Which is not so bad, I am still in the safe zone since my TER only needs to be 81. But in case the cut-off grade for Bachelor of Arts [Communication] decides to annoyingly move itself up, I want to be ready and waiting for it. And...I guess an 88.95 may not be so good after all. =/

Other news regarding the school: I am now firmly convinced that I am surrounded by thieves and possible criminals.
During the holiday, someone brought a torch bomb to school, broke the window of the office and stole 45 Leavers Tops. It's fine for me because I already have mine, but I have friends who unfortunately haven't gotten theirs yet. This is the crappiest thing EVER. I canNOT believe that people would actually just sneak in and steal tops like these, especially since they have no value whatsoever. They have names on them, and there is a track record of who has actually bought these tops. Plus my mates who haven't gotten theirs are completely bummed out. And I have great apathy for whoever's taken them at the moment. Apparently they couldn't stop there either. They broke into the history classroom [my tute room] and stole the new overhead projector as well as this crappy computer that actually squeals at pitches so high my history teacher can't hear it. =/ But the point is that the school had a theft. And I am somewhat upset that this could happen. It's a police matter, but hey, who said that the case would ever be solved?

Heh. And I thought South Africa was dangerous?

Mishy <3

University [eek!]

Well, for once, I think I actually have some good news regarding this whole affair. It's ridiculous just how complicated the process actually is here, but I guess it's all in the name of being 'fair'. [Drat this TEE thing, but I shall attempt to go into further detail on another post]

I have just gotten the prospectuses for the universities in Perth, WA [UWA, Curtin, ECU and Murdoch], and I am absolutely estatic!
Yes, for once, regarding this thing. I've taken a look at my first preference university: University of Western Australia, and they actually have the course that I want, as well as the major of my choice included!

Initially (as a wee kid with not that much of a brain) I wanted to do an archaeology degree. And in fact, I still do. Progressing along, I found that I also wanted to do something a little less strange and different than archaeology, just in case I dug up all there was to dig up and was left with nothing to do but dig graveyards instead. XD
So I decided I also wanted to do teaching [Primary School level- I will NEVER subject myself to the horrors of a high school in any country], journalism, editing, creative writing and even psychology. In addition to this, I felt I had to take a career path that would allow me to travel rather than to just sit back and watch the same desk for the next 10 years. [much as my career paths look very mundane, I refuse to allow my lifestyle to be so]

So I opened the prospectus, looked under the 'Arts' section, and voila! Bachelor of Arts (Communications) was there, with the major of Archaeology as an option! Of course, I am also looking at Anthropology, and History as other options, but generally, I am really over the moon right now.

UWA's location is in such an amzing spot as well: smack in the middle of the city and overlooking Margaret River. Imagine waking up to that everyday! Plus it's close by to Subiaco and the Perth CBD, which means I'll probably be getting a lot more excitement than I am at the moment.

The cons? Well, there is a TER of 81...which considering the way the marks are calculated here, should I work well and hard enough, I should be able to gain a TER score of about 85-90. And of course, I'm not so sure I want to travel so far away from home. It take close to half and hour just to get from the CBD to Morley, to have to take the drive all the way to UWA which is even further is...worrying. =/ But I guess I'll have to learn how to take the extra long drive at some stage in time...

Now, I've just gotta work at the exams to get into UWA...

Mishy <3

Reports!! [If I thought that Christmas Shopping was the Nightmare before Christmas, I guess I was wrong]

Reports have arrived!!!!

Well, technically, they arrived about 2 days ago. I have seen my report, and considering that I have been forced to learn a new subject as well as other new parts of subjects that I had previously taken, I am actually quite impressed. These marks are not my exam results, but my overall year (or more specifically, ten week!) results which have been averaged out and everyfink.

My results are as follows:

English 2A2B- 67%, B
Chemistry- 62%, C
Foundations of Maths- 78%, A
History- 66%, B
Human Biology- 66%, B
Political and Legal Studies- 72%, B
And thus are my results!

To all in SA and in Malaysia, I must add that, while these results look wrong (and certainly, I thought they were too, after my history teacher gave me my marks and told me that it was a B!) the mark boundaries in Australia are not quite like those everywhere else in the world.

In Australia, the mark boundaries are as follows:
A- >75%
B- 60%-75%
C- 45%-60%
D- 30%-45%
E- 15%-30%
F- <15%>

So yeah, that would be a normal grade boundary. For exams, however, they take the whole year's marks, and then they decide that the top 15% of marks should be this grade, the next 15% should be this grade, etc etc. They make the things so easy for us sometimes, it's scary! I bet these Australians don't even know how lucky they have it! In Australia, we're not allowed to take certain subjects unless we get a C or over. And I honestly believed that I wouldn't be able to take Chemistry next year, because I'd always gotten CLOSE to a C by Malaysian, British and South African standards, but never actually gotten to that mark. But when I figured out what Australia considered to be a C, I almost hugged my teacher. I could take Chemistry! I wasn't that dumb! XD
Not to mention, most of my class pretty much either failed Chemistry miserably, or barely passed. Unless you count a few of the lucky students who managed to get 70%s and over, that is, and trust me, there weren't that many. I mean, JB had just managed to claim his C on the paper, and Yen, I think, just managed to get her B. So all in all, I'm quite impressed with this year, especially Chemistry.
I just hope I get better marks next year, cuz I highly doubt that I can apply for university next year with a C in my report, no matter what my TER score looks like after taking Chemistry away.
I believe that many will be confused as to what a TER is, and no matter, I will explain as the time comes, as I have an idea of what a TER is, but am unable to explain clearly, exactly WHAT it is at this point in time.

So adieu, dear readers, until the next report of Australian Watch, with me, Michelle Wong, good night.
Or rather, good afternoon since that's the time it is at the present time of typing, but it could also be good morning if you're crazy, awake and bored enough to be reading it then!

Mishy <3