For those who don’t know, HSC is an exam that high school students must complete in order to attain their higher school certificate in New South Wales, Australia. However, all these tips will help any students studying for exams at school/college/university.
Are you feeling unmotivated to do the work you need to do for the school year? Don’t worry, I understand you. I’ve been there before and trust me, it’s not a good mental space to be in. However, over the years, I’ve learned ways to motivate myself to be disciplined in my studies in a way that doesn’t diminish my sense of self. What I mean by this is that once I realised that my aim to achieve my academic goals was not to impress my parents and friends, it transformed by motivation tremendously because I began to perceive my learning process as an enjoyable personal fulfillment. I hope that everyone find these tips helpful and please message me if you just want to talk! The school journey can feel long and emotionally draining at times but with the right mindset to learn, it can definitely be an exciting and fulfilling one.
Here are some top tips to get you motivated to study.
TIP #1 – Doing the HSC for your own goals and enjoyment
Start off by thinking that you are doing HSC or any other exam for your own goals and own enjoyment. Remember, getting good marks simply to please or impress your parents and/or peers has negative effects on your learning and wellbeing.
Think: “I want to do well in school because I want to gain valuable knowledge and do a course at university/TAFE that I am interested in”
TIP #2 – Using teacher’s feedback as a source of motivation to improve
When you go through an obstacle during the HSC, don’t let it bring you down. Instead, reflect on the situation and see how you can do even better next time. Take actions to improve. Remember that improvement doesn’t happen over a day and it takes small steps. This mindset will help you stay motivated throughout the whole year because your mind has been trained to believe that your marks will only get better.
TIP #3 – Plan a trip after HSC exams
This will give you the motivation to get by the year because there’s something to look forward to where there’s no studying involved! (at least with a pen and paper) Traveling involves learning too.
TIP #4 – Always remember that you have a life during and after exams/HSC.
Always remember to look forward to fun events/celebrations during and after HSC! Once HSC is over you will have a lot more time to spend time with your friends and family. Use this as a motivation to complete each milestone for the HSC.
If you’re looking for ways to learn more efficiently and retain more information check out this blog post.