#vonnytalks

[physiiological]

wow!!! it's been a hot minute!!! here are some updates!!!

THREE years have passed and here are the key highlights:

- switched to physiology late 2018

- struggled left right centre

- graduated! woah wild (my grad. is tomorrow!)

- accepted into bsc physiology (hons)

- currently doing cardiovasc. research

- struggling again :)

hope u r all well much love xx

#vonnytalks #big tired #caffeine dependent #very addicted #much danger #heart go boom boom but not good boom boom #may check in again may not oops x

[physiiological]

y’all ncea releases tomorrow and i am petrified

#i'm literally 2 credits off endorsing #real soon im gonna be endorsing with NA rip #ncea #studyblr #vonnytalks #is it too late to drop out #even tho you've technically graduated #already kno i failed one paper thats ok first and last fail grade of my high school career #BUT YALL #FREAKIN #HELP #SOS

[physiiological]

fml

TODAY I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD WHY @chooliastudies asked for alveoli sauce instead of aioli sauce. BECAUSE I DID THAT EXACT SAME THING TODAY JKAHFKJASHF GTGTGTG 

#WTF #THE GUYS FACE #PRICELESS #and VERY BLANK #IM ONLY IN OLY1 #SEM 1 HASNT STARTED #HOW DID THIS HAPPEN #BIOSCI 107 I HAVE U TO BLAME #im never going outside agian #is this mmi material? #asking for a friend #uoa #premed #vonnytalks

[physiiological]

hello just stopping by! do you have any tricks on how to get better at writing film essays? By the way I also do NCEA but lvl 2 :") film essays had always been the most difficult task for me to write and I always get lower scores on that topic during mocks.

hi lovely, thanks for dropping by!

first of all I can definitely understand you bc from experience I know that film essays are no walk in the park and in fact, I didn’t do as well with those exams last year (got away with 5) but I will try to help you the best that I can! click below to see some handy tips and tricks a seasoned NCEA warrior has learnt in the short time frame of 12 months :~) 

so real talk, the most important thing to do is to actually know your content. Know your film, know your director, know it like the back of your palm/like it’s your best friend. There’s nothing more embarrassing than telling the marker that you will be exploring ‘V for Vendetta’ by ‘some director’. So in the next month or so, try and devote some time to ‘get to know’ your film; understand its themes, main messages, settings, visual features + anything/everything you can think of!! 2016 was such a shock set of questions for me so you never know what NCEA will pull out of their butts this year. (if you’re seriously strapped for time, try to find the director’s commentary for your film - it’s worth it - kudos to @literate--trash for this tip) 

Secondly, understand what in the world the question wants you to do/is asking you. If it asks you how ‘the relationship between characters helped to illustrate one or more important themes. ‘, don’t try and brain dump by completely transforming a memorised symbolism essay to match the question. 10/10 times it does not work so follow step one and make sure you are prepared for anything NCEA may throw at you~~

ok - game time; but before any writing is to be done; plan plan plan. MAKE A PLAN. I know I know; ‘but I know how to plan! I do it in my head / I don’t need to do it’ but believe me the driving force behind all successful essays is a good plan bc if you don’t have one, you end up ‘waffling’ and rambling and your markers will not only be very unhappy, they will most likely shift down criterias as they read your essay; so learn how to plan! ‘unpack’ your question - find out what they want, decide your main points that you want to argue and list down how you will structure that argument - which means brain dumping all important quotes, film techniques, camera shots, sounds, symbols basically ANYTHING that will strengthen your argument!! I know this seems like a big ‘waste of time’ but like they say; a little goes a long way. It only takes about 5-10 minutes, the only regret is I wish it didn’t take me almost 3 years to realise that........ Your plan defines the quality of your writing (like 90% of the time, but hey if I did okay w/o one then so can you - DO NOT RECOMMEND THO) 

a strong intro is key!! so make sure you start off with your film, director, year and ‘seamlessly’ include the three points you will be arguing to answer your question. this will help the marker so much and you as well as all the info is laid out in the intro 

When you’re writing, make sure you have a ‘framework’/’structure’ that you know you will use to make sure you’re enroute to actually finishing the paragraph. Structures like ‘PEDAL’ / ‘TEXAS’ / ‘TAKO’ / ‘SERQUEL’ will definitely ensure you get your analysis and quotes in there properly, which at this level is crucial for those e’s. For those extra brownie points, ALWAYS refer back to: 

the question - okay, you wrote a paragraph about how this relationship affects the theme of identity; so what? make sure your paragraph answers the question and do this by summarising at the end!! make sure to constantly use keywords from the question as to show that you are going back to the question and that you are ‘answering’ it :-) 

the director’s purpose - ok kwl this dialogue was used and lighting was set specifically for this scene, but why? what was the director trying to achieve? What were they trying to show you? Did it link back to the theme? Did they want the audience to feel something? WHAT WERE THEY DOING??????? (this is where your interpretations come in!!) 

society - I’m sure since Level 1 you’ve been hearing about this ‘real world context’ and let me tell you now, if you know how to utilise this strategically, you will get ultimate brownie points (aka the golden 8). So for example, if you were talking about how a relationship showed the theme of identity, you can link it to a discussion on how relationships are important in our teenage years to ‘discovering’ who we really are bc people can bring out different things in us and what not. 'insightful’ comments are highly praised so do try and think outside of the box! markers love ‘originality’ but in saying this do make your conclusions/connections plausible!  if not, go with your gut :-) 

p.s - make this convincing!! if you half-ass your arguments, your markers will know, and they will not hesitate to hand out bad brownie points (trust) consistency is key so make sure you’re doing these in every piece of evidence you’re introducing! 

okay! so you’ve done everything above, you’ve successfully analysed, provided examples, made links to director’s purpose, themes, to the real world/commenting on society (or whatever the question needed you to do), now what? 

Now you get to walk out of that exam room and give it the finger. You never have to write on that stupid piece of paper ever again.......

But that’s after you finish your conclusion, of course ;)

The conclusion is basically the cherry on top and literally the .1% you need to get yourself across the finish line. Make it impactful. Summarise your points that you argued and more importantly; show them what the film taught you/taught society by referring back to the real life links you made in your paragraphs. Show them what the director showed you and how this may apply in your life. No fluff. No extras. Just summarising what you discussed and most importantly; answer your question. How did the relationships illustrate your themes? Base your conclusion around your question. No more new points pls, the marker will be very tired at this point (as will you I’m sure). As it is a conclusion, keep it short, sweet and simple (unlike what I’ve done just now lol sorry). 

Anywho I could ramble on forever but i’d literally be going against my own advice if I did so I hope this helps! Do let me know if you have anymore questions/ want more advice (what film are you studying?) and I will try to help you to the best of my abilities :-) english is always a nightmare and a half but with practice, it’ll come naturally! Let me know how you go in the end too! All the best and good luck for the rest of your exams lovely x 

#NCEA #vonnytalks #NZQA #omg english L2 my nightmare #IT'S BACK TO HAUNT ME #Anonymous

[physiiological]

i’ve never seen anyone on studyblr from New Zealand!!!! i hope ur exams are going well!!! 💗

aw hello kate! thank u this is so sweet of u!! ♡ my exams (thankfully but also unfortunately) have not started yet but i hope yours are going well too! (if not i hope studying is well!) feel free to drop in anytime if you need help gal xx 

#vonnytalks #aw #luv luv #ahnobrain

[physiiological]

YOU ARE A RAY OF SUNSHINE ☀SEND THIS TO 8 PEOPLE WHO DESERVE IT AND TRY NOT TO BREAK THE CHAIN💕

you’re so sweet thank you !!! xo

#vonnytalks #stubborn-studies

[physiiological]

Hi! Did you sit the UMAT this year? I am just wondering if you have any advice because I am a year 12 and want to sit it next year :)

Hello lovely! 

First of all that is absolutely amazing that you want to sit the UMAT, go you! I did, in fact, sit the UMAT this year, and am currently anxiously waiting for results (eep). Well, everyone has different takes on sitting the UMAT earlier than needed for different reasons but one of my first tips is to definitely consider why you’re doing it..... yes that sounds a little silly but if you think about it, $260 is a lot of money for an exam, and if you’re just sitting it to get a general ‘feel’ of things then perhaps start with looking at practice papers first (in which the web has a loooooot) to just see what you’re in for. 

However, if you’re applying for Australian Universities then definitely sit it next year as it does count and is a pre req for a lot of universities over there. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean that if you don’t sit it this year to not practice. The earlier you start learning/grasping concepts behind this paper, the better you’ll understand and the more time you’ll have to do prac. papers and eventually ace the UMAT! 

My main piece of advice definitely is to practice, practice, practice. Yes, there’s no way to actually ‘study’ for the UMAT, but you definitely can bump up some points by understanding vocab (revising big/complex/difficult words etc. creating a word bank), and learning how to approach questions given an 80-second time frame to work with. Personally, I thought that the UMAT was definitely very different to any other exam I’ve sat, so definitely starting early allows you to adjust to the paper, and to basically understand how it all works. 

Unfortunately with everything I have said, please take it with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that I am also only a year 13 student who just sat the UMAT for the first time and is still anxiously waiting for her results lol :(((((( so i’m not v wise in this department (sorry!). If you’re after some more tips/ helpful advice, then I highly recommend dropping an ask to either @aucklandmed or @chooliastudies who are both medical students and have sat the UMAT. I hope this has helped you! But if there is anything else that you need help with, let me know ^.^

#vonnytalks #Anonymous

[physiiological]

Hi !!! Thankyou so much for the advice you gave me at the beginning of the school year on year 12 😅 I feel like I was doing really well in term one and two and now I've had holidays I feel so much more lazier hahah, and it's really not the time to be procrastinating D: do you have any advice for getting past this and preparing for mock exams ?! Thankyou so much, hope you are well xx

hey hi hello lovely! so nice to see you pop up in my inbox again ♡ sorry for the late, school has been v overwhelming eep!!it’s so good to hear that you’re doing well and even better to hear that the year has been great for you so far! and can i just say; same girl, same. I hope that you’re well replenished, but since we’re here to talk about productivity, here goes! I hope my tips will help you but in all honesty…. I can’t even get myself out of bed early anymore so ;___; but no fear! I am here to help :D click the ‘read below’ for my advice on how to stay on top of things/stop procrastinating. 

Now let me just put it out there; procrastination is inevitable. Regardless of whether you absolutely love or loathe the subject, there’s always going to be that funny meme that capture your attention and all your time, and that’s perfectly okay! But there comes a time when you know enough is enough, so in order to maximise your productivity, I follow these tips to make sure I achieve my goals (to the best of my ability, of course. #nopressure). 

I think one of the most important things to look at is your long-term goals; eg what you want to at university/future career paths/get e endorse in y12/ all that good stuff. Towards the end of last year, finally realising what I wanted to do really helped me push myself to just make it until the end of the year. 

But here are some smaller tips if that’s too overwhelming bc like i’ve said before; learn to eat the elephant in bits and not as a whole! 

create a productivity inspiring workspace - find somewhere that you can set up a study space, whether it is an actual office or just a desk. Organise everything that you will need. In my room and in front of my desk, I have motivating pictures, mindmaps of important ideas and some sticky notes just as reminders! These really help me bc every time I look up, I am reminded of what I’m doing and why i’m doing it. So, if you’ve got space, put up some motivational pictures! Decorating your workspace is always an a plus and is a great place to start bc it motivates you to do better and to not let all that effort to go to waste!! (in saying that, I need to redecorate :c) 

my next tip is ( u already kno ) to stay organised!!!!!!!! #goalsgoalsgoals planners, to-do lists, calendars - whatever works best for you, use it to plan plan plan!!! I believe I talked about utilising a planner when internals get messy and hits you all at once but trust me once you get into a habit, you realise the wonders it does for you bc all your thoughts are collected in one place!! If you want to plan long term (i.e say for your upcoming mocks), then maybe use a timeline/create a timeline? Make a list! What resources do you need? How will you get those resources? Keep asking!! Here is a list of what I did last year, and it might be helpful, it might not but I found that being collected is what really helped me get through that holiday phase.  those give you a bigger view of things and by doing that + integrating the steps you’ll take to get to the mock exams/be prepared, it puts a lot of things into perspective and you feel like a new person. In saying that though, it’s okay to skip days, you’re doing your best in what is a difficult time for us all #nzqastruggles and although some days it feels like it’s enough, I’m hella proud of u , go girl

something to also trial/adapt is study techniques. If there’s any time to try out that ‘forest’ app or that cool website which helps u w/productivity gurl trust me it’s now!!! now I’m gonna be rlly annoying and tell you that you have to find your own and find what works for you BUT I HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR THIS! There are millions of study techniques out there (20-30 minutes 5 min break, pomodoro, apps to help w/productivity, visual, aural, all those) but you have to find what works for you. Adapting a study technique will not only help you for the long run (eg in externals) but will definitely benefit you when you get to uni when everyone is losing their minds over what the heck an university even is. Just like planning, knowing yourself best and how you study will truly benefit you in year 13 and for many,many years to come :-) message me if you wanna know more about these techniques, for I am more than happy to help

If all else fails, find some new stationery - splurge and treat yoself. weirdly enough what I find works is buying stationery bc I get to use new things and get to be organised and eeeee it makes me so excited about school (weird as it sounds) it instantly makes you want to be productive. Head to the shops and spend a little something on a new pen, highlighter or notebook! (or all three, cus like i said, treat yoself guuuurl) 

All in all, it’s perfectly okay to lounge around and have your lazy days even when school starts, I know I haven’t been the most productive this week, but it’s all about letting yourself just sooth into school (and not go flying in and crashing in burning that’s not good gal, wellbeing first

As I always say; my experiences have been different and I just found that these tips worked well for me :) I’m sorry if I waffled but I hope this helps!

(p.s lowkey want you to come off anon so we can be friends you seem so cool aw

#Anonymous #vonnytalks #anon is back!!! :D

[physiiological]

hii! have you got any advice for myself? I'm a year 12 student here in nz and it seems like such a big jump from last year, I'm worried I'm gunna flake and it's all going to go to crap haha. Thankyou !

hi lovely!!! thanks for sending me this message :-) (and yay for us kiwis!) 

agh, i remember being in your exact same position last year! however, I did not reach out and I coped with it all on my own, which is definitely something you should not do at all :/. I’m gonna be writing a lot just bc year 12 can be a shitty year but it doesn’t have to be!!!  so click below to see what I’ve said, because just like year 12, this is gonna be one hell of a ride. 

Realistically speaking, year 12 is going to be the hardest year in your academic life. It’s the year to do well so you can have stellar records for scholarship applications, it’s the year they look at if you don’t continue through to year 13, it’s the year, and it can get extremely overwhelming. I remember that I stressed myself out to the max.. I wasn’t sleeping well, I was constantly breaking down, and in the end I only just met the criteria for an endorsement. Although I still have my endorsement, there are many things that I would’ve liked to change if I had the chance to repeat year 12 again. 

one of my most important tips is to don’t try to conquer this alone. NCEA Level 2/IB/Cambridge can be a daunting experience, especially if year 11 was a big walk in the park. The minute you need help, don’t wait around to see if everything works out... reach out to your friends, if not, your teachers. these are your resources and they are at your disposal, use them (not in that sense). If you are feeling extremely unhappy about all of this, talk to someone you trust (eg. a tutor, a parent, your dean, a counsellor) and believe me, not only will you feel a lot better after doing so, but you will also have a much more clearer state of mind and a clear mind = better perspective of everything. Having your friends and a great support network makes all that difference. 

my next tip is to definitely stay organised. Depending on how your school works, there will be instances where internals will hit you all at once. You’ll feel overwhelmed, and when things aren’t going the way it should be we tend to feel lost and breakdown. To prevent this, I suggest using a planner/journal/a notebook to just write down things you need to do for the day and try to make them small tasks. eat the elephant one bite at a time! try and deconstruct your huuuuge task on writing an english essay, and refine it down to just writing one paragraph for the day. even the smallest victory is still a victory, and victory deserves applause, regardless of how big or small. In addition to that, getting sorted now will set you up soooo much for year 13, and also uni as well. so, find what works for you and get into the habits of setting goals! it won’t seem like much when you tick off small tasks, but hey, every victory is a victory!! celebrate :DD It’s okay to not be ahead, staying on top of things at this point is more than enough, and you should be super proud of that. 

third and most important tip; do no harm, take no shit. You’re going to have those odd couple of people who will academically compete with you to the death for a better mark, a better grade, a better anything, and these people are unavoidable, sadly. But you can control it by not taking any of their crap. You do you, and I think that is a lesson that I learnt too late. Don’t worry about that person who just completed that practice report in a day, or about that person who ‘stayed up till 3am’ doing work because chances are; they’re not doing very much to keep themselves alive at this rate and you are soooooooo......... winning!!! (oops) 

I could write a novel and go on forever about my top tips for year 12 but one of my last tips that I leave with you today (and probably pretty important to all of these) is to take care of yourself. this includes your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. I can not stress enough how bad my breakdowns got last year because I never allowed myself to take a break, I kept going and going and going and that entire year was just a lesson to me that I am not a robot, that I am only human. Getting Excellence , A’s ,stellar records for scholarships are important but who’s going to receive them if you’re gonna exhaust yourself out like that? Not you... and we don’t want that, do we? As repeated in the first tip, having a great support network and some friends you can lean on can significantly change this!! vent if you need to, rest if you need to, and be what you need to. This is so so so important, and I personally believe that this trumps everything. Take a walk, have a breather, get some sleep! Take care of yourself, because your grades certainly won’t be doing that for you. 

It is undeniable that year 12 will be one of the most daunting years of your life and it’s not going to be pretty. There will be tears, there will be breakdowns but if you’re not anything like me then you will cope. It’s ok to feel scared, and that is completely understandable. But above all of this, don’t forget to have fun!! Celebrate the fact that you’ve come so far already. Celebrate that you’ve survived so much, celebrate the fact that you’re an absolute champion and celebrate the fact that you’re about to kick NCEA/IB/Cambridge’s ass. I have faith in you, and you should have faith in yourself, you’re going to own this year! :D 

Of course these tips are coming from someone who has had different experiences to other year 13′s but I hope you found that helpful! Please do not hesitate to message me if you have anymore questions or want anymore tips lovely! All the best for year 12, you’re gonna kick ass! Have a lovely evening xx 

#vonnytalks #Anonymous

[physiiological]

do you take medsci142?

unfortunately yes LMAO 

#vonnytalks #results just released today #still PTSD #smh #Anonymous

[physiiological]

what are you studying this year and why didn't you go to Australia

bsc in biomed - i realised i wouldn’t be able to fund myself for a full academic year on TOP of accommodation so I chose to stay (w/ no financial assistance from aus, that is almost impossible in my case) 

#vonnytalks #Anonymous

[physiiological]

How do I stop being so disorganized?

Hi anon! Thanks for popping in.

I’m not sure if you meant disorganized as in physically (messy desk work etc) or academically (scheduling stuff) but do ask me again if you’re unsure/need any more pointers :D happy to help! 

Since the amount of advice I’d probably offer you would be too vast and vague, I’ve helped you find some masterposts below regarding organisation that you may find helpful! find the links below by clicking ‘read more’. Sorry I wasn’t to help, but I hope you find some helpful links in these masterposts made by fellow studyblrs! Have a happy new year xx

http://elkstudies.com/post/127731420680/5-ways-to-organise-your-study-7-ways-to-better

http://studics.tumblr.com/post/127241591460/i-hit-500-followers-not-too-long-ago-and-to-thank

http://academla.com/post/135023242087/hey-guys-so-i-have-a-giant-and-growing-masterpost

http://studyign.com/post/116855647697/i-get-a-lot-of-questions-about-time-management-and

https://civilizedstudent.tumblr.com/post/130095629443/civilizedstudenttumblrcommy-masterpost-1

#vonnytalks #Anonymous

[physiiological]

Once you get this you have to say 5 things you like about yourself publicly. Then you have to send this to 10 of your favourite followers! 🌼🌱

1. dimples

2. immaculate organisation ( v organised )

#vonnytalks #Anonymous

[physiiological]

Hey, are you thinking of going to Auckland next year? If so, what are you thinking of studying, health sci or biomed? And I assume you wanna do medicine? Me too! Anyway, I don't have a tumblr so if you wanna ever talk or anything send me a PM on Reddit(antisocial version of tumblr haha) to GalacticAnimosity

hi! :) yeah hahah I’m thinking of attending auckland but i’ve kept my mind open and have applied to more than one place (with akl being first pref. obvi), in regards to everything else on the message, i’ll keep those confidential for now but i’ll let you know :)

#Anonymous #vonnytalks

[physiiological]

Wait so are you still in high school? If so, what classes do u take?

Yup still in high school! :-) Currently I take biology, chemistry, calculus, and english (+ doing some scholarship on the side)

#Anonymous #vonnytalks

[physiiological]

Hello there!! do you know where I can find the UMAT resources you were talking about?

Hey :) 

All my UMAT resources are physical copies but I would be more than happy to photocopy some to you if you’d like. 

As for digital resources, I believe MedEntry has some amazing resources but you usually find some good resources when you search on google (eg. ACER has a load of indepth info about UMAT) 

sorry i didn’t help that much but feel free to ask me for the UMAT papers if you’d like! x

#Anonymous #vonnytalks