HSC anxiety

[Guest_9546]

Hello

I do not know if anyone can relate to me or not but I have "educational anxiety" for maybe the past year and 8 months?

So I wasnt allowed to do my desired subject in year 11 (in year 10 I chose extension 1 maths but wasnt allowed)

At the beginning of yr 11 I was told I wasn't allowed to do extension 1 maths. I started to stress because I wasn't told about it earlier and I wanted to do it desperately

I complained to the head of maths (on many occassions) and he then decided to make me sit a test weeks later

Weeks later I did the test and I stuffed it up. I wasn't allowed to do extension 1 maths. I was stressing and tried complaining multiple times to the head of maths. He decided no. He then referred me to the school counciller. He told me this "rubbish" that I only need advanced maths (2U) for uni since it is a calculus course but I felt I needed extension 1 maths

The counciller told me to let it go (and so did he). I tried to let it go but it didn't work. It was then raised to my school principal (through a complaint to the department of education) and he told me to just focus on all my other subjects because extension 1 maths will make things worse (but I thought of it the other way around)

Ever since that incident, I was stressing everyday. I had anxiety (and still do). I have found it very difficult to learn. Did horribly in tests
At the end of last yr, I told the HT maths that I dont care about learning anymore (since he didn't let me in extension maths earleir in the year).

Ever since then I learned to develop a deep obsession of hatred to him (because I think he's ignorant)Even now (which was a year a and half from that incident of not being allowed to study my desired subject) I have suffered anxiety a lot, I have been so stressed out that it has affected my learning, I have developed a deep hatred to the head of maths, etc. I have even cried a lot at home at times because I was too stressed out. Even back then I found a bit of difficulty sleeping

Assuming I have either narcissism, bipolar disorder or some sort of sever anxiety ] I want to apply for EAS (educational access scheme) for my HSC because my learning was affected from this event a lot

I wanted to do extension 1 (and 2) maths at high school because I wanted to pursue an actuarial degree at university (or a maths degree of some sort) as nothing else interested me but not being allowed to do my desired subjects made me stress

I would appreciate any advice from anyone here

[Hope_for_the_best]

Firstly, we cannot tell if you have a mental disorder here, so please consult your GP for assessment. I can relate to your frustration of not being allowed to do the maths extension course, but I would like you to think about the following questions:

1. Does it mean you are bad at maths if you are not allowed to do the extension course? Why?
2. Does it mean you cannot pursue an actuarial degree at uni if you cannot do the extension course? Why?
3. Will your answers stay the same after 1 year? 2 years? 5 years? Why?

You might answer yes to all of these, but I wish to provide you with some other perspectives. (1) No one is naturally good at something, so it is perfectly okay that you are not there yet. Possibly your teacher underestimates your ability from merely one test, but if you are indeed capable, you will stand out one day. Your teacher has good intention in the way that he wishes you to focus on other subjects. I know you hate me saying that, but think more closely - the last thing you wish is to have one subject let down your overall HSC score. Having a good score increases your chance of getting into a good program at uni. (2) Okay, you may argue that you cannot get into actuarial without the extension course, but you can always transfer to it from other degree at uni, e.g. you can start with a maths degree and then transfer to actuarial. (3) It may look like a big deal to you now, but looking back years later, you will realise not being able to do the extension course does not matter much. Remember, you will eventually get there if you persist.

Hope this helps and all the best to HSC!

[Guest_9546]

Hey

Personally I do not believe I am bad at maths (although many teachers won't believe me because my results aren't great. I just have too much stress and a lack of motivation for learning). The head of maths at my school (I had him in the past for 2 years) knew I was good at maths but thought my results deteriorated over time (and it did due to personal issues in year 10 which I got over at the end of year 10 and this not being allowed to do extension maths got in my mind after the year 10 personal issues)

I can pursue an actuarial degree however I will struggle immensely in it because I do not have the foundations in the course. Even extension 2 maths students struggle with it.

My answers will probably stay the same after the next few years, mainly because I feel "haunted" by the fact that I couldn't sit extension 1 maths

1. I understand that it's crucial to spend time on all your other subjects, not just that one subject because your ATAR will be affected. I even asked the head of maths to at least let me try the preliminary extension maths course but he was like "no" (or some other reason I can't remember)

2. I can still transfer however what you realise is that I don't think I will have the necessary foundations for actuarial maths e.g. I believe a majority of maths students at UNSW (university of new south wales) do Math1131 (which would assume a knowledge of extension 1 maths). Actuarial maths is Math1151 and an advanced maths student (2U) would no where be near that by the looks of it

3. To be honest it does feel like a big deal because of how much stress I was in and how much hatred I developed for the head of maths at my school (I know it's mainly my fault for not doing well but I think he should take partial responsibility for not notifying me at an earlier stage and clearer). I hate him so much that whenever I see him at school I have the temptation to yell in his face (but don't want to get into trouble). I also hate him for telling me all this "rubbish" as he claimed he knew all about maths uni courses (and in fact he knew very little because he didn't do any proper research into unis)

My parents know the case and they're like "accept the school's decision", "do something else", etc but they don't understand my case that I'm in and why I want it so desperately despite it being a "hard" subject so it's not easy for them to tell me to calm down, stop stressing and all that.

I mean I could do something else (but I'm that keen)

Advice?

[Hope_for_the_best]

Thank you for posting back. I cannot advice on your personal issues, but if these affect your studies, you'd better talk to a counsellor. Not necessarily the one from your school if you don't like. There are so many helplines out there. Other than Beyondblue, there are Kids Helpline, eHeadspaces etc. I have called their counsellors and they are very friendly and nice people to talk to. It's great to have someone handy when you are stressed with your studies, as sitting for public exams can get overwhelming at times.

I appreciate that you already know what you want to do at high school, as many people I know have no ideas what they wish to do even after getting a uni degree. As a graduate from UNSW (not actuarial though), I know there are bridging courses to help new uni students without the presumed knowledge. My friend didn't do any biology back in high school, but she did a bridging course and transited well at uni. Perhaps contact their Science Student Centre and explain your situation. I would also recommend that you go to the Open Day (usually in September) and you are going to get a lot of relevant information.

Good luck!

[Guest_9546]

It has already affected my learning from last year. I already spoke to a counciller when I started to stress and all the counciller told me was to "let it go" but I don't think she understood my situation properly, all she said was that she wasn't a qualified teacher hence couldn't let me in the subject nor have a say.

I think seeking help for this sort of thing is quite pointless to be honest. I doubt they would make any difference to my mental health. The only thing I guess I could do is find out what sort of mental disorder I have (some teachers and I think even students believed I had anxiety which couldn't be 'cured' unless I could sit the extension 1 maths course) and after that apply for HSC bonus points via EAS

I do not believe bridging courses will help, especially since universities don't seem to offer extension 2 maths bridging courses and I have heard stories of students who sat Extension 2 maths in high school struggling in uni (I believe this is part first year university, but am not too sure)

Also another reason why I can't get over this issue is because this issue occurred on a specific day that I hate and I guess it made it more memorable for me. Even when I look back past the date of the event in which I found out I wasn't permitted into extension maths, I always get stressed and think to myself "happy days are all over, now are days of continuous stress, angst, endless pain and suffering that I will never forget"

One thing that makes me not pay attention to not being in extension maths at times is I guess playing pokemon go (I love in particular their events) but I can't just keep on playing pokemon go all the time because I won't have the time to study properly and I find it hard to study most (if not all) of the time because I am consistently reminded of "a hard time at uni (and potentially a much more stressful one)"

Thank you for the help and support 🙂

[Hope_for_the_best]

"I think seeking help for this sort of thing is quite pointless to be honest. I doubt they would make any difference to my mental health." Speaking from my experience, it is not true that seeking help makes no difference to mental health. I was very much like you, but what I couldn't let go of was not being able to do medicine. My marks were good, but not bright enough to be "allowed" in medical school. I was terribly upset like you and struggled to concentrate on studying. The social worker at my school and my parents also asked me to let go, but I just couldn't. I remember I was quite depressed for a while and I decided to see a psychologist. The psychologist asked pretty much the 3 questions that I posted and she directed my thinking from fixating in the past to what I could do at present to where I wished in future. Of course, that didn't cure me 100%, but at least helped me to concentrate on my studies. I ended up in medical science, not what I wanted the most, but at least I could pursue in medical studies. The biggest cure was getting a class 1 hon at uni, which would be bright enough for medical school, even though I decided to do something else in the end. Anyway, I would suggest that you visit a GP to determine if you have an anxiety disorder and then see a psychologist. If you are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, then you get referred to a psychologist by a mental health care plan. Your school counsellor does not sound like a psychologist, because she did not help with your thinking. Very often, we are stuck in our emotional-provoking thoughts and a psychologist is the person who helps us to get out of them.

p.s. Uni is not necessarily a worse time than high school. Personally, I enjoyed uni better than high school, even though I had a lot more to study and it was more stressful. Everyone is different, so don't worry too much about what others tell you.

[ahw309]

Hi tenebrosity,

I'm currently in my first year of university, and for my degree I have to do maths subjects. I just wanted to add to the great advice already given, and say that I know quite a few people who didn't do extension maths but have done/are doing maths courses with assumed knowledge as extension 1, or many people who did only general maths/no maths, and did courses that have assumed knowledge as 2U, or even people who had done extension 2 in high school and did the easier uni units, and all have done fine.

Though I don't go to UNSW (I go to Usyd) or do actuarial studies, so it may be very different, through my own and my friends' experiences (many of whom do go to UNSW), when you enter into uni it kind of puts everyone all at a similar level again and it's a fresh start. A lot of the content will be new, even for those with the required assumed knowledge. If you enjoy maths, are good at it, focus on doing well in 2U and then work hard in uni, you will be okay. Two of my close uni friends did 4U maths in high school and did the same unit as I did, and our marks aren't very different, one of my friends getting lower marks than me. Similarly, another good friend of mine did only 2U and performed a lot better than me (I did extension 1). Despite our different backgrounds in maths, we all had found the units to be a similar difficulty to each of us.

With regards to bridging courses, there would probably be one for extension 1. It seems like that is the only assumed knowledge, so it may be useful. Either way, if you know 2U really well, I think you will be able to pick up the extension knowledge quite easily by yourself, as it is just built on the 2U course. And with transferring, by doing the less advanced maths units at first with a different degree and doing well in them, you would have gained the necessary foundations in this way.

In summary, as Hope.for.the.best said, if you really want to get there, you will find a way! 🙂 I know it's easy to just say this, but for now, try your best to focus on doing the best you can in the subjects you are doing at the moment to give yourself the best chance at getting into a course you enjoy, and really think about seeking help for your mental health.

All the best! 🙂

p.s. I also enjoy uni more than high school!

[Hope_for_the_best]

It is great that ahw309 provided you with very recent information regarding maths courses at uni. I hope you find this helpful and feel less upset with the extension course. It is perfectly okay that you can't let go immediately (from my own experience this does not happen overnight), but you should not let this get into the way of your studies.

While you are organising counselling sessions with a psychologist, maybe next time when you get obsessed with extension maths, grab a paper and list out the pros and cons of flooding your mind with this.

• What are the benefits? Will your maths head change his decision and let you do extension if you stress yourself out to the extent of affecting your learning?
• What about potential harms? Will you get a better HSC score by not being able to concentrate on studies? Will this increase your chance of getting in an actuarial degree? Will this help you struggle less with maths at uni? Then take out this piece of paper and go through it whenever extension maths hit your mind.

I am not asking you to let go (You have your choice), but to offer you a step-by-step approach to analyse the situation like solving a maths problem. Possibly this is of help since you are a maths person.

Feel free to post back and let us know how you go.

[startingnew]

hi there and welcome to the forums.

everyone has given some really good advice

i can also say to you that doing your HSC is stressfull in general. i completed my HSC about 3 years ago now but not one person around me wasnt nervous. everyone wanted to succeed and do their best. thats all you can do. DO YOUR BEST. and thats it 🙂

i hope you go well in your exams but remeber its not the end and be all ok, there are other options to getting into university 🙂

looking forward to hearing back from you about how your getting on

[Guest_9546]

Hey everyone

Thanks for your replies

I just wanted to say that the responses hadn't made anything better, mainly because of the reason that I will mention below

So ever since I wasn't permitted into extension 1 maths, I became extremely lazy as I was too stressed to learn and study. I don't think anyone in my grade was aware of that, not even my parents were ware of that. As a result, my academics starting going down and I started to do bad in school and dreaded every single moment

My mum (I live with only a single parent but I see my dad sometimes, maybe every week or 2) always wanted me to do well and she was aware of the fact that I wasn't in extension 1 maths and she was also aware of the fact that I was doing bad in school but didn't realise that those two linked together (well if I tried to tell her she probably wouldn't believe me because she says things like "your HT maths is right", "don't study too hard", etc

Even now I am still lazy and still quite stressed out every now and then (even though it was 1 and a half years ago) and my mum is always constantly reminding me to study hard, stop using my phone, etc and it's gotten to that point where she says "your results are already bad in school" and at that point I get so emotionally upset where I am feeling like I don't want to learn anymore, the head of maths has ruined my life and everything, I accuse him all the time because I feel he is partially responsible for doing bad in school (I mean if he notified me earlier and clearer). I feel haunted whenever people say things such as I'm good at maths-clearly I'm not in extension

I get upset when I hear people talking about uni maths because I feel like Im missing out on so much

I have this emotional and mental attachment to it

I'll give another case (not related to this sorry)-I was friends with this one girl who flicked me in the ear at the end of year 9. I hated her because it hurt and told her. She then realised I hated her but seemed to of had taken it as a joke and started harrassing me in all of year 10, in particular when she saw me. Ever since the end of year 10 she has not said a word to me (well she asked me a question this year and I just ignored her) and even though It's halfway 2017 I still hate her (and that occurred in I think December 2014). Whenever I see her I am always reminded of how much trouble she caused me.

Thank you everyone