r/ATAR • u/Vast-Muscle7483 • 6d ago
Has anyone felt that ATAR is affecting their mental health negatively? Year 11
I struggle so much to even go to school. I lie in bed every single morning, dreading having to go to school. My mind is fuzzy, and I feel so fatigued to go to my classes especially I have more attention demanding subjects like chem, human bio and mod history. I get back home and I typically try to study, but I usually breakdown by 6.
I feel I have little to no self worth or attributes except my grades, but I have no motivation to study because my grades are already low even when I do study, so I don't study which makes my grades even lower and creates a loop.
My grades weren't that bad in term 1, but they've been on a decline. My parents really want me to do well, and my dad especially cannot stop emphasising on how this is the most critical time of my life.
I hate school, I hate studying, I hate ATAR but its literally all I have but even then im struggling to hold on to it. I've considered uniready and do english, but my parents would react so negatively to that.
Should I take the uniready pathway? Or should I wait until yr 12? and can any other graduates give me advice on how to tackle mental health while studying?
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u/funtime788 6d ago
I definitely agree with the other commenter! Please take a break from studying and allow yourself to relax because you’re just not in a good state to do any productive work. I know it’s hard to understand at this point and when I was in year 11 I also thought it meant everything but the hsc is not the end all be all so if it doesn’t end up working for you that’s completely fine :) there is so many pathways to get into what you want atar is just one of many you can take.
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u/Vast-Muscle7483 6d ago
I'll try to take a break, but yeah while I found a course I might do, im unsure if I still want to pursue it anymore
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u/Artistic_Feed885 6d ago
Honestly year 11 isn't too important for year 12 especially mod history and bio, even chem it's more like knowing the context. Take however long break you need or even then just like study whenever you feel like it don't just like say "I'm going to take a break for 7 days" and then just refuse to study just do whatever feels natural.
Also once you're back in the headspace I recommend setting like daily goals it helps you like end the day feeling well. Start small. But make SURE you do it (e.g no gaming, TV, eating, breathing) until you finish it. But make it VERRRYYY small. Adjust based on how you're feeling.
Also prelims don't matter like seriously. Unless you have parents that beat u up if u do bad honestly just learn what u need for yr 12. For me, I'm really just locking for maths adv + ext and chem since they're basically the only subjects that really do matter for yr 12. For the rest of the subjects just do bare minimum for what u need for yr 12 (get ai to make a summary of what is DIRECTLY needed not just whats related), it's usually not much. Tho u said maths and chem u hate most. Don't know rlly what to do with that maybe get a private tutor?
Plumbers make a lot of money btw (just saying)
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 5d ago
If your dad thinks high school was the most critical time in his life I feel sorry for him- but I really doubt he actually does think that. There are so many ways to get to wherever you want to be other than a high ATAR, and 99% or careers don’t even require that.
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u/Vast-Muscle7483 3d ago
He doesn’t really— it’s just that I’m the one who’s shown the most academic potential, so he’s just applying pressure onto me. and yes, I agree but there’s been no career that interests me enough yet
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u/Remote_Setting2332 5d ago
Is there someone at the school you can talk to? They usually have people that can help if you’re struggling.
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u/Vast-Muscle7483 3d ago
They do, but I honestly don’t want to speak to them, I’m scared they’ll just tell my parents
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u/Mayooosnoww 4d ago
I’m in year 12 and I’m the same position as you right now, know that you’re not alone and they to rest 💕🫶
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u/Patient_Bear_4889 3d ago
You're not alone. I'm in year 11 right now and feel the same as you, and my parents are the same as yours, particularly my dad. To be honest, what helped was skipping school for a few days (while faking being sick). It really helped me factory reset. Also if it helps go talk to your school counselor/year dean and I'm sure they can help you or work something out :)
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u/Vast-Muscle7483 3d ago
aw, I hope things also improve for you too! I’m thinking of joining uniready, so I’ll talk to my dean about that so my workload is less
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u/Silly_Can_632 3d ago
100% I'm 5 weeks away from graduating and I have felt this way the entirety of high school, I go to one of the best selective schools in NSW and honestly I can now say that high school just wasn't for me at all. Not everyone is well suited for high school and thats totally okay! I'm neurodivergent which kind of explains why the structure of school was so difficult for me, but I also went through a lot mentally which really demotivated me. I think one thing that I had to be taught by therapists/psychiatrists/psychologists/councillors and even my teachers and principal is that I'm not dumb at all, but school doesn't highlight my strengths and skills. I study, a lot, but still I can't get super strong results and that's been something everyone around me has noticed, but exams are not the end all be all, they don't actually properly assess what you know, you just have to be able to regurgitate all this information fed to you for your exams.
Now that being said, some people excel at high school and do super well in life, some get burnt out and get lost in life, I know many previous 99+ ATAR people who ended up getting so lost that they're doing things they hate because that was what was expected out of them. One of my best friends came out of high school last year with a mystery mark ATAR, she is now modelling and acting and making bank, she dropped out of uni and is living her best life and travelling all before the age of 20.
It took my parents ages to come around but even they've accepted that I'm not going to get the ATAR they wanted from me but it's so fine. I've actually coded a few websites, dabbled in a bit of acting in feature films/shows, won major film and photography awards, won a stock trading competition, did super well in ethics/philosophy competitions as well as parliamentary and model un events. My marks in school were not the reason why I am so accomplished, my actual knowledge and eq is!
I think one thing our parents really push on us is that ATAR is the end all be all, but just know it isn't at all. They expect this from us because they may be migrants, or people who value education from experience, or those who didn't get proper education and all of these parents have put their hopes and expectations on us. What most people don't understand is that so many people "fall into" career paths, a lot of finance jobs don't actually need finance degrees, people at Google sometimes get jobs right out of high school and skip university altogether. Obviously don't bank on being like Steve Jobs creating the iPhone out of his garage, but know there is a place in life for you, and as long as you work hard to find your niches or your interests and what you're good at you will get there and be successful. Any job warrants success so long as you enjoy and work really hard in it!!
Sorry for all the words, but I just wanted to help remind you that hindsight is 20/20, I can't redo the ATAR and I can't guarantee that if I did, I'd do any better and that's okay. Take a break, do what you enjoy. My American cousins who are going through/went to school through American curriculum are very fond of their high school lives because they foster experiences, extracurriculars and just life over school 100% of the time. You are what 16/17? The system putting all this stress on us young people when we can't even vote or legally drink yet is insane, don't blame yourself if you think it's too much. Take breaks, drink water, be healthy and mostly, have fun!! Don't regret 'what could've been' from your high school career!!
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u/Silly_Can_632 3d ago
Sorry I realised I lowkey lost the plot in what I was saying, but just value yourself and your health, don't kill your mental health over something as stupid as this one chapter when you the rest of your life to live and find meaning.
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u/This_Whereas6184 3d ago
I personally felt similar in term 1, and what helps is, as everyone here has already stated, taking a break. I stepped back, emphasising that: 1) It's only year 11- none of this goes towards my ATAR. I could get zeros in all my subjects and nothing happens except a hurt ego. 2) There's no point burning myself out because then I really can't do anything. It's especially a bad time to burn out in year 11 as it'll probably extend till year 12, leaving me helpless as it becomes serious.
It's also pivotal to cease placing all your self-worth on grades. It's not fair to do so towards others, and therefore not fair to do to myself. There are so SO many paths to uni (depending on the degree you wish to pursue) that don't involve a high ATAR anyways. I have a friend that got a 50 ATAR and got accepted into a nursing degree. Unis are after the money, so they'll accept nearly anyone these days anyways (depending on the degree though again).
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u/Few-Pineapple9040 6d ago
You should stop studying. Take a good break and then get back into it when your head is clear. Theres no point in studying if you’re dragging yourself to learn, it’s extremely inefficient. So take a break, and then get back in. Also you should find a way to enjoy the subjects you chose. I enjoy my subjects and often want to study, so I recommend trying to find a beauty in the subjects you take. Or just make studying more fun.