For those of you who are looking to excel in college, preparing for it in year 10 is extremely beneficial as it familiarises you with the content and introduces you to the importance of independent learning. In high-school, a lot of us didn’t actively learn outside of school: we would simply attend class, do the work, go home, and do assignments or play video games. There’s nothing wrong with this, but the workload jumps dramatically from year 10 to college and it crucial to adapt to the change in environment. But how do you make the jump and excel? You always have to start with the fundamentals. There is no point in rote learning college content without solidifying all concepts learned in year 10. Believe it or not, you will be referring back to all the algebra you learned in year 10 throughout every single term of college. That’s why, before learning any college content, it is highly recommended to master the basics of the following concepts: Maths: linear relations, geometry, indices and surds, quadratic equations, measurement, parabolas and other graphs, probability, statistics, logarithms and polynomials, and algorithmic thinking Chemistry: the atom, the periodic table, rates of reaction, stoichiometry The period before college should also be used to identify certain study strategies that work for you because, trust me, you’ll be studying a lot! For more information on this, check out the 99+ ATAR Comprehensive Study Guide and the Study Strategies Guide on this website.

This blog was written by our Chemistry tutor, Sreeya. You can find her profile here.