Year 12: Lessons The last year of school is the toughest,

Emmaus Christian College ATAR 90+ Subjects English, Psychology, Food and Hospitality, Aboriginal Studies and Research Project

With your QCE/SACE now done and dusted, you’ve probably had opportunity to look back at it all with wisdom. What did you learn about yourself in the QCE/ SACE year?

Aarushi: I have realised that I am much more resilient than I thought I was because I was not only able to juggle the academic work load, but I also successfully made a mark for myself in the co-curricular field, being one of the four College Captains at my school.

Nandini: I learnt that educating myself is the most empowering thing I can do for myself. And also that procrastination is a habit I should learn to drop. “You can’t finish this in 2 days before the due date” is not a challenge so I’m hoping to rid myself of my incredible lack of motivation at the most crucial of times.

Ruturaj: One of the biggest things I discovered about myself was my ability to turn adversities into stepping stones for success. I was able to defy expectations, turn good results into amazing results and fulfil all my goals comprehensively, which allowed me to discover my inner resilience and perseverance.

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Karishma: I started my SACE year thinking that I would pass it without any issues. However, things didn’t go exactly as planned. I learnt that when things don’t turn out the way you expected, you have to embrace the change and pick yourself upwhich is what I learnt to do throughout my journey. This responsibility from the final year of my high school was overwhelming but I also learnt that along with striving for what I wanted to achieve, I have to accept a few rejections and even situations that may seem like failures as these are the ones that made me stronger. Another thing that I learnt about myself was that I am very capable of doing what I used to think I could never do. The assignments that I thought I could never finish or the due dates that I thought I could never surpass were highly possible with just some selfbelief and hard work.

Cicily: Looking back at Year 12, I learnt the importance of hard work. To get through the year, you had to be focused and prepared to put your best foot forward. I also learned to balance my time and prioritise my responsibilities as

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Shiv: I wasn’t a very academic person before Year 12, but I quickly ended up realising that no goals are unrealistic (within reason). Each goal I set for myself this year I ended up achieving. With hard work and determination, anyone can achieve what they desire.

What were your expectations going into the QCE/SACE year? How did reality compare?

Aarushi: I believed Year 12 would be no different than Year 11 in terms of the academic load, which turned out to be somewhat true. Year 12 wasn’t complex; it was just too congested. However, emotionally, it was quite the journey since every school event had a sentimental value attached to it - the last ‘first day of school’, the last sports carnival, the last school holidays, the last English class and so on. Nandini: In the summer holidays before Year 12, I was anxious for it to start because everyone freaks out about it.

But it was like Year 11 except everything actually counts toward your OP.

Ruturaj: I expected the final QCE year to be an extremely gruelling and tremendously stressful affair that would feel like an eternity. However, my parents were extremely supportive of me throughout the year and encouraged me at each step, so QCE felt a lot less stressful that I expected.

Karishma: Whilst transitioning into the major SACE year, I expected myself to have almost no problems with keeping up my grades. But when I really saw what was expected of me out of my subjects and their assessment requirements as well as the criteria, I did get lost and struggled with additional stress. It was hard for me to accept my grades at the very beginning and I started thinking that I wouldn’t be able achieve my ideal score. The reality, as harsh as it was at the time, was what I needed to get a hold of myself and not let emotions, expectations and requirements get ahead of me.

Cicily: My expectations where very similar to how reality turned out. Going into Year 12, I expected it to be a stressful