H igher, S tronger,

Merewether High School ATAR: 99.80

Subjects: English Advanced, Chemistry, Legal Studies, Economics, Society & Culture.

Honours: 9th in Society & Culture, 16th in Legal Studies, HSC All-Rounder.

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

Akanksha Singh: Being of Indian origin, your Year 12 results are not just your business but also your parents’! Prior to receiving my results, I was preparing my family to get ready for an ATAR under 85 (85 being my goal through the year). When I received an ATAR of 86.55 which my parents round off to 87, I realised that I underestimated myself and doubted my abilities. I learned that I am capable of achieving my goals and as my maternal grandfather (Nanaji) says, “Labour always pays.”

Lavanya Kumar: I learnt that I can work well under pressure and that I am more independent that I thought. HSC was a period of growth not only for myself as an individual but also a growth in friendships.

Manan Luthra: Since there is a wide range of subjects to choose from, with only one core subject, I entered the HSC year with an interesting choice of subjects. As I went about my combination, I discovered a real interest in media and the entertainment industry, slowly becoming the sector I most want to work in. Complementing my passion for law, I carved out a career aspiration that I look forward to continue engaging with as I start university. Also resulting from this, I found a capacity to work that exceeded anything I previously knew, definitely good for the future!

Paul Joseph: During the HSC year, my ATAR prediction was well below what I wanted and even below my course requirements. However, during the HSC period, I studied hard and eventually achieved a good ATAR, albeit, below what I had expected. From all this, I learned that I will not give up and that with enough determination coupled with hard work, anything is achievable.

St Aloysius College ATAR: 90+

Subjects: English Advanced, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Mathematics, Mathematics Extension 1, 2

Rizina Yadav: Through Year 12, where passions, subjects, intelligence, friendships, as well as life purpose and meaning, were all challenged, I began to understand what I truly love doing, how I deal with adversity, and what matters most in life to me. Although I only did 10 units, which equated to five subjects, I became engaged in three and developed a considerable dislike towards the other two. This taught me about my strengths, weaknesses and interests, ultimately confirming my desire to pursue law and arts (psychology) at university. Furthermore, as assessments piled up and things didn’t go exactly as planned, I learnt that I often give up too easily and need to multi-task to stay engaged. Finally, as different aspects of my life - academic, extra-curriculars, family, and friends - pulled me in different directions all at the same time, I began to realise what I value most. I value friendships, family, and extra-curriculars, and was often too ready to shove my academic pursuits to the side!

Yohann Ghosh: The HSC year, for me, was emotionally exhausting. Often, I would work very hard in some areas of study but other areas would ultimately bring me down. Through this experience, I can say that the HSC does not measure an individual’s passion, intellect or understanding but merely requires a certain minimum effort so as to pass the academic threshold of the curriculum. Further, for the majority of the year, this effort was simply writing back on paper what we were told by teachers in class. I treated last year as one for personal growth, emotionally and intellectually. In retrospect, it is my perception that all HSC students with a real resolve to grow as people should meet the minimum required by the curriculum whilst also searching for meaningful academic rigour, strongly founded sense of self-worth and purpose.

Zohair Kazmi: As clichéd as it may sound, anything is

Knox Grammar School ATAR: 97.00

Subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics Advanced, English Advanced, Ancient History possible. If you are determined and put in the hard yards, nothing can stop you from achieving your goals. I wish I learnt this a tad earlier in my HSC year because knowing that my dreams were within reach helped me overcome my procrastination and to finally get things done.

What were your expectations going into the HSC year? How did reality compare?

Akanksha: I expected some sort of magical change in my attitude as if I would naturally want to study all the time. In reality, I got tired very quickly and lost motivation easily. I had to consciously force myself to study and stick to a routine.

Lavanya: I expected it to be stressful 24/7 but realised that only exam periods were stressful and that I could still participate in extra-curriculars, hang out with my friends and become a more well-rounded person - more so than my other years of high school combined.

Manan: I approached the HSC trying to be as objective as possible about my work, knowing I would develop a lot academically over the year and therefore there was no such thing as a ‘perfect’ essay or major work. However, particularly leading up to trials and the HSC, I found myself taking pride in what I had created - particularly with my creative writing in English, and a portfolio of theatre reviews I completed for Drama. I knew it wasn’t perfect, but I was still incredibly proud of the quality of work I dedicated a year to; I am certain I will never write to that level again for some subjects!

Paul: As a student before the HSC, I underestimated the difficulty and the amount as well as quality of work needed in order to attain a high ATAR. Going into the HSC year, I believed that an ATAR over 99 was an attainable task, given the right amount of effort, yet the reality of the HSC and its difficulty hit me. The