Many people see the HSC as the gate to all futures, and that year 12 is the last opportunity you will ever get to secure a successful one. However, I would say that the reason for my success in the HSC was that even through the turbulence and stress, I came to appreciate the kindness and wisdom that everyone had to offer me, and actively surrounded myself with things I loved. The friendships and memories of school life are things that can never be reproduced later on in life, and in a stressful time like year 12, they are precisely the things that will maximise your productivity and help you reach the goal you want to achieve.
Don't sacrifice the things that you love.
At North Sydney Girls, one might consider me as a slightly unconventional kind of student. I did English Extension 1 and Maths Extension 2 (which still sounds pretty much like the average year 12 student worrying about scaling) but also 3 units of Japanese and 2 units of Italian beginners. Those who are not big fans of languages might call me crazy, but it was exactly the thing I loved. My love for Japanese was what eventually pulled me up to a 99.90 ATAR, and not my desperate attempts to appeal to the scaling Gods.
In all honesty, I entered a law degree without really knowing what to expect and whether it was something I would even enjoy. These are some things I've learnt about studying law that I thought I would share for aspiring students.
1. It doesn't matter if you don't get in the first time.
In fact, it might actually be better to start off with your paired degree first (whether it is Arts, Commerce, International Studies, etc). Some of the best law students I've met so far in my class are those whom have transferred from different degrees, and their experience, maturity and added breadth of knowledge have allowed them to transition into a law degree much more smoothly compared to high school leavers like myself.
2. If you often find yourself thinking about the problems in society and wanting to change them, then you'll probably enjoy law.
Compared to many others, I had not even dreamt of doing a law degree until midway through year 12. Despite the legal television shows I've watched in the past, I couldn't imagine myself talking in court in the future or just being competent enough to study law in the first place. However, I knew I had a passion for social justice and I enjoyed critical analysis during high school English, and so I took up the challenge and I've found myself enjoying it more and more as each day goes by.
Of course it is all much easier to say in hindsight, but year 12 is one of the best years of high school where you get to affirm the strong friendships you've built over the past 5 years and appreciate how much knowledge your teachers can actually offer. Provided, that is, that you remember not to throw away all enjoyment in life just to slave away for this one exam. I hope that you will all learn to see that school does not exist just for the HSC - HSC is another goal you must complete that just happens to fall at the end of your high school career.
