24 Nov 2020

To be completely honest, I found the HSC hilarious. No, I'm not a psychopath. See, I'd gotten into a film school that accepted portfolios rather than ATAR's so whilst everyone in Year 12 rushed around like bottle rockets of stress and anxiety, I just cruised by without a care in the world.

For a while during Year 12, I did think I was wasting time. I mean, what's the point of studying if you don't need an ATAR? I could be focusing on a million other things.

But then I realised how fun Year 12 could be without all the stakes. I'd still experience the rites of passage without being scared of getting a low ATAR, not studying enough, being behind, letting down parents and teachers, anxiety and stresssss... ugh, what a neg out. Sure, I got a bit frazzled here and there but for the most part, I just focused on how fun high school could really be whilst also learning a heck of a lot from studying. 

Here's why there's still a point to studying even if you don't need an ATAR.

1. Unintentional skills

I know you probably don't want to hear it, but you actually unintentionally pick up a tonne of skills by studying.

Soft skills like time management, motivation, conflict resolution, creative thinking and adaptability all flow to your subconscious as you study and man do they make a difference in your everyday life and career.

Think about it, you're figuring out how to balance your plans and hobbies with your studies and prioritising what needs to be done first and for the longest ie. managing time. What about when you realise that you're really behind on a particular section? You ask around for notes, you contact your teachers, you research it online and figure out the best way to learn it quickly ie. conflict resolution...

Studying for the HSC really prepared me for the fast-paced environment at film school as well! And hey, I probably won't use Pythagoras' theorem ever again, but the skills that my brain used whilst figuring it out will apply to future careers and endeavours. 

2. Learning with no stakes

I'm going to say something controversial. Learning is actually pretty cool... Nerd alert lmao.

But come on, learning about how red hot the Spartans were in ancient history class, studying The Beatles' 'Magical Mystery Tour' album in music class and practising how to say "do you want to have a threesome?" in French class was all unreal.

We're human! We're here to learn, get inspired and fill our brains with fun facts to share at parties. Learning for the sake of actually wanting to learn, rather than giving into the stress and anxiety of being the best and grinding out assessments, essays and study notes, was so cruisey and fun. I think knowledge is cool. Sue me.

3. You're figuring out what you're into 

Studying gives a pretty clear indicator of what you're keen on and what you're not. First of all, I figured out that I learnt waaaay faster by hearing rather than seeing/writing. So I would read out my notes and listen back to them, listen to podcasts and further talk to teachers about subjects. I also found it so useful to listen to music whilst studying as it kept me going for longer. This was so valuable to figure out for my future career!

Not only that, but studying made me pretty aware of how I loved the creative classes like art, drama and music, but wasn't too keen on maths and science. I was able to navigate through my passions what I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.

If you're still pretty hazy when it comes to your path after high school, why not get a firmer idea from our Post-School Plan! By doing this, you can assess path options and careers that could suit you and if those careers need an ATAR or not. Essentially, it's like a choose your own adventure. We give you a certain map with path options and you figure out what route works best!

Anyways, happy studying!