While I haven't completed the HSC
I'll admit I saw this thread literally 10 minutes after it cropped up about a month ago. At the time, this was the main 'reason' for not contributing; I had no real compulsion and I felt a bit unqualified to give advice - and I did feel a little guilty for suspending this tab in my browser for a month. So sorry to everyone, for bumping this thread! Liberation has given me a fresh outlook on things and I have a few things to say (if it's not too late!). It's a bit of similar feeling to when I wrote about accelerating subjects this time last year, if I'm honest; so much to say, and it's just convenient while it's all in my head right now.
There have been two things I've been told that I've sort of lived by during this year, one from my Modern teacher and one from my Maths teacher, who have been by far and away the most important teachers in contributing to my final years. My Modern teacher simply told me to 'back myself' and my Maths teacher told our class 'to make the next exam our best one yet'. To break them down:
a) 'back myself' - that just means trust yourself; you did better than you think you did in exam (never is an exam the last say in your ATAR, and never is an exam worth crying over [feeds into my next point!]), and you know more than you think you know; even when you feel like you haven't studied enough, you'll go into the exam and your brain will know what to do. Overall, just trust what you've done in previous years, even if you've slacked off a tad; you know what works best for you, and no-one should tell you otherwise. Trust yourself to do well, you'll be fine. The HSC isn't actually that bad; while it might seem terrifying now, you'll get to the end and be like pfffft HAHA what?! so chill. Enjoy it, trust yourself!
b) 'Make your next exam your best one yet' - never is an exam worth crying over; always look ahead because you can't undo anything you've already done. The best positive impact you can have is literally by making your next exam your best one yet. The logic here is also very sound; while the idea isn't to make your first exam intentionally garbage, and then gradually improve to peak at the HSC, it means if you have a bad exam, you look forward and work to make the next one stellar; if you have a good one, you redouble your efforts and attempt to outdo yourself. Ultimately the only person you're competing with is yourself; push your limits and see how well you can do! In hindsight, while I clearly haven't peaked at the HSC, it's always helpful to aim high and be quietly confident; even if you fall down, you'll still have done the best you can, and that's all anyone can ask of you. Make everything a peak!
And now, unfortunately, what I've learnt the hard way
a) While I did say push your limits, don't push yourself too hard - rest, recuperation and mental health are so much more important than any study you can ever possibly do; I learnt this one the hard way because I took the same advice I'm giving right now way too lightly (so please don't!). If you legitimately don't feel great, the best thing you can do for yourself is get in the right headspace
Primarily also because you know more than you think you do, not studying is less of a detriment than not taking care of yourself; just don't let this be an excuse for slacking off! It's a similar thing to confidence - know the difference between confidence in your ability ie backing yourself! and outright arrogance - take care of yourself first, your study second.
b) You'll probably hear the same sayings over and over, like 'ATAR isn't the end of the world', 'there are many paths that lead to the same destination'; while that's true, don't let that lull you into a sense of complacency, or let that be an excuse for not studying. Essentially, work hard, but don't be disappointed if what you worked for doesn't come out quite right, or everything doesn't go to plan
c) A close circle of friends that you can fully trust (ie. talk about almost anything) is so important - most people inevitably break down, and it's really important to have people to talk to, especially if you don't want to share with your parents. A support network is absolutely amazing in getting through the year; they read you, you read them, and they completely understand everything you're going through, and they will listen to you all day long
d) Lastly, it really isn't that bad! It'll be over before you know it, and I guarantee you will be missing school at the end, so remember to enjoy it while it lasts, and don't leave school behind with regrets. It's cliched but true; take every opportunity you can get. There's a lot of things you won't be able to do anymore, and trust me, even if you tried to take all the opportunities, there will be a 'wait shit i forgot to do that'. There's so many things to do! Reduce the intensity of the 'wait shit' at the end by doing lots of stuff
e) Don't get complacent - it's always a tough thing to keep up your effort throughout the year, and there's part a) for that (take care of yourself!). But what if you already have taken care of yourself, and you're just on top of everything? Complacency I feel is even worse than underpreparing; it's never nice and you should always work hard, regardless of how easy something might be
Hope this isn't too late, and hope this helps a lot of people