The Mentality You Should Have During Year 12

Firstly - congratulations. You’ve almost reached the halfway point in the year and holidays are fast approaching, which means you’ll finally get the opportunity to have a bit of a well-deserved break.

Year 12 is undoubtedly a big year. It feels like a constant grind of studying,  learning and stress, compounded by both external and even more likely, internal pressures to perform well. On top of that, there are 18th birthdays and formals and all the other fun privileges that you’ve inextricably earned after slogging through five years in high-school. As if all of this wasn’t enough, you’re forced to confront impending decisions that are going to greatly influence the next chapter of your life - whether or not to pursue tertiary education, what universities to apply to, what courses you want to take, undergraduate vs postgraduate pathways? - the list is endless.

Like I said, it’s a big year.

Fortunately, many of us have been there, and understand exactly how you’re feeling in this situation. In fact, it’s been five years since I was in your position, yet I can still vividly recall my thoughts and emotions during Year 12. The one mentality that underpinned my perspective during Year 12 was that of ensuring I completed the year with minimal regrets. I wanted to look back and know that I had absolutely made the most of the limited time I had during my final year of highschool (and yes, it is a very finite amount of time, although it might not feel this way right now!).

How did that help me?

Well, it helped to ground me. I knew that regardless of the outcome at the end of the year, I could feel settled knowing that I had done absolutely everything that I could to make the most of the year. This didn’t just mean studying at every waking hour of the day. It meant making decisions to still see friends and do extracurriculars that made me happy, whilst also studying effectively, and meeting goals for the amount of study and practice exams I wanted to do. It was setting myself up so that at the end of the year, I could look back and not regret the decisions that I’d made during Year 12, regardless of how small they were.

It’s a cliche but important philosophy in life. Your Year 12 journey should reflect your own personal values and priorities in life. When you look back on the year, what will make you feel fulfilled?