Some of Meriden’s highest achievers in the 2024 HSC returned in a recent assembly to share what they learned about study, opportunities at Meriden and life after school – including one piece of controversial advice.
Elaine Huang, Suhani Patel, Elsie Starling and Mia St George spoke to girls in the Senior School, sharing the keys they found not only to academic success but also to making the most of their final year of secondary education.
One common theme of their talks was to emphasise the importance of finding extracurricular activities they enjoyed and sticking at them, even in busy periods of study and examinations.
Elsie said, “Outside of school, I kept going to church and youth group, even in exam periods. These helped me take time off and focus on the things I really loved.”
Mia pointed out that “…there’s so much more to Year 12 at Meriden than studying for the HSC – the fun times at carnivals, fundraisers, and of course time spent with friends.”
All four high achievers agreed that regular activities outside of study time were best spent in the company of friends.
For Suhani, that meant taking up dance classes: “I did contemporary, hip-hop, and later Bollywood and semi-classical dance classes. Making dance, and later running, into habits, helped lessen my mental load after every session.”
Meanwhile, Elaine shared that “…the best way to study was with friends. For all subjects, when I was unmotivated, they’d help me get back on track and not fall into a cycle of procrastination. Face-to-face, or on a call, silently or in conversation, it can work either way.”
“I would encourage everyone in Years 7 to 12 to try something new, because many of the opportunities you get during your time at Meriden might be harder to come by later on,” she also said.
One thing many Year 12 students hear is that everyone’s best study routine will look different, and that it is important to find out what works best for them, rather than worrying about others’ routines. After all, there is no one way to find study success.
“The key to studying and preparing for exams is to find a routine that works best for you. Even if it looks different to the routines of friends around you,” said Elsie. She also shared that her best weeks of study happened when she set goals based on time spent studying, rather than the amount of work completed.
For Mia, on the other hand, setting specific goals around chapters of study or past papers to complete helped her keep on track, rather than aiming to study for specific amounts of time.
Mia also shared some advice that got the school buzzing:
“When it came to studying, I have some controversial advice – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – but delete TikTok. After a week off TikTok, I didn’t miss it at all, and it was easy to wait until the holidays to download it again.”
Principal Mrs Lisa Brown was quick to emphasise this point to the Meriden community after the talks, reminding students of the potential harms of too much time spent on social media.
One final thing all four girls were keen to mention was that school is a marathon, not a sprint, and challenges along the way should be expected.
“Every setback you experience helps write your life story. It’s ok to struggle and have bad days or even bad marks. The HSC is tough, but you are tougher,” shared Suhani.
The Meriden community was very grateful to welcome back Elaine, Suhani, Elsie and Mia and we wish them well as they begin the next chapter.
