“I had to stop playing in Year 12 due to study commitments, but I’m really excited to get back into it next year.”
Aarnav said that even after quitting badminton, he joined a gym at Hillarys Boat Harbor with some friends to relax and spent around six hours a week during his final year at school.
“They also have great Nandos,” he said. “Next year, I would say take 12 to find a way to balance your time between studying and other activities to optimize your mental state.”
Perth Modern’s John Peiris agreed. It also listed 18 students who scored 99.95 points.
“Continuing with extracurricular activities is an important thing to do in Year 12, and I think many high-achieving students have a good balance,” he said.
“If you only focus on ATAR, you will burn out. It is not sustainable.”
John spent much of his Year 12 playing violin in four community orchestras and volunteering to help at robotics competitions.
He revealed his ATAR results after a music concert on Saturday night. His mother and brother accompanied him, and his father joined the video call.
“My mother was scared, she was excited. “My brother was very supportive and my father was happy,” he said. “I have always been a good predictor of ATARs, but the final results are always uncertain.”
John said his favorite subject was mathematics, as “every test was different and there were always new puzzles to solve.” John hopes to study medicine next year.
Ethan Widjaja, also from Perth Modern, agreed that the best subject was to study mathematics or ancient history.
“I was playing a computer game when I heard the results. “I was surprised to get such a score,” he said.
“I am very happy, my family too, it is huge for all of us. ATAR is competitive, but I say do your best and don’t listen to the outside noise.
Ethan plans to study mechanical engineering at the University of Melbourne next year.
Charging
Vivaan Wagh, from Hale School, discovered the results had come out while playing cricket, but wanted to wait until he was home with his family before checking.
“My mom was very happy, she was jumping for joy and my dad called me and I couldn’t even speak,” he said.
“It was a relief to know that my hard work paid off. Year 12 was definitely more stressful than previous years; I normally handle stress well, but nerves are definitely working in year 12.”
Vivaan agreed that “not burying yourself in school” is important for success. He joins the list next year, hoping to study medicine at UWA or Curtin University.