It also worked out well for me, as I had an especially busy fortnight myself! I was fortunate enough to be selected as an Australian Finalist (1 of 7) for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards.

This involved preparing a giving a 12 minute presentation, and a 10 minute Q & A with a panel of judges. This all took place last Thursday, and as you imagine was fairly intense. Unfortunately, I didn't win (which would have then entailed flying to the US to compete), however I did place unofficially in the top 3 (specific ranks were not awarded), and won 3 months business coaching which is great.

The winner was a student from Melbourne who owns a printing business. He borrowed over $100,000 from the bank to purchase the machines and hire the warehouse (which is extremely impressive for a student who is 23 years old).

What was interesting about this competition is the judge’s constant focus on evaluating your performance. This interestingly I thought is equally as pertinent for students who have recently completed their trials. Now that trials are over, and marks are already coming out (at least for some students), it is important to sit down and evaluate your performance.

This extends beyond simply looking at your mark pride, or with regret. It involves importantly evaluating the specific areas you have lost marks so you can implement a plan to improve your understanding. It also however involves much more.

Frequently, performance in an exam and your eventual mark tends to be largely reflective of your exam preparation and technique. So, as your marks come out, pick the paper you excelled in and consider how you prepared for this exam, and what your exam technique and strategy was.

Compare this to your poorest mark, and you will most likely identify key differences. Make a point of writing down your successful exam preparation and strategy. Use this as your blueprint for the HSC for all your exams! This objective evaluation, simply beyond identifying areas where a student lost marks, was a resonating theme from my interviews with 98+ UAI students.

So, for those who did well in their trials, congratulations and keep it up! If you are a little disappointed however, take it as a wake-up call! It is not too late, despite what you may hear or feel. The HSC is worth 50% of your final mark and therefore presents a wonderful opportunity for you to improve!

All the best,

Rowan