Cobar High School (CHS) ex students Cori Clark and Josie Anderson spoke to students last week at the school about studying, the HSC and the pathways they took after finishing school.
The school’s careers advisor Megan Nicolson invited Cori and Josie after a student had asked her if they could hear from someone they knew who had sat the HSC at Cobar High.
Cori and Josie spoke to Year 10, 11 and 12 students for an hour last Thursday and answered questions about gap years, employment, ATAR marks and subject selection.
Cori advised students they should look after themselves during the HSC because it is a stressful time and emphasised the importance of sleep.
After juggling her school work, working long hours, study and exercising, Cori said she became sick during the HSC last year.
Cori recommended students look after their health and get plenty of rest.
She explained how being involved in community groups, volunteering and having extra curricular activities on her portfolio helped her get into university and also gave her valuable life skills.
Currently studying at Newcastle, Cori spoke about her experiences at uni, why she chose to study at Newcastle and the four week internship which she recently completed with Qantas in Sydney.
Josie told students that she had considered university but found there were other pathways such as traineeships and apprenticeships that could help her achieve her goals.
She recommended students choose HSC subjects which they enjoyed or were interested in which would make studying and attending class easier.
“I chose business studies and business services because I was interested in the subjects and knew I would pursue a career in business,” she said.
She also gave students some of her studying tips.
“When taking notes in class, find out which method works best for you because everyone studies differently. I was a ‘dot point person’ and liked writing notes, while other students in my class preferred to have discussions and create mind maps to help them understand the syllabus topics.”
Josie also told students they are lucky to be living in a town which is supported by three mines which offer apprenticeships.
“Kids from surrounding towns are applying for apprenticeship here because they don’t have the opportunity in their home town.
“This makes it more important for local students to work hard to be competitive,” she said.
