Year 12 students Lawson Smith, Emma Boogaerdt, Karun Paul, Jasmine France and Alex Turley. PICTURE: Theo Fakos Source: PerthNow
THEY'RE cool, calm and collected - and say Facebook and Skype has helped them overcome the stresses of Year 12.
The Class of 2012 boasts to work well under pressure and keep a cool head in the lead-up to exams by reassuring themselves it's "not the end of the world'' if they don't do as well as they had hoped.
These students are among the 16,000 pupils who are preparing to sit at least one WA Certificate of Education exam, which start this week. More than 13,000 students are enrolled to sit at least four exams.
Perth Modern School student Jasmine France, who is preparing to sit seven exams, said she had almost thrived on the pressure to succeed.
``I think it can be a little bit competitive at school but in some ways that can be good because we push each other to do better,'' she said.
``Because we've had that competition from the start of the year, the stress hasn't been too bad. I think it's more stressful when you do badly but I think I've handled it alright.''
Jasmine deactivated her Facebook account during her mock exams and plans to do so during the WACE exams to ensure there are no distractions.
But her classmate, budding physicist Karun Paul, said he had found Facebook and Skype more helpful for his exam preparations than a distraction.
``We study on Skype a lot,'' he said. ``Usually we have 7 to 10 of us, but it depends on what subject we're studying for. ``Maths isn't really a group study subject, but physics and chemistry are because they require a lot of discussion. There will always be someone who knows the answer. I find it more helpful than a distraction.
If I'm getting distracted by Facebook, I just log off. It's not that big a deal.''
Keen debater Emma Boogaerdt, who hopes to become a lawyer, said she worked ``quite well under pressure'' and within time limits, but the key to keeping a cool head was a balanced lifestyle.
Talented soccer player Lawson Smith said he had witnessed some of his classmates let the pressure of Year 12 get to them but he had managed to take it all in his stride.
``At Perth Modern, we are driven pretty hard to achieve highly but I'm pretty laidback,'' he said. ``I think even my parents don't think I'm stressed enough about exams. But some people, for sure, get pretty worked up about exams and assessments.''
Budding composer Alex Turley said he managed to avoid much of the stress by maintaining a social life through Facebook.
``If I need to study hard, I just turn everything off,'' he said. ``But it allows you to maintain a balance and not completely ignore your social life while preparing for exams.''
Edith Cowan University Professor of Communications Lelia Green warned parents that today's Year 12 students learnt in different ways, with multiple screens open on their computer and often in noisy environments.
``Parents tend to think back to their student days and I am one of the generation that finds it much easier to study and reflect in silence whereas this generation tends to find silence quite oppressive,'' she said.
``They relax in comparatively noisy environments and I think it's important that parents understand that just because they wouldn't be able to study in their teenagers' bedroom, doesn't mean that their teenager can't study effectively there.''
Human Biological Science will be the first exam on Thursday. They will conclude on November 23 with Health Studies and Earth and Environmental Science.
yasmine.phillips@news.com.au
Follow Yasmine Phillips on Twitter: @PhillipsYasmine
THE CLASS OF 2012
IF YOU WERE PRIME MINISTER FOR THE DAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
* Alex Turley, 17, budding composer: I'd probably legalise gay marriage. People underestimate how hard it would be to be the Prime Minister so I don't think I could really say that I would do it any better than Julia does.
* Emma Boogaerdt, 17, budding lawyer: So much. Probably stop mandatory sentencing, increase education funding, legalise gay marriage, decriminalise certain drugs, reduce the military budget... lots of things.
* Karun Paul, 17, budding physicist: Do I have to be the Prime Minister for the day? I really don't want to be. The Prime Minister seems to be controlled too much by what the people think. They can't make unbiased decisions. I think real power - and I don't want to sound like a megalomaniac - rests with people who are not tied down by what they think the public wants them to do, but what they think is best.
* Jasmine France, 17, budding lawyer: I think I'd really like to make some positive improvements for asylum seekers coming to Australia. I just think in the long term they really benefit society both economically and socially - it creates a good diversity and cohesion within the general population. In the future, I would really like to get into volunteering in Aboriginal communities. I feel that while there has been lots of organisations that try to do things for Aboriginal people, I'm not sure how successful it has been. If I was the Prime Minister, I think I would try to start something around that.
* Lawson Smith, 17, budding occupational therapist: I do politics so this should be an easy one but I really wouldn't want to be in that position.
