Advice for Grade 12 learners
As Grade 12 learners gear up to write one of the most important exams of their life, a large number of them are facing an additional source of stress -- their indecision about what they are going to do next year.
Dr Felicity Coughlan, director of the Independent Institute of Education in South Africa, said that learners should deal with this decision, as putting it off might impact their performance in their final exams.
“Learners in this situation will constantly battle the twin stresses of the exams and the uncertainty about their future,” she added.
“This will take away from the all-important focus required to perform optimally when writing exams.”
Coughlan explained that dealing with the issue of post-matric will allow the matrics to direct their energies appropriately.
She advises them to put aside some time to dispose of the question: “What am I going to do next year?”.
“Schedule a few days to thoroughly investigate your options and make a decision about where it is that you want to go,” she said.
Her advice is for learners to use their time to consider the following, which can help them decide on their future studies:
1) Be realistic.
Look at your subjects and your envisioned results. It’s no use shooting for medicine when you did not take the required subjects.
Even when you have the needed subjects, be realistic about the level of performance that is required to get into medicine and have a plan B.
Consider your subject marks and your interests, those things that make you happy, and then take it from there.
2) Do your homework.
Do the necessary research about institutions at which you can study.
Degrees are not the only option, one can also look into obtaining a higher certificate.
Many private institutions offer specific additional focus areas, such as work-integrated courses, with the sole aim of equipping you to perform on the job from day one.
There are also more options available today than there were five years ago and there’s also a chance that what you have been told at school is based mostly on what your teachers know and experienced, so do your homework.
3) Draw up a short-list and put your own concerns to rest.
Once you’ve determined which courses interest you, check to see that you meet the entrance criteria and find out when applications close, as this may be sooner than you think.
Draw up a short-list, note when the applications for each course need to be submitted, and get them in on time.
Make sure you submit more than one application for more than one option, to more than one institution.
After completing these three steps, you can focus solely on doing your absolute best for your exams.
“Although you won’t be worrying about your post-matric direction any more, the options will simmer into your subconscious and you will almost certainly know which road to persue,” Coughlan concluded.
