Kate Morrissey After Exams Interview

Interview with Kate Morrissey

Are you wondering how life changes after year 12 exams are finished? Kate shares her experience in this interview.

Question: Can you tell us about your year 12 experience?

Kate Morrissey: I had an awesome year 12 experience; I had a great group of friends and lots of social events as everyone turns 18. I think the social side really got me through the year and made it so enjoyable.


Question: How does your opinion on the pressures of an ATAR score, University and what is ahead differ now, than when you were actually in year 12?

Kate Morrissey: In year 12 you feel so much pressure in regards to studying a lot to do really well to get a high ATAR and then picking a University course that will set you up for life. I felt all that at the time but once you finish school it is amazing how little that stuff matters. Besides getting into your desired course your ATAR is never needed again and most Universities tend to be pretty lenient in regards to your score.

In year 12 I thought my ATAR was the be-all and end-all but coming out the other side I realise you don't need to feel stressed. It's more important to go at your own pace, work hard but remember it is not worth getting worked up about and you want to look back on your final year and remember it being fun!

Question: Did you go on to further education, the workforce or take a gap-year?

Kate Morrissey: I took a gap year after I finished year 12, I worked at many different workplaces and received lots of life experience. The gap year was the best choice for me as there was no way I would've been able to go straight back into studying, I know that works for some people but definitely not me.


Question: How did leaving school-based education affect your social and personal life?

Kate Morrissey: The social side of school receives a huge impact, everyone always says how they'll stay super close after school but it's really hard. Although I'm still close with all my friends it is so different to when we were at school. At school we used to see each other every day, and we'd then catch up nearly every weekend too! Now we are all so busy, some of us work full time, some of us are at University and others are traveling. It becomes really hard to have large group catch ups when everyone's schedules are so different!

Leaving school definitely affected my social life because it's so much harder to be social when you're working full time and all your friends have different availability! It also really affected me personally to be out of routine, I found it really hard going from being at school 8:30am-3:30pm every day for 13 years to not having a strict routine. Starting full time work has been really good for me because I thrive off routine!


Question: Was it a shock to have to physically contact your friends, regularly, rather than seem them, daily?

Kate Morrissey: It wasn't too much of a shock to contact my friends because my whole group messaged all the time anyway but all my friends and I definitely found it a shock to see how hard it was to organise catch ups, we didn't expect it to be so difficult but it really is, everyone is busy with their own lives.


Question: How did you personally build your own resilience in the adult world, post-school?

Kate Morrissey: I personally built resilience in the adult world post-school by moving four hours away from home. I moved on my own and went and lived with my boyfriend on a farm. I did labour work on a hops farm for seven weeks, worked a ski season in a ski shop and at a salad bar. Living away from my family for eight months was really hard, especially because I'm so close to them but it definitely made me so much more resilient when I was living independently. During my gap year I learnt to do things for myself instead of relying on my parents and I realised what life was life outside of that bubble.


Question: Do you believe it's normal for school-leavers to feel lonely and isolated?

Kate Morrissey: Yes definitely, I think I'm super lucky because as I've said I had a really close friendship group and we've stayed reasonably close. There was a six month period in that first year out of school where we hardly spoke or saw each other because we were all adjusting to our own new lives, which was hard.

I definitely have had moments where I've felt lonely and a bit sad that we aren't all as close as we used to be but I think a lot of people separate from their friends after school and it's really hard on them.

There is a positive side as the best part about either working, traveling or studying is making new friends, which I think is awesome.


Question: What advice would you give your 17-year-old self?
Kate Morrissey: I would tell my 17 year old self to relax and not put any pressure on myself because trying your best and having fun is what matters in year 12. I would definitely say don't sweat the small stuff as not every little thing is as big of a deal as it may feel in the moment! Most importantly I'd say enjoy year 12 because you only get to do it once and you want it to be something you look back on fondly.


Question: Is this advice different to what you'd tell your 13-year-old self?

Kate Morrissey: I'd tell my 13 year old self to try and enjoy school and have fun, appreciate your friends because one day you won't get to see them five days a week!

 

Kate has joined the review crew for Girl.com.au & Female.com.au as well as becoming Girl.au & Female.au Instagram Influence.

 

 

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Female.au on Instagram 

 

Interview by Brooke Hunter