Indians star in VCE results

TIM BLIGHT and RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA report on students from the community who successfully finished the VCE last year.

 Several Indian students were the stars of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) when results were released on 13^th December 2010. Anxious students across Victoria woke early to check their scores which were posted online from 7am on that Monday morning. The highest achieving students had their scores printed in state newspapers and were approached by universities offering scholarships, while thousands of others considered their options for future study.

Nupur Goyal was one of a select group of the state’s highest achieving students with an overall score of 99.95, the highest mark possible. Several other Indian students, including Vaidehi Naganur and Juhi Pipriya scored highly in the statewide exam. 

Moving here from New Delhi, Nupur began studying at Glen Waverley Secondary College before moving on to the selective MacRobertson Girls High School in downtown Melbourne. 

“It wasn’t too bad settling in to life in Australia,” recounted Nupur, mentioning the Indian, Asian and broader Australian community support in the Glen Waverley district. Like many Indians who study in Australia however, she found the major cultural difference was in the way students and teachers interacted.

“When I first arrived, I kept calling my teacher ‘ma’am’, as we do in India. My teacher asked me to call her by name, which was a little uncomfortable when you’re not used to it”.

And of course the complicated system of ‘scaling’, unheard of in India, was confusing too!

(Scaling refers to manipulation of results to consider the subjectivity of exams. For example, if an entire grade of students achieves a low result, this may be symptomatic of an inappropriate exam paper rather than an unfortunate coincidence. To combat this, results are scaled to reflect a fairer average. Scaling was controversial when it was first introduced to the academic system in the early 2000s, however many now see its merits. However due to this system, many students are not sure whether to feel confident about their exam once it’s finished).

Nupur was excited and nervous on the morning of the results that she woke up at 5am. “Then, when the results became available, my father was looking over my shoulder, even though I told him not to.” Nupur said that when she saw the result, she couldn’t believe it. “We kept refreshing the website to make sure it was real!!!”

A self-confessed nerd, Nupur says she really enjoyed her subjects, and is actually missing the routine of school now that it’s finished.

“I’m already looking forward to university,” she laughs.

Nupur studied two forms of mathematics for her VCE, along with accounting, physics, chemistry, English language and Hindi. However she says that the key to her success is choosing subjects which she enjoyed.

“I’ve always been an academic minded person,” she says, explaining that essays in subjects such as English and Hindi presented the biggest hurdle for her. “I really enjoyed the subjects that I did such as maths, and I think that’s why I got the result that I did. You need to be passionate about what you are doing.”

This sentiment is echoed by Joshua Yuvaraj, another VCE graduate who scored an impressive 99.30.

“You have to enjoy what you’re doing. Even if parents or other people tell you to do a particular subject, you should study the subjects which you show potential in.”

Joshua, along with his fellow students Devraj Bhattacharya and Ashwin Sharma from the selective Melbourne High School, also featured in the high achievers list released with the VCE results. “It was great studying with everyone else – they were all really supportive – it helps so much”.

Nupur Goyal also does not think that social or parental pressure necessarily helps people in their efforts to study. “I didn’t really have a study regime, I just studied when I felt I needed to – I even took a day or two off studying during the exam period,” she says.

When asked about how her parents felt about that, the high achieving student laughed, saying that they were as concerned as any parent would be. “I prefer to study in my own time, and not when there are other people around. So I might study in the afternoon, but when mum and dad were home, that was when I would take time out. So they would only see me when I was relaxing, or watching TV!”

Nomeeta Lakhani of Fintona Girls’ School (95.7) says her parents were as supportive as they could be. “They encouraged me based on my interests and were pleased with all my results regardless of what marks I got because they knew I tried my hardest. Ultimately my career choice was my decision, but I definitely took their advice into consideration too”.

Devraj Bhattacharya of Melbourne High School (98.85) preferred to vary the intensity of study. “My study routine essentially consisted of doing what I had to do to keep up with schoolwork, and varying the intensity of study depending on when the workload was heaviest. There were nights where I didn’t study at all, and other nights where I did eight to ten hours of straight work. People say that it’s better to keep a regular routine, but in the end it worked for me, and I also found that I always had time to do other things which I enjoyed”.

But, Joshua Yuvaraj feels that studying regularly, rather than intensively, was key in minimizing stress and helping him achieve his success. When asked about advice for future VCE students, he named preparation as his best recommendation. “The VCE wasn’t as stressful as I was expecting it to be, and I think that’s because I made a solid base at the start of the year with my study. If you can do that, you won’t get overwhelmed.”

Nomeeta Lakhani made sure she would have fun the whole year through, and not feel stressed. “Being school captain, I was constantly doing a bunch of different and interesting things during the year. Along with my friends, we had student verses teacher netball matches, debates and even a McDonalds eat-off”!  

Do students have to sacrifice anything during the year? Nomeeta answers, “I think you do have to sacrifice a little bit of everything during Year 12, yet we all need to relax and take a break so I didn’t give anything up completely.  I was definitely cautious of how much time I spent on Facebook, and tried not to go online whilst I was actually studying. I did go to the gym most of the year, but I stopped my weekly dance classes because it was too tiring. However I found it most important to make sure I saw my friends outside of school – that was something I definitely wasn’t willing to sacrifice”.

Joshua urges future VCE students not to ‘cram’ but to work constantly, even as a favour to themselves. “If you’re running behind, you spend time to catch up, so then you miss even more work, so you’re still behind. Then there are issues that you can’t predict – such as falling sick. If you stay ahead of everything, then you’re in control, and you can afford the unplanned things.”

Devraj advises students not to make the exam a be-all-and-end-all affair. “In essence, VCE is merely a route of getting into your University course. Unfortunately many people think it is some sort of competition, some community members tend to even think it is a measure of how well their child has been raised. That is complete rubbish: as long as students work sincerely and meet their own expectations, I think they are successful in their own right. So set your own goals and expectations. Just keep in mind what your overall goal is, and work your own way to achieving it – don’t let anyone else interfere with that path”.

And enjoy yourself, adds Nomeeta. “It may seem like a dreadful year, but you will regret not taking advantage of all the opportunities available to you. Secondly, make sure you do subjects you enjoy! It makes the year that much more enjoyable, and you are likely to do better in them anyway”.

Since the VCE results were released, Nupur Goyal has been juggling sleep-ins with appointments with universities. Universities are provided with the results one week before they are made public in order to prepare for scholarship ceremonies. The highest achieving students are then invited along to the ceremonies and for interviews with universities for certain subjects. Nupur has already been invited to attend an interview with Monash University for an undergraduate degree in medicine. “It’s a five year course, and I’ve already had a taste of university life at the Chemistry Olympiad I attended last summer, so I’m really looking forward to it”.

Long term, Nupur would like to work in medicine, specialising in one area. “I think it would be great to work overseas and volunteer – it would be an excellent experience, and some places are really in need of help” she enthuses.

Joshua Yuvaraj, meanwhile, is angling for more creative subjects. “I studied English, Literature, Legal Studies, International Studies, and Maths Methods at school, and English was easily my favourite,” he says.

Joshua has a keen interest in writing and music. “I’d like to study Arts Law at Monash University,” he says, reflecting many students’ preference to study locally if possible. Having said that, Joshua reveals that his future career may not be in law. “I would like to work as a journalist, or a novelist. Law would work as a back-up.”

 Nomeeta plans to go to either Melbourne University or RMIT, and do commerce or accounting. “I have a cadetship with Price Waterhouse Coopers, so will start working there full time second year of university, and hopefully continue on to do my CA”.

Devraj will most likely be doing a double degree in Commerce and Engineering at Monash University.

Meanwhile students of foreign background often find the VCE more of a challenge, especially if they choose to study their native tongue or associated cultural subjects. Nupur Goyal studied Hindi through the Victorian School of Languages, which is associated with the Hindi Niketan Association. “Studying Hindi for me was like a test of how Indian I am,” she explains Ms Goyal. “To have done so well in Hindi, and in English in many ways, reflects my life, because I’ve managed to keep my Indian culture but also adapt to life in Australia. It’s very rewarding”.