Dancers, pilot, lawyer, farmer: High achievers offer their secrets to exam success

High achievers share study strategies and personal context ahead of HSC exams, blending resilience with structured preparation. Charlie Stowe, who lost his father during the 2024 exams, said outdoor breaks and self-reflection helped him regain focus after volunteering on a Sri Lankan permaculture farm, teaching English, backpacking across Asia, and working during a ski season in Canada. He achieved first in course in Mathematics Standard 2, with an ATAR of 98.5, and won the Brother John Taylor Memorial Prize, funding a “gap year and a half.” He’s now starting a double degree in environmental science and law at Macquarie University, and this month led a 300-kilometre Sydney-to-Newcastle hike to raise $30,000 for frontotemporal dementia research.