Sydney Life

This one goes out to the second-place getters. The ones who get a Band 6 for all their subjects bar one (an 89, I tell you, in English Advanced! Plagues me to this day!) The ones who never get the attention of the attractive boy/girl in the corner, but always have a trusty friend with whom to dance the night away. The ones who are on dial up and get their results at 9:05am. The ones whose UAI is one mark below the cut-off for their dream course...

I'm a notorious second-place getter, but believe me, I'm not bitter. Well, not that bitter. And here's why...

Second-place getters are forced to be more creative. We're the ones who are forced to consider the other options, the roads-less-traveled to get to the places we want to go. We're the ones who transfer into our dream course. This was my story. When my UAI came out just under the cut-off for my dream course, I decided to take my second preference with the hope of transferring after one year. Little did I know that my second preference would soon become my first preference after only two weeks at uni. Second-place is sometimes a blessing in disguise as it widens your experience and helps you to consider other options you would not have otherwise thought about.

Second-place getters are forced into having a wider view of the world. Second-place has the uncanny ability to make you question your priorities and keep you balanced. We are so often consumed by the final product, that we forget the real experience lies in the process. The HSC becomes about a UAI, not an education. Everything becomes quantified into scales and ranks. We often forget the important things that we take for granted: family, friends, fun, health and remaining positive. Four years after my HSC, the most important things I've taken from my final years at school was not my UAI and marks - but my friends, my confidence and five major works (1 English major work, 4 musical compositions). The major works were special because they showed me the pinnacle of what was achievable after one year's hard work and persistence. They are the true mark of my ability and talents.

Second-place getters feel good, but not good enough. This is such an important feeling because it has often been the start of an important process of questioning for me. When you get second-place you're forced to ask, who am I doing this for? Am I doing this for me, or for the prestige of first place? Or for my parents and community? Or because everyone else has always done this? Second-place gives you a position from which you assess where your talents lie and which races you should run. Why run a 100m sprint when you're better suited to a cross-country marathon?

Second-place is still second place. It's not like second place is really that bad! You still did brilliantly well to achieve what you have!

My favourite second-place moment was when Kieran Perkins qualified for a spot in the 1500m swimming at the Olympics. I can't even remember who came first in that qualifier, but I can remember that an entire nation was behind the second-place getter. So before you get out the Kasey Chambers, Missy Higgins or other similarly depressing music, just remember these reasons for why second-place getters often come out on top.