Name: Sean Wibisono

ATAR:  99.95

School: North Sydney Boys High School

Overall, how do you think you went in the 2020 HSC?

Pretty well.

I messed up in Physics (the whole school top 10 found it hard, unexpected questions and lots of parts from the syllabus were missing from the paper) and 4 Unit Mathematics (I skipped a question because I did not see it in between other questions).

Were the HSC 2020 Examinations what you expected?

English Advanced and 3 Unit Mathematics: Both were as expected, 3 Unit Maths was a bit on the harder side.

4 Unit Maths was easier than expected (apart from the missing question), Chemistry was strange because there were parts of the syllabus not in the exam (E.g. Module 5 – Le Chatelier’s Principle).

Was there anything you wish you did differently?

4 Unit Mathematics: I wish I had seen the question and attempted it, it was in the middle of the page (Mechanics) but I completely missed it.

Physics: I wish I had spent more time to read through the questions instead of just getting into it. I panicked a little and usually Im very good with time management. I spent time flipping through the paper which waste a lot of time, because the questions were weird.

Can you describe your experience studying at Talent?

For HSC Chemistry, it was a big confidence boost. In Year 11, I was teaching myself concepts from the textbook which did not work very well, and as a result I struggled. Having my Mentor Helena and going to tutoring at Talent 100 helped that.

What do you like most about out Talent 100 Chatswood Campus? 

WiFi is pretty good! The interior design is really vibrant and inspires you to be productive.

How did Talent add value to Year 12 and your overall HSC experience?

At the beginning of the year, we held study groups at Talent 100 centres, which gave us more opportunities to collaborate. The online classes were executed really well when COVID affected face-t0-face classes. There were no technical difficulties and everything ran smoothly – overall a positive experience.

Can you describe the teaching style of our Talent Mentors?

Really, really good! Helena used the resources at Talent 100 well, and she explained things in her own words which made it much easier to understand – she didn’t just read from the notes.

Helena also had her own notes and materials to complement the Talent 100 materials that were provided. She was very flexible with the class, as the North Sydney Boys topic schedule was different to the Talent 100 schedule, and classes were tailored for specific assessments to accomodate students needs. For example, she would run assessment preparation classes based on the upcoming assessments for the class.

How have our Mentors influenced your experience at Talent?

Helena was my Chemistry Mentor and gave a really good impression of Talent. She came with a lot of vibrant energy, and communicated with the class really well.

How do you think the Talent 100 Scholarship program added value to your HSC?

Free tutoring! Attending Talent 100 really helped in Chemistry (which I struggled with a lot in junior years). At the end of Year 11, my rank was #20. At the beginning of Year 12 my rank was #30, and by the end my rank was #9.

Learn more about Sean’s Year 12 journey and Scholarship with Talent by clicking on the video below:

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