Is there more to your matric year than meets the eye?

When you think of your final year of school, what comes to mind? Exams, extra classes, more work, loads of assignments and a lot of stress? Sure, matric has all of these things, but is there more to the year than these first impressions? Stick with me while I take a closer look at this very big year in a teen’s life.

It does not matter which part of the world you’re in, what color skin you have or which education system you’re part of, your final year of school is a big deal. Matric often seems to be all about exams, but I reckon there’s more to it. What about the special treatment you get at school? There’s the Valedictory or Open day, the matric dance, the matric jackets, t-shirts and ties. Some schools even have matric walls, corridors and toilets. Ok, so we don’t all get our own special toilets, but you see what I’m saying – there’s generally some special treatment.

On the other hand, matric brings with it a lot of changes, especially as you reach the end of the year. There’s the closing of one chapter of your life and the opening of a new one. For some it means moving towns and leaving friends behind. You’re looking forward to your first day of varsity or your first day at work. The post-school world is pretty scary, trust me, but it’s also very exciting. When I was in matric, I considered my final year of school as a climax to my life story and I think many people do. But trust me, life after school is different, but there are even more exciting things ahead!

Of course, your matric results can have a big impact on your future in terms of a career and future studies. You might have wanted to go to medical school, always been an A student and now it’s crunch time. There’s a lot of pressure to perform. Although it is important to work hard and do your best so you have the best chance of achieving the dreams you’ve always wanted, you also need to be kind to yourself.

Work hard, do your best and your effort will ‘pay off. Of course, life can be strange and things don’t always turn out quite how we’d like them to. You might work really hard and still not get into medical school, but instead get accepted for a BCom. This might feel like a nightmare and the end of a dream, but when you look at it from another angle, it’s another path that can lead to new opportunities. Sometimes disappointments can lead to new opportunities if we refuse to give up and are determined to seize every good opportunity we get, even when these might not be quite the ones we’d always dreamed about.

It’s very sad that every year we loose young people to suicide when they fail or don’t do as well as they’d hoped in matric. Nothing is worth taking this radical step. If you feel desperate, get help. Find someone to talk to who can help you explore your options – things are often not as dreadful as you think.

Even when they think they’ve aced their exams many matrics lose the plot after all the hard work is over. The after-exam-parties are often an excuse to get drunk, take drugs and hook up and have unprotected sex. But is it really worth it? It seems like a crazy waste of all that hard work to put yourself at risk of an unplanned pregnancy, contracting a sexual transmitted disease or endangering your life by driving under the influence.

Matric is not the end but just the beginning to a whole new world of adventures and excitement. So if you’re in matric for this academic year don’t become a statistic. Work hard, do your best, have an awesome matric dance night. Play clean and you’ll protect your future. Play your cards right and you’ll be set for life. It starts today.

Bright Idea! On the last day of your exams instead of going out and drinking till you lose yourself, why don’t you sit down and plan that holiday getaway with your loved ones. Go and distribute your CV at your nearest shopping centre or local business to line up some work for your 2 month vacation. Then you have some cash to spend to look funky on your first day of work or varsity!