The Higher School Certificate (the final school exams before university entrance in New South Wales) is a strange beast: apparently it is the biggest test you will ever face in your life. Whoever got that rumour going among the high schools has obviously never tried to understand a mobile phone contract. But the rumour lives on, and it can be used to generate pressure on the students—sometimes a pressure that is too great for them to bear. It is sad to see such high hopes placed upon one exam. It is even sadder to see those high hopes end in tragedy. (more…)