The day I received my final high-school results was memorable in all the wrong ways.

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I had my heart set on a law degree at the University of Sydney, but my exams hadn't gone to plan. As I sat at the computer to check my results, I had a sense of impending doom.

Each click confirmed my fears. Marks in subjects I'd always been strong in were lower than expected - though, to my surprise, I did well in history, a subject I'd struggled with. There was no chance I'd made the cut for my dream degree. It felt like years of hard work had disappeared down the drain.

This happened two years ago. This week, on December 18, another batch of students across NSW and the ACT will receive their ATARs - the ranking that helps determine university offers. I hope none of them will be as devastated as I was, but with so much pressure from schools, parents and students' own expectations, it's inevitable that some will be disappointed.

With the benefit of hindsight, I've realised that even the most disappointing high-school results are not the end of the world. It turns out that there are many roads to the future.

Once I'd calmed down, I reassessed my options. Though I hadn't gotten into my dream degree, I did have the marks for the University of Sydney. I began a bachelor of arts and bachelor of advanced studies - and I loved it.

During my first two years at university, I've thrown myself into my studies and campus life. That surprisingly good mark in history revealed a passion I didn't know I had. In high school, I studied the history of the........

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