what do they look for, as in USYD?
Do they look for academic and extra-curricular or just random in general??
They look for 'well rounded' people and for E12, you need to leave a good impression answering the following questions in 200 words or less:
1. Other than your regular schoolwork, consider activities you have been involved in, or achievements you have made, which are meaningful to you. These could be sports, cultural, community or school leadership activities. Select the one which best reflects you and describe why you undertook this activity, what you learned from it, and how it may be relevant to your future.
2. What are your three best academic achievements? Of these, select your proudest achievement and describe why it is important to you, describing the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
3. Tell us why you want to study the course you have chosen, (include any experience you may have had that relates to this course). What is your interest in this area and what do you hope to achieve from studying this course?
Although i don't know if I've been successful yet, one thing i recommend is to really smash the first half of year 12 so that your half yearly report is good. Unfortunately for me my trial report was a lot better but we didn't get them in time for the submission date so i had to submit my half yearly.