Seeing double at Haileybury
Seeing double was common at Haileybury this year, with good reason
You might say Haileybury’s Class of 2025 had twice the support, with eight pairs of twins completing their VCE studies together across four campuses.
Illustrating that two heads can be better than one, these 16 students showed that being a twin in Year 12 can look very different for every sibling as they worked side by side to achieve their VCE. From shared study sessions and friendly competition to completely opposite routines and ambitions, each pair carved their own path.
Together, their stories highlight the strength, diversity and independence that underpin the Haileybury experience. Each set of twins brought a special dynamic to their final year of school.
For Jingwen and Jingcheng, studying together became a powerful built-in support system. They often revised by retelling each other content, or working through complex maths problems side by side, which they dubbed “twin teaching.”
“We’ve been able to discuss problems and content from the subjects we both chose, which has helped deepen our understanding,” they said. “We bounce ideas off each other, share resources and keep each other motivated.”
Sahana and Suriya enjoyed completing the VCE together but studied differently and often at separate times; Suriya at night and Sahana in the morning.
“We have totally different study styles,” Sahana says. “I prefer a structure; timed practise questions, [and] scheduled slots to focus on my weaknesses. My brother does more active recall and flashcards. We didn’t study together all the time, but when we did, it actually helped.”
Adds Suriya: “There really weren’t many downsides, maybe just the occasional moment when we compared ourselves or joked about who would get the better SAC mark, but overall, it made the whole VCE experience way less stressful. Doing VCE with a twin is pretty cool.”
Leo can’t think of any downsides to studying with twin Rio. “We studied apart but I would definitely not hesitate to ask him questions, particularly about maths, as he excels at that and was a crucial pillar to my journey through any kind of maths,” Leo says.
“I would study in the morning and would be unable to look at anything regarding school as soon as the sun set, whereas I would find him doing nothing during the day and toiling away at night.”
Ryan and Sally largely studied separately while supporting each other. Ryan describes his sister as a study ‘pro,’ while he was more casual. They both loved STEM subjects and Sally says doing VCE together was nice but challenging.
“We can always keep an eye out for each other, and we have someone who is experiencing the same thing,” she says. “The con is that two people undergoing the same extremely stressful VCE procedure is a bit too much sometimes, but we have pulled through.”
Other Class of 2025 twins included William and Lucinda, Brooke and Emily, Alistair and Isabelle, and Max and Jade, each adding their own unique chapter to a memorable year.
