Preparing for Year 13 On Tuesday 29 May, the Senior Campus of Woodleigh School transformed itself into the Peninsula s newest Convention Centre as it hosted the inaugural Big Questions Answered Careers and Pathways Expo.
Open to all families with students in Years 9-12, and designed to showcase the huge range of VCE and tertiary study options available to Woodleigh Students.
Big Questions Answered was surely an apt title for an event with such a diverse offering of information.
Middle-years students and their parents packed out the Senior Homestead.
Guidebooks in hand, they went about fine-tuning their subject selections at the student-run VCE subject booths.
Teachers and Faculty Heads were on hand to assist, but the horse s mouth delivery proved especially popular.
Each booth displayed current VCE coursework, so who better to explain the processes and course structures than those who are currently in the midst of their studies Selections in hand, Year 9 and 10 students joined the current VCE student throng in the Tertiary Options Expo Hall.
Eighteen of Victoria s leading Universities, TAFE Institutes and Private Tertiary Colleges made the trip answering all manner of questions on courses, entry requirements, residential options and funding.
Having all of these providers in one place is a huge advantage for our students.
They can literally spend 10 weekends travelling all over the state visiting Open Days, and sometimes that time would be better spent studying, Director of Careers Gina Bolch said.
This event is a bit like a tasting plate.
Students can get a broad feel for an institution, and narrow down their options before investigating further at Open Days, by attending short courses and the like.
Past Students returned to Woodleigh to discuss the different pathways and Tertiary experiences they had encountered.
2011 Woodleigh Prize winner Allie Ballantyne spoke about transitioning to University and College life.
She spoke of how Woodleigh s philosophy of maintaining a broad co-curricular involvement has remained with her at University.
Universities are huge places, you can sit next to someone in a lecture and never see them again.
Involving yourself in University sport, or in one of the hundreds of clubs and societies is a great way to meet people and make new friends .
Declan Moloney who graduated in 2010 discussed a very different path.
In December 2010, while the rest of the Class of 2010 were enjoying a well-earned study break, Declan was back in the saddle, beginning a Sales Traineeship at Mornington BMW.
It s certainly a different path to take, and I don t think I understood what stress was before I made the move here, but I love what I do.
The challenges, and the level of focus and resilience required are huge.
There are no exams, which I love, but on the other hand, every day is a test and I ve got a manager who is very quick to remind me what I m here to do, and his expectations of me .
Woodleigh School Principal Jonathan Walter enthused, We are preparing students for life beyond school, and to be able to offer an in-house tertiary and VCE open day is fantastic, a huge benefit to our students.
One only needs to look at the number of students involved, of parents attending, to understand how seriously they value their education here at Woodleigh School.
Thank you to the following institutions for attending.
MONASH UNIVERSITY MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY ACU AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY RMIT UNIVERSITY DEAKIN UNIVERSITY LATROBE UNIVERSITY VICTORIA UNIVERSITY SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY NAVITAS COLLEGE OF PUBLIC SAFETY CHISHOLM INSTITUTE of TAFE BOX HILL TAFE HOLMESGLEN TAFE MEGT VECCI ORMOND COLLEGE JMC ACADEMY WILLIAM ANGLISS Opportunities currently exist for students to enter Year 5 in 2013.
The addition of a second class at Year 5 means there are limited places for students to enter our Junior Campus, Minimbah.
Contact Kerrie Brodie at Junior Campus Reception on 9788 6488 to organise your personal School Tour and guarantee your place at Senior Campus.
Contemporary coeducation Mornington Peninsula ECC Year 12 Year 5 Woodleigh woodleigh.vic.edu.au visit woodleigh.vic.edu.auMORE questions 112 GoodLife, june - july - august 2012