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EARLY TERTIARY SUCCESS
EARLY TERTIARY SUCCESS BOOSTS VCE PERFORMANCE
Head Prefect Isabella (Bella) MacPherson took every challenge put in front of her by beginning early entry tertiary study; an experience that boosted her high performance in her VCE exams with study scores in the 40s and an ATAR of 95.85, making her the 2020 Dux Proxime Accessit (Second to Dux).
Bella's ambition and commitment to taking up every opportunity to further her studies and excel academically saw her begin early tertiary study through the University of Melbourne's Extension Program in 2020. Having completed her VCE studies in Italian and Psychology in Year 11, Bella focused on completing Literature units during the Program, as it aligned to her Year 12 subjects: English, Literature, History Revolutions and Further Mathematics. Bella completed Literature and Performance in Semester 1, and Modern and Contemporary Literature in Semester 2. Her studies comprised two lectures and a tutorial per week, and three to four assignments per unit. By taking part in the Extension Program, Bella set herself apart from her peers as she learnt sophisticated ways of approaching research, thinking critically and analysing texts. As a result, her writing became more nuanced as her mindset shifted from thinking like a Year 12 student, to approaching her academic studies as a university student. "Being fully immersed in [university] and having access to—and learning how to use—databases was a really interesting way to see what high school writing is compared to university writing,” Bella said. "We did a week at the end of Semester 1 on how to write an essay and how to approach arguments and express yourself in a critical [and] scholarly way. Those essay skills bled into my History (Revolutions), English and Literature classes as I did a lot of essay subjects."
A talented writer and recipient of awards including the Melton City Libraries Short Story Competition, Bella is preparing to begin studying a Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) at the University of Melbourne in 2021 and is hoping to also major in International Studies or Politics. She also hopes to teach one day, after being inspired by her experiences with her teachers in 2020. “2020 made me realise how important every teacher is and [how important] a teacher’s attitude is to your learning because [during remote learning] they were able to still motivate students and get them to listen and learn while online," she said. "I was so impressed and in awe of my teachers in 2020 that I think I would love to do a Masters in Teaching and see how it goes.” As Bella prepares to begin her first year studies, she says her early tertiary experience has made approaching university less daunting. She was able to experience six weeks of university life and travel into campus before remote learning, and is excited to be back. Furthermore, by completing the Extension Program Bella received credits, meaning she has further options for flexible learning by either finishing her degree faster or taking a lighter study load in her first year should she wish to do so. Bella’s advice to students preparing to study VCE is to choose subjects they are passionate about.
“Just because you pick subjects that are heavily scaled up doesn’t mean you’re going to love them and do [well] in them,” she said. “You can also do just as well in a subject that you love even though they might be scaled down.” We are also pleased to announce Bella was awarded the University of Melbourne Principal's Scholarship for her committment to her studies and performance in her exams. While Bella’s time at Southern Cross Grammar has been short, it is an experience she will not forget. “I feel looking back on it, I have a lot to thank the school for. Having great friends, supportive teachers and a positive learning environment made class not something I had to sit through, but something I became excited to do. “I’m just excited to have SCG on my resume. I can tell everyone, “I went to that school. That was my school, and I graduated from there.””
From top left to right
Bella with fellow short story competition winner, Zara, at the Melton Council's Short Story Competition Award Ceremony The University of Melbourne's grounds (Image courtsey of the University of Melbourne)
