Life Beyond Wenona

Life beyond school is a significant focus within the Senior College. A signature program for Year 11 students is our Academic Tours, which returned in Term 3 this year with four unique itineraries designed to comprehensively prepare students for the next stage of their educational journey.

The tours comprised: Victoria (University of Melbourne and Monash University), Queensland (University of Queensland and Bond University), Canberra (Australian National University) and Wollongong (University of Wollongong), and finally Newcastle (University of Newcastle) and Armidale (The University of New England).

“While each had a distinctive focus, they all opened the doors to university life, to ease decisions around tertiary institutions and undergraduate courses and make what can be a daunting transition as smooth as possible,” says Director of Student Opportunity and Careers Education Miss Samantha McFetridge.

Waiting at every destination was a group of Wenona alumnae, ready to respond to the students’ questions and academic concerns. Alumna Charlotte Collier (2019) was a volunteer tour guide on the Australian National University (ANU) trip. She took part in the Academic Tours herself as a Wenona Year 11 student, an experience she says shaped her decision to complete a Bachelor of Health Science degree at ANU. Now finishing third year, she has just been accepted into post-graduate Medicine. “It was a privilege to be able to pass on my advice to the current crop of students as they begin to make their own tertiary choices ... and to offer them ongoing assistance if they end up enrolling at ANU,” she says.

2022-2023 Careers Captain Olivia Jackson (Year 11) participated in the trip to Armidale and Newcastle. “It gave me a better understanding of the numerous pathways you can take towards a medical career,” she says. “These universities have amazing facilities such as practice radiology machines and hospitals for nursing students to train in. Overall, the trip made me feel more comfortable about the idea of what waits for us after school.”

The Victorian tour began at the University of Melbourne, which is notable for the Melbourne Curriculum Model - a broader choice of subjects within each degree, in the style of tertiary education in the United States. This was followed by a visit to Monash University, which has been ranked 10th in Australia for graduate employability. “Going to Melbourne really helped me prioritise my choices,” says Kalara Pringgoharjono (Year 11).

“Now I am pretty sure I want to do either Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the Australian National University or Arts Law at the University of Melbourne. Wherever I go, I want to live on campus for the social opportunities it offers.”

The students who headed north-east visited the University of Queensland (St Lucia Campus) in Brisbane, where they attended mock classes in Psychology, Maths and International Humanitarian Law. At Bond University on the

Gold Coast, they experienced a Finance class, the university’s mock ‘Trading Room’ and a class on Architecture, as well as a detailed tour of the student gym and other amenities. Dinner in local restaurants and the chance to stroll through both cities led to a better understanding of life at university in the Sunshine State. “I would love to one day work for the United Nations or pursue a career as a humanitarian lawyer, and studying at Bond University is an option really worth considering,” says Gretel O’Brien (Year 11).

“We find increasingly that students are considering more diverse discipline areas and actively taking more positive risks with their tertiary destinations,” Miss McFetridge says. “The tours help them determine not only the best undergraduate course but the best cultural fit for their next academic destination. We are particularly grateful for the enthusiastic support of such a large number of young alumnae, whose insights really bring the tours to life.” The tours will return in March 2023.