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Headstart - a taste of university life
21 October 2006
At the University of the Sunshine Coast, the Headstart program allows high school students in year 11 and 12 to complete accredited university courses.
Headstart provides students with a challenging academic environment, but probably more importantly, immerses them in university life. They get an authentic pre-taste of lectures, tutorials and lab work; the quite different role of the student in the school versus the university setting; and the support mechanisms and opportunities available as part of the university community.
Headstart applicants have access to around 40 different courses in both semesters. Numbers of Headstart students in any one course are limited to 10% to ensure that the experience is genuine for the high school students, and not a distraction to core University students.
There is a cost of $375 per enrolment to help defray costs but the program is heavily subsidised by the University. The fee is below the minimum HECS charge and Government provides no additional funding to support the costs of educating these students. The University, and particularly through the Kirk Foundation, provides a generous number of merit and financial need-based scholarships to cover the fee.
The students who enter Headstart are clearly a highly motivated group. Around 30% of them achieve grades of Distinction, or better. They can carry forward this success as direct entry to, and credit towards, a degree if they choose to enter USC post high school. However, as could be expected, a proportion of regional students choose to enter university elsewhere, either because USC doesn’t offer the preferred degree or because they are ready to try life away from home. Either way, the University sees Headstart as a key component of our service obligation to the region. As is the case with USC students as a whole, more than half our Headstart students are the first in their family to attend university. Without parental and/or sibling practical experience in “what it’s all about”, Headstart is a powerful mechanism for inducting new families into the university community and all it has to offer.
Headstart has grown quite remarkably since its inception in 2003. This year, more than 100 students from 17 participating schools have been involved.
Headstart is a signature program for USC in its mission to enhance the educational experiences and aspirations of the region’s young people. With growing interest, and changes to the Queensland Senior Certificate of Education that facilitate greater interaction between the senior years of high school with TAFE and university sectors, the Headstart program will not be able to meet likely demand in the future. In association with regional high schools, we are therefore looking at additional models that provide academic enrichment to local students, as well as credit towards degree level study. However, these won’t be quite the same as Headstart, which really does provide an exemplar with regard to what university is all about.
If you’d like to learn more about Headstart, there’s an information session on 25 October at 6.30 pm in Lecture Theatre 3. Please contact Marion Allan on 5459 4795 or visit www.usc.edu.au
This week's column is written by Professor Greg Hill, Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Sunshine Coast.