The release of HSC results and ATARs on 20 January was a welcome announcement for the 164 students from the graduating Class of 2021 at St Ursula’s College Kingsgrove, who sat their HSC last year amidst lockdowns and restrictions.
Despite the challenges of lockdowns and COVID-19, four St Ursula’s College Kingsgrove
students made the HSC Top Achievers list, five were named to the All Rounders Merit list and 85 students received 193 mentions on the Distinguished Achievers list. The student’s HSC results saw them rank 4th in all Sydney systemic Catholic schools and 69th on the Sydney Morning Herald’s Top 150 Schools in the State list.
“The staff at St Ursula’s are exceptionally proud of the achievements of our students. We know how hard they work and how passionate they are,” says College Principal, Mrs Mary Leask. “It is truly inspiring to see them not only persevere against the challenges of the last two years but excel in their studies.”
Mrs Leask notes that another cause for celebration is the number of students who received early entry offers for university. Early entry programs allow school leavers to secure placements in university courses before they even sit their HSC exams.
“Of the 164 St Ursula’s College Kingsgrove Year 12 students sitting their HSC in 2021, 107 received early entry offers from Australian universities, with around 180 offers received in total,” shares Mrs Leask.
“We encourage applying for early entry because students should be active and forward-thinking when it comes to their post-school pathways and receiving an early entry offer can help alleviate the pressure and anxiety surrounding the HSC.”
Mrs Amina Fisher, St Ursula’s VET Coordinator/Pathways Coach says that the College has a strong Future Pathways Program.
“It’s important that students make informed choices and construct a career pathway that works for them,” she states. “Our extensive careers profiling testing system considers the students’ aptitude, interests and abilities and allows us to work with them to identify universities that offer courses suited to their passions and learning requirements.”
Mrs Fisher adds that by overlooking the benefits of early entry applications, students may miss out on certain opportunities that arise. “One thing we tell our students is that they shouldn’t be afraid to take risks and put themselves out there by applying not just for one course through one program, but numerous. Maybe they’ll receive multiple offers from which to choose,” she says.
One student who applied to early entry programs is Amy Lansdown, who received four mentions on the 2021 HSC Distinguished Achievers list and seven early entry offers for General Nursing and Medical Science degrees at universities such as Western Sydney University, ACU, UTS and Macquarie University.
While her preferred course of study is Midwifery at UTS – a career she believes will be special and rewarding – it wasn’t an early entry option, but she still sees the benefits in putting in applications.
“Like everyone in Year 12 I really struggled with the uncertainty of what form our upcoming exams would take place in, from our trials to the HSC, and knowing that things could drastically change at any minute,” explains Amy. “With my experience of COVID for the past two years, I have learned to secure as much certainty as possible. By securing these early entry offers, even though they are not for my preferred course, I was able to feel a little bit more at ease as I sat my exams.”
Amy shares that teachers and staff were vital in helping her throughout the early entry application process. “I received a large amount of much-needed assistance from St Ursula’s, particularly from our careers advisors, who helped promote the programs as well as give individual guidance through emails and weekly Zoom meetings,” Amy says.
While Mrs Leask is thrilled by the achievements of her students, she says one of the most rewarding aspects of her job is seeing students pursuing professions where they can make a difference in the life of another person.
“Our motto at St Ursula’s is ‘Serviam – I will serve’ and we aim to instil in our students a passion for making a difference by being faith-filled, confident young women of action in the world,” she says. “How wonderful it is to see Amy want to work in a profession that will allow her to make such a positive impact on the lives of others in our community. Now, more than ever, this is something of which to be proud.”
