Top of the class

Ms Willett, 18, who last year completed her VCE at Donvale Christian College was among the 248 high-achieving year 12 students who took part in the Extension Program, which allows for the completion of two University subjects alongside the full VCE load, with a corresponding ATAR score increment. This year 18 different subject areas were available from the faculties of Science and Arts.

According to Ms Willett, taking the extension subject was a great experience, although she says it “felt a bit strange only doing one subject, and not taking a whole course like the other students.

“It’s a worthwhile experience because you get to understand how the University system works, and learn to approach your work differently. I really enjoyed learning about the anatomy of the brain, and how biology influences psychology,” she says. She is hoping to study medicine, eventually.

Depending on the subject, classes for extension students are offered either by University of Melbourne academics on campus alongside undergraduate students, or in school centres where secondary teachers deliver the extension program.

Other high achievers in the 2010 Extension Program were: Charlene San Juan (Biology), Alistair Bayley (Chinese), Jin Hooi Tan (Economics), Alice Kennedy (French), Noam Kolt (Hebrew), David Duncan (Indonesian), Sharmaine Kwan (Japanese), James Campbell (Linguistics), Jake Barnes, Aaron Chong and Pham Thinh Le (Mathematics), Madeleine Slaughter (Music) and Gleb Kotousov (Physics).