I got accepted into my dream course – a Bachelor of Science at the University of Queensland
Sylvie Guigere from Queensland on her NYSF experience:
"After attending NYSF in 2012, I was ready to take on Year 12 and go on to bigger and better things at university. After a year full of hard work, I got accepted into my dream course – a Bachelor of Science at the University of Queensland, with provisional entry into Medicine once I had completed my three-year undergraduate degree.
I had my heart set on going to UQ because of its great medical program and the fact that it was still relatively close to my hometown of Mackay. Having to move away from home makes the transition to university so much harder; however, attending NYSF at the start of year 12 meant I knew a bit of what to expect at university. Unlike a lot of other regional students who had come straight out of high school, I had already sat in a lecture theatre, been inside a university laboratory and spoken to academics. These experiences made my transition to university a lot easier because my surroundings weren’t completely unfamiliar, especially since a huge university campus can be extremely intimidating at first.
After staying at Burgmann College during my time at NYSF, I also decided I wanted to live on campus, and I moved into the Women’s College at UQ at the start of 2013. When I moved in, I only knew two other people going into first-year at college with me, both of whom I had met at NYSF.
Now almost two years later, I have completed my second year of university and college, as well as having been lucky enough to be involved in the NYSF program as a staff member for the past two years. This brings me to two-thirds of the way through my Bachelor of Science and I have loved every minute of it. Due to my interest in going onto Medicine, I have chosen to major in biomedical science and have focussed mostly on anatomy and neuroscience. My time at university has been challenging but extremely interesting. My first semester was a shock to the system, after I realised how different university is to high school, but I have since learned to love that difference. The freedom to choose my courses has meant that I have been able to explore areas that I find the most interesting, something which is hard to do at high school.
The academic opportunities I have encountered at university have been complemented by the leadership opportunities available to me at Women’s College. One of these happened recently during the G20 summit in Brisbane. Through my college, I received an invitation to the address by President Obama, which was held at UQ. Being able to witness this momentous speech was incredible and an experience that I will never forget. One remark of his, which particularly stood out for me, was when he spoke about how lucky we are to be part of a generation which has such limitless opportunities, which is something I couldn’t agree with more. I have been extremely fortunate to receive so many opportunities already in my young life, including being involved with the incredible NYSF, and I am looking forward to making the most of every opportunity that comes my way in the future."