Help Appreciated! Kwong Lee Dow

[Anonymity000]

Hi everybody,

I would just like to say thank you all so much for responding! Your assistance has been of much use, and I am greatly appreciative!!

[Orb]

Hello everybody,

I created this account in an attempt to clarify some confusion I have behind Melbourne University's Kwong Lee Dow Program for Year 10 students. Being relatively new, I will apologise in advance in case I violate any code of conduct pertaining to this forum 

anyways, returning from that tangent, my careers counselor, who is relatively new, briefly mentioned the Kwong Lee Dow Program, and I was wondering if anybody here had a first-hand experience of the application process, what it entails, what the program itself is like, and if it possesses any benefit other than being a massive PR stunt (excuse my cynicism)

I was just wondering if I could be eligible for the Program (provided that it does indeed have benefits!). I go to an small (less than 100 people per year level) all-girls school, and in terms of eligibility, I was wondering if one qualifies through reports, other activities, or a combination of both. I'm concerned that the 6 As and one B resulting from poor work ethic and slight performance anxiety will jeopardise the 22 A+s of my report and with that, any chance I have to be eligible for the program.

And, I'm hoping that they (speaking of "they", who typically chooses the candidates, out of curiosity) don't factor in Year 9 academic performance; at the time, I was anxious/depressed/hating life and pretty much screwed myself over in terms of academic progress that year (mostly As, some A+s and Bs). I did represent Australia internationally, however, that occurred during Year 8 and Year 9, so I'm not sure if it holds enough relevance now...

I am slightly aware that I'm going on a rant, and I'm sorry for boring you all with such details, but the way the careers lady portrayed the Program to be was so appealing that it overrode my sense of cynicism and now I really want to somehow be granted the opportunity to be involved...

Thank you so much for reading this, and I hope that this doesn't get interpreted to be some egoistic, self-absorbed, narcissistic rant...

Thank you!! xx

Hey there!

There are indeed a number of KLD members in this forum (i'm one!)

Let's just say, I was sitting on a "solid" C for one of my subjects when I was applying, and I go to a school where placements are generally in high demand.
During the application process, you can definitely avoid writing down your report grades, just write down everything that you think would be beneficial towards your application.

When you're applying, always make sure that you take your name, make sure you've included everything useful and try to avoid anything that might harm your application. Additionally, there's a section on your greatest achievement (or something like that). Try to make that as enticing as possible because it's something where you aren't bounded so much by the quality of your achievements but rather how exciting and wonderful it seems or how much it meant to you.

Community service is also a major factor, try starting some volunteering activities because they definitely benefit your application.

I think I still have a copy of my application if you want to have a look!

Good luck!

[melons]

I too am a Kwong Lee Dow Scholar. You can be selective in what you put on your application, and your school size doesn't matter. I go to the smallest campus of my school which has 20 girls in my year... There is a limit on how many people from each school can apply. In my school there wasn't much interest from others so the school was happy for me to apply. Talk to your coordinator about what he/she thinks perhaps.

Achievements from year 8 and 9 still count! Especially something as amazing as representing Australia.

Anyway, they look for both academic and extra-curricular stuff. And seeing your marks, I think you may have a chance.

[Tyleralp1]

Hey there

First of all, it's great to see someone so passionate about being a part of Kwong Lee Dow. I too am a "Kwonger", and will do my best to help you out here.

The application itself consists of your school nominating you, and then you having to fill an online application. This is then reviewed by the people who run Kwong Lee Dow and then make selections. I think from memory, it's at least one person from every school in Victoria. Though I may be corrected on that.

Anyways back to the main point..The application asks a number of different questions about yourself. One thing important when answering those questions, is that they are not looking for pure academic performance. Rather, they are assessing you as a whole individual, and not just solely on the merits of academic achievements. Therefore, try to include some stuff about your roles as a leader, how you help out the school, classmates, the wider community. I say this as I know a number of people that just solely wrote about their academic related things, and didn't get in. Basically, just try to make yourself seem:

1. A leader
2. Helpful
3. Smart
4. Team-player
5. Involved in extra-curricular activities/ sport

I'm sure you get the idea by now

The program itself doesn't "judge your past", though the school may use that in the process of choosing its candidates. Though, I really doubt that would be much of a hindrance if you're performing well and a "good student"

Also I too have a copy of my written responses and the questions they asked for the online application. I can send that through to you if you'd like

Good luck, and feel free to message me if you need any further assistance! xx

[IndefatigableLover]

Hello everybody,

I created this account in an attempt to clarify some confusion I have behind Melbourne University's Kwong Lee Dow Program for Year 10 students. Being relatively new, I will apologise in advance in case I violate any code of conduct pertaining to this forum 

anyways, returning from that tangent, my careers counselor, who is relatively new, briefly mentioned the Kwong Lee Dow Program, and I was wondering if anybody here had a first-hand experience of the application process, what it entails, what the program itself is like, and if it possesses any benefit other than being a massive PR stunt (excuse my cynicism)

I was just wondering if I could be eligible for the Program (provided that it does indeed have benefits!). I go to an small (less than 100 people per year level) all-girls school, and in terms of eligibility, I was wondering if one qualifies through reports, other activities, or a combination of both. I'm concerned that the 6 As and one B resulting from poor work ethic and slight performance anxiety will jeopardise the 22 A+s of my report and with that, any chance I have to be eligible for the program.

And, I'm hoping that they (speaking of "they", who typically chooses the candidates, out of curiosity) don't factor in Year 9 academic performance; at the time, I was anxious/depressed/hating life and pretty much screwed myself over in terms of academic progress that year (mostly As, some A+s and Bs). I did represent Australia internationally, however, that occurred during Year 8 and Year 9, so I'm not sure if it holds enough relevance now...

I am slightly aware that I'm going on a rant, and I'm sorry for boring you all with such details, but the way the careers lady portrayed the Program to be was so appealing that it overrode my sense of cynicism and now I really want to somehow be granted the opportunity to be involved...

Thank you so much for reading this, and I hope that this doesn't get interpreted to be some egoistic, self-absorbed, narcissistic rant...

Thank you!! xx

In terms of academics, if the school has already endorsed your application and you know it then it won't really matter as much in my opinion since one of the key factors in endorsing students (from schools) is to select kids that are in the Top 5% in the cohort (will link the proof).

You can generally include information from 2014 till five years ago so you can definitely include your time when you represented Australia in Year 8 and Year 9! More or less it is the present year and the year before that  matter more so don't bulk up on Year 8 achievements as such but show them to show UoM that you're a hardworking student as evidenced throughout your school life.

As hamo94 has stated it is more due to co-curricular activities in the application rather than the academic side of things in my opinion (I wasn't the smartest in my endorsed list but still made it in) and it is more due to how you word things I believe. Don't try to be cliché with your application since a lot of people can retell their life story in 500 words or less (same goes with your greatest achievement).

And you should talk to your coordinator about it as endorsing applications tend to differ between schools (some schools ask people to submit an application into the school to have a look, some schools just ask students to write an application since they've already endorsed theirs and some just say they've already got the award since they're the only candidate) so know how your school stands with it (maybe talk to someone who has got it at your school).

The program is pretty amazing since you get to meet lots of cool people (like hamo94 and Tyleralp1 but not Gapster yet plus the 'guaranteed entry scheme' if you want to do Biomedicine for example is pretty handy as well. But seriously everyone is super amazing <3

Aldo the application is also good if you want to review your life and stuff as well LOL (trip down memory lane :')

[melons]

The program is pretty amazing since you get to meet lots of cool people (like hamo94 and Tyleralp1 but not Gapster yet

Haha. Would love to see you around...
Are you going to the dream large event?




Also, I didn't have overly many co-curricular stuff... I had quit most things by year 10  that being said, I was much stronger in academics then in other stuff.

[Stick]

Go onto the unimelb forum and post it there, I think a user called Stick applied for the program. (If not he is a Chancellor's Scholar so he can tell you about the general unimelb award process)

I did apply for the program but unfortunately I did it in a very slap-dash and haphazard manner (I was on a holiday at the time lol) and unsurprisingly missed out on the opportunity. That being said, it was one of the few kicks in the pants I got in Year 10 to actually apply myself as much as I could, so it was meant to be in the end.

Anyway, I'll try to remember the application process as best as I can. I actually knew nothing about the program either, but my careers counsellor at school nominated four of us for the program and hence I sent in an application. Basically, you get asked some fairly basic and straightforward questions about your current studies and your potential course interests at the university, before being asked some more in-depth questions as outlined above. I obviously didn't do a very good job (I know I didn't - one of my answers was in dot-point form) so I'm not going to dispense any advice in that regard. XD

The main incentive of the program for me was the opportunity to guarantee my place at the university with an ATAR of 95.00. At the time Biomedicine wasn't really what I was looking at but I guess the missed opportunity hit home as I realised it was what I wanted to do and that I'd need a 99.00+ ATAR to get it. As I said, in the end it was the kick in the pants I needed to try as hard as I could at school and it has more than paid itself off. Had I received that guarantee there is no way I would have worked as hard as I did.

[Tyleralp1]

Haha. Would love to see you around...
Are you going to the dream large event?

Haha yeah I am. Are you? Hoping to stay the night..though I feel a tad guilty as its meant for those further away. We should form a nice AN group there haha.

[melons]

Haha yeah I am. Are you? Hoping to stay the night..though I feel a tad guilty as its meant for those further away. We should form a nice AN group there haha.

I am. Won't be spending the night though... Haha.
Yes, it should be great meeting some fellow AN members.

[AngelWings]

Anonymity000 you shouldn't fear it. (I rant a tonne too. You're not alone.)

Look, I hadn't even known about the program until the Careers teacher at my school told me about it in like August of my Year 10 year... yet I still got in. (I realise this sounds just like Stick's experience.)

Generally, depending on your school's location and amount of students, a small number (about 1-2 students, the latter if your school's in city/ suburban Victoria) from the Year 10s in your school will be chosen. The process occurs annually.

The criteria that it entails is exactly how the others have stated it and I'll just reiterate it in a very simple manner: just make it seem like you're applying for a job and look more awesome (horrible word choice, but it'll suffice) in terms of leadership or representing your community (e.g. School council, school leadership positions, music performances with choirs outside of school... even what you were talking about, representing Australia).

Aside from all the leadership stuff, you get the chance to discuss the subjects you're planning on doing in VCE as a Year 11 student the following year, achievements (any), extracurricular activities and your life in general (there are questions on sport at the end, but type whatever you want). Basically all they ask are on personal information (they tend to send things) and then all of that aforementioned information, with boxes to type into.

I can't recall any word limits, but I don't think you'll have any trouble. The application is rather self-explanatory and a teacher, preferably your Careers teacher, needs to support you. (Teacher recommendations and what not.)

Currently, the co-ordinator is Claire Bingley (I apologise if the spelling's incorrect), but you are not likely to see her, as she's just temporarily there in place of Kim Stone, who'll back by the end of this year.

Sources: I found my old registration page and e-mails from them for you. 

[IndefatigableLover]

Haha. Would love to see you around...
Are you going to the dream large event?

Also, I didn't have overly many co-curricular stuff... I had quit most things by year 10  that being said, I was much stronger in academics then in other stuff.

Unfortunately I won't be going to the Dream Large Event since I'll be interstate learning about investment banking at a finance company (which if you're in the FB group then you'll probably know who I am by now if you follow it xD)

@AngelWings
There are word limits for each section of the application since I remember going over for most of the sections LOL (had to truncate my application by quite a bit actually) but generally they're around either 'less than 200 words' or 'less than 500 words' etc.

[Tyleralp1]

(which if you're in the FB group then you'll probably know who I am by now if you follow it xD)

Haha I know exactly who you are Nah that should be fun though

[melons]

Unfortunately I won't be going to the Dream Large Event since I'll be interstate learning about investment banking at a finance company (which if you're in the FB group then you'll probably know who I am by now if you follow it xD)

No clue. I'm not on FB.
Anyway, that sounds interesting. Have fun with it!

[nerdmmb]

Oh wow so many kwongers here!
Yes, I'm going to the Dream Large Event

Some of the questions they asked in the application last year were:
1. What leadership/community activities have you been involved in?
2. List some of your awards and prizes.
3. What is your greatest achievement?
4. Why is the above achievement important?
5. Write about yourself.
6. Are you an athlete or elite performer? If yes, what is your elite sport or performance activity and level?

The application process opens around late September each year. Generally 2-5 grade 10 students are nominated from each school by your coordinator. Around 700 students are selected from 1800 applicants.  There is a word limit for each question- it was about 1000 words if I'm not mistaken so you're free to write as much you want as long as it's relevant

Don't try to be cliché

Yes, please don't be cliché; try to include some of your achievements especially your greatest achievement as one that not many students have- this can include your work experience application process. You can write, for example, i was selected to undertake my work experience at so and so which was a very rare opportunity.

Also, ask your teachers about what some of your greatest qualities as a student are and what you're known for at school.
For question 5, i remember that they had recommended us to write about our role models, our goals in life,etc.
You can write about your own personal life and whether you have other commitments outside of school- this shows that you are very well at managing your time and organisation.

For question 1, i not only wrote about what leadership activities i had been involved in but also tried to incorporate a bit of philosophy by mentioning what i value about leadership.
The leadership roles that you have taken can range from looking after your younger brother to being a class captain/SRC member...
If you have been involved in any volunteer activities, make sure to include to include them as well.

For questions 3 & 4, make sure you write down on a separate piece of paper what you have achieved/accomplished. I then spoke to my teachers who helped me decide which achievement i should write about.

I am a very unfit and lazy person so obviously question 6 was not in my favour But if you're not involved in any sports activities, that's okay

Once i had finished writing my application, i saved it and had it checked by my teachers before submitting it. Just be meticulous with your answers and implicitly include what makes you stand out of those 1800 students who apply each year!
Best of luck!

[AngelWings]

@ Indefatigable Lover

I apologise. It has been quite a while since I submitted my application, so I only got the finalised version up in fear that it would submit again for no reason. (My computer's also really sensitive.)
So, the word limits didn't show up.