VCESS 2017 Applications Open

[vox nihili]

What is VCESS?

VCESS standards for VCE summer school. Basically it's a two week summer school for VCE students (both 11s and 12s) from disadvantaged backgrounds. It takes place during the summer break and is run by the student union, with the help of more than 100 volunteer tutors.

Why should I get involved?

There is no greater predictor of educational achievement than one's socioeconomic background. All sorts of disadvantage, be they financial, the loss of a loved one or ESL status can have a huge impact on one's education and the opportunities that come with it. I personally believe that that's really shit and that we should do something about it. VCESS gives you an opportunity to do just that.

Not only is it great to be able some truly brilliant kids who haven't really been given the opportunities they deserve, it is also a really great programme personally. Some of the many reasons:

• The opportunity to work with a really great team of people and make new friends
• There are heaps of opportunities to improve your tutoring skills and the support there to help you do that
• VCE students are absolutely hilarious and getting to work with them is great

How do I sign up?

You can access all the info about VCESS at their website. Here you'll find info about what roles are available, what they entail and a lot more about what the programme aims to achieve.

Final word

I just want to make it really clear that I don't have any connexion with the student union or the 2017 programme itself, beyond having been part of the programme the last couple of years. My intention in posting this is to, hopefully, convince some of the wonderful souls on AN to get involved in a programme that has been a really important part of my uni experience.

VCESS cannot be recommended enough. Please do sign up and if you have any questions, feel free to post and no doubt some of the many past-participants will be able to answer them for you

[Joseph41]

Great thread. I was involved last year, and it really has been one of the better things I've done with my time.

Recommended.

EDIT: And I don't go to UoM; that's not a prerequisite!

[vox nihili]

Great thread. I was involved last year, and it really has been one of the better things I've done with my time.

Recommended.

EDIT: And I don't go to UoM; that's not a prerequisite!

Really important guys! You don't have to be from UniMelb to apply. We've had people from here, there and everywhere in previous years and it's been great

[pi]

This program was amazing! I was a spesh tutor for 3 years (and tutored some people who are active on AN today) and gave some talks on life as a medical student! Really fun and not a huge commitment either. Please post any questions you have in this thread

Just a random question: Do most people only take one class?

Yup. Sometimes a tutor may take 2 or 3 classes, but they usually go with 1 subject per tutor

[vox nihili]

This program was amazing! I was a spesh tutor for 3 years (and tutored some people who are active on AN today) and gave some talks on life as a medical student! Really fun and not a huge commitment either. Please post any questions you have in this thread

Yup. Sometimes a tutor may take 2 or 3 classes, but they usually go with 1 subject per tutor

I'm awaiting your return next year tyvm



Also, just to add. As pi said, most only do the one subject; however, there are plenty of other opportunities to get involved and you really shouldn't hesitate to apply for them, even if it's your first year. Biggest mistake I made first year was to only apply to tutor. My next year, when I had more responsibilities and thus was more involved was a heap better

[mtse]

Student for two years, can't wait to go back (hopefully) as a tutor this time
Collect all the t-shirts :')

I was a spesh tutor for 3 years (and tutored some people who are active on AN today)

^^^ taught by pi for an hour = life changing XP

[auds]

Will they definitely reject me if I can't make either the tutor camp or tutor training day? :/

[Joseph41]

Will they definitely reject me if I can't make either the tutor camp or tutor training day? :/

Nope! I was overseas for both, and it was fine.

[vox nihili]

Will they definitely reject me if I can't make either the tutor camp or tutor training day? :/

Just flag it with them though. I've also missed training and camp both times I've been there and, although that certainly wasn't ideal, they were cool about it and made sure I got appropriate training

[Maths Forever]

Where do you usually tutor your class and where is the training day usually held? Is it on the University of Melbourne campus? Also, how many students are allocated to one class?

Sorry about all the questions!

Thanks 

[pi]

Where do you usually tutor your class and where is the training day usually held? Is it on the University of Melbourne campus? Also, how many students are allocated to one class?

Sorry about all the questions!

Thanks 

All classes and most other activities (beach day and optional social tutor pub seshes are exceptions) are at the UoM Parkville campus. My classes had less than 10 people per class, but I know some classes were a little larger (esp English and Methods). Classes were held in rooms with whiteboards (enough so that students could work off them if they wanted), traditional tables and chairs, and projector capabilities. Teaching material (including theory and questions) and whiteboard markers were provided, with the former being provided weeks in advance in hard-copy and often also soft-copy form. Training day is also held on campus at Union House.

[Maths Forever]

All classes and most other activities (beach day and optional social tutor pub seshes are exceptions) are at the UoM Parkville campus. My classes had less than 10 people per class, but I know some classes were a little larger (esp English and Methods). Classes were held in rooms with whiteboards (enough so that students could work off them if they wanted), traditional tables and chairs, and projector capabilities. Teaching material (including theory and questions) and whiteboard markers were provided, with the former being provided weeks in advance in hard-copy and often also soft-copy form. Training day is also held on campus at Union House.

Great! Thanks 

[auds]

What kind of workshops have been run before? If I'm interested in running one, would I be expected to come up with the workshop theme too??

[vox nihili]

What kind of workshops have been run before? If I'm interested in running one, would I be expected to come up with the workshop theme too??

You don't have to run a workshop, but if you offer to run one, yes it's expected that you'd come up with something. We've literally had anything and everything over the years, like:

-how to study VCE
-introduction to x language
-dodgeball
-wellness
-dance
-Pokemon (pretty sure on year we had this)
-tour of the anatomy museum


Really anything you can think of to stimulate/entertain a group of VCE students works. Personally, for the last two years I've run a workshop on public speaking and another on Spanish, but there are heaps of cool things that people do.

[auds]

You don't have to run a workshop, but if you offer to run one, yes it's expected that you'd come up with something. We've literally had anything and everything over the years, like:

-how to study VCE
-introduction to x language
-dodgeball
-wellness
-dance
-Pokemon (pretty sure on year we had this)
-tour of the anatomy museum


Really anything you can think of to stimulate/entertain a group of VCE students works. Personally, for the last two years I've run a workshop on public speaking and another on Spanish, but there are heaps of cool things that people do.

Okay, thank you! I want to run one but can't think of any mildly interesting theme to run it on hahaha