Hi all,
As I am currently considering attending the VCE summer school run by UoM, I have a few questions that I would like to clear up. Of course, I am also seeking to assess whether it is worth it as the cost is quite high! Therefore, I would like to get more of a feel for whether this program is for me. 
1. How long does this program run for? It does say two weeks, yet there is a 5 day residential program and a day program. Would this mean that I would only be going for one day should I sign up to the program? This seems quite a short time for whatever activities that they will be running there!
2. Is there going to be time for me to get individualised help for specific topics or is there more of a structured class setting? I do know that the classes are pretty small, so I am just interested in knowing whether individuals can receive personalised help.
3. Apart from the booklets, will I be able to receive any additional sources for me to access during the year? On the same note, is there a limit to how many subjects one can participate in?
4. How are classes run? Similar to 2, but more just whether we will be learning content or skills that we can apply. What are the other activities like (the ones where we are not in classes)?
5. Lastly, if you have been involved in the program, or have insights to offer, could you please offer them as well?
Thank you.
Hey hey I've been a tutor with VCESS for five years, so I'll give your questions a crack! Of course, I am not one of the directors and therefore not an authority on all things VCESS. Would recommend perusing their website:
https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/getinvolved/summerschool/ where you will also find details to contact the directors who will be super happy to answer any of your questions that we can't ask here!!
1. The programme runs for two weeks, irrespective of whether you are a residential or day programme student. The resi students just stay over night, whilst the day students come during the day. This is the most important thing I'll write so I'm going to bold it:
if you're not going to go to VCESS because it costs too much, contact the directors and they will sort something out for you The whole point of VCESS is that it is for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, so the cost of the programme should NOT by a barrier to attendance. The programme receives generous donations every year so that the programme can be subsidised or made free for some students, so if you think you need that support, don't you dare not go because of it...get in touch with the directors at the above link!!!
2. The simple answer is yes! You will have spares, and during each spare there will be opportunities to see tutors for extra help outside of class. There are also a couple of sessions each week of protected time to sit down with tutors one on one.
How class work depends on your teacher. Some tutors will be really structured, a bit of chalk and talk, others will do lots of crazy fun activities. Others will try to sit down with their students one on one as they work. You're right in that the small class size makes it a lot easier to get to know your tutor...it's amazing how much you get to know your classes in that time.
3. There are opportunities to come back to UniMelb during the year for pre-exam revision and revision sessions throughout the year. Some students keep in touch with their tutors as well, and might occasionally ask them questions. You can participate in six subjects in total.
4. As above, the style of classroom teaching depends on the individual tutor. I'm the leader of the team responsible for training the tutors, and we try to push the tutors quite hard to focus on skill development. We want our students leaving VCESS with the confidence and the skillset to take them throughout the entire year. If we just smash content, what you'll end up with is two weeks of content. If we focus on skills, those skills will help you for the entire year... we want to set you up so you know what you're doing for year 12, which will really make a difference!! This is not to say that all of your teachers will take this approach, nor that VCESS will be a content free zone. The maths classes in particular manage to cover a lot of concepts well in a short space of time.
The other activities outside of class are fantastic! The change a little bit each year and there's always an element of surprise about them, but basically there is a social programme. In the past this has involved carnivals, beach days, amazing races etc. The purpose of these is to have you bond with the other students at VCESS (personally I think this is the most important thing about VCESS...getting to know other students in similar circumstances to you who are really driven, super smart and gonna be your friend for years to come is really motivating in year 12.... one of my own private tutoring students didn't VCESS a few years ago and she still sees her VCESS friends and I know they helped her a lot in year 12!!).
There are also workshops. These are classes that help you learn other skills (if you want) or where you can just do some fun stuff. There's everything from origami, to public speaking, to dodgeball and heaps more. I think there was even a pokemon workshop in the past.
Lastly there are seminars. These cover a lot of different topics. Some of them cover study skills, others have covered how to be healthy during year 12 and look after your mental health. THere are also career seminars, with one about medicine, others about arts, commerce etc etc. Shameless plug but I also run a seminar on research methods, which is super relevant to anyone studying science!
5. I didn't do VCESS as a student, which is a really big regret of mine. I know that it really would have changed how I approached year 12, and not to put too fine a point on it, probably changed my life. As a tutor, it's brilliant fun, as a student it's even better. Just.sign.up!!
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