Careers Update
University, Scholarship and Hall Application Preparation for Term Break
School Leavers' Scholarship Applications at All NZ Universities Now Open
With holidays upon us, I know many of our students are very keen for some well-earned time off following an intense term! For our Year 13 students, though, this term break provides an opportunity for our future university matriculants to prepare for, and start applying for, both university and scholarship applications, with hall applications to follow directly after return from the break. As of 1 July, all school leaver scholarship applications are now open and have closing dates between 15 August and 1 September. As I’ve been telling the students, these scholarship opportunities should be explored by every student planning on attending university next year, but there are additional opportunities available that should be explored as well. Two resources that students can utilise to identify additional scholarship opportunities include MoneyHub’s scholarship page and GivMe, a resource the school has subscribed to in order to find company-sponsored and more obscure scholarships. I’d highly recommend that all students planning to attend university next year carve out a bit of time over break to discover the possibilities available on MoneyHub and for students looking to see if any additional opportunities are available through GivMe, to reach out to me over Microsoft Teams or email (k.schumacher@rangiruru.school.nz) over the break. We’ll also be following up on scholarship application submissions with scholarship writing workshops in the first few weeks of Term 3, so Year 13 students should keep an eye on Microsoft Teams for links to sign up for those workshops.
While university applications will remain open for some time (with the closing date for some programmes not until as late as January), it’s also important especially for students applying to specialist or selected entry programmes such as those in the Health Sciences, Laws, and Education to take note of their intended programmes’ application close dates. Some universities will require that students begin their application process in order to apply for scholarships, while others do not, so it’s important for students, particularly those applying to multiple programmes, to keep track of the dates. I’d recommend that students set on their intended programmes be proactive and complete the application early even if there is quite some time until a programme’s closing date. If there are ever any questions about closing dates, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
For those students applying to halls of residence across New Zealand, please note that almost all hall applications will open on 1 August with closing dates as early as 22 September or late as 1 October. One crucial step that students can accomplish now, however, is requested their CCRF (Common Confidential Reference Form), a form filled out by our school administration and used in helping to place students in appropriate halls of residence. These forms will be completed for use by universities for hall applications no later than 15 September as long as students have submitted them ahead of 12 September, but students should not wait until the last minute to request these forms. Students planning to stay in halls of residence can request their CCRF forms’ completion by following this link.
Last, but not least, is a table with the basic information for finding the school leavers' scholarship mentioned above! As always, if there are any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, your Careers and Pathways Strategist, Krissi Schumacher, via Teams or email!
University School Leavers or Overall Scholarship Database Links
Scholarship Close Date
Auckland University of Technology (AUT)
1 September 2021
25 August 2021
Varies (most close 31 August or 1 September 2021)
Victoria University of Wellington
1 September 2021
20 August 2021
15 August 2021
15 August 2021
Varies, but most close 15 August 2021
University School Holiday Workshops
Featuring Victoria University of Wellingon and University of Canterbury
Many universities offer students opportunities to explore their campuses, halls of residence, and programmes over the school holidays that allow students to gain important insights that will help them to decide on the programmes and universities they’ll attend in the future.
First, the Victoria University of Wellington has scheduled a series of tours, visits, and sample lectures for students to attend that will give students a chance for a bit of a “create your own Open Day” option ahead of the school’s Open Day scheduled for late August. To learn more about the options available to students to explore Victoria over the school holidays, take a look at this link: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/study/events-visits/visits
At the University of Canterbury, there are a number of events, ranging from tours of the facilities to webinars to assist in writing scholarship applications. Follow the links below to learn more about the different options.
Fine Arts Workshop 12 & 13 July
Year 13 students can hone their art skills, dig deeper into their creativity, and try different types of media in our wonderful Ilam School of Fine Arts facilities.
UCMeXL for Pasifika Students 13-15 July (10am-4pm)
The UCMeXL holiday programme provides free academic tutoring, workshops, transport to and from certain pick-up points, meals and learning resources for Pasifika students. It’s designed to improve the academic achievement of Pasifika students sitting NCEA levels 1, 2, and 3 and increase their likelihood of participating in tertiary education.
Campus Tours with College Visits 12, 14, 16, 19, 21 & 23 July
Students and their whānau can take a guided campus tour, explore our student halls of residence and visit subject-specific interest areas to get their questions answered.
Scholarship Webinars 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21 & 23 July
Students can also gain useful guidance from the comfort of their own homes, by joining us online for one of our Scholarship webinars. They’ll hear tips on how to make an application that increases their chance of success.
Free Careers Opportunity for Senior Students Interested in STEM Fields led by GirlBoss NZ
Applications Open Now
GirlBoss New Zealand has opened applications for a FREE 10-Day online career accelerator called Girlboss Edge: Primary Industries Edition, happening during July school holidays (16- 25 July ). It is fully funded for 250 young women thanks to the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Applicants should be aged 15 - 18 and interested in one or more of the following fields:
· STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths)
· Sustainability
· Innovation
· Animal Welfare
· Policy
· Protecting New Zealand’s natural resources
· International Trade
· Feeding Aotearoa and the world
· Biosecurity, Farming, Fishing, Forestry, and more!
Participants will gain mentoring, inspiration and support from high profile inspirational speakers such as Real Country CEO Laura Douglas and Marine Biologist Siobhan O'Connor. They will receive 1:1 mentoring with leaders, policy makers, farmers, climate scientists and more from across the Primary Industries. They will complete a CV-worthy challenge which could earn them work experience and prizes, and every graduate will receive a GirlBoss Goodie bag (valued at $40). It is a great opportunity for your students to join a like-minded community - 98% of our 2020 alumni made new friends on the programme.
Year 13 student, Livvy Johnson, was selected for last year’s GirlBoss Edge—Law, Policy, and Government programme and found the programme incredibly insightful: “At GirlBoss Edge, I got to hear from insightful speakers, get one-on-one mentoring from some of New Zealand’s leading legal and political professionals, and complete my own ‘Justice Challenge’ where I could look further into a topic of my choice, among other things. It was such an inspirational experience and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to ignite their passion in a certain field.”
The time commitment is approx. one hour per day across the ten day programme, and the programme is self paced and can be completed from anywhere.
Plunket Babysitting Course – Thursday 15 or Friday 16 July
Registration Now Open
Whether you’re already babysitting the neighbour’s kids or your younger siblings or want some credibility when looking for a babysitting job - this day is for you! Course covers expectations of a babysitter, the child and family, safety, play and basic first aid by a trained Plunket facilitator. Costs $30. Hosted by Youth Alive Trust in New Brighton. Register now at the Youth Alive Trust Website or visit the Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/767570840595763
Interested in a Career in Forestry?
Scholarship Application Closes 1 August
Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is pleased to announce that applications for Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships are now open for study beginning 2022. Applications close 15 August 2021.
What do recipients receive?
The scholarships are valued at $8,000 per year for degree study, or $6,500 per year for diploma study and also include paid summer internships in Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service or the forestry sector.
Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is committed to creating greater diversity across forestry and wood processing.
There are nine scholarships available, and we especially want to hear from applicants who are Māori or identify as female enrolling in a:
- Bachelor of Forestry Science at University of Canterbury or
- Diploma in Forest Management at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
Scholarships are also available for all applicants enrolling in a:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) specialising in Forest Engineering at University of Canterbury
There will be three scholarships awarded per qualification. All applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.
Video 1: shows the benefits that existing scholarship recipients are getting from the programme.
Video 2: shows the diversity of career paths in the forestry sector and how forestry provides great long-term career opportunities for students interested in the outdoors, sustainability, the environment, science, technology and engineering to name a few.
Further information about the scholarships and an application form can be found at:
www.mpi.govt.nz/forestryscholarships or by emailing MPIForestryScholarships@mpi.govt.nz