Spending a couple of weeks living your CSI fantasy or taking care of some robotic "patients" is bound to be an eye opener and that's the whole point of UTS summer schools for high school students who might not see uni as an option for them.
UTS has had 230 year 11 students from South Western Sydney and regional NSW on the city campus creating professional films using the university's cutting-edge equipment, investigating a forensic case, pushing their creative limits by designing lamps and fashion items and taking care of high-tech robotic "patients" in a simulated hospital setting.
Theresa Vunivalu works with design group mentor Erfaan Arif. Picture by Anna Bull
The U@Uni Summer School program works to engage students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are considered unlikely to go on to tertiary education.
The program is run across six faculties including business, science, nursing, film, design and engineering and IT.
Now in its fifth year, the program's 2014 cohort includes 41 students from a refugee background and 15 students who recognise as having an Indigenous background. Eighty-six per cent of the 230 participants come from families where neither parent has a university degree.
After participating in the program, 91 per cent of previous participants said it encouraged them to want to attend university and that is set to be replicated this year.
Jacqueline Asamoah, picture by Anna Bull
Brieanna Watson is an Indigenous student from Chifley College in Mt Druitt. She has a passion for science and as a result of the summer schools would like to pursue a career in toxicology. She said the program has made her 100 per cent certain that university is for her.
Jacqueline Asamoah from Chester Hill High School came to Australia as a refugee in 2011. She would like to be a nurse because she has always wanted to help people. She said the summer schools program - her first experience of a university - had opened her eyes to her options.
Meanwhile, Theresa Vunivalu from Merrylands High School found her passion taking part in the design summer school. She said that her family had suggested becoming an English teacher, but as a result of the program she now knew she wanted to be a designer.
- More than 200 year 11 students from South Western Sydney and regional NSW have got to know the UTS City campus in the past two weeks taking part in the U@Uni Summer School program
- Now in its fifth year, the program works to engage students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are considered unlikely to go on to tertiary education