Student profiles

Amreen Virk

Rototuna Senior High School
Bachelor of Laws (LLB)

By doing Unistart, it gave me a head start for my first year.

As I finished year 12, I was looking to seek new challenges and opportunities for the year ahead as I was doing a pretty good job with balancing academics and sports. This is when I heard that there were Unistart papers through the University of Waikato, which I could do alongside NCEA level 3. At this point, I didn’t know what I wanted to do once I had finished high school. I loved English related subjects, so I took a law paper in the first semester and a writing paper in the second semester. By taking these, I had found that I really enjoyed law and would like to learn more about it, which influenced my decision when applying for a law degree at Waikato - which I am currently enjoying.

By doing Unistart, it gave me a taste of what university style learning feels like and it also gave me a head start for my first year. This was really helpful, as I am now able to do second year law papers and complete my degree a bit earlier.

Paulo Baldo

Cambridge High School
Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (BE(Hons))

Thanks to Unistart I felt truly prepared for the next phase of my academic journey.

I first heard about Unistart just before my final year of high school. I was worried that studying a university level paper would interfere with my schoolwork. However, I realised it would provide me with a rare opportunity. One that would allow me to undertake a unique academic challenge, while also giving me a taste of the university experience. I couldn’t pass it up. The paper I chose, Introduction to International Relations, was something I was really interested in. Instead of being an interference as I had initially thought, the paper was a supplement to my regular studies. I was also able to advance my academic skills. Essay writing, academic resource analysis and source referencing are just some of the skills I developed through the programme. By the time I arrived at the University of Waikato, as a student studying Mechanical Engineering, I was confident in my abilities and felt truly prepared for the next phase of my academic journey. All thanks to my Unistart experience.

Dana Greaves

Cambridge High School
Bachelor of Computer Science (BCompSc)

The amount of enthusiasm and support I got from the tutors and lecturers was amazing.

The Unistart programme as a whole was a great experience. It helped me prepare for University and post high school life in so many ways. After going through secondary school taking a range of subjects from different faculties, it was such a daunting idea that I would have to choose just one or two to focus on and make a career. So when I was approached about taking papers early to experience what it would be like to study at university, I was immediately curious. I took two computer science papers in 2021, which were a completely different experience to any of the high school classes I was taking. The amount of enthusiasm and support I got from tutors and lecturers was amazing, especially after they found out I was a high school student and said that they would love to see me back next year. That finalised my decision to go to university. Getting to know the people, the platforms and expectations of University early really helped make the adjustment to uni life so much easier.

Jazmin Mitchell

Mount Maunganui College
Bachelor of Science, double major Earth Sciences and Environmental Sciences

Unistart spiced up my Year 13 and gave me a taste of university-style, self-directed learning.

Year 13 NCEA was starting to feel repetitive, so I jumped at the opportunity to enrol in the Unistart Climate 101 paper and take part in the Climate Ambassador Programme. I always knew I wanted to study science, and the multidisciplinary nature of Climate 101 showed me the value of social sciences. It also meant I had a head start when I began my degree. I had space to take some elective papers, which meant I could pursue my passion for chemistry. I want to combine my love of chemistry and the land to help monitor, manage and restore contaminated sites.

I highly recommend Unistart – get involved! It’s the perfect trial run to see if university study is right for you, it smooths the transition to tertiary study and it sets you up for success.

Romain Desmarais

Mount Maunganui College
Bachelor of Social Sciences, major Political Science

My overwhelmingly positive experience with Unistart helped me decide that I wanted to study Political Science, and I wanted to study it at the University of Waikato.

In Year 13, I didn’t know much about studying at university. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the workload or if I was cut out for the learning and research involved. After Unistart I was confident of my ability to handle the workload.

I’d been interested in History, but I decided to try something entirely new. I signed up for Introduction to Political Psychology and Introduction to International Relations. I’d never engaged with these subjects before, but the two papers convinced me to pursue Political Science.

Unistart is a brilliant way to broaden your horizons and start to sort out what you want to study. It is so important to seek out new opportunities and experiences!