Giving up part of a long and lazy summer break is a tall order for any student looking forward to weeks without homework, especially those gearing up for their HSC studies.
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But over the past two weeks 115 year 12 students from across the region have given up part of their break to earn six credit points towards a future degree at the University of Wollongong.
The teens undertook the subject "Belonging in the Community".
Students were encouraged to think about what it meant to belong in a wide range of contexts, and listened to guest speakers, including filmmaker Phillip Crawford and SBS content producer Widyan Al Ubudy.
They also had to submit two essays, give two presentations and contribute to tutorials and online discussions.
Warilla High School student Natasha Spirovski said she was glad to give up part of her holidays because the subject would help her in the long run.
"I wanted to take part because I thought it would benefit my education. I've really enjoyed it, it's really helped with the area of study," she said.
UOW outreach and mentoring manager Kylie Austin said the course was intensive and had the dual aims of preparing students for their HSC year and giving them a taste of university life.