Aquinas College isn’t just about academic excellence: it’s also a warm, welcoming environment for tertiary students from across the state and country.
Ask students at Aquinas College what it means to reside at the prestigious heritage-listed campus and they’ll offer answers you might expect – academic excellence, friendship, location – as well as one you might not: family.
Set on generous grounds in beautiful North Adelaide, and with commanding views over the city and surrounding landscape, the college is home to around 180 tertiary students aged 18-23 who have come from all across Australia to study at Adelaide’s three universities.
And, while the college offers an impressive collegiate experience that includes student mentorship, sporting opportunities and social connections, for those coming from regional areas what also matters is a safe, comfortable space where they can feel at home.
“The reasons people are attracted to stay here include because it has a very strong sense of belonging and a strong sense of home,” says Brother Michael Green, rector of Aquinas College. “Students themselves use the word family, and that’s important.”
With a 2020 study by the University of Melbourne identifying social isolation as the No.1 cause of students failing or not achieving the level they expected, the importance of the support on offer at Aquinas is clear. “Students tell me it’s very hard to make new friends these days; much of the learning has gone online due to Covid, so they’re hardly ever on campus,” Brother Michael says. “Many have friends who have come to Adelaide to study and gone home – they haven’t made it. It’s not because uni has been hard, it’s just the loneliness of it.”
Not so at Aquinas, which in 2020 celebrated a 100 per cent pass rate, with 92 per cent of student residents receiving a credit average and 54 per cent a high distinction or better.
Much of that success is achieved through the academic program on offer at the college, which includes weekly sessions with a peer tutor, designated study spaces and leadership opportunities. “We are well known for our academic support,” Brother Michael says. “Every student gets a tutor who is doing the same course but two or three years ahead, with whom they meet every week to talk about work, assignments and upcoming exams.
“They also meet at other times through the week if they want to.
During O-week, our mentors show new students around the campus, which builds a lot of confidence and quickly identifies any student who is struggling or feels they might be on the wrong course. Those issues can then be nipped in the bud, advice given and interventions made to set them on the right study path for them.”
As students progress through their studies, the college also provides guidance on life after graduation. “We offer career advice and mentoring nights with industry experts,” Brother Michael says. “Some students set up internships or secure future employment.”
As well as academic, sports and social activities, students at Aquinas engage in a community service program and fundraising for charitable causes. “This is a student wellbeing framework that covers the whole development of the young person, not just academically but physically, psychoemotionally, spiritually and professionally,” Brother Michael says. “Part of our mission is to help students in their journey to being wonderful human beings who are academically successful but also critically aware and compassionately ready for what’s ahead.”
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