Senior Students Embrace University-Level Challenge

By Richard Harvey | Posted: Thursday June 12, 2025

Once again this year, a record number of our senior students (11) have taken up the opportunity to engage in university-level study through the University of Canterbury's distance learning programme.

These students have enrolled in a diverse range of courses designed to extend their academic abilities beyond the secondary school curriculum.

The programme fosters critical thinking, research, analytical, and academic writing skills. It is demanding, and these young men have demonstrated exceptional commitment, initiative, and independence by balancing their university studies alongside their school responsibilities. Their involvement exemplifies our Term 2 school value of courage, as they challenge themselves academically in preparation for future tertiary pathways.

Below are the courses the boys have taken and their reflections on them so far.

MATH199 (Advancing in Mathematical Sciences – Calculus & Linear Algebra)

Will Ding -  “It's a great experience to be learning with UC so far. Content-wise, they provide a much deeper understanding and explanation than high school mathematics. As scary as it sounds, the course is, however, very flexible to fit the student's timetable in case of sports events. The MATH199 community is great. The tutors have been supportive in answering questions and fixing bugs found in the learning website. I made friends with many people across New Zealand who are taking this course, which makes you feel you're not "distant".

Hamish Grindlay - “I have enjoyed the challenge and University paper has provided, and the opportunity to learn how to manage work without external motivation”. 

Aaron Young - “What I like about math199 is that I can keep learning new math even after completing level 3, and the course seems more thorough than NCEA. The community that math199 creates is also something I like, because it brings together people who like math across NZ. Being able to chat with others who like math and ask them for help has been really cool and helpful for me”. 

Liam Elder

Jack Ussher

Max Cutfield

CRJU101 (Crime, Justice and Society – Semester 1)

Sam Asher

Gunha Park

Matthew Glover

PSYC105 (Introductory Psychology: Brain, Behaviour and Cognition – Semester 1)

Ben Crump- "The course greatly improved my writing while preparing for university-level study. It showed me what a semester involves, teaching me to manage my time and work independently”.

Joseph Chen- “I've really enjoyed the glimpses into the wide array of topics covered in this introductory psychology, especially those to do with how our brain learns and stores information. This opportunity has also been great to experience how learning and studying at university is much more self-driven than in high school".