The class of 2020 achieved outstanding results, led by Laurenz Watters (Fr’20) who achieved an IB score of 44 (equating to an ATAR of 99.75.)
Sharron Yuan (Ga’20) is Proxime Accessit for the Class of 2020, having achieved an IB score of 43. Sharron is studying Design at the University of Melbourne.
Ruby Burgess-Hoar (EM’20) was our top VCE performer having achieved an ATAR of 97.45. Ruby is studying a double degree, Communications/ Law, at the University of Technology Sydney.
Nine IB students achieved an ATAR score of 99 or better- Florian, Sharron, Guy Caldwell, Samson Cheung, Harriet Furphy, Sunny Lu, Aden Strong, Laurenz Watters and Sidney White.
Seven VCE students achieved an ATAR score of 93 or better- Ruby, Briony Hoh, Fergus Jacoby, Hannah Scott, Sam Wagstaff, Anthony Dai, Maia Love and Flynn Angus.
In 2020, there were 135 VCE candidates and 57 IB candidates. Tertiary places are decided by the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), which is a percentile ranking of each student’s position determined by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) in steps of 0.05 ranging from 0.00 to 99.95.
When combined, the School’s median ATAR was 81.7, which means that the top 50% of our students were in the top 18.3% of the State.
The vast majority of students (73%) elected to attend Victorian institutions, 23% enrolled interstate and 4% went to overseas universities in the UK (University of the Arts London/London College of Fashion, The University of Manchester and Loughborough University), USA (Parsons School of Design in New York and Seton Hall University in New Jersey) and Switzerland. Of the places offered to students by tertiary institutions in Victoria, 43% came from The University of Melbourne, 32% came from RMIT University, 18% came from Monash University and 13% came from Deakin University. Of the students that elected to study at interstate institutions, the majority enrolled at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney.
Briony Hoh was one of our top-performing VCE students, achieving an ATAR of 97.25. One of our Visual Arts captains and recipient of the 2020 Design and Technology Prize, Brionyis passionate about fashion and had always planned to study abroad post-GGS. Briony received an offer to study Fashion Design at London College of Fashion, one of six colleges that makes up the University of Arts London (UAL), a top-two university in the world for art and design. “I applied to schools in both London and New York, and was lucky enough to have the choice of a few different universities,” she explained. “I chose UAL due to the range of their degrees, the calibre of their alumni and the strength of their programmes. The UK’s handling of the pandemic, compared to other countries, meant I would have the opportunity to learn in-person rather than online.” Applying for a fashion/design course overseas meant that for Briony, there was more riding on individual grades and her folio submissions than an ATAR. “There is more grade pressure (rather than overall score requirements), which I guess filtered through to my ATAR,” she said. Briony commenced at UAL in September 2021.
Laurenz was dux of Geelong Grammar in 2020. From Newtown, he started his Geelong Grammar School journey all the way back in Prep at Bostock House. Laurenz and twin brother, Florian, followed near-identical paths from Bostock to Highton House in Middle School, slightly deviating at Timbertop - Laurenz was in B Unit, Florian in F Unit - before reuniting in Allen House in Senior School. The decision to study the IB at the end of Year 10 was an easy one, given his family history. "My older siblings did the IB a while ago and they really enjoyed it," he said. Anna Koestenbauer, Laurenz's sister, was Dux of the School in 2006 while brother Jakob achieved an IB score in excess of 40 in 2008. "I also liked the idea of having that broader education, not just focusing on a couple of subjects." He was very engaged in life beyond the classroom, performing at the 2019 Battle of the Bands and the 2019 Leavers' Celebration while also representing the School in both 1st Soccer and 1st Tennis. Laurenz is studying Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne.
Sidney achieved an IB score of 42, which translates to an ATAR of 99.20, and is studying a double degree of Law / Science at Monash University this year; a destination she labels “a dream come true”. Sidney credits the support from her House, Elisabeth Murdoch, and the School as a whole, for her ability to come through a tumultuous year with such outstanding results. “Having the girls around me made such a difference to my mental health, and my ability to maintain a consistent study routine throughout the year,” she said. “The continued positivity of my teachers and their endless support and assistance made such a difference to my learning, and I know my year wouldn’t have been as successful without their help.”
From Wirlina in the Riverina region of NSW, Sidney came to GGS in Year 11 and quickly found a second home at the School’s Equestrian Centre (EQ). “I have really treasured my time at the EQ. It has such a supportive environment, where everyone looks out for one another and cheers each other on, whether that be during success or failure. I was so grateful when we were able to bring our horses back onto campus (post-lockdown), and I found riding to be such a beneficial activity throughout the year, for my physical and mental health.”