NCAT Folio Prep's Norwegian student Helene Frøisland to study at VCA

Congratulations to NCAT Folio Preparation 2013 International student, Helene Frøisland, who has been accepted into the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Production) at the prestigious VCA (Victorian College of the Arts) - now part of Melbourne University.  

In VCA's Fine Arts (Production)  "Students major in one of three areas: Performance Technology; Stage Management; or Design Realisation; whilst still being exposed to all aspects of performance production – set, costume, lighting, multimedia and sound technology and design, workshop and costume construction, and stage and production management. Intensive delivery of skills and practice takes place through studio based training and direct application of these skills to rehearsals and productions. The course provides students with the opportunity to participate in productions staged within the VCA - in the School of Performing Arts (collaborations with Dance and Theatre) and Music Theatre projects; and beyond the VCA through projects and secondments with professional companies". (Reproduced with thanks to VCA Fine Arts Production website http://vca.unimelb.edu.au/bfaproduction).

Helene also applied for RMIT University's highly competitive Fashion Design degree as a back up plan. They too were so impressed with her work that they also offered her a place!

Helene (Left) with her parents and sister at our Northern Exposure Exhibition 2013

Helene came to us as an international student all the way from icy Norway. On her day of arrival in Australia she came directly to NCAT to enrol in typical Melbourne 38 degree heat. When she left Norway a couple of days before, it was minus 27 degrees!
Helene threw herself into her studies and immediately forged strong friendships with her peers. 

Her dream on arrival was to study costume design specifically for stage, an extremely competitive field within the creative industries. With a 'can-do' mindset, Helene set about researching her field and setting out a plan for achieving her study goal. Her final folio showed just how far she came with the standard of her work. It was sophisticated and a highly polished folio. 

The application process for an international student is extremely complicated. Helene had to provide translated and certified academic transcripts and fill out many, many forms, both online and in hard copy. Through it all she remained calm - except perhaps when she was faced with the prospect of riding her bicycle to Melbourne University with minutes to spare on an impending deadline! Thankfully she made it on time and the rest is history.

Helene achieved so much in the year that she has spent with us. Her hard work and dedication was a real credit to her! She is currently enjoying a break in Norway with her family before University starts for 2014. Well done Helene. We are going to enjoy watching your career plans blossom!