Senior Scholarships for 2011

• Academic (NCEA)
• Academic (International Baccalaureate Programme)
• Sport
• Performing Arts
• Boarding
• Old Girls' Association

Telephone: (03) 3532563 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Application closing date: Friday 8 October, 2010.
Examination: Wednesday 13 October, 2010

Please note that these scholarships are only available to New Zealand residents.

Year 7 & 9 Entrance Scholarships for 2011 now closed

St Margaret’s College is pleased to announce the following Scholarships for 2011. Please note that these scholarships are only available to New Zealand residents.

Year 7

Academic Scholarship(s) – by examination held on Tuesday 8 June, 8.30am – 12.30pm
Value: 50% of tuition fees for 2 years

Year 9
Academic Scholarship(s) – by examination held on Thursday 3 June, 8.30am – 12.30pm
Value: 50% of tuition fees for 5 years. 

Year 9
Boarding Scholarship(s) – by examination held on Thursday 3 June, 8.30am – 12.30pm
Value: Full remission of boarding fees for 5 years. 

Year 9
Music and Performing Arts Scholarship(s) – by submission of CV and then audition and interview to be held on Wednesday  2 June.
Value: 50% of tuition fees for 5 years, plus free extra-curricular tuition.

Year 9
Sporting Scholarship(s) – by submission of CV and then interview to be held on the afternoon of Thursday  3 June.
Value: 50% of tuition fees for 5 years. 

Year 12

Details of scholarships will be available in September 2010.

There is no charge for sitting the Scholarship examinations and no need to submit an application form for enrolment in order to sit the examinations. 

A Scholarship application form enters a student for the Scholarship examinations only and not the waiting list for entry to the school.

An application form for enrolment needs to be completed for entry to the school and can be obtained from Tina Cartwright in the Enrolments Office

Closing date for all Year 7 and 9 Scholarships is Monday  24 May.

For further information please do not hesitate to contact Tina Cartwright on 353 2563 or Yvonne Gallagher on 379 2000.

Recipients Profile

Scholarships to St Margaret's College have set Christchurch sisters Lara and Jenna Rennie on the path to success. Two years apart, the siblings both earned scholarships to the independent girls school.

The oldest, Lara, who was at the College from 1991 to 2000, says attending St Margaret's had a significant impact on her life. "I think it was a very good school. It gave me self-confidence, and a self-belief that anything was possible if I wanted it enough." Now employed by Google as a software engineer in Norway, Lara says that when she applied for her current job she didn't think she had much of a chance of getting it. "But I gave it a go anyway _ and I think a lot of that attitude came from St Margaret's.

St Margaret's also instilled a sense of self-responsibility _ you could do whatever subjects you wanted or take on whatever responsibilities you wanted, and they trusted you to cope with that, but if you had difficulties they would be around to support you. And it also provided a good academic background that enabled me to skip my first year of university courses in computer science. It also gave me leadership abilities which have proved useful both at university and in the workplace, as well as public speaking practice with things like debating and the compulsory Myer's Cup speech competition.

"I have also considered lately the benefits of a single sex education as opposed to co-ed, especially considering I work in such a male- dominated field now. I wonder if I would have persevered or achieved so much with the sciences if I had had boys in my class _ the advantages of doing those subjects at St Margaret's was that you weren't isolated from the other girls by choosing those kind of subjects." Lara says she really enjoyed her time at St Margaret's. "It was fun. The teachers were great, I had nice friends, I liked the flexibility and the freedom to do what I wanted, and all the different extra curricular activities that were available. It was nice that the teachers knew who you were, and could trust you because of this. For example, in the seventh form I wanted to do six subjects, which a lot of schools wouldn't allow, but after checking that I was okay with it, it was decided that it was fine, and the timetabling was all scheduled so that all my subjects fitted in. "St Margaret's was big enough to allow choice and good resources, but small enough so that it still felt like a community and you got individual attention".

After finishing at St Margaret's, Lara did a double degree with first class honours at Canterbury University graduating with a BA in English and History and a BSc in Computer Science. She then worked in Auckland for two-and-a-half years for an engineering firm, before departing for Europe on an international tour with the Tower New Zealand Youth Choir in June last year. After some travelling through Europe, Lara decided to work in Norway where she is currently enjoying the culture and learning the language.

Sister Jenna has joined her in Europe and is currently travelling around the continent before returning to New Zealand in July to start work as a law graduate with Simpson Grierson in Auckland. She says she found St Margaret's to be a really supportive environment. "I think it helped me to develop the confidence in myself to try new things. I also had some very inspiring teachers." Jenna says she particularly enjoyed the arts opportunities offered, and the emphasis on being all-rounded. "I got involved in debating thanks to my English teachers and was involved in school plays and musicals, as well as choirs".

After finishing at St Margaret's in 2002, Jenna has since completed an LLB with first-class honours and a BA in classics at the University of Canterbury. Like Lara she has also been a member of the Tower New Zealand Youth Choir, and has also coached Canterbury regional debating teams and was president of the Canterbury Schools Debating Council (CSDC). "I think the emphasis that St Margaret's placed on being all-rounded has meant that I have continued to participate in a lot of activities after completing school. The values that were taught at school have also impacted on me in that I feel a responsibility to give something back, both through volunteering my time, and on a greater scale through my interest in working in international policy development".

"In five years time I would like to have developed practical experience as a lawyer, have obtained a post-graduate degree _ at this stage it would most likely be in international law _ and be living in the UK or Europe working either in law or some aspect of international policy development".