Forget About ATARS; Alternative Uni Entry
- Nesa.Meemees
- Feb 21, 2020
- 4 min read
I know that schools and study camps will emphasise how important your ATAR is, and how you will not be able to get into uni without a 99.95. And although getting a high ATAR is the quickest way into your course, it is definitely not be all and end all. This post is going to cover some of the more popular alternatives to getting into uni!
ATARs
There is so much pressure on students to get as high an ATAR is possible: and although its not the end of the world if you don't get your ideal ATAR, it is one of the easiest ways to get into uni. By getting an ATAR that is above (or in some cases close to) the minimum required ATAR for a required course you have a very high chance of universities making an offer to you directly though UAC.
Early Entry
APPLY FOR EARLY ENTRY! I cannot stress this enough! Early entry applications will be your best friend I promise you. (check out our blog post on 'How to apply for early entry') If you are a successful applicant, you will be offered either a conditional or unconditional offer to study at the university; and knowing you have a place in uni before you even sit the HSC is very calming.
Tests / Aptitude Tests
If you didn't quiet get the ATAR you needed, many universities offer additional tests or quizzes that you can take, and getting a high enough mark in that may land you a spot in your degree*
* This depends on the uni, the course you are trying to get into, and how much space is left in that course*
Diplomas
Now there are two parts to this one, diploma to degree within a uni, and common subjects from a diploma.
The first one is when universities offer programs (UTS Insearch is a well known one) where you can apply for a diploma, and then go straight into second year uni of your preferred course if you score a high enough GPA for that diploma. These option are usually more expensive, and do rely on your HSC Marks (But usually not your ATAR itself)
The second option is to complete a diploma at either a university or TAFE, and then try to apply to uni with that diploma. In some cases the subjects will be in common with first year uni, in which case you can go straight to second year, or catch up a couple subjects to make up the missed topics.
Tafe
Going to Tafe and completing a course / diploma there is a great alternative to going to uni if you didn't get the marks. You can always apply to uni with your TAFE qualifications when you have finished you're course if you still want a higher level of education.
Do a General Degree & Transfer
This is a really good option as well if you don't know what you want to do, or if you didn't get into the uni you wanted to go to. The idea with this is to get into a general bachelor degree at a uni (e.g. bachelor or art, or bachelor of science) and compete the first year. After completing at least one year, you can apply to transfer into your preferred course at your preferred uni. Not only does doing a general degree for a year expose you to different subjects and help you decide if this is actually something you want to do, it also shows universities that you can commit to a course. (Here is a list of Degrees for Indecisive Students)
If you're general degree fits in with first year subjects of your preferred degree, then the move should be seamless and very easy. Alternatively you can take a summer class to catch up any subjects /topics that you're general degree and your preferred degree didn't have in common.*
* of course you need to research with courses will have common subjects with you're preferred degree
Applying As a Post-Graduate Student
If your ATAR was not high enough to get into your course, and you non of the other listed option work for you, you can always wait two years and apply to university as a mature aged student.
This time period will allow you to work (gotta put some money aside for that HECS debt am I right), do some more research on what you actually want to do, and start volunteering and getting connection in areas that will help you when applying to uni (for example, if you want to apply for an arts degree, try helping out at schools by being an art assistant, or volunteering at various art showcases.)
(Here is a website going into detail about What a Postgraduate Student is)
Sorry for the kind of short post, but we thought this would be a good post to get out there. There is SOOOOO much stress on students to get an extremely high ATAR when there really doesn't need to be. Let us know what posts you'd lime to see next, and chuck us a follow on our instagram page ( @nesa.meemees )
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