Assessing Readiness Activities (docx 65KB)
What is your reason for looking into university study? What is or has been holding you back? Take a look at the OPPORTUNITIES that university will present you, and find ways to manage the OBSTACLES.
University study can present different opportunities to different people. Your reasons may be:
Or do you have another reason? To make the most of uni, it's vital that the decision to do further study is YOURS. Successful students have a goal that motivates them to study hard and keep going when the going gets tough. If you've got a good reason for wanting to go to uni, you're well on your way to enjoying the experience and achieving your goal.
If on the other hand you are unsure about what YOU want, consider completing the Self Understanding module.
Many people allow fears to get in the way of deciding to study. Many of these fears are myths that dont have any basis in reality. What fears do you have about going to uni?
Reason 1 "It's too expensive"
As a domestic student, you have a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) at university. This means that you only make a contribution towards the cost of your education (known as the student contribution) while the Australian Government contributes the majority of the cost.
As an international student, you are only able to study in an international fee-paying place and must pay international student fees.
For up to date information on UTAS Course fees, please click here
For up to date information on how to pay for your course via Commonwealth assistance HECS-HELP, go to the Study Assist website.
How do I pay? Don't panic! You don't need to pay the total amount upfront. Semester by semester you can nominate whether you want to:
For up to date information on up-front payment discounts, go to the Study Assist website.
You will usually need at least one text book for each of the subjects you are studying and prices can vary greatly. Before you rush out and buy textbooks, check with your lecturer to see which books are essential to purchase, which ones may have multiple copies in the library for students to borrow, and which may be available second hand from past students.
If you are studying a course such as nursing, you will usually need to purchase a uniform to wear on clinical placements (pracs). Your university will provide you with information on costs and where to purchase uniforms.
If you are studying courses such as pharmacy, architecture or visual arts, you may be required to purchase specialist technical equipment. Your university will provide you with details of costs and where to purchase essential equipment. Check out subject/unit outlines to get an idea of the materials required before you start your course.
This might all sound like uni is REALLY expensive! But before you decide it's too much to think about. Check out the financial support that is available to students considering uni study.
Universities offer a range of financial support to new and continuing students. Some financial support is based on academic achievement, but there's also lots of support for students from low-income backgrounds. The most important thing to do is APPLY! Don't decide that you won't be eligible for financial support - let the university assess your application. It's definitely worth making time to complete a number of applications for financial support.
Want to know more about scholarships? Click here to find information on applying for the financial support available to:
Universities offer student loans to help you with basic living and education costs such as:
Check out the the options for financial support through UTAS
The Commonwealth Government provides financial support to eligible students to help them with living expenses while they are studying. Don't decide you're not eligible! Make sure you apply for Youth Allowance (if you're 16-24 years of age) or Austudy (if you're 25 years of age or older). Check out Centrelink for updated information on benefits that you may be eligible to receive.
Most students need to work at least a few hours per week in a part-time job to earn some income while they are studying. UTAS Career Development & Employment provides listings of casual/part-time employment for students seeking part-time employment.
Check out CareerHub to see what is currently available (registration required).
Reason 2 "Its too hard to get in you have to be a genius"
You will get an ATAR rank based on your senior secondary results. It doesn't matter how long ago you finished school - you'll get a rank for your results. And it doesn't matter if you completed your secondary education interstate or overseas - universities use a variety of schedules (tables) to calculate your rank.
Check out Admissions for more information on entry to uni, based on previous tertiary study.
The UTAS website has further information on entry. Check out the Future Students website to learn more
Most universities don't just rely on traditional qualifications like school results to assess applications for admission. You can instead supply information about any formal or non-formal qualifications you have, as well as your personal attributes and any skills you have gained through life experience and any work experience you may have.
Most people who come to uni aren't geniuses. A high ATAR rank is no automatic guarantee of success at uni. Students who have a goal and are committed and motivated are much more likely to do well at uni studies than someone who has a high ATAR rank but does not want to be at uni or is not interested in the course they are doing.
So if you're worried about not meeting entry requirements to the course you're interested in - don't make the decision that you're not eligible! Check out what the most recent ATAR's were for courses you're interested in. Make some back-up plans - Plan A and Plan B at least - so that you have a pathway into the course you really want.
Reason 3 "I didnt finish high school or my secondary education was years ago"
REALITY: You don't need to have finished year 12
Did you know you don't need to have completed year 12 to go to uni? And that it doesn't matter how long ago you were at school? Look at the different pathways to university of these students who didn't finish school or finished secondary school many years ago.
Reason 4 "It's just a piece of paper these days"
REALITY: Nowadays it's accepted that lifelong learning is a crucial part of everyone's career development. It's no longer enough to complete your secondary schooling and decide that you won't have to learn anymore. The world is changing, technology is increasing rapidly and occupations that wouldn't have been heard of 20 years ago are emerging. Ongoing learning is critical to ensure that you can actively participate in work and non-work life. This learning can be formal or informal, and can include:
University can be a fantastic learning experience - but it has to be right for you. Read what these students have to say about the best learning pathway for them.
I've always loved young children and decided to study a childcare course at TAFE to give me a "hands-on" qualification in the area. I really enjoyed the study and my work with children is very satisfying. People have suggested that I upgrade my qualifications at uni so that I can teach in a school setting, but at this point further study doesn't interest me. I'm happy for now to do what I'm doing - but I know that I've got the option down the track to build on what I've done and go further with my formal learning.
Sport and recreation is my passion and I was keen to get a qualification so I could work as a personal trainer and in other gym-based roles. I decided to start with a TAFE course so that I could get out into the workplace sooner. This has met my career goals for now - but I have a feeling that in a year or so I'll be ready to go to uni to get a higher level qualification so I can work in a more professional and specialised role as an exercise physiologist.
I've grown up with family members involved in the real estate industry and it's a career path I've always been interested in. I talked to people about the qualifications they think are important to work in this field and got lots of different answers. Some people said you don't need any qualifications but you need to have the right personality, others said that industry-specific training was best and some recommended tertiary study. I decided that the best option for me is to work part time in real estate and study a business degree majoring in marketing. This way I'll get on-the-job experience and training, as well as a professional qualification that will help me in this industry and other business environments that I might work in further along in my career.
I was keen to be an engineer but I'm a very practical person and I didn't like the idea of 4 years studying theory at uni to get a qualification. However, once I looked carefully at what the engineering course involved, I was surprised at how much hands-on experience there was. I get the chance to work on real world problems in most of my subjects, and also have lots of opportunities to participate in industry placement throughout my course. My lecturers and tutors all have industry training and experience, so they can use relevant examples in their teaching. My advice is to check courses out carefully before you make a judgement - and don't assume uni is all about theory!
Final thoughts from a Career Counsellor
The Australian Bureau of Statistics information indicates that people aged 15-64 with a higher education qualification are HALF as likely to be unemployed as people who don't have a higher education qualification.
This doesn't mean that a qualification guarantees you a job - but it certainly supports the value of further education at TAFE or university. Along with your qualification, employers definitely value the skills and experiences that graduates bring to the workplace. These include technical skills gained from your specific qualification as well as transferable skills such as written and verbal communication, problem-solving, analytical skills, teamwork, organisational skills and so on.
Reason 5 "There are too many barriers"
REALITY: There is support for everyone
UTAS believes that everyone deserves a chance to succeed and aims to give everyone a fair chance to compete and achieve to his or her full potential by providing individuals with access to support programs. UTAS offers positive support to the cultural and social diversity within their students.
Below is a list of some of the assistance UTAS can offer you.
Everyone considering further study worries about the practicalities of their decision. Life as a uni student is a creative combination of lectures, tutorials, group work, study, work, and even work experience. Depending on your study commitments you may also like to get involved in university sport or cultural activities.
Universities can seem like big scary places when you compare them with a school. Some campuses are huge, with lots of buildings and thousands of students everywhere. Other campuses are much smaller and easier to find your way around. It's easy to feel a bit lost and alone when you think about your first day at uni - but remember that every other new student is in exactly the same situation!
Studying at uni will probably feel very liberating when you compare it with the structure of your school environment, especially as you usually won't have to be on campus all day every day. Your university timetable might only require that you're on campus for a few days a week, and not even all day on those days.
In most courses your contact hours are made up of:
A large class where a lecturer presents information in an auditorium for 200-400 students
A smaller interactive class of approximately 25 students, where the tutor reflects on the information presented in the lecture through group work, and activities.
Different courses and subjects vary, but you can usually expect to have one lecture (usually 1-2 hours) and one tutorial (usually 1-2 hours) for each subject or unit that you study per week.
So if you're studying 4 units (a normal full-time semester load), you may only need to be on campus for 10-12 hours per week, depending on the length of your lectures and tutorials. How easy is that?
However, keep in mind that even though you might not have to be on campus, you will still be expected to be working on each unit for 10 or so hours per week, including your class time. So the expectation will be that you'll be studying at home or at uni for about 7-8 hours per week per subject roughly a 40 hour working week!
When you add part-time work, family responsibilities, social and leisure time and so on - your week will probably be fairly full. Good time management is an essential skill when studying at uni - so if you haven't developed this skill yet, you'll definitely get the chance to do it at uni!
Many students, particularly those who are not recent school leavers, worry about their ability to deal with the information technology used by tertiary institutions. You can expect to use some type of information technology at uni. All UTAS campuses have computer labs for students to use and some of these have 24 hour access providing you have a pass key to get in after hours. Even though you have access to computer labs on your campus, it will make your life as a student much easier if you have your own computer at home.
UTAS requires you to enrol online (for more information about enrolling, click here), so you'll get a taste of technology very early in your uni life. Take it slowly, follow the step by step instructions, and before you know it you'll be on your way.
You'll need to become familiar with UTAS's student email system, as this is the way the university will communicate with you. Check your email regularly and use your student email address (rather than your personal non-university email) when you communicate with university staff.
Your campus library is a critical resource for your studies - so make sure you're aware of the excellent range of resources available to you. You will not be able to rely on just searching the shelves for information to help you with your assignments, so definitely attend information sessions during orientation so you know how to access the library catalogue (online), access online and hardcopy resources, use computerised databases, and more.
The university generally requires you to submit typed (word processed) rather than handwritten assignments, so if your typing skills could do with some improvement, consider doing some (free) online typing tutorials. Just Google online typing tutorials for a range of options. Your life as a student will be much easier if you can touch type quickly and accurately. Click here for information on analysing essay questions, writing literature reviews and reports, note-taking, organising your information, and lots more.
For each UTAS unit (subject) that you enrol in, you will have access to an online site called MyLO. On this site you'll find information such as further reading, notes, lecture slides, videos and audios of lectures, and more. It's vital that you attend all orientation sessions for your course so that you are aware of the range of online resources available to help you.
This is such an exciting time! So let's hear what past students have found useful.
I found it useful to have study groups with other students in the class, and to go over any past papers or any issues you're having. Sometimes one person understands a topic better than another person, so you can work together and just help each other.
Tutorials I find are very helpful, they often give me a better understanding about what I have been taught in lectures. They provide the opportunity to ask questions, which isn't always easy. But I have learned that it's better to ask, as there is always someone else who doesn't understand the same thing as you.
At uni a lot of your assessment is by coursework. (You'll be told early on what the deadlines are for each assignment). It's common for several assignments to be due in around the same time, and most require some reading, so it's really important to plan your time and start coursework early. Make sure you organise your files and notes as you go along. And try not to miss lectures!
At the beginning you might feel uncertain about asking questions, perhaps because you don't know the staff too well, or you're in a large class. But no-one expects you to know everything! Always ask if you feel you need help. Some lecturing staff have times when you can drop into their office and ask for advice. Even better, speak to your tutor.
It's important at university to make note of your deadlines (assignments, exams) in your diary because it is your own responsibility to plan ahead and stay in control of your own workload.
The thing to remember is that studying is only for a short period of time relative to your whole life - and if you're a parent, the life of your children. You should talk to your family so that they understand what's expected of you and how they can support you. Communication is the key when the pressure is on and fun with the family is the key when it's not.
Building Your Future is adapted from the Career Development Program of the Queensland University of Technology. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Australia License.