Alternatives to ATAR in the Wake of the Worst Case Scenario (1 Viewer)

[Autechra]

THERE IS A TOO LONG;DIDN'T READ BELOW.

Hi,

I'm wondering what happens if the worst case scenario occurs- if I were to get an ATAR lower than any of my course requirements and do not receive any offers. Due to procrastination, inadequate preparation and an overall poor attitude through the course of Year 12, I am becoming increasingly paranoid that such a scenario will occur. I am attempting to remedy it with last minute study, with mixed results.

So, if such a situation does occur, what are my alternatives? I have nothing to fall back on except a dead end job and a depressing lifestyle, which I concede I have set up for myself with my laziness. But should these past actions add impossibity of redemption to the intense repent I already feel?

Surely there is some other way to get into even the worst university possible. Surely. Through my browsing I see many people on this site saying 'it's just the HSC' and 'there are other pathways' etc., but they never seem to provide a basis or concrete evidence as to alternatives. It's just 'there are alternatives'. But what the hell are they?

I obviously shouldn't have treated the HSC as casully as I did, but is that crime so great as to warrant absolute barring from any chance of redemption? It's funny that in one of the most democratic countries in the world I can feel so trapped by a system that, with its seemingly stringent nature, seems so intolerant and unforgiving of those who simply stuffed up and want nothing more than to redeem themselves.

So I suppose this is a plea for a demonstration of a human element within this educational system, one that at the moment seems to operate under the assumption that the majority of us can study hard throughout and efface our vices, that if we can't, regardless of how much we regret doing so and wish for redemption, then too bad! We're screwed. No second chances. Apply yourself throughout and get the right ATAR or suffer the consequences unequivocally. This may seem hyperbolic but, through my stress, it's what it seems like right now.

And all this demonstration needs to entail is a walkthrough of my alternatives.

Thankyou,
An extremely stressed HSC student

tl;dr: I'm worried that I've messed up the HSC- how can I get into university through these alternative pathways that people vaguely mention but never describe or explain?

 

[SpreadTheWord]

This is not an English essay mate. You don't need big words "Unequivocally". There are though other ways, one in which means you will have to go for a bacholar of arts (god knows what its about) then after a year with high grades transfer to the course you want. Others include Tafe...

I hope i you stop being "Hyperbolic" and chill.

 

[Nerdygirl]

Hi
I was once in a similar situation to you at around the half yearlies after stuffing them bad so I did my reasearch and here is an example of some of the "pathways"
University of Newcastle has the new step program which offers an alternative entry scheme through the completion of university style courses to achieve a new score than can be used for university entry, these courses are highly directed and can be accepted as entry credit to other universitys here is the site any way if you want more information http://www.newcastle.edu.au/students/foundation-studies/newstep/about.html
There is also Tafe and credit transfer to some courses including engineering and others where the course you do creates a mark and credit that can be used but again you will have to check this
There are also other alternative entry programs offered by different institutions however my only real specialty is new step
The final option I know of is possibly going into the workforce for a few years and enter as a mature age student where if your over 20 the requirements are less harsh.
Also with these options realise that they may be slightly limiting and dont expect to get directly into a highly competive course ( law or med) from these options.
My final piece of advice for you is do not give up cause when you give up on your dreams you give up on yourself and absolutely nothing is impossible look at bill gates he dropped out of school and look where he is now a billionaire
Best of luck for your HSC
Sending a smile your way, you could use cheering up

 

[lockedbox]

well in the absolute worst senario you can repeat year twelve and get a new atar, this will vary according to your school so speak with your guidance councilor/principle/student liason about it.

Secondly you can enroll in a tafe course. These courses wil give you the qualifications you need for a lifetime career as well as counting towards your "credits" which will help you get into uni.

Talk to you school counciler about this, they will know much more about alternitive university entry than anyone here and be able to supply you with localised information.

 

[Autechra]

This is not an English essay mate. You don't need big words "Unequivocally". There are though other ways, one in which means you will have to go for a bacholar of arts (god knows what its about) then after a year with high grades transfer to the course you want. Others include Tafe...

I hope i you stop being "Hyperbolic" and chill.

Lol, I thought someone might jump on that. This wasn't originally written for this forum, it was an enquiry to someone in the system, and I thought it might serve my purpose well to use such words. I edited it a bit for this post. Besides which, I write like that naturally because I read way too much.

Hi
I was once in a similar situation to you at around the half yearlies after stuffing them bad so I did my reasearch and here is an example of some of the "pathways"
University of Newcastle has the new step program which offers an alternative entry scheme through the completion of university style courses to achieve a new score than can be used for university entry, these courses are highly directed and can be accepted as entry credit to other universitys here is the site any way if you want more information http://www.newcastle.edu.au/students/foundation-studies/newstep/about.html
There is also Tafe and credit transfer to some courses including engineering and others where the course you do creates a mark and credit that can be used but again you will have to check this
There are also other alternative entry programs offered by different institutions however my only real specialty is new step
The final option I know of is possibly going into the workforce for a few years and enter as a mature age student where if your over 20 the requirements are less harsh.
Also with these options realise that they may be slightly limiting and dont expect to get directly into a highly competive course ( law or med) from these options.
My final piece of advice for you is do not give up cause when you give up on your dreams you give up on yourself and absolutely nothing is impossible look at bill gates he dropped out of school and look where he is now a billionaire
Best of luck for your HSC
Sending a smile your way, you could use cheering up

Thankyou for the help. I'm not looking to get into a highly competitive course, just Communications at any institution possible. The lowest ATAR I can get for what I've already sent through UAC is 65+ for University of Canberra, and I'm even paranoid that I won't get that. But it might be just that- paranoia. I'll look into these alternative entry schemes you speak of.

Cheers.

 

[Autechra]

well in the absolute worst senario you can repeat year twelve and get a new atar, this will vary according to your school so speak with your guidance councilor/principle/student liason about it.

Secondly you can enroll in a tafe course. These courses wil give you the qualifications you need for a lifetime career as well as counting towards your "credits" which will help you get into uni.

Talk to you school counciler about this, they will know much more about alternitive university entry than anyone here and be able to supply you with localised information.

You know I've actually considered repeating, but I think it's more out of regret and a chance to prove to myself that I can do really well in year 12. I've since realised that if I don't have to do it, then I definitely won't. But thanks for the advice.

 

[2011_]

CSU has various pathways if you check out their website. I don't know a lot about them, but some involve going to TAFE and then transitioning from TAFE to CSU (often with some credit towards your chosen Uni course). There are possibly similar schemes listed on other Uni websites too. Good luck

 

[Autechra]

CSU has various pathways if you check out their website. I don't know a lot about them, but some involve going to TAFE and then transitioning from TAFE to CSU (often with some credit towards your chosen Uni course). There are possibly similar schemes listed on other Uni websites too. Good luck

This is all quite encouraging. Turns out there is something behind all those previously empty promises of alternatives. Of course I won't let it affect my motivation to still get a good ATAR- but the false assumption that I had nothing to fall back on actually reduced my motivation out of the intense stress it caused.

Thanks a lot, BOS. Don't feel so much like I'm falling into a hole I can't crawl out of anymore.

 

[HelenaJean]

the ATAR for LaTrobe in bendigo for a bach of arts is 50.65 (the lowest i know of)

tafe and transfer baby. go to tafe for 6-12 months (e.g. enrolled nursing) transfer into a uni (registered nursing) and if that doesn't suit transfer from nursing to another course. done!

It will be a more expensive and timely route and you'll need to do well in the stepping stones to get the transfer but it's by no means impossible to do, arguably easier than the HSC. My teachers always say only getting in is the hard part, once you're in it's so easy to transfer.

My year advisor also said call up the Uni (in my case CSU) and ask if there's anything you can do to get in. Hey, anything's worth a try at that point!

 

[HelenaJean]

Just went into CSU's website and found... http://www.csu.edu.au/study/tafe/?utm_source=tafe&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=promo ...this.
good luck!

 

[acemusic415]

Apparently, there's a UWS College whereby you do one year of study and then you can enter into an actual degree the next. Sounds pretty good.

 

[kutis]

STAT test. http://www.uac.edu.au/stat/
my friend realised she wants to go to uni recently and has only got 9 units so she applied for the stat test and is doing that after hsc to get into uni. Apparently its really easy. Im the same as you, i stress that im not going to get into uni, but there are other pathways, just got to search for the info

 

[enoilgam]

One of the greatest myths of the HSC is that failure will doom you. There are many alternatives to where you want to go such as TAFE, university run entrance colleges (UWS college, UTS Insearch, Notre Dame TEP) or transfer. Another myth of the HSC is that success will "set you up for life".

 

[Autechra]

One of the greatest myths of the HSC is that failure will doom you. There are many alternatives to where you want to go such as TAFE, university run entrance colleges (UWS college, UTS Insearch, Notre Dame TEP) or transfer. Another myth of the HSC is that success will "set you up for life".

Well thanks to you and everyone else for the dispelling of these myths. Honestly, with the way people would say 'it's not everything' and 'there are other ways' but would suddenly stop without outlining these other methods, it seemed like failure of the HSC dooming you was the thing everyone knew but few wished to talk about. Great to see the opposite is true.

 

[slurpzz1]

THERE IS A TOO LONG;DIDN'T READ BELOW.

Hi,

I'm wondering what happens if the worst case scenario occurs- if I were to get an ATAR lower than any of my course requirements and do not receive any offers. Due to procrastination, inadequate preparation and an overall poor attitude through the course of Year 12, I am becoming increasingly paranoid that such a scenario will occur. I am attempting to remedy it with last minute study, with mixed results.

So, if such a situation does occur, what are my alternatives? I have nothing to fall back on except a dead end job and a depressing lifestyle, which I concede I have set up for myself with my laziness. But should these past actions add impossibity of redemption to the intense repent I already feel?

Surely there is some other way to get into even the worst university possible. Surely. Through my browsing I see many people on this site saying 'it's just the HSC' and 'there are other pathways' etc., but they never seem to provide a basis or concrete evidence as to alternatives. It's just 'there are alternatives'. But what the hell are they?

I obviously shouldn't have treated the HSC as casully as I did, but is that crime so great as to warrant absolute barring from any chance of redemption? It's funny that in one of the most democratic countries in the world I can feel so trapped by a system that, with its seemingly stringent nature, seems so intolerant and unforgiving of those who simply stuffed up and want nothing more than to redeem themselves.

So I suppose this is a plea for a demonstration of a human element within this educational system, one that at the moment seems to operate under the assumption that the majority of us can study hard throughout and efface our vices, that if we can't, regardless of how much we regret doing so and wish for redemption, then too bad! We're screwed. No second chances. Apply yourself throughout and get the right ATAR or suffer the consequences unequivocally. This may seem hyperbolic but, through my stress, it's what it seems like right now.

And all this demonstration needs to entail is a walkthrough of my alternatives.

Thankyou,
An extremely stressed HSC student

tl;dr: I'm worried that I've messed up the HSC- how can I get into university through these alternative pathways that people vaguely mention but never describe or explain?

don't worry i've thought exactly the same thing as you.. and depending on what you want to study at university you can get there...
Most universities wont tell you this, but say for example the atar cut off is 75.00.. and you don't meet the atar cut off, that uni will keep sending out offers until the course is full.. it really depends on demand/popularity of a course, so chances are if they have open spots in main round or final round they could send you an offer.. and you could even be in the 60's or 50's .. so make sure you have at least put in some preferences for uac cause you never know.

secondly.. apply for a university with a lower atar then the course you want to do.. say you eventually want to do a B of science at syd uni.. which requires roughly an 84.00 atar.. you could apply to UTS.. which requires a 75.. or macquarie.. or try charles sturt 70.00 or UWS 70.00... ACU is 60.00 i think..

thirdly.. if you still can't get into science (for example) then apply for a B of arts.. get a credit average or distinction average for your first year study.. you will gain credit then after that year switch over to your desired course eg; B of science @ syd uni ... you will be assessed on both your atar or your marks at university.. but every university is different on how they assess you..

4th: apply to UWS-college.. they offer diploma courses and foundation courses, which kick start you getting into your 2nd year of university.. and its aim at people who don't get the required atar for the course..I know that macquarie and uts also have a form of college which you attend for a year, you are then guaranteed a position at that uni the following year.

5th: apply for tafe.. achieve a cert 3.. cert 4 .. diploma or adv diploma.. then apply to uni.. tafe is always a viable option so don't dismiss it..

There are pathways into what ever you want to do, for some it will just take that little bit longer, but if you are truly determined you will get there.. good luck, and don't stress too much, there is no point stressing now cause the HSC is almost over, so make the most of your up coming exams, and if you don't reach the atar you need remember you have options..

if your still asking questions then call up individual universities/tafe's they will supply you with very useful information on your desired course and how to get there!

 

[Isho]

Apply for each uni's 'college' that allows you to study towards a diploma and if you get the relevant GPA (there's normally a cut-off) after your 1 year there, you automatically get moved onto 2nd year of university. Normally these institutions are separated from main uni campuses, but you will still have full access to every facility at the main campuses. Note that the fees are a bit expensive, but nothing too much if you want to study for a particular degree at uni. I don't know if you're a rural student or not, but, for city uni's here are their colleges:

UWS = UWSCollege
http://www.uwscollege.edu.au/

UOW = UOWCollege
http://www.uowcollege.edu.au/

Macquarie = SIBT
http://www.sibt.nsw.edu.au/

UTS = INSEARCH
http://www.insearch.edu.au/

Not sure if UNSW or Usyd offer anything like this.

 

[brent012]

AFAIK all the uni colleges that have been mentioned are just glorified and expensive diplomas, the only advantage of them over TAFE and then transferring is feeling that you are part of the uni.

 

[Isho]

AFAIK all the uni colleges that have been mentioned are just glorified and expensive diplomas, the only advantage of them over TAFE and then transferring is feeling that you are part of the uni.

I completely agree. But then again, it does sound 'better' if you say you went to University of blablabla's college rather than TAFE (not hating).