ATAR advice: choose a degree to open your world

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/18/2014 - 16:56

Think about the opportunities you want to create for yourself when choosing your degree: that's the advice from the University of Sydney.

As thousands of university hopefuls around Australia receive their Australian Tertiary Admissions Rankings (ATARs), the University of Sydney's head of undergraduate student recruitment, Kaveh Ghezel, says students should think about how they'd like to make their mark on the world and the opportunities they'd like to create rather than choosing a degree based on parents, friends or ATAR results.

The University of Sydney has seen big increases in applications for 2015 for degrees relating to some of the world's greatest challenges - such as food security, engineering and business leadership - and caring professions in allied health and nursing.

"We're inspired by future students' clear passion for making the world a better place," said Ghezel.

"While there is always high demand for courses like law, engineering and arts, we're seeing more students applying for degrees in areas like nursing and allied health, where the major motivation is making the world a better place rather than chasing dollars.

"Degrees that focus on solving some of the world's great challenges are also increasingly popular. Our Bachelor of Food and Agribusiness, which launched this year, covers the business and science aspects of supplying affordable, nutritious food to an ever-growing global population. We've worked with industry to design a course that fosters skills urgently needed in the sector, and demand for the course is up by almost 50 percent this year."

For high achieving students, many of whom will take up offers from the University of Sydney, Ghezel warns against using ATAR results like frequent flyer points:

"Don't feel the need to choose a degree that uses all of your ATAR marks. Many of our top-scoring students elect to study generalist degrees like arts or science and are inspired by the breadth of what they learn. On the other hand, students who enrol in law only because they got a high ATAR can be disappointed when they find they have no passion for the content."

It's also important not to lose hope if you are disappointed with your results, says Ghezel.

"Bright, hardworking students will always have a place at the University of Sydney. We know that ATAR results aren't necessarily an indicator of how you will perform at university. There are always pathways available to your dream degree, like enrolling in one course and transferring to another after a year, or doing a generalist degree and then enrolling in a specialised postgraduate course once you have a better idea of what you want to do."

Any students weighing up their options are encouraged to come along to Info Day on Tuesday 6 January to get one-on-one advice about study options, find out about different areas of study, and get a taste of university life.

Media enquiries: Katie Szittner, 02 9351 2261, 0478 316 809, katie.szittner@sydney.edu.au

Article references
sydney.edu.au