OzBargain ATAR + University Advice

LBetterBeOnSale on 12/12/2024 - 09:59
Last edited 12/12/2024 - 20:09 by 1 other user

Hello everyone, I woke up this morning to check my ATAR this morning and it's not exactly what I was hoping for.

I was just wondering if anybody here had any insights or experiences they'd like to share about completing university undergraduate courses without a guaranteed post-graduate pathway? Eg. Subjects, WAM, GPA, MMIs?

I would also love to hear if anyone has any personal stories or recommendations to career pathways you have felt to be especially fulfilling? This is probably my main concern because I feel I don't have any specific direction with my studies. Though I have had thoughts about working in the health sector as a PT/OT.

Sorry for the vagueness of the whole post but if any of my questions need clarifications I'm more than happy to reply in the comments.

And I know this a bit of an odd forum to be asking something like this but I'm really lost at the moment and would appreciate some advice.

Thanks.

D

Edit: Thank you for everyone's advice. I think this morning I was a bit all over the place but after reading everyone's messages (and touching some grass) I'm feeling a lot better. If I remember I'll make sure to update where I'm at in a year. Thanks again.

Education & Work

Comments

  • ttt888 on 12/12/2024 - 10:06
    +11

    Was it because you spent too much time on OZB over the last 2 years?

    • BetterBeOnSale on 12/12/2024 - 10:18

      Haha something like that

      • ttt888 on 12/12/2024 - 11:12
        +1

        Just realised you wanting to be a Physio. My son at one time wanted to be one too but since sort of keeping his option open ( he hasn't finish VCE yet) . Entry is so high… for monash and melb (guaranteed spot).. The pay from google seems to be ordinary and they say you get burned out after 10 years, Is that true? But yes many kids aiming to be PT for some reason.

        • Ade99 on 13/12/2024 - 08:51

          …and all of the kids are going to work for their favourite "Footy Team" …limited demand and lots of supply.

          • belongsinforums on 14/12/2024 - 09:17

            @Ade99: I can't believe you picked that. Lower down OP mentions AFL

          • AustriaBargain on 14/12/2024 - 11:32

            @Ade99: If WAFL becomes popular there will be twice as many teams needing physio one day.

        • Lastchancetosee on 13/12/2024 - 11:36

          Alot use allied health degrees and medical science as a stepping stone to medicine.

          • Elwes on 14/12/2024 - 06:50

            @Lastchancetosee: A lot think they're going to use medical science as a stepping stone to medicine but their chances are even more remote than physios working for their favourite footy team.

      • sobriety22 on 13/12/2024 - 12:34

        I was lucky I only discovered OzBargain through a mate in the last year of Uni. It would have ruined my grades if I had learnt about it earlier.

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 12/12/2024 - 10:09
    +5

    I am a PT - if you didnt get the mid-90s you wont get in anywhere but you can study Health Science and assuming you get mostly HDs in your 1st year you can transfer in

    It is a similar story for OT but i think you need Mid-80s

    Id actually recommend OT over PT the rise of NDIS has made their profession more lucrative, their course also isnt as difficult as the PT course

    • BetterBeOnSale on 12/12/2024 - 10:18
      +2

      Hello what kind of PT work do you do now?

      My ATAR is in that mid 90s range but apart from LaTrobe I don't think I'm guaranteed a place anywhere else? Thanks.

      • Trying2SaveABuck on 12/12/2024 - 10:22
        +1

        Outpatients private and public

        Some NDIS and aged care packages

        NDIS is where the money is at assuming that doesnt change it is better to be an OT

        • BetterBeOnSale on 12/12/2024 - 12:04

          I've just had a look and it doesn't look like any Vic Unis have explicitly 'occupational therapy' doctorate courses.

          I know you said you work as a PT but do you know the level of university education required for OT's? Or is everyone working with a bachelors?

          Thanks.

      • fwcchu on 12/12/2024 - 10:44
        +1

        That is not a bad ATAR. If you can get a place in LaTrobe then get it first, and then put in other Unis that you prefer as a waiting list.

      • netjock on 12/12/2024 - 13:50

        Why is mid 90s a problem?

        Check out Monash last year https://www.monash.edu/study/courses/admissions-transparency…

        There might be a rush for software engineering / computer science due to crypto craze.

    • BetterBeOnSale on 12/12/2024 - 10:21

      Also sorry for all these questions but are OTs mainly in the public sector? Because I've heard it's really hard to progress as a PT in the public sector without a bunch of extra qualifications.

      • Trying2SaveABuck on 12/12/2024 - 10:24
        +1

        This statement is generally correct but depends on where you work

        The private sector is superior for salary in my experience

        Public sector is probably better if youre after work life balance

      • iridiumstem on 12/12/2024 - 12:55

        From my chats with the OT colleague, it sounded to me that insurance schemes (NDIS, worker's comp) or public system (i.e. hospitals) were two major ones that OTs can get a job in.

        • May4th on 13/12/2024 - 14:00

          for either PT/OT either as treating providers or as rehab consultants (workcover) and NDIS are the main gravy trains to get onto. risk is regulatory and funding changes but safe to say there's lots of money to milk. there's also a big shortage of paeds OT, not unusual to make 2-300k in a busy private practice

    • zorodluffy on 12/12/2024 - 10:27
      +8

      why do you need such a high ATAR to be a personal trainer??

      • Trying2SaveABuck on 12/12/2024 - 10:27
        +1

        Physiotherapist = PT

      • 87percent on 12/12/2024 - 10:51
        +3

        need to know which are the good steroids to take

  • MS Paint on 12/12/2024 - 10:24
    +31

    My ATAR is in that mid 90s range

    FFS that's amazing. I thought you got 60 or something. Jeeeeeeebus.

    • Emphasise on 12/12/2024 - 11:06
      +1

      I was about to suggest doing TAFE and use that to bridge an entryway into uni until I read that

      • MS Paint on 12/12/2024 - 11:15
        +12

        Same. I was preparing my wall of text that university isn't everything. Plenty of succesful people never went to uni. No one will care about your ATAR in 12 months time. Have you thought about a trade? Stay strong. The world isn't coming to an end. Be proud you got through year 12. But no. The poor dude can only do PT at LaTrobe. My God the shame this must bring on their parents and friends. FFS

    • Nebargains on 13/12/2024 - 13:20
      +3

      Same lol. But to some it is a let down because they put in so much work etc. My wife got low/mid 90s and was just shy of getting into what she wanted, she was devastated and to this day still says her score was not that good. But in saying that, so many people that I went to school with went to uni to study one thing and ended up doing something else completely different, and the people that did get scores like 50-60 etc, they are still happy and doing something they enjoy too…. basically its not the end of the world and if you are deadset on something specific there is probably a pathway there.

  • Duckie2hh on 12/12/2024 - 11:25
    +10

    ATAR is just a point in your life. It doesn't identify who you are as a person. Go learn/do/work in the field that you like, irrespective of expectations.

    PS: You don't need a high ATAR to be successful in life.

    • fantombloo on 12/12/2024 - 11:35
      +2

      Yeah op, there are more opportunities. Sometimes the long windy road brings is own benefits.

    • jv on 12/12/2024 - 12:54
      -1

      PS: You don't need a high ATAR to be successful in life.

      It certainly helps though…

      • smartazz104 on 13/12/2024 - 14:14

        Yeah, look at the kids they trot out for the newspapers every year, I'm sure all of them have gone on to great things…

        • jv on 13/12/2024 - 14:31

          Many do…

  • onetwothreefour on 12/12/2024 - 11:30
    +32

    I failed all my high school exams and didn't go to uni. Now, 25 years later I constantly refresh ozbargain hoping to save $1 so it's not all bad op.

    • cloudy on 12/12/2024 - 13:47
      +13

      I got over 90 in my high school VCE, went to uni and got my masters. Now, 20 years later I constantly refresh ozbargain hoping to save $1 so it's not all bad op

      • altomic on 12/12/2024 - 14:55
        +8

        i barely passed high school, went to uni as a fee paying mature age student at 20, did good enough to get an offer the next year, finished uni - moved over seas for 6 years, came back and then did uni part time for 6 years for post grad. Now ,9 years later I constantly refresh ozbargain hoping to save $1 so it's not all bad op.

  • brendanm on 12/12/2024 - 11:33
    +10

    Why would you get mid 90s atar and then want to be a physio? The pay looks pretty average.

    • CrispyChrispy on 12/12/2024 - 11:36
      +2

      Maybe because it's something they enjoy, find interesting or they're passionate about? Is that hard to believe?

      • brendanm on 12/12/2024 - 11:38
        +5

        From OPs post it doesn't sound like they are particularly passionate about it.

        • BetterBeOnSale on 12/12/2024 - 12:09

          Honestly I just thought I might get to work in the AFL one day… I did my work experience at a law firm so I've really got no clue what it's like to be a PT/OT.

          • brendanm on 13/12/2024 - 18:24
            +2

            @BetterBeOnSale: If you are going to pick something you don't care about, I recommend at least picking something that pays well, and doesn't require you touching or even having to deal with the general public all day. I predict you will get very sick of that very quickly if it's something you aren't invested in.

            I imagine dealing with AFL players and the ego that comes with it would be more annoying if anything.

            Also your ATAR is excellent and you should be very happy with what you achieved.

          • Worf on 13/12/2024 - 19:48
            +1

            @BetterBeOnSale: I could be wrong, but I don’t think there would be many OT’s working with AFL teams…

          • happyness on 13/12/2024 - 21:58

            @BetterBeOnSale: I agree with @brendanm comment on picking something which pays well if you don't really have a career you are passionate or care about. I don't believe that everyone has to love their career, at the end of the day its a job.
            A well paying job will allow you the freedom to pursue passions/hobbies you have outside of work such as travel.
            However I would think about what are you "dealbreakers". For example if you are severely introverted, maybe not pick a public facing job or if you are scared of blood, maybe not nursing.

            Anyway congrats on your ATAR, you did very well and should be proud of it.

  • moar bargains on 12/12/2024 - 12:46
    +19

    Honestly OP it sounds like you would be well placed to take a gap year, find a job, travel a little (just don't drink alcohol in hostels in Laos), live life a bit and think about what you actually want to do. You can always go to Uni next year, but there are loads of people who start uni just because they got an ATAR and think they should, and then drop out.

    This is a very confusing, high-pressure time of life when you feel like you need to make vitally important decisions on short timeframes that will affect the rest of your life, but it really doesn't have to be that bad. A bit of time for self reflection and discovery is usually a good thing in my experience.

    • LinkMonkey on 12/12/2024 - 13:58
      +4

      From personal experience, this is the best advice.

    • LVlahov on 12/12/2024 - 14:15
      +3

      I second this. I got a decent ATAR but turned up at uni feeling 'lost'. The subjects I took I found boring and while I made good friends at university and enjoyed the 'uni life' aspect I ended up skipping so many classes and assignments that materials that shouldn't have been beyond me became quite challenging. Ended up leaving and coming back a few years later with a lot more maturity and life experience and absolutely breezed through every course.

      Having been in the workforce proper for a couple of years I was much more confident speaking to the lecturers, raising when I had problems with the material or disagreed with it, and engaging with the students around me within my course. Ended up doing two degrees at once (one business related and one environmental related) at two different universities and made the deans list all without breaking a sweat while I continued to see kids coming straight out of high school doing it tough.

      I think general life can be really distracting from 18-21 and it was so much easier to go back to study after spending time in the workforce working out what it is to be an adult.

    • singlemalt72 on 12/12/2024 - 16:09
      +4

      Best advice - better to step back and take some time to find what you want - work for a year, travel if you want, not hard to put together enough cash for a ticket to London and pull beers for 6 months in a pub - great opportunity to meet people and talk bout possibilities - better than racking up a HECS debt for something you may find does not suit you.

      FWIW I did 2 undergraduate degrees, the first straight out of high school, thinking it was what I wanted but got a bit burned out and found I didn't really enjoy my time in the industry after a few years (mining) - did a number of jobs travelled a lot, went back and studied Environmental Science and now love my work in the public sector making pretty good money and spending a lot of time in the outdoors.

      • moar bargains on 12/12/2024 - 16:47
        +4

        FWIW I did 2 undergraduate degrees, the first straight out of high school, thinking it was what I wanted but got a bit burned out and found I didn't really enjoy my time in the industry […] went back and studied Environmental Science and now love my work

        Stories like this are ridiculously common and they need to be shared more! The pressure that is put on kids that have just finished high-school is insane, and often leads to poor outcomes for everyone. Thanks for sharing, and please keep doing it! Tell every teenager you know!

        Also the HECS point is very prescient. I think very few teenagers who are coming straight from high school have a good understanding of what HECS is, and what they're paying for, and an appreciation of getting value for their money. Having a bit of adult life/work experience can help a lot in being selective about getting value from your education.

        • singlemalt72 on 13/12/2024 - 10:12
          +2

          My daughter has just had 2 years post Yr 12 working and is moving to Melbourne to begin studies next year - with the stress and mental health issues she had during high school it is what she needed.

    • jay2datee on 13/12/2024 - 12:40
      +2

      This is what I should have done, and if I had a time machine, I would go back and tell myself that! Coming from an ethnic family, the expectation was to go to Uni and graduate to get a good job. I ended up with a 67 ATAR (or TER is it was for me), which wasn't enough to do my IT Degree, which required an 81. So I decided to repeat Year 12 again, and ended up with a 90.75, where the IT Degree requirement dropped to 75.

      I feel like with the transition from school, straight into uni and straight into a job, I haven't been able to give myself a chance to just see where life could take me, and I feel I like I really wasted my 20s which was the only chance I'd be able to take a gap year and just enjoy life. It seems the next chance I'll be able to do that is in retirement some 30 years from now, where I'll be simply too old to be able to live it up!

      There's always other ways to get to your academic/professional goals (for me, I could have taken a gap year, sat the adult re-entry exam and I would have still got into my IT course at Uni, but have some good life experience behind me). Don't let it be the be-all and end-all. You've got plenty of time to work it all out, and enjoy some life experiences while you can!

  • varunynr on 12/12/2024 - 13:15
    +2

    Bloody good ATAR. Well done. And let us know how you go ?

  • ihbh on 12/12/2024 - 13:31

    Unless you have a very high ATAR, say 99.sth, choose something involving your hands/physical exertion. It will be much harder for technology to replace you.

    Obviously, if you are intelligent and didn't try, then you don't really need to ask. Nevertheless, I would recommend at least a year of physical work.

  • samyall on 12/12/2024 - 13:59
    +2

    I got a very high ATAR, had the choice of all the courses at uni (except undergrad med). I ended up doing a general science degree (BSc) which had a much lower entrance mark than my ATAR as I knew I loved science. This gave me time to try lots of subjects and even some arts subjects, to see what I liked and didn't like, to see what I was good at and what I only wanted to be good at.

    It sounds like enrolling in a general degree could be good for you. Yes, the pathways out of uni are not clear, but luckily uni is a great time to forge a path of your own.

    Personally, I went down the research route after graduating, doing honours and a PhD and now I work in R&D. I love it! But I didn't even get my first taste of proper research until third year.

    • Ade99 on 13/12/2024 - 09:02
      +1

      agree. Take the general degree and when you get your feet back on the ground / real life kicks in in a few months and work out what you want to do as opposed to the trendy options. Alternatively 6 months working followed by 6 months travelling is another way to get grounded.

  • AwesomeAndrew on 12/12/2024 - 14:14

    You can use this calculator by Unimelb to see what kind of grades you need in your bachelor degree to be eligible to continue onto a masters degree.
    https://study.unimelb.edu.au/how-to-apply/graduate-coursewor…
    Other universities around Australia probably have similar requirements and might have a calculator you can use as well.

    • BetterBeOnSale on 12/12/2024 - 20:11

      Thanks Andrew this is super helpful

  • justworld on 12/12/2024 - 15:00
    +4

    Your ATAR determines what course you get into, but if you do well in the first year of that course, it's not hard to transfer into a 'better' course after your first year. Also, you can do a 3 year undergrad and then transfer into a postgrad course of your choosing, if you want to do a graduate degree, and then the only thing that matters is your marks in uni. So the ATAR affects your first 12-18 months at uni but after that your uni marks are far more important.

  • dasher86 on 12/12/2024 - 21:43

    Another option to look at is what other courses from the Uni that you want to go to share some of the core subjects in first year.
    You may be able to get into that course instead and transfer second year which is usually easier as students drop out and change courses etc.
    This was common practice many years ago.

  • deeevan on 12/12/2024 - 21:48
    +4

    The ATAR cut off for a course is driven by the supply of available spots and the demand by high school students. That's it. It may not be that hard to get in.

    If PT/OT is the path you want to aim for, have a look at what the first year subjects are. Chances are the majority will be foundational biology subjects that you could also study as part of a Bachelor of Science. Get to uni, get good (doesn't need to be great) marks, then apply for a transfer after one semester when all the first years realise what a horrible mistake they made and switch to something else.

    The subjects you did can be applied to your new course. Or you realise what a horrible mistake PT/OT would have been and work towards whatever it is you want to do.

  • JIMB0 on 13/12/2024 - 10:03

    You can always do a trade, work hard to make heaps of money, pay off your house in your mid thirties and do a tafe course along the way, which gives you a pathway into a degree. Then study full time while working part time to easily pay the bills.

  • Sestrooper on 13/12/2024 - 13:28
    +3

    I was back in OP system in QLD and wanted to do something in health as well.
    Scored OP 8 , not enough for most health degrees so I did exercise science for 1 year, scored all HD's (GPA7) —> Could have chosen any degree at that point and went into biomedical science and finished degree with GPA 6.9 —> Entered post graduate medicine —> Currently training as an anaesthetist registrar.

    The high school system is such a rort and unfortunately dependent on your school you went to. I went to a shit public school. Fortunately, university is where you can decide on your destiny and if you can score D's and HD's in first year of whatever degree you are studying, you can likely transfer into any program you want (besides medicine/dentistry). Pick a degree that has a similar first year to the one you want and perhaps you can then use half the subjects as credits.

    Goood luck!

  • May4th on 13/12/2024 - 14:10

    as per comments above, first of all mid 90s is a great ATAR although if it may not feel like it if you are surrounded by other highachievers, it puts you in the top 5% - well done.

    it's natural to be disappointed if it did not meet your expectations, but be assured your ATAR means nothing once you set foot in uni.

    gap years are a good option if your circumstances permit especially if you are not sure what you want to do. think casual jobs in industries you have interest in mixed in with travelling. alternative pathways are always worth considering, explore transfers post grad entry and RPL - remember most health related fields will have basic science units that can be recognised later on for your degree

  • gengi on 13/12/2024 - 15:46

    Currently a PT who got a TER of 80 out of 100 about 10 years ago. No one will care about it in a years time.

    Would recommend you take a year off and work/ travel. If you work enough you may be able to be classed as independent when you start uni which means you maybe able to get Ausstudy.

    You can defiantly transfer into the undergrad program you want. Just do a year at the university with easy subjects and you should be able to transfer in. That's how I did it. just check for any rules regarding how they regard the grades to transfer.

    OT is a great profession. Worked with alot of them. Both OT and PT have quite board scopes of practice 4y Undergrad degrees.

    Would recommend against exercise physiology as they are just glorified Personal trainers. They have been pushing to get into aged care and public health more but frankly a lot of them don't have relevant skills to deal with sick people….. great for healthy people or those just wanting to get fit but may as well just find a personal trainer.

    There are Graduate entry masters programs for those who already have a degree. Its the equivalent of the Undergraduate program just shorter with older students.

  • gooner15 on 13/12/2024 - 18:16

    I thought 2024 ATAR results come out on December 18th

    OP how did you manage to access it early?

    https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/atar/how-to-get-you….

    • NinjaGamer on 13/12/2024 - 19:56

      The results were released yesterday in Victoria

  • SpicyStew on 13/12/2024 - 19:40
    -1

    If you require an uni to give you direction in life in 2024 yngmi

    • johnno07 on 14/12/2024 - 02:12

      Bad take. Everyone is different, mate.

  • factor on 13/12/2024 - 20:22
    +1

    Any good at sport? Get a fully paid sports scholarship to a US university. I've known a couple of people who have gone that way.

  • happyness on 13/12/2024 - 22:19

    I see a lot of comments above suggesting you take a general degree like BSci and then decide. While I've known and I'm sure there are plenty more success stories of this path out there, I think this option isn't without its risks.

    I get to meet a lot of people everyday and I've seen a lot of year 12 leavers not really know what they want and just pick science. While it does have many pathways on completing, you really need to be motivated throughout the BSci degree to keep your gpa up. A lot of those school leavers I mentioned eventually finished Bsci with not enough GPA to enter the pathway they wanted and so were left with the option of going down the research pathway or they got jobs which they didn't need a degree for.

    Taking a course with a job at the end like what you were thinking (PT/OT) is a pretty good option. At worse you either transfer out midway or finish and work a bit then study some more if you really want to pursue something else. At least you will have a decent job that you can work part time while studying for that second degree.

  • atris17 on 13/12/2024 - 22:54
    +1

    Question ask yourself . What your passion ?
    I was a healthcare student , turn accountant turn construction
    I switch a lot
    I found content in construction and learn about real estate through that
    Never be fried to give it a go

  • BertieBrown on 14/12/2024 - 08:09

    First off, don’t sweat it too much. Easy to say, I know. Plenty of people can get around uni entry by using other pathways. TAFE/foundation/allied degrees transferring in.

    One thing I would say to you is this - don’t rush yourself to do one thing or another. Enjoy your youth. You could look for some casual work, or work experience in a health role to see if it’s the kind of work you’d like. Volunteering in a hospital, or a nursing home could give you an idea if you even like the health field at all. Some people have done an entire degree, gone into the field and disliked it. That’s life. Try to get a feel for what you love to do, as a person. That might not translate to a career necessarily.

    What makes you think OT? What makes you think PT? Look at salary. Look at working conditions.

    There’s entirely too much pressure on young people to have a direction straight out of school. So go easy on yourself.

    My advice is to take your time.

  • Hardlyworkin on 14/12/2024 - 10:07

    Take a year off, get a sales job and try up selling things you don't need. That will give you an idea of whether a physiotherapist is the right career path.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join