Within a Cooee! Advice Tool

I’m thinking about uni, but I’m still not sure, conversation starters directed towards regional people who are considering university as an option.

Introduction

Being Regional

I’m Thinking About Uni

Go for it!

You can do it!

Do it because you want to

Be intentional, take your time

Look at all your options

For school leavers: Gap Year, ATAR

Ask lots of questions

Costs

What if I change my mind?

Study options to think about

I’m at Uni:Now keep going!

Like a Rollercoaster

For school leavers: gap year, ATAR

There are advantages and disadvantages to taking a gap year or going straight from school to uni, which are very individual decisions. Here are perspectives from both standpoints:

I would say school might be tricky at times but to just stick in there and do as best as you can, try not to worry too much about the ATAR but just keep your head down and do as best as you can … What I wanted to be able to do was to be able to support myself to not have to rely on my parents as much so I had a gap year last year and I worked as a dental assistant at one of the local dentist’s and I managed to save up quite a lot of money which was really helpful now – I feel like I’ve got that safety net and I just feel a lot more confident living on my own

Cassie is 18-20, from remote NSW and is in first year of Psychology. She moved 500kms from home to attend fulltime on campus (until COVID). She also works a casual job, and is from working class background.

I went straight into it. I didn’t want to take a gap year … I heard some stories about people losing motivation during gap years or losing sight of what they want to do and finding it really hard to get back into the habit of learning so I decided that I’d go straight into university and get under way with my degree

Keiran is 20 from outer regional NT. He went straight from school into Engineering, in 4th year studying fulltime on campus. He had to move interstate for study.

  • I have mentored students who feel that they are unable to achieve their post-school aspirations or that their ATAR is not going to be high enough to go to uni. These students are often unaware of the various resources available to assist them achieve their post-school aspirations (Rosie, staff)

    Rosie (staff) has worked in regional campus services for 5-10 years