Two days to decide your child’s future

University offers have changed and, for many students and their parents, it’s a time of worry and stress. But don’t feel the need to be an expert – just talk to the experts at The University of Adelaide.

University of Adelaide

University offers have changed and, for many students and their parents, it’s a time of worry and stress. But don’t feel the need to be an expert – just talk to the experts at The University of Adelaide.

It’s uni offer time but not as you know it. It’s the biggest decision your child will ever make – and the rules have completely changed. This year, for the first time ever, first preference offers will be released just two days after school students receive their final exam results – that’s less time than Britney Spears’ shotgun marriage to Jason Alexander back in 2004.

But before you start frantically googling to find out what the hell is going on, stop, relax and read on. You see, you don’t need a PhD to understand and navigate the new offers process – you just need to phone a friend. Or email. Or chat online. Or have a face-to-face conversation. That’s because the experts at The University of Adelaide have all the information you need to help your child get their preferences in order for the offer they want – and there are many ways to get in touch.

SO, WHAT’S CHANGED?

The big difference this year is that SATAC (the South Australian Tertiary Admission Centre) has changed the date of its early offer round for school graduates. Previously, Year 12 students would get their final school results for the year around mid-December, and then the first, main round of university offers would be released in mid-January. This way students could get their school results, spend the Christmas break eating, sleeping and surfing, and then get back to dealing with their offers in the middle of January.

This year, the first preference offers round will take place on December 20, giving school students who haven’t achieved the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) scores they had hoped for just two days in which to reorder their first preferences. For those who have achieved the ATAR score required for their chosen degree, it’s easy street. But, for those whose ATARs aren’t high enough for their first preference, these two days can be a time of major stress and confusion.

With the right advice and planning, however, these two days needn’t be a worry. In fact, getting their preferences in order early means students can have everything done and dusted before Christmas – think of it like an early Christmas present.

“Some people go away over the festive season, and you don’t want to be on holiday over Christmas and New Year still agonising about ‘Am I going to get in or not’,” says Tim Harvey, service experience officer at The University of Adelaide. “It’s good to have that settled, and then you can relax and start uni in March.”

WHERE DO I START?

The first thing is: don’t panic. Help is hand from The University of Adelaide for any student – and their parents – who needs it.

The second thing is: be prepared. A bit of forward planning is all it takes to get the right degree – without the stress factor.

The third thing is: talk to staff at The University of Adelaide who can help your child decide on their preferences and work out the best pathway to their chosen degree.

“Our advisors are available on phones, online chats and emails,” Tim says. “Students can book in a face-to-face appointment during business or after hours, and on Saturdays as well; or they can book in for a callback.

“We can go through which degrees a student might be suitable for. Obviously they don’t know what their ATAR is going to be just yet but we can get a bit of a guide: how do you think you’re doing, where do you think you’re going to sit? We can say, ‘Put this degree first and here are some back-up options so if you don’t get into that one, these are really good options for getting in’.

“We make sure students are set up with their preferred degree and back-up options before results day.”

WHAT HAPPENS ON THE DAY?

The first thing to confirm on results day is your child’s final ATAR score, Tim advises. The score they get from their school is called a raw ATAR score; adjustments (previously called bonus points) are then applied to give them a final score, which will decide their acceptance into their first preference course. The University of Adelaide can help in this area, too.

“On results day, when students get their raw ATAR from school, give the university a call to ask for their adjusted ATAR,” Tim says. “We have all hands on deck with staff, as well as a chatbot on Facebook Messenger that will calculate your child’s final score, which is what they’ll be considered on. Those adjustments can be quite a big boost in helping students to get into their first choice of degree.”

But, if your child does fail to achieve a high enough ATAR to gain entry into their preferred course, don’t despair – it doesn’t mean they have to give up on their academic dream.

“If your child don’t get an offer in that first round on December 20, that’s OK because there’s the main offer round in January when they’ll be assessed for their back-up preferences,” Tim says. “A lot of our courses will remain open in January, even specialised ones, and it’s extremely flexible.

“There’s a pathway into anything your child wants to do no matter where they’re at – just reach out and get in touch with us.”

TAKE ACTION

With exams almost over, now is the prime time to connect with Tim and his team, go through your child’s degree preferences and get their future studies sorted. Planning their preferences now can help prevent a stressful situation down the line.

“It’s just about changing your mindset a bit,” Tim says. “A lot of students have already locked their preferences in months ago and are happy with what they have; some students are still on the fence and unsure about what they want to do. We want to have conversations with those students a little bit earlier so they can get an offer to something they want in the first round and then, maybe if they want to change their preferences a bit, the main round is still going to be open.

“Get it locked in and then you’re happy when you get your results because you know you’ve worked this out beforehand; and, if things don’t go the way you want, give us a call and we can work through it for the next round.

“We just want to stress: don’t panic. Get your preferences in order for the offer you want. And we’re happy to talk through your options before, during and after the whole process.”

As a parent it’s natural to worry about your children, so it’s good to know the experts at The University have all the information you need at this important time in your child’s life. And remember, the more information your little academic has, the stronger (Britney again, get it?) their future will be.

GET INFORMED

The University of Adelaide is running an information session to provide students with all the information they need to get the offer they want. Expert staff will be on hand to answer questions and formulate personalised preference plans for students, helping to put them on the right pathway for academic success. Parents and carers are also welcome to attend.

The session will be held at The University of Adelaide’s Ingkarni Wardli building on North Terrace Campus, on Saturday, December 8, from 11am-3pm.

For more information and to register attendance, log on to adelaide.edu.au/study/undergraduate

To contact The University of Adelaide advisory team, log on to adelaide.edu.au/study/undergraduate to ask a question, request an online chat or book a face-to-face appointment, or call 08 8313 7335.

Originally published as Two days to decide your child’s future