18 Oct 2017

There’s nothing worse than opening your exam paper, reading the first question and thinking ‘we definitely never learnt that in class’. Usually this happens on the big mark questions (never on multiple choice where you could go for a guess) and we’re left just hoping that we’ll be able to scrape a couple of marks out of it.

But if you walk out of an exam and feel like your dreams of heading of uni are ruined, don’t freak out. Our mates at University of Canberra (UC) know that sometimes your marks won’t show what a quality student you can be and they’ve got your Plan B sorted

1. Bonus points

Bonus points basically work in conjunction with your ATAR to give you your overall ranking and UC has a couple of bonus points schemes you can apply for.

If you get ace marks in a subject and it relates to your course, you might be able to get bonus points there. Indigenous students, ADF personnel and reservists and elite athletes can all also apply for bonus points, so make sure you check out what you’re eligible for. If you’re confused, or need some help figuring out which bonus points schemes are applicable for you, your careers advisor will be able to help you or you can reach out to the uni directly. Especially if you do to the uni itself, the expert staff you speak to will be able to, let you know about any other awards or admission schemes you might be eligible for.

2. UC College

UC College covers you if you didn’t quite get the marks you needed for your course. Their diplomas give introduction and pathways to full degrees. Plus, they have a heap of other bridging programs that can get you qualified and prepped for studying at uni.

3. Portfolio entry

The Faculty of Arts and Design at UC offers portfolio submission for those of us who might not quite get the marks they need for the  Creative Practice or Arts degree they want. It basically means if you’re creative and freaking out about your ATAR, you don’t have to stress as much because there’s other application options where you can show off your work.

4. Chat to someone

Sometimes you just need a bit of expert advice and UC has dedicated staff ready to answer any questions you have about entry options, courses or uni life. You can give them a call on 1800 864 226. If phone calls aren’t your thing, you can also shoot through an online enquiry which is super easy.

5. Work hard in your last exams

Chances are you haven’t quite finished all your exams yet, so it’s worth knuckling down and pushing hard to get through whatever you’ve got left. When you’re down on motivation it can be hard to get any sort of study done but even if it’s just an extra couple of hours, every little bit counts.

If you’re still struggling with the whole uni thing and deciding what you’re doing, don’t stress–UC has you covered. You can head here and download their guide for picking a uni. It runs you through everything you need to pay attention to when you’re sussing out a uni (like whether they have alternative entry and pathway options). Definitely worth a read.