23 Sep 2015

School leavers and, well, non-school leavers alike, listen up. I’ve seen too many people out there, myself included, who have made the wrong choice when it comes to university, and suffer for it later. It’s a bit rough to be forced into making decisions so soon after school finishes, and it’s difficult to pick an institution for tertiary education before you even know who you are, or what life outside of school is like.

To combat this, and to help you on your way, we’ve compiled this list of the top 5 things not to do when considering your university preferences.

1. Don’t base your choice on perceived prestige

Word of mouth may have reached you that ANU is now one of the top 20 unis in the world, or that the University of [insert state/capital here] is the best in the state. They may be good, but none of that matters if they aren’t good for you. Make sure to attend open days, get the feel of the campuses, research the course you want to do, look into your options. The University of Sydney might look like Hogwarts, but if you don’t think it will work magic for you, don’t let your choice blow up in your face later.

2. Don’t worry about ‘wasting your ATAR’

You might be on track for a 95+ ATAR, and all congratulations to you. But don’t feel pressured to do a course you don’t really want just because you’ve achieved the ATAR for it. There is no such thing as wasting your ATAR! If you get an ATAR that’s well above the admissions rank of the course you want, your options are open, but don’t do something you’ll find boring as hell just because you got the marks for it. Equally, don’t worry if you don’t get the ATAR you need – there are heaps of alternatives to help you get where you want to go.

3. Don’t just do what your parents want

This one links perfectly with the point above. Often they’ll be the ones muttering about wasted ATARs, but pay no attention. Make your choice based on what you want, and then discuss it with them if you want to. You don’t have to go to the same university your dad went to a hundred years ago. You don’t have to do medicine just because your mum wants you to. It’s all down to what you want.

4. Don’t just go where your friends are going

If a whole bunch of your mates are heading to UNSW to do engineering – great. You don’t have to follow them (unless you’re also passionate about doing engineering at UNSW, of course). If you’re not, don’t worry about being left behind, or not being able to see them every day. Uni is a totally different environment to high school. You won’t be seeing the same people all day every day like you did at school, it’s impossible. You’ll make new friends in every class, and you can still hang out with your school friends on the weekend.

5. Don’t hold yourself back

Don’t ever think you can’t do something. Take all the opportunities you can to do what you want to do and get where you want to be. If you choose a uni purely because your parents want you to, because your friends are going there, because it’s the fanciest in the state, you might end up miserable, switching unis a few times or even dropping out. Do what makes you happy, and you’ll minimise the possibility of absolutely hating it, and yourself, for making the wrong choice.