14 Sep 2019

It’s easy to feel frazzled and out of your depth when sifting through universities and what they have on offer. There’s a tonne of different things to consider and figuring out what’s actually going to matter can be tricky. While you probably don’t need to stress about stuff like where your friends are going, here are a couple of things that are pretty important to consider.

1. Caring about mental health and students

It is so important to attend a university that cares about their students and offers quality counselling services and structured support. Let’s be real, sometimes, studying is going to be a tough time. And, if your mental health isn’t swell, having a network of support services like counselling, academic skills, essay writing and disability support are going to make a massive difference in helping you succeed at uni.

2. Uni life and culture

Sure, we go to uni to get a degree but let’s be real, we also want to meet lifelong friends and enjoy uni life.

Attending a uni that organises tonnes of social gatherings, events and a hectic O-Week celebration is guaranteed to give you a good time. Think about universities like Murdoch, who put on a music festival for high school students, that’s the kind of place you want to be spending the next three to five years because you know there will be more to life than just hitting the books.

3. Opportunities

Uni doesn’t have to be rushing from lecture halls to classrooms and going over study notes in the library. So many universities offer an abundance of gnarly opportunities. If you dream of travelling, the choice to study abroad or do an exchange might be super important to you. It’s also a smart idea to suss out what opportunities there are when it comes to work placements and internships – a massive part of picking a uni is looking at what it can offer you outside the classroom.

4. Pathway Entry

Only one in four students are admitted into uni based on their ATAR which just goes to show there’s a tonne of backdoors and alternative entry options if you want to go to uni. Early offers and pathway programs like Murdoch’s portfolio entry or enabling courses are important to get your head around so that no matter what happens come exam time, you won’t have to stress about how you’re going to get into your dream degree.

5. Scholarships

Scholarships are an amazing way to get yourself a leg-up at university but different universities offer different scholarships. Some have them for students who are uber talented in their field or have some amazing ideas to share with the world, or who have been through a tough time and could use a little support.

Suss out what kind of scholarships are on offer, whether you’re eligible and how you can apply to them when considering a uni.