18 Mar 2021

Look at census dates as your get out of jail free card... Not that I'm comparing uni to jail or anything - just a simple analogy! But I mean, if uni does feel like a jail, this article is especially for you.

Essentially, if you're enrolled in uni, census dates are the last day you can ditch a subject or the entire course without having to pay an arm or a leg for uni fees.

So what should you be considering before they come around?

 

1. Are you vibing with the uni lifestyle?

Early lectures, long tutorials, expensive textbooks, classrooms, group projects, assessments, readings... Does all of this leave you sobbing on the train, struggling to keep up with work, handing your assignments in late and overall just hating the uni life? If so, it might be time to revaluate whether uni is the right path for you. 

2. Is there another path to your dream job?

Seems obvious, but your degree is a means to an end, and if the job you’re trying to get into doesn’t need a uni degree, there’s not a lot of point in slogging through the years of lectures, tutorials and assessments.

Can you find a TAFE course that will get you your qualifications, or an apprenticeship or traineeship that will do the same thing? Can you get out there and search for internships, work experience and jobs in the field that you can work your way up in?

Before committing to a whole degree and everything that comes with it, suss out other options that might work better for you.

3. Would you rather be doing something else?

There’s plenty of things I’d rather be doing over going to a 9am lecture or typing away at a 3000-word essay- spending all day in bed and marathoning Harry Potter is one of them. But, that’s not the kind of thing I’m talking about.

If you really want to be able to travel or volunteer or you’ve been offered a really cool job that you wouldn’t be able to do while you’re studying, maybe postponing the uni dream is a good idea for you. Before you get dumped with a tonne of uni debt and adult responsibilities, it’s worth getting out there and seeing what other opportunities are on offer, especially if you’re going to spend the next couple of years wishing you’d taken the time to do the good stuff while you were young. Uni will still be there when you get back if you decide to give it another try.

4. Are you still burnt out from Year 12?

After all the pressure, exams and stress from your final year in high school, diving headfirst into a similar environment without a proper break can mentally and emotionally drain you. 

Like we've said, uni will always be there and you're young! You have nothing but time, so don't waste it getting bogged down and frazzled. If you separate yourself from studying for a little bit, whether that's by moving to another city for a bit, volunteering, scoring a funky job, writing that screenplay you've always wanted to make or finally learning the guitar, you'll return to uni more refreshed and rejuvenated. I know I did.

5. Why did you go to uni?

I mean, isn't this the question to rule all questions here. 

Why did you go to uni? Really?

Is it because it’s a genuine pathway option for where you want to be? Or is it because you didn’t really know what else to do when you graduated? 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of going to uni for other people, rather than your own desires and reasons… So with Census coming up it’s worth looking at why you’re really there and deciding if that’s a good enough reason to push through.