industry & reform
Admission accomplished
We asked around about early offers and were surprised what we found
By Erin Morley
Universities and tertiary admissions centres are allowing year 12 students across Australia to apply for – and accept – course offers to university before they sit their final exams , complete year 12 , and receive their ATAR .
Critics of early university offers claim they can cause students to disengage from their school work – they are no longer reliant on their ATAR as an early offer gives them a ‘ way in ’ to university without the rank .
The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank ( ATAR ) is perceived by many students and parents as a defining mark that dictates lives and future careers , even though university admissions centres and schools say it is really no more than a rank , useful to admissions centres .
The University of Southern Queensland ( UniSQ ) explains ATAR in this way : ‘ a 75.00 [ ATAR ] does not mean you received a score of 75 %, it indicates you were placed in the top 25 % of Queensland in your Year 12 cohort .’
The ‘ conditions ’ of an early offer outline the requirements a student has to meet before they can be accepted into a course . Each university ’ s early entry scheme is different – some require only completion of year 12 , while others require a certain ATAR , which is usually slightly lowered for early entry applicants .
THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE Teachers and schools are concerned about students disengaging from their learning because they already have a way into university , and no longer need to study to receive a ‘ good ’ ATAR they would otherwise depend on .
The teachers and authority bodies Education Review spoke to all share the belief that senior students should be studying first and foremost for their own learning , and that exam success will follow .
However , some students feel that because final exams are so stressful , and their ATAR rank can seem so life-determining , an early offer takes the pressure off and allows them to start settling into their upcoming university life .
“ I can ’ t get any of you to do work , because you just don ’ t care anymore ,” is what year 12 student Jessica Avnell from Albion Park High School in regional NSW , said her teachers told her class the day they received their early offers .
“ For the rest of that day , literally no one did any school work ,” Ms Avnell said .
She has two early offers from the University of Wollongong ( UOW ) and one from Western Sydney University ( WSU ), and is waiting to hear back from the University
10 | educationreview . com . au