After Year 12 Q & A 2020 (QLD)

[AngelWings]

AFTER YEAR 12 Q & A - QLD
Time: 19th December, 8am onwards

The After Year 12 Q & A is back in 2020!

Since 2018, the ATARNotes forum has held an annual Q & A to discuss all things beyond high school for Victoria and NSW. With 2020 being such a strange year (and the expansion of ATARNotes to Queensland in the last couple of years), we've split the Q & A into three separate days: NSW (18th Dec), QLD (19th Dec) and VIC (30th Dec) - and this is the Queensland one! If you're in Queensland and/or hoping to study higher education in Queensland, this is the thread for you!

Here's a snippet from the 2018 Q & A to get a gist of what the Q & A is all about:   

In this Q & A thread, we’ll be answering those questions about what comes next after Year 12.

With ATARs (and a lot of emotions) released, we’ll aim to answer your questions about university, tertiary education, VTAC/ UAC/ QTAC/ other state equivalents and careers-related questions. From “I’m unsure what I want to study anymore and want to take a gap year. How do I do that?” to “Can I still get into [insert course] at [insert institution]?”, we’ll take them all! You don’t even have to be a Year 12 Class of 2018 student to join! If you're in Year 11 or younger and have any questions regarding what happens after Year 12 or simply what life is like after high school ends, feel free to ask your questions when this Q & A begins.

-snip-

Some helpful resources:

Resources (Click me!)

General
Lauren's Choosing Universities: A Beginner's Guide
Sdfg's How to Choose a University Course: A Student Perspective
Open Universities' Should I Go to Uni Online?...
EEEEEEP's Guide to University Rankings
Opengangs' Lower ATAR than I needed - what do I do? Thread
PhoenixxFire's Missed out on pre-reqs? Bridging courses are available (Swinburne and Monash) Thread

QTAC Resources

- Courses with Fixed Closing Dates
- Course Preferences - How to Change and Order your Preferences - Note: Only 3 free changes of preference with QTAC!

If you don’t have one already, register for an account and log in to join in on December 19.

[Bri MT]

This q&a is now open!

Best of luck for 9 am

[s110820]

This q&a is now open!

Best of luck for 9 am

The ATARs are actually out already

[Bri MT]

The ATARs are actually out already

Well, it is past 9   Iirc they came out at about 8:40?

Glad you're finally able to get some closure!

[Bri MT]

Re: preferences I want to make this as clear as possible

Do not put something as a lower preference due to not meeting the clearly-in ATAR

> Your ATAR is not the same as your selection rank i.e. it does not include EAS, subject bonuses etc.
> The clearly-in is a guess based on what they think the demand for the course will be
> Having another course as a higher preference does not remove you from consideration for the other courses on your preference list.

[jessallen380]

I guess I’ll start this off then- I’m a year 11 student but I was wondering if we know when scaling reports will be released?

Also with subject bonuses (Specialist and physics) and adjustments for uni subjects ect- is this included in your ATAR or is it added by each university?

[Bri MT]

I guess I’ll start this off then- I’m a year 11 student but I was wondering if we know when scaling reports will be released?

Also with subject bonuses (Specialist and physics) and adjustments for uni subjects ect- is this included in your ATAR or is it added by each university?

Hey,

Welcome to the forums

Not sure exactly yet on when scaling reports will be released but generally those come out in the next year. Scaling is applied by QTAC and is then reflected in their ATAR calculation. Subject bonuses and adjustments are added to the ATAR and contribute to the selection rank for entry into a course (i.e. they are not included in the ATAR you see on results day)

[s110820]

Hey,

I think I have until midnight tonight to decide the final order of my preferences for the January 14th offer round, so can you guys please help me decide on a university to attend? Because even though I've made like a pros and cons list, I'm still kinda stuck on deciding which unversity would be best for me. I'm deciding between ACU and QUT.

ACU

Pros:
- By taking religion/theology units, I would be able to teach in Catholic and other faith-based schools.
- I would also be able to teach at other types of schools such as government, independent, Catholic and other faith-based schools (more options).
- Smaller campus
- Blended degree (Special Education and Primary Education in the same degree meaning that I won't have to do a Masters of Special Education if I want to do a Masters of Social Work)
- Wide and diverse range of units - these units sound really interesting but at the same time, I'm not really sure if I could manage driving to and from Banyo but I don't know.

Cons:
- The Banyo campus is far from where I live. It's not easily accessible from where I live either, especially if I want to take public transport to and from university.
- I would have to get my Driver's Liscense. This is kinda embarrassing to admit but I'm really scared of driving because I'm anxious a lot and I also panic quite often, which is also why I only have 30 of my 100 hours at the moment.
- While ACU does have a smaller campus, it's also one of the most populated universities for Education degrees.

QUT

Pros:
- Thankfully, the QUT campus is close to where I live and it's also easily accessible if I want to take public transport because I don't want to burden my parents with driving me everywhere.
- QUT also has a really good exchange program. Hopefully, when international travel does open back up, I'll be able to pursue my dream of teaching internationally (preferably somewhere in the UK or Europe).
- QUT also offers flexible delivery which means that I can either choose to study completely online, on campus or a blended style to suit my needs, which I'm extremely grateful for to have this choice in my university studies.
- Apparently, according to some of the websites I found, QUT also has smaller cohorts.
- Customisable degree: I can choose a specialisation in my Primary Education degree.

Cons:
- Limited range of units - while these units do sound interesting, QUT doesn't really have much to offer with like the different types of units if that makes sense.
- No blended degree - at QUT, there are no double degrees or blended degrees for Primary Education, which means that if I do decide to go to QUT, I'll have to decide between a Master's of Special Education or a Master's of Social Work.

Personally, I think my biggest problem is deciding between location or subjects offered. I know that this may be a bit of a hassle and I probably should have thought about this ages ago, but can you guys please help me decide between QUT and ACU? I would really appreciate it

Thanks so much and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon

[The Cat In The Hat]

Hey,

I think I have until midnight tonight to decide the final order of my preferences for the January 14th offer round, so can you guys please help me decide on a university to attend? Because even though I've made like a pros and cons list, I'm still kinda stuck on deciding which unversity would be best for me. I'm deciding between ACU and QUT.

ACU

Pros:
- By taking religion/theology units, I would be able to teach in Catholic and other faith-based schools.
- I would also be able to teach at other types of schools such as government, independent, Catholic and other faith-based schools (more options).
- Smaller campus
- Blended degree (Special Education and Primary Education in the same degree meaning that I won't have to do a Masters of Special Education if I want to do a Masters of Social Work)
- Wide and diverse range of units - these units sound really interesting but at the same time, I'm not really sure if I could manage driving to and from Banyo but I don't know.

Cons:
- The Banyo campus is far from where I live. It's not easily accessible from where I live either, especially if I want to take public transport to and from university.
- I would have to get my Driver's Liscense. This is kinda embarrassing to admit but I'm really scared of driving because I'm anxious a lot and I also panic quite often, which is also why I only have 30 of my 100 hours at the moment.
- While ACU does have a smaller campus, it's also one of the most populated universities for Education degrees.

QUT

Pros:
- Thankfully, the QUT campus is close to where I live and it's also easily accessible if I want to take public transport because I don't want to burden my parents with driving me everywhere.
- QUT also has a really good exchange program. Hopefully, when international travel does open back up, I'll be able to pursue my dream of teaching internationally (preferably somewhere in the UK or Europe).
- QUT also offers flexible delivery which means that I can either choose to study completely online, on campus or a blended style to suit my needs, which I'm extremely grateful for to have this choice in my university studies.
- Apparently, according to some of the websites I found, QUT also has smaller cohorts.
- Customisable degree: I can choose a specialisation in my Primary Education degree.

Cons:
- Limited range of units - while these units do sound interesting, QUT doesn't really have much to offer with like the different types of units if that makes sense.
- No blended degree - at QUT, there are no double degrees or blended degrees for Primary Education, which means that if I do decide to go to QUT, I'll have to decide between a Master's of Special Education or a Master's of Social Work.

Personally, I think my biggest problem is deciding between location or subjects offered. I know that this may be a bit of a hassle and I probably should have thought about this ages ago, but can you guys please help me decide between QUT and ACU? I would really appreciate it

Thanks so much and kind regards,

Darcy Dillon

Have you researched whether you can transfer between those courses at all? (So that if you pick one you know if you could transfer after a semester or something, in case you're not happy with it?) Just a thought. Best of luck!

[s110820]

Have you researched whether you can transfer between those courses at all? (So that if you pick one you know if you could transfer after a semester or something, in case you're not happy with it?) Just a thought. Best of luck!

Yeah I have but thanks so much for the suggestion - I really appreciate it! At the moment, I'm keen on going to QUT so I'm changing my preferences around before midnight tonight. But thanks again

[Jaydsfwef]

I got an ATAR of 99.65
I am thinking of either going to UQ dentistry or Griffith medicine.
Considering my preference for both courses is equal, (Since I want to work in the health industry), which course/university is better?

[AngelWings]

Both unis are quite highly ranked, although I think UQ ranks slightly higher and is Go8 (meaning it’s one of the more research-heavy/ big unis).

In terms of which is better - it’s a personal thing. I’d be more inclined to find the course Handbook for each course and double check the sorts of things you’d be doing. If the uni or course appeals to you more, then that’s the course I’d pick.

Some things to consider:
- What job would you like out of this? Which one will get you there?
- Do you care about convenience? Is one campus significantly closer to home or faster to travel to? (It adds up really quick!)
- Do you care about cost and/or time taken? (Remember you’ll have to pay off your uni loans afterwards.)
- Does one uni offer more practical aspects like work experience, placements and internships? (This is a big thing for health industry jobs, particularly if you’re intending to become a GP or dentist.)
- Does one course sound better to you when you read the subjects you’ll cover, the work involved in it and/or the opportunities it presents? (This should really be one of the top things to look out for.)
- Do you prefer the atmosphere of one uni vs. the other? (Social aspects like clubs/ events/ other students and a welcoming feeling to the campus is something that’ll really pay off when it comes to having a better uni experience.)

If you’re stuck, start making a pros and cons list about each and see how you go. I’d also probably talk to the unis themselves (though potentially biased), students who do the course (if possible) and adults you trust e.g. parents/ guardians.

Side note: I assume you’ve already checked the prerequisites for both courses and completed the UCAT.

[MA_2020]

I was wondering who actually gets offers in the early offer rounds? The major offer round is on the 14th of January, but there is still an offer round in the 23rd of December. Do the 97+ atar students get an offer that round or how does that work?

[Bri MT]

I was wondering who actually gets offers in the early offer rounds? The major offer round is on the 14th of January, but there is still an offer round in the 23rd of December. Do the 97+ atar students get an offer that round or how does that work?

Different courses participate in different offer rounds

[K.Smithy]

I was wondering who actually gets offers in the early offer rounds? The major offer round is on the 14th of January, but there is still an offer round in the 23rd of December. Do the 97+ atar students get an offer that round or how does that work?

Hi! From my understanding early offers will be available for the less competitive courses (this is the case for UQ at least - I'm not sure if this is the same for other universities). This means that courses such as medicine and law will be off the table for early offers and you would have to wait for the major offer round in January.
I believe that early offers will go out to those who have surpassed to minimum ATAR for the course (like any other offer round, it will begin with those who received the highest ATARs and work its way down, giving offers out as it goes down the list). I am, however, unsure of where they draw the line and say, "That is enough offers for this offer round."
Hope this clears up some confusion!