Have a problem with course preferencing..

[thetimeis]

I've read the stickies but I still don't get ONE thing..

Say I have already been accepted into a course (let's say b.acc) through interview/atar, but I also want to have a chance at getting into another course (let's say b.comm)- how do I order my preferences? If I put b.acc first then I'm guessing it won't make me offers from any of my lower ones unless I decline b.acc, am I right? And i'm guessing the same works the other way...

If I am right, does that mean I can't get my second preference unless I decline my offer for the first preference? If I do decline, is it possible the offer for my second preference may already be gone by the time I get to it? If i'm wrong, then how does it work?

Thanks.

[cyrus_atlantis]

To answer your questions:
1/ The preference list is a PREFERENCE list, you should always put the courses in the order that you want most to least want. If you don't do that and instead put your most preferred course as second preference and yet you can get into your first choice, then you will have zero chance of ever being considered for that second course.
Therefore, if you really prefered a Bach of comm over Bach of acc then definitely put comm as first preference because you never know if the clearly in drop or other factors like seas can help you get into the course. If you leave it as second and you're quite sure you will get into your first pref then you will never be considered for Bach of comm.

2/ If you get an offer for your first preference, you will not get an offer for your 2nd,3rd,4th...etc preference. Meaning that if you reject it, you will not get any other offers, even if you're eligible for the other courses. Why? Because vtac assumes your no 1 preference is indeed the course you MOST want to do. Therefore they will not bother giving u more offers.

3/ You may only get more offers if your first offer was not your first preference. So for example, you got your 2nd/3rd/4th...etc preference in the first offer round. This will mean that you may or may not get an offer from a higher preference in the 2nd offer round(when uni may reassess your application/places available for the course and reconsider offering you the place).

4/ Note: Always accept the first round offer even if it's not your first preference because you may not get any other offers in the later rounds. If it's your first preference the you definitely have to accept it because you definitely won't get any more offers.

5/ Of course, if you get your first preference but by that time have changed your mind to another course further down the list then the only option that you will be considered for that course is to apply for an irregular offer.

Generally, how vtac goes about this whole offer process is that they look at your list, go to your first preference, then ask the uni for that course, 'will you accept?' If yes, then woohoo! Congrats, you got your most preferred course. End of story.
If however that uni said no then vtac will simply go to your second preference and ask the uni, 'will you accept?'. If yes then vtac will give u the offer for the preference, if not then vtac will simply repeat the same process again until they get to a preference in which a uni says 'yes, we can offer you a place'.

So make sure you order the list as a preference list.

Hope that helps clear some misunderstandings.
Good luck!

[thetimeis]

Thanks so much!..but what if my 2nd preference (as i have it now) have said YES from an interview to me getting into the course already?

I dont really prefer one over the other...It's kind of tied..

[cyrus_atlantis]

Then you will definitely get an offer for that 2nd preference IF and only if you do not get into your first preference.

[Joseph41]

Great post Cyrus, very helpful!

Is it a similar story with potential scholarships? For example, would I put Melbourne's Vice Chancellor's scholarship above Monash's Dean's Scholars Program despite the fact that it is highly unlikely that I will be accepted into the former? Is having Monash's Dean's Scholars Program as my second preference likley to lessen the chance of me being accepted into the course?

[cyrus_atlantis]

Probably a bit late now but i'll answer it anyway.

It should work the same way because they are still courses. However courses like melbourne's vice chancellor already has a strict clearly in requirement of 99.90+ so you  won't get your first preference. So although I did say to put the courses as a preference list, you still have to be realistic(in the sense that you're 100% sure you won't be able to get in). But i really believe that there's no harm to putting it as first preference anyway. They will simply move onto your next preference.

In regards to your second question, in which you're asking whether it will affect your chances of getting into the monash scholar course if you put it as 2nd preference, I'm not 100% sure on this but I believe it doesn't matter as long as you have the preq and above their clearly in(which is a result of the overall demand for the course and the no of high achievers wanting that course in that year)

This will mean that if you are still above that atar limit/they are already willing to offer people with the same atar as you, then when they get to your second preference then it doesn't really matter if it's later in the list because you have satisfied the requirements and they're obliged to offer you the course.

I have heard that selection officers can see what preference you put the course as, but they are not supposed to take this into consideration when answering whether to accept or not.

No one seems to be really sure how vtac does it but here, Jinxi have speculated a possible way. Does order of preferences matter>??

Hope it helps!

[Joseph41]

Thanks for the reply! I ended up having Melbourne as my first preference despite the knowledge that I won't get in. Hopefully it all works out. 

[sluu001]

My advice is not yo bother putting the vice chancellor course as your first option. Unfortunately, You have zero chance of getting it as it is a strict minimum requirement (instead of a demand/supply issue). My cousin achieved 99.85 last yr and did not get an offer. So my advice is to just move your preferences up one spot.

[Joseph41]

Yeah, that's what I figured but I wasn't 100% sure before midday, so Melbourne remains as my first preference. Fingers crossed it doesn't impact the likelihood of getting into Monash!