I couldn't have done this without the help of everyone from AtarNotes!
When I received my scores in 2012, I was quite shattered, because my literature score (below 25) meant that I was ineligible for pretty much all courses at UoM, Monash, RMIT and La Trobe. I got no first round offers and no second round offers.
Someone from AtarNotes suggested that I could repeat English at either TAFE, CAE or Distance Ed. I knew there was a TAFE near my home, and I only had to attend class one day per week, so I went with that option. I got a full-time job doing labour work at a scrap metal yard and I would take Monday afternoons off work to go to TAFE. I ended up scoring a 28 in English, which was just what I needed to pass the prerequisites and open up a lot of options for me. My ATAR also got boosted up above 88, which was the minimum requirement for Access Melbourne entry into BCom.
However, I didn't get Access Melbourne because the only category I applied for was underrepresented school, and that was insufficient for me to be granted entry. My ATAR was 3.5 points too low to get guaranteed entry into BSci at UoM without Access Melbourne.
My options were Science at Monash or Science at RMIT. I went with RMIT because of the location. I had just found a job and accommodation in the city a few weeks before offers were released, and I knew that going to Monash Clayton would mean giving it all up, so I chose RMIT city. I knew the scores I had to aim for for either BSci or BCom at UoM. I was mainly aiming for Science though, because I thought Commerce was out of reach for me.
During all of this, my dad lost his job and I applied for Centrelink. When midyear offers came around, I was able to give my CRN to VTAC as evidence that I was financially disadvantaged, so that boosted up my scores a bit. My university scores were higher than I thought they would be, but still not on par with the indicative scores that UoM recommends to midyear applicants. Nevertheless, with the help of SEAS, I received the BCom offer I was aiming for. And right now, I couldn't be happier

Thank you everyone who supported me through my journey to get to my dream university. You are all my heroes
