ATAR under the clearly in?

[kitty96]

I got a pretty pathetic ATAR (53.45) and was wanting to do arts/commerce at deakin, which had a clearly in of 59.7 last year, with only 12.5% of applicants being accepted below the clearly in.
What are my chances of being accepted being so far under the clearly in from last year?
My other option is arts/commence at ACU which had a clearly in of 59.05 but they had 42% of offers to people under the clearly in last year.
I also have a SEAS application due to suffering from a pretty serious medical condition since year 10.
Thanks guys, sorry I'm pretty nervous!

[keltingmeith]

Remember that clearly-ins change from year to year, and so the ATAR for either of those could get lower and you could get in! (not saying it WILL happen, but that doesn't mean you should lose hope either!)

Honestly, if you want to go to Deakin, put it as number 1, then put ACU after it. If you don't get Deakin in your first round, you'll then be considered for ACU. Unless, of course, you don't want to study at ACU - in which case, I wouldn't list it at all. Just list them in order of preference, and you cannot go wrong.

Another point worth making is that you may find the single degree variants of either have lower "clearly-ins", and so it could be a good idea to list them as well and transfer into the double degree after getting some solid marks next year. Of course, don't list them higher than comm/arts just because you don't think you'll get in - nothing will change if you move comm/arts lower other than you DEFINITELY won't get it. If it's number 1 (ie, the first course they'll consider you for), then you still have a fighting chance.

[sparked]

If you have SEAS there will be obviously less of a gap (after adjustment).

Your best bet - call the university! Universities like Deakin, Swinburne, La Trobe and especially ACU have very targeted and 'intimate' course advisory officers. Call up and ask about your options!