Taking VCE as older student

[Rose839]

Ugh so I’m embarrassed to admit I’ll be taking VCE year 12 next year aged 22. I’ve lived abroad the last decade so I’m new to the Australian system.

I didn’t complete school abroad due to being raised in an extreme sect religion (I refused an arranged marriage so had to leave home aged 16 and was working to support myself and didn’t have time to finish school).

So what advice would you give me? I’m pretty nervous about this- I want to actually pursue a fulfilling career in pharmaceutical research so I need exceptional grades. I’m so new to the Australian system and it’ll be tough getting it all done in the one year. Anyone experienced similar?

[sweetiepi]

Ugh so I’m embarrassed to admit I’ll be taking VCE year 12 next year aged 22. I’ve lived abroad the last decade so I’m new to the Australian system.

I didn’t complete school abroad due to being raised in an extreme sect religion (I refused an arranged marriage so had to leave home aged 16 and was working to support myself and didn’t have time to finish school).

So what advice would you give me? I’m pretty nervous about this- I want to actually pursue a fulfilling career in pharmaceutical research so I need exceptional grades. I’m so new to the Australian system and it’ll be tough getting it all done in the one year. Anyone experienced similar?

Hey! Welcome to the forum!
Don't be embarrassed!

A big piece of advice that I can offer is to take it a step at a time- evaluate what you need to do, and plan out how you intend to study.
I've not experienced similar, however we're here to offer you support whenever you need it.

What interests you about pharmaceutical research?

[Yertle the Turtle]

Ugh so I’m embarrassed to admit I’ll be taking VCE year 12 next year aged 22. I’ve lived abroad the last decade so I’m new to the Australian system.

I didn’t complete school abroad due to being raised in an extreme sect religion (I refused an arranged marriage so had to leave home aged 16 and was working to support myself and didn’t have time to finish school).

So what advice would you give me? I’m pretty nervous about this- I want to actually pursue a fulfilling career in pharmaceutical research so I need exceptional grades. I’m so new to the Australian system and it’ll be tough getting it all done in the one year. Anyone experienced similar?

Welcome. I haven't been on these forums for too long, but the thing that you can notice first is the wonderful caring community we have here. This is what we are here for. If you have any questions on anything, I'm sure everyone here is perfectly happy to help.
A word of advice about VCE: Enjoy it, make the most of every moment, try to get the best out of all your classes, and never lose sight of your goals. Head where you want to head, but never be too fixed to change, if you decide that your initial gut-feeling was wrong. And always remember that we here at AN are your buddies!
Good luck!

[Rose839]

Hey! Welcome to the forum!
Don't be embarrassed!

A big piece of advice that I can offer is to take it a step at a time- evaluate what you need to do, and plan out how you intend to study.
I've not experienced similar, however we're here to offer you support whenever you need it.

What interests you about pharmaceutical research?

Thanks ☺️

Yes I’m trying to plan my studying already! I work well alone and I like to be ahead by a couple weeks minimum so I’m trying to familiarise myself with the syllabi now.

What’s not interesting about pharmaceutical research?! Looking at the history of medicine as a whole is fascinating and studying the leading developments is inspirational. The prospect of being a part of that is exciting.

[sweetiepi]

Thanks ☺️

Yes I’m trying to plan my studying already! I work well alone and I like to be ahead by a couple weeks minimum so I’m trying to familiarise myself with the syllabi now.

What’s not interesting about pharmaceutical research?! Looking at the history of medicine as a whole is fascinating and studying the leading developments is inspirational. The prospect of being a part of that is exciting.

Sounds like a great idea! which subjects are doing?

Pharmaceutical development is indeed quite fascinating! I understand your passion 100% (That being said- I just finished my first year of a Pharmaceutical Science degree)!

[AngelWings]

Welcome to the VCE system. That's a brave step you're taking, so congratulations on tackling the first hurdle (entering the gauntlet)!

You've come to the right place to ask. Where is your knowledge about the VCE system at and what sort of subjects will you be taking? We can help a lot more than just inform and give advice if we know which direction to head in. Many of the people who talk on here are experiencing/ have previously experienced Year 12.

I hope you've found a few websites like (click the blue links below to access them):
- the Year 12 subject syllabi (also known as 'study designs')
- the search engine for tertiary courses, which will state the requirements universities and tertiary institutions are looking for. In your case, you should know that you should be doing an English subject (English, English as an Additional Language [EAL], English Language or Literature), a maths subject e.g. Mathematical Methods and/or Specialist Mathematics usually (Further Mathematics may be accepted at some places) and probably Chemistry in Year 12 to fulfil the prerequisites for most of the pharmaceutical research degrees you're hoping to do in the future.
- the two main bodies who'll take you through Year 12 - VCAA (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority), who make your syllabi, exams and other resources, and VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre), who become the intermediate between you and most universities and tertiary institutions to get you from finished Year 12 to a university student.

[Vaike]

Hi there! Firstly, I just want to commend you on your work ethic and aspirations, its so awesome to see! I definitely agree with all the above advice, it's absolutely spot on. 

One tip I think is super crucial to succeeding in VCE or any type of education really is not being afraid to ask questions and recognise when you don't understand something. There is so much wisdom and kindness on the ATAR Notes community, whenever I had questions I was always able to get them answered here. So make sure you continue to ask for help whenever you need it, whether its from tutors or friends or this community, if you can ensure you have a thorough and deep understanding of all the required concepts, you'll be on your way to that pharmaceutical science degree in no time!

[Rose839]

Welcome to the VCE system. That's a brave step you're taking, so congratulations on tackling the first hurdle (entering the gauntlet)!

You've come to the right place to ask. Where is your knowledge about the VCE system at and what sort of subjects will you be taking? We can help a lot more than just inform and give advice if we know which direction to head in. Many of the people who talk on here are experiencing/ have previously experienced Year 12.

I hope you've found a few websites like (click the blue links below to access them):
- the Year 12 subject syllabi (also known as 'study designs')
- the search engine for tertiary courses, which will state the requirements universities and tertiary institutions are looking for. In your case, you should know that you should be doing an English subject (English, English as an Additional Language [EAL], English Language or Literature), a maths subject e.g. Mathematical Methods and/or Specialist Mathematics usually (Further Mathematics may be accepted at some places) and probably Chemistry in Year 12 to fulfil the prerequisites for most of the pharmaceutical research degrees you're hoping to do in the future.
- the two main bodies who'll take you through Year 12 - VCAA (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority), who make your syllabi, exams and other resources, and VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre), who become the intermediate between you and most universities and tertiary institutions to get you from finished Year 12 to a university student.

I’ll be doing English, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Psychology.

Those are great links thanks!

Yes I found that those were the requirements- so instead of going straight into a pharma sci degree like I’d want to ideally I’d go into a bachelors of science and hopefully accrue enough credit to transfer, or go on to do a masters of pharma sci.

 I feel like the maths is just too much to take on this year with everything else- I went to a religious school and maths wasn’t really taught for girls. I’m not mathematically illiterate (illmathematic?!) by all means- I do think I have the required skills, but the idea of taking on maths methods with everything else is just too much.

[AngelWings]

I’ll be doing English, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Psychology.

Those are great links thanks!

Yes I found that those were the requirements- so instead of going straight into a pharma sci degree like I’d want to ideally I’d go into a bachelors of science and hopefully accrue enough credit to transfer, or go on to do a masters of pharma sci.

 I feel like the maths is just too much to take on this year with everything else- I went to a religious school and maths wasn’t really taught for girls. I’m not mathematically illiterate (illmathematic?!) by all means- I do think I have the required skills, but the idea of taking on maths methods with everything else is just too much.

Fair enough. Hopefully you'll know what to do. Definitely listen to all the advice before me as well! I would highly recommend that you scour the 'stickied' threads around here on AN (they're usually in orange and situated at the top of the boards); we've got tonnes of guides on not just surviving VCE, but tactics to do well in those subjects as well! There's lots of resources for those subjects, so I doubt you'll have many issues.    

If you have any questions regarding the Bachelor of Science at Monash Uni, feel free to ask! I've just finished my 3 years.

[peterpiper]

Which university + course do you want to specifically go into?

For certain courses/universities, I'm pretty sure you could go through TAFE and get a diploma which would be enough to get you into the course you want to do. It's worth considering, since TAFE institutions offer a lot of support for many students from different backgrounds of learning, and it might be beneficial for you, as VCE assumes a lot from their students. I'd have a look at La Trobe for instance and the diplomas they offer. There are plenty more out there as well if you can find them.