How does repeating VCE work?

[chickenpop]

I got satisfactory scores in English, Psychology and Methods, but the rest let me down and now I'm likely to miss my preferred course since I'm 1.50 below cut-off.

So my question is, should I repeat if I don't get into my course when the offers arrive?

I would need a 43 scaled in any subject and should get in easy

Also, would I need to take 5 subjects again, or could I use English, Psych, Methods from previous year, combine with subjects next year to calculate an ATAR?

[happyhappyland]

What course is it? I dont think you should repeat year 12.. start the same sort of degree at a different university or a similiar degree in the same university and transfer into your preferred course after a semester or first year.

[sgeorge]

I think your best option would be to get into a similar course at the same university you would like to attend, and then take an internal transfer. It's possible that if you're only 1.5 below the clearly in, you might still have a chance of getting in.

[WonderBunny]

I agree with the other posters, a transfer from a related course is definitely do-able. You also have a reasonable chance of getting a second round offer.
If you do decide to repeat year 12, you don't have to do a full load of subjects. Some people do 1 or 2 subjects and work part time as well. There is no penalty for repeating a subject, so some people just redo the ones they did badly on. Other people choose different subjects that are more suited to their natural abilities, like doing history after screwing up spesh. (This is an actual example from a VCAA pamphlet.)
Your ATAR score is calculated from your top subjects no matter what year you complete them. A good score in a subject can knock a bad score out of your top 4 and change your ATAR completely.
 

[jimmy999]

The careers advisor at my school said to always accept your first offer. Thing is your preferences should list all possible ways to get into your course. Therefore there should be nothing wrong with accepting your first offer

[WonderBunny]

That is such good advice. Unfortunately few people do that. I always hear of people who only put in one or two preferences and if they don't get them they think it's all over. There is always another way into a course! Put your back up plan into your preferences- it doesn't cost anything!

[jimmy999]

That is such good advice. Unfortunately few people do that. I always hear of people who only put in one or two preferences and if they don't get them they think it's all over. There is always another way into a course! Put your back up plan into your preferences- it doesn't cost anything!

Exactly. I was pretty confident that I would always get well above the minimum score needed for sci/eng at monash, however I still listed all engineering and science degrees that would allow me to pursue chemical engineering just in case

[Winter]

Maybe you should check with someone about this, but I heard from somewhere that if you repeat VCE you have to choose subjects that are different from the ones you studied (Units 3/4)

If this is the case, I don't think it's worth it to repeat Year 12 because you're 1.5 below cut off. Since this is very close to the cut off, they should look into what you've done throughout the year (by a form you fill out, can't remember what it's called) and if you've done a lot of activities, they would take that into consideration. If they don't, maybe try convince them by a letter. My careers teacher has done it before for a student and succeeded (this also required some support from teachers). I can imagine how much persistence this involved but won't hurt to give this a shot if you don't get your first preference. Make sure you explain your circumstances well.

Or: you could look at alternate pathways. Get into a related course and then transfer into that specific course you're aiming for after a year of good results. (I'm sure you hear about this all the time)
This is probably the best option if you don't get your first preference because related subjects get credited towards the course you're transferring into. You're not wasting another year repeating Year 12.

[vexx]

I got satisfactory scores in English, Psychology and Methods, but the rest let me down and now I'm likely to miss my preferred course since I'm 1.50 below cut-off.

So my question is, should I repeat if I don't get into my course when the offers arrive?

I would need a 43 scaled in any subject and should get in easy

Also, would I need to take 5 subjects again, or could I use English, Psych, Methods from previous year, combine with subjects next year to calculate an ATAR?

Your last year subjects stay, and whatever you do this year will either add on or replace if you get higher in ones you repeat - there are no penalty.
Listen to people above - depending on the course, there are many ways into it, some courses aren't like this though, its up to you if you repeat, but transferring in is easier since some you can do after a semester, or a year and gain credit. Uni is going to be far funner then repeating..