For many students, receiving the ATAR is the exclamation point to 13 years of formal schooling. After a year of study and assessments, it can be a highly emotional time, with a lot of pressure and expectation placed on one number. Each and every year, ‘ATAR Day’ is a time of great celebration for many students. For other students, it’s a time of disappointment and uncertainty.

This article will focus on how you, as a parent, guardian, or carer of a Year 12 child, can assist your student through results season.

 

Know the options available

Year 12 results (including the ATAR) are not the be-all-and-end-all. Not achieving the required ATAR for a course does not mean that entry to the course is entirely unobtainable in the future, although the pathway to get there may be a little less direct.

If a student didn’t achieve the ATAR they were looking for, there will still be other options available. Of course, they may not be as desirable as the student’s first preference (and that could be, understandably, disappointing), but they are options nonetheless. Some of those options are outlined below.

"... there will still be other options available."

 

Enrol in an equivalent course at a different institution

Lots of different universities offer similar courses. For example, many institutions offer a ‘Bachelor of Science’. Even if your child doesn’t gain admission to their degree at one institution, they may receive an offer for a comparable course elsewhere. If they enrol in that degree and then perform strongly, there’s a chance they may be able to ‘transfer’ to their preferred institution.

You can find out more about transferring here.

 

Enrol in a similar course at the same institution

Transferring can also involve moving between degrees at the same institution (this is typically referred to as ‘internal transfer’). Your child may enrol in a Bachelor of Arts, for example, and then transfer their way to a double degree in Arts and Laws based on their university marks.

It’s important to note here that transferring is not always possible, and it’s at the discretion of the university. That means nothing is guaranteed, and it’s worth encouraging your child to speak with the university about what they might need to satisfy (grades, pre-requisite subjects etc.) to successfully transfer to their preferred program.

 

Pathway options

Alternatively, a lot of universities offer ‘pathway’ options, which end with entry into a degree. These options may include options like a Certificate or a Diploma in an associated field. Entry requirements for these options are typically less stringent than undergraduate equivalents, meaning students can use these pathways as ‘stepping stones’ toward their ultimate degree.

As with a lot of things, options here will vary from university to university, so it’s worth investigating with the relevant institution(s) directly.

"... options here will vary from university to university..."

 

Know the support systems

Around the time that results are released, there is usually a ‘Change of Preference’ (COP) period. In the COP period, students can update their preferences after results are released, though it’s worth noting that preferences for some courses close before this time.

Change of preference is open for a limited time, so it’s important for students to be aware of key dates and deadlines. For this reason, many universities will have a direct line of contact through this period, such as a hotline that students (and parents/guardians) can call for assistance.

 

‘Spending’ the ATAR

As a brief aside, it’s also possible that the student will be overwhelmingly pleased with their results and ATAR, to the point that they feel like they need to ‘spend’ it. What does this mean, exactly?

Each year, we see students achieve an ATAR higher than anticipated, and then panic because they feel like they need to change their preferences. The reason for this is that, in some circles, common rhetoric suggests students should ‘spend’ their ATAR - that is, try to get in the course with the highest ATAR possible.

What this might look like in practice is a bit like this:

  • A student wants to study a course that requires a 70 ATAR.

  • They receive their results, and are ecstatic to receive a 95 ATAR.

  • After receiving their results, the student decides to change their preferences, and place Law first. They don’t actually want to study Law but, because of their results, they change their preferences.

 

Of course, the logic behind this decision-making process is questionable. The ATAR is ultimately a key - not the only key, but one key - to unlock a door to a certain degree. Preferencing a degree that you don’t want to study just because you can unlock the door is counter-productive.

"The ATAR is ultimately a key - not the only key, but one key - to unlock a door to a certain degree."

In what is typically a stressful and confusing period, you might like to remind your student what the point of the ATAR really is.

 

Give students space and support

Emotions run high around results time. Students may be very happy, very disappointed, or anywhere in between - and those emotions extend to parents and guardians, too. But it’s important to support students to pursue what they want to pursue, rather than what anybody else wants them to.

These decisions are not ‘all or nothing’, but they can impact students’ ultimate career paths. Allowing them to make their own decisions is important, and feeling supported will help facilitate this.

 

Best of luck for the results period!