Does low ATAR equate to being a failure in life?

[1ne]

Kinda a stupid question, but it seems like a low ATAR is really the end of the world for many people out there, I know most people on this forum are high achievers but given the amount of people who do the VCE each year the majority don't get the high ATAR scores, and some people don't do as well due to being faced with bad circumstances or just plain laziness and lack of motivation for others. Do you guys think that a low ATAR would mean less chance of success in life? It would make sense that if you can get a good ATAR, get to a decent university, finish your degree and get a job your already ahead of the people who didn't do as well, but how badly does it effect your future ambitions? Would it mean working at Safeway or Maccas for the rest of your life as the general perception seems to be or it doesn't really matter that much?

Do you know of people who have succeeded in life despite not being able to do well or as well in their VCE? Kinda stupid, but personally I don't know of any.

Hopefully the discussions in this thread can help the many lurkers who view this forum, some of whom are not in the elite group of high achievers maybe not give up on hope on their future goals, and realize that their is hope out there.

edit: Although I sometimes think of the implications of a low ATAR equating to failure in life.. this question is for my cousin.

[Camo]

One of the mods has a low ATAR, guess who..

[acrimony]

One of the mods has a low ATAR, guess who..

Doesn't mean that mod isn't a failure in life

[taiga]

Nope, all you need in life is the first break. Uni degrees and stuff help you get that, but even without a high school finish you can still work your way up through jobs till you reach a very respectable level. Entrepreneurship is another pretty obvious path. A high ATAR and thus a Uni Course definitely makes things easier, but nothing is impossible.

[|ll|lll|]

I know most people on this forum are high achievers but given the amount of people who do the VCE each year the majority don't get the high ATAR scores, and some people don't do as well due to being faced with bad circumstances or just plain laziness and lack of motivation for others.

Given that you're in year 12 now, this shouldn't be your, or your cousin's priority concern.
There can never be a fair game, not in VCE, and much less in the work force in future. All you can do is to do your best, so you can complete VCE without regrets. It'd be even better if people around you can recognise your efforts, so you can be commended accordingly, but that aside, if you have reached your maximum potential, what else can you ask for?
FYI, some "high achiever" do have to face "bad circumstances" too.

[Ahmad]

I know one guy who didn't finish highschool, years later he wanted to study maths at university. He got into university by convincing them that he's capable, I think using some sort of portfolio. He has now finished (or almost finished) his degree.

[eeps]

http://i.imgur.com/whPcP.jpg

Always look at the bigger picture. Year 12 is only one chapter of your life. Prime example of this is Lindsay Fox - 'He was educated at Melbourne High School, but was asked to leave during Year 10, at age 16, due to his lack of academic interest. He started working as a truck driver and was able to use this as a springboard to found Linfox. As of 2009, he was the 10th richest person in Australia, with a net worth of around A$1.5 billion.'

[MJRomeo81]

IMO the ATAR is only relevant for getting you into your course. Too many people focus on the four digits when they discover that their study habits and work ethic are absolute garbage in Uni. You can get away with cheating (plagiarising), not studying & cramming, etc. in VCE. University requires a lot more self-commitment. And yes it is true that you can cheat in Uni but would you waste 30k+ in order to be laughed at in a job interview?

No one really gives a damn about your ATAR. It's all about dat dere GPA / WAM.

[ktrah]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Starlight]

lol no, they have all these stories around the time people start getting their atar scores that it isn't the end of the world and show these people who have done tafe and end up getting a stable job and that in the end their atar didn't matter.

[nacho]

I got a low ATAR and i'm not a failure!
*Cheesy smile wink face + thumbs up

[golden]

Just so everyone knows a definition of low ATAR is subjective. An ATAR score is the most practical way they can measure your ability across a range of factors. It is there because they cannot sit down and work with every student to determine the nuances and their appropriateness for the university course, job etc at the same time as ability to understand the content.

So it is a measure which has been devised to suit the hundreds of thousands of students, those who do year 12 currently and those who are doing a year 12 subject in a different year etc... If there were just 4 students doing it the correlation between the two aspects you have raised would probably be more close. However a 'low' ATAR doesn't mean success in life, likewise with the other way round.

One of the mods has a low ATAR, guess who..

I don't know what you got but no ATAR can account for your awesomeness and desire to help others out. That is what is very applicable to the real world.

[charmanderp]

It's not about the ATAR you eventually get, rather how you go about getting it. If you bum around all year, as you have done for the past 12 years, don't try at all and expect that the world will continue to do everything for you, then yes, that part of your life does in a way constitute a failure.

However, even if you're not awfully brainy, you can still apply yourself and try to make the most out of the very fortunate opportunity which is afforded to us by being able to go to school. If you can look back at the end of Year 12 and say that you're happy with your education, not necessarily your result, that's something to be proud of.

[pi]

My school is a highly academic school with some very high achievers, but arguably the most successful man to ever go to my school didn't even finish his year 12: Lindsay Fox.


Anything's possible, but all I know is that if you do get a low ATAR, by NO means is your life over, it just might be a little harder for you to get to where you want to go (which might be a good thing in the end, who knows)

[greenbeans]

VCE mightn't suit many people. Not everyone learns the same way. Also, people can be passionate about other things in life and follow their ideal career goals without needing some sort of certification. There are also always those "geniuses" who just didn't try hard in VCE, who could've got an ATAR 20 points higher than they did. Why is this? Maybe they knew that their course wasn't profusely hard to get into, so they sat back a bit. Maybe they're not actually lacking "motivation", maybe they're not "lazy", but they're able to apply themselves when the subject matter means a lot to them. So you're not necessarily a "failure" at life if you get a low ATAR. Those who do get lower ATARs but don't apply themselves and don't make the most of opportunities perhaps fall under another category. But if you're proactive in turning your interests and passions into a rewarding, stimulating career that'll make you feel as though you've never worked a day in your life, your ATAR won't be the be all and end all.