WHY DID I GET SUCH A LOW ATAR LAST YEAR?

[AngelWings]

While it is a good idea to go to tafe now or repeat year 12, it is an even better idea to get it done well the first time round.

We all wish that were the case, however, we don’t know the entire story, so I wouldn’t be as quick to judge. Sadly, not all students are able to “do well” in VCE for a variety of reasons and not all schools are good at informing students about life after high school.

Moreover, no one’s journey is linear. Sometimes - actually, more often than not - our lives don’t always go according to plan and we are forced to take a different, sometimes more scenic route - and sometimes, this can be a good thing (think: figure out one’s reason for going to uni). It’s knowing when to take the punch and accepting what’s happened is in the past, that people will learn and become just that little bit wiser. For WAAAAAAA, this is one of those times.

WAAAAAAAA, although you’ve encountered a hurdle in your life, don’t let it stop you from trying a pathway and getting into the course and/or career of your dreams. (And as mentioned above, the ATAR is only one way of entering higher education.) I’ve seen plenty of people start uni in all sorts of ways, including transferring into their dream course or even gaining work experience first and starting as a mature age student. If there’s a will, there’s a way!

I like law and commerce, but looking at my atar I don't stand a chance at all. Yeah like I said I wish someone told me earlier about scaling and all that so I don't have to bear the burden I do now. If only I knew, but oh well I don't have too much of a choice now seeing my score and all.

Actually there’s still a number of courses and institutes that will still accept you directly, ATAR or not (see Open Universities Australia). One example is Vic Uni’s Bachelor of Business, which doesn’t need an ATAR. Aside from a Bachelor (i.e. normal undergrad degree), you could do a Diploma or Certificate (usually associated to TAFE courses). Bridging courses also might be an option (sometimes this is a Diploma in itself), which’ll allow you to enter the first year of a Bachelor’s degree or, if you’re lucky, allow you to skip to the second year of a Bachelor’s degree after completion. If that’s not your style and you don’t mind what undergrad degree you take, then postgrad options like a JD (postgraduate law degree) could also work, provided you pass an undergraduate degree that the postgrad courses accept. These options don’t require you to repeat Year 12 and will allow you to tackle law and commerce from different angles. If you do your research thoroughly enough, you might be able to find a way that isn’t “an inconvenience” in your perspective.

If you take a course at uni that you don’t like, then transferring (assuming good grades) or deferring are options. If you ask about credit transfer, this will make transfers a lot easier - and you’ll be able to get to your desired law or commerce course in less time.

As K888’s mentioned, quite a number of people won’t take, say, a 3 year undergrad commerce degree within 3 years, so you won’t look out of place. (Seriously, I’ve had classmates who were my parents’ or grandparents’ age and still hardly anyone even batted an eye.) Everyone takes their own path at their own pace - some are simply just longer than others.

Hope that helps.

[Stormbreaker-X]

We all wish that were the case, however, we don’t know the entire story, so I wouldn’t be as quick to judge. Sadly, not all students are able to “do well” in VCE for a variety of reasons and not all schools are good at informing students about life after high school.

Moreover, no one’s journey is linear. Sometimes - actually, more often than not - our lives don’t always go according to plan and we are forced to take a different, sometimes more scenic route - and sometimes, this can be a good thing (think: figure out one’s reason for going to uni). It’s knowing when to take the punch and accepting what’s happened is in the past, that people will learn and become just that little bit wiser. For WAAAAAAA, this is one of those times.

WAAAAAAAA, although you’ve encountered a hurdle in your life, don’t let it stop you from trying a pathway and getting into the course and/or career of your dreams. (And as mentioned above, the ATAR is only one way of entering higher education.) I’ve seen plenty of people start uni in all sorts of ways, including transferring into their dream course or even gaining work experience first and starting as a mature age student. If there’s a will, there’s a way!
 Actually there’s still a number of courses and institutes that will still accept you directly, ATAR or not (see Open Universities Australia). One example is Vic Uni’s Bachelor of Business, which doesn’t need an ATAR. Aside from a Bachelor (i.e. normal undergrad degree), you could do a Diploma or Certificate (usually associated to TAFE courses). Bridging courses also might be an option (sometimes this is a Diploma in itself), which’ll allow you to enter the first year of a Bachelor’s degree or, if you’re lucky, allow you to skip to the second year of a Bachelor’s degree after completion. If that’s not your style and you don’t mind what undergrad degree you take, then postgrad options like a JD (postgraduate law degree) could also work, provided you pass an undergraduate degree that the postgrad courses accept. These options don’t require you to repeat Year 12 and will allow you to tackle law and commerce from different angles. If you do your research thoroughly enough, you might be able to find a way that isn’t “an inconvenience” in your perspective.

If you take a course at uni that you don’t like, then transferring (assuming good grades) or deferring are options. If you ask about credit transfer, this will make transfers a lot easier - and you’ll be able to get to your desired law or commerce course in less time.

As K888’s mentioned, quite a number of people won’t take, say, a 3 year undergrad commerce degree within 3 years, so you won’t look out of place. (Seriously, I’ve had classmates who were my parents’ or grandparents’ age and still hardly anyone even batted an eye.) Everyone takes their own path at their own pace - some are simply just longer than others.

Hope that helps.

Sorry if I am blunt, yes you are very correct. Some people do take a while to do something and in the end as long as you reach your goal I think that is the part that matters.

[dev_xy]

An ATAR of 55 means you ranked higher than 55% of everyone, which is about average. Since it is in the past I'd say just forget about it and work harder in whichever career you endeavour for. Good luck 

Food for thought