You’ve finally finished your exams. Congratulations, you made it! Now you’ve got your summer holidays coming up and life seems to be a dream. At the back of your mind however, you’re concerned about what you’re going to after the holidays. Many Year 12s get caught up in the whole idea of exams and often don’t consider what they are going to do after. There are many options after Year 12, which is why we’ve created a guide in order to help our students who are unsure about what they want to do after they graduate.
University
Many students consider going to university after Year 12. For those lucky students who know what career they want, this is an excellent option. Many jobs require a university degree. After a bit of research we realised that there are a lot
of misconceptions when it comes to university.
FAQs about University
What if I don’t get a good mark?
If you consider the amount of pressure on a Year 12, it can truly be overwhelming. The important thing is to not let your disappointment get the better of you. You need to consider your options. Say you wanted to get into law, but you didn’t get the mark you wanted. You can start off in a different course with a lower mark entry. Once you’re in, universities are so flexible. You can swap into a law degree later. Then you’re back on track.
What if I don’t know what I want to do?
It’s ok not to know what you want to do with the rest of your life at 17. It can take years to figure out what you want to do. The key is to try something. The wonderful thing about university is that you can give things a try. You can, for example, do a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Communication Studies and have units where you study politics, music, psychology and communications. You then realise you really enjoy psychology. You can then major both in Communications
and Psychology. As long as you give things a try you’ll figure out what you want.
What if I want to study somewhere else?
Studying in a different city or country is very exciting. You get to explore a new place and enjoy new experiences. You can apply for universities interstate or internationally; however, the most important thing is to make sure you give yourself PLENTY OF TIME to apply. Applications take time to process in another state or country and you have to account for all the locals applying at the same time as you. Do your research as there are many things to consider. It is an adventure. For more information visit
http://www.australian-universities.com/ (This website has links to studying abroad as well)
TAFE
Technical And Further Education or TAFE offers courses designed for:
- young people preparing for their first job
- mature age people looking to train or retrain
- people preparing for university studies
Courses offered at TAFE provide students with practical skills that allow
you to be ready for the workplace. Most TAFE courses follow a strict structure
so that TAFE is the same no matter where you attend. TAFE often requires
students to undertake practical placements in the workplace.
There are currently six levels of courses offered by TAFE in a wide range of trade and non-trade areas, in addition to Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses. There are currently 500 TAFE campuses located across Australia!
FAQs about TAFE
Which should I choose, TAFE or university?
The decision is completely up to you. TAFE is good for practical work experience and is especially great in terms of learning a trade. On the other hand university is more flexible and the courses are designed to really open your mind and allow you to get a broad education or specialise in a specific field of work.
For more on TAFE visit http://tafe-wa.com/
Taking a Break
Taking a break has become increasingly popular for Australian students. Taking a break does not make you lazy nor does it mean you’re not focused. Some people just need to recharge their batteries and take some time off. There are endless opportunities if you decide not to study straight away.
You can travel. Travelling is an exciting part of life. You get to experience new cultures and live a little differently for a while. Many young people that travel learn a lot about themselves by travelling. There are some definite challenges to travelling. These can include language barriers. You also need to consider accommodation and travelling costs. Check out these websites for all your travel needs.
http://www.studentflights.com.au/
You can get a job or some work experience. Some people can be a bit reluctant about working, however, you have nothing to lose by giving it a go. You can choose your job according to what you like. If you like fashion consider going into retail. If you like sports, there are many specialist sporting shops available or you can even consider working at a gym. Either way you can get a fair bit of money and save it for whatever you like, including a bit of travelling.
Get your CV ready and get someone to proof-read it for you. You may consider dropping it to managers at stores you’d like to work, or answering job advertisements online. You should also ask friends and family to keep an ear out for the kind of job you’re looking for.
An important thing to remember is that you can take a year or half a year off. Universities and TAFE courses allow mid-year enrolments. Don’t forget to keep yourself mentally stimulated. You don’t want to get completely bored.
What can we do for you?
Now that you know a couple of your options we at My Academy can offer you some services to help you on your way.
For those of you who are ESL or learning English as a second language we offer ESL and IELTS preparation courses. Learning English may help you to transition into your further education. You can understand your course content as well as make new friends effortlessly.
For those of you worried about your science courses we have tutors that can help you with Chemistry, Physics and Maths. We can help you even after high school graduation. If you decide at the last minute you want to study medicine or vet science most universities require a mathematical bridging course and completion of UMAT. We can help you prepare.
Do you need help with university writing? Writing for uni assignments has very specific requirements and can be challenging. We can help here too.
For those of you wanting to travel, we can tutor you in in a number of languages such as French or German. Language is an essential component of truly experiencing another culture. We can help you engage with locals on your travels.
Learning never ends so please contact us if we can help you.
My Academy: Suite 9/1 Leura Avenue Claremont WA Ph. (08) 9284 4408 or 0406516464
References
http://www.seeklearning.com.au
http://www.gooduniguide.com.au/course/search
