Investigating course details
Now that you know the type of course you need to enter your desired career, you will probably discover that there are more than one similar course available. To compare the courses offered at different unis and campuses you need to investigate each course in more detail. We suggest you:
- Investigate specific details about the courses, including the topics covered, the types of assessments used and costs involved. For a full checklist of course features to research see FAQ Sheet 10: What facts should I check out about the course, campus and university features?
- Start searching the Universities Admissions Centre (NSW & ACT) (UAC)'s Guide and website for a basic description of the courses available, course content and fees involved. For further information you will need to contact the uni directly either via internet, telephone or in-person. See FAQ Sheet 10: What facts should I check out about the course, campus and university features? for more suggestions about where to find information.
- Remember that where a uni offers the same or a similar course at several campuses, there may be important differences between each course at each campus. So look at course details at each campus of the same uni!
Checking out course entry requirements
Because getting into uni is a competitive process, the uni course you eventually get into will depend on whether you meet the course entry requirements and how you compete with the other applicants.
Therefore it is essential that you find out about course entry requirements before making the decision about which course to apply for. Follow these steps to check out which courses you are likely to meet the entry criteria for:
- Get to know the Universities Admissions Centre (NSW & ACT) (UAC)'s Guide and website very well. Learn about the entry requirements for each course you are considering.
- Find out whether the course has entry criteria additional to your Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), such as subject pre-requisites, auditions, interview, applicant questionnaire, submission of art portfolios, etc. The best place to find this information is in the UAC Guide, UAC website and UAC's 'University Entry Requirements Booklet' (released each year to help Year 10 students to choose HSC subjects in preparation for uni).
- Do a 'reality check' about what entry requirements you are most likely to meet. At this stage it is important that you reflect honestly and reasonably on your chances of meeting course entry requirements. You might also think about whether you need to adjust your goals, do more preparation for uni and/or consider alternative ways into uni or other options for getting into your preferred career.
- Remember there are alternative entry pathways into uni that may help boost your chances of gaining entry into your preferred course. For more information on alternative pathways into uni see 'Getting into a uni course'.