At The Crossroads Of Life
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday February 1, 2008
School-leavers should choose a degree they are interested in, writes Allan Tieu.
Choosing an undergraduate degree at a university is an important milestone in someone's life, but it is not likely to be the last chance he or she will have to determine their career path."The time you have as an undergraduate student is one of the few times in your life when you can truly follow your passion," says Adrienne Jerram, director of student recruitment at the University of Sydney.Jerram urges students not to do what seems most tempting - to pick courses simply to use up their University Admission Index points."UAI is a reflection of a course's supply and demand," she says. "It doesn't reflect the quality or the difficulty of a degree." Jerram recalls a student who scored a UAI of 100 but opted not to study medicine or law, despite pressure from family. All the student ever wanted to do was maths, so she did a science degree and completed a PhD in mathematics. With an increasing number of people adopting this mentality, Jerram has found more high-achieving students having a change of heart between the main and late rounds on university offers."It's no longer just the students who missed out on main round offers that apply for the late round, it's also people who are investigating their courses and deciding what they really want to do."Nerida Jarkey, director of first year teaching and learning at the University of Sydney, works with many students undergoing transition - including her own son, who has just finished high school.Having encountered several students who had made bad decisions, she says that it is most important to simply study what you're most interested in. She said it is not about choosing a right or wrong career path, as it is far too early to distinguish such a course.She agrees with Jerram that many students are seduced by the prestige of some degrees. "Sometimes degrees are packaged in ways that make them look really attractive, but they might not be suitable, or there might be alternative pathways into studying those subjects." Jarkey says undergraduate study provides the best chance to determine where a student wants their professional qualifications to take them, rather than choosing a pathway having just left high school."A student might think the dentistry degree is the right one for them, but they might be closing off a whole lot of doors that a science degree may have offered."As a mother, Jarkey admits that it is tempting to convince her son to study in a specific field.However, she says that even though it might be easy for school-leavers to let the decision rest with parents, they should start taking the risk of relying on their own judgment. "It's the right time in life for school-leavers to manage their own decisions."She says she rarely encounters students who don't at some stage reassess where they're going with their degrees. "Essentially they don't have to get it right just now, it's just too scary."SIX TIPS FOR GETTING ON AT UNI1 Use university facilities. Government changes to the funding of student unions mean there are less services, but there are lots of people out there to help and there will be essay workshops and other guides to study.2 Make sure you attend your lectures and tutorials. There may be no roll call, but non-attendance will catch up with you in the end.3 There's a great resource called a library. Use it often.4 Assign a drawer or a folder for official documents: HECS, course requirements, bank accounts, passport. Boring, but a pain if they go missing.5 Similarly, keep a good filing system for your subject materials.6 It's not only study, study, study. All work and no play makes you dull. Uni is a great chance to spread your wings and take some risks - drama, sport, socialising, partying, Go for it.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald
