Year 12s will get an early Christmas present on December 19 when they unbox their ATAR and find a clearer picture of what uni courses they can get into in 2021.
For some, it will confirm course choices they’ve already made. For others, it will mean new decisions.
Queensland ATARs (Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks) are released at 9am on December 19, and recipients have until noon on December 21 to change their preferences in time for the . (The next round of offers will then be on January 14, with a January 7 closing date for change of preferences.)
Just hours after ATARs are released, QUT students will be online to answer Year 12 graduates’ last-minute questions about courses and uni life as part of the university’s online information event on December 19.
Interested people should and before the event to receive the access links.
The sessions are suitable for anyone considering bachelor degree study at QUT next year. The online nature of this year’s event makes it easily accessible for regional and interstate students too.
The Q&A session will feature current QUT students who are already studying business, creative industries, education, health, law, science and engineering.
Cain Varoy is one of the students who will be online ready to help others.
Cain is three years into a and hedged his bets when it came to making his own decision on what course to study.
“Initially I chose a double degree in law and IT because I couldn’t pick between the two,” he said.
“My plan was to drop one after a year once I had figured out which I preferred. However, I now realise I love them both and there are so many ways I can combine my two passions that I never considered before.
“IT is such a versatile degree that is applicable to any industry, but particularly law. There are so many issues with access to justice that I think can be solved by incorporating technology more effectively within the legal industry. Legal tech is also a very large growth area within law at the moment and I am so excited to enter this space. I would recommend a double degree to anyone who is unsure of what they want to do or has multiple passions they want to pursue.”
Cain also knows what it’s like to have to move to go to uni.
He relocated from Townsville to Brisbane to study at QUT and is keen to chat with students from regional Queensland during the Real Decisions Q&A.
“I had never been to Brisbane before I moved here for uni and my first day on campus was my first day of class!” Cain said.
“But Orientation Week made it very easy for me to settle in and make friends and there were so many more people in similar situations to me than I expected.
“I am so glad I chose to make the move and it was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
“Earning money and finding work is definitely what I was most concerned about before moving. However, QUT is very flexible in terms of scheduling classes and I was able to easily find a job and work enough hours per week to support myself while also studying full time.
“My biggest tip for people moving to Brisbane is to research beforehand as there are many kinds of scholarships, bursaries and allowances available to students from regional areas.”
Cain was awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship (now called a QUT Excellence Scholarship) after he was accepted into QUT, thanks to his impressive school results at Townsville Grammar and his OP 1.
He said he had particularly enjoyed the practical elements of his double degree during his first three years.
“I work on practical exercises and projects on a weekly basis as part of my IT degree … Almost every single assignment involves creating something, whether it’s a website, an app or a database,” he said.
“By the time I graduate I will have a giant portfolio of things I have done that I will be able to show to employers.
“And as part of my law degree, we are always encouraged to get as much exposure to the industry as possible. My very first assessment piece was a scavenger hunt down George Street where I had to locate legal landmarks, watch an actual court case and learn about the history of the Brisbane Courts.
“The QUT Law Society (student club) also hosts a lot of networking nights with industry members, as well as events and competitions.
“Last year I was also sponsored to go to a conference in The Hague, Netherlands, about technology and the law. I learned so much about the links between my degrees and how I can combine them in the future. There were so many interesting sessions discussing how technology can be better incorporated into the legal industry including AI, coding for lawyers and blockchain technology.”
