How To Set Goals To Enter Your University Course Of Choice

How many times have you been told to set goals? As a student I must have heard it hundred times. However no one really explained the exact process for setting your goals. In this post, we’ll look at how to set goals to enter your university course of choice

Defining your academic goal involves realising the following:

1. What is the university course you want to get into?
2. What is the ATAR cutoff for this course?
3. What are the required Performance Bands for my subjects?

Step 1: Which University Course Are You Interested in Studying?

Most Year 11 and 12 students have an idea of what they would like to study at university. However, if you don’t have any idea it may be helpful to speak to people in different professions to gain an insight.
Here are links to some university course pages:

• Macquarie University Courses
• UNSW Undergraduate Courses
• UTS Undergraduate Courses
• Sydney University Courses
• Western Sydney University Courses

Step 2: What is the Minimum ATAR Required for the University Course?

If you know which university course you are interested in, then you need to find out the subject and ATAR requirements.

For example, if you would like to study Bachelor of Commerce at University of Sydney in 2017, your minimum ATAR had to be 95 to be accepted. So your ATAR goal is 95!

For the full list of university courses and cut-off ATAR, please visit the UAC website. 

Step 3: What is the Assumed Knowledge for the Course?

Most university courses have assumed knowledge or recommended subjects for their courses.

Why is this important? Because if you don’t study the right subjects at school, you may not be eligible to study the course even though your ATAR is above cut-off ATAR.

For example, Mathematics is an assumed knowledge for Bachelor of Commerce at University of Sydney. From 2019, this university course will require a course prerequisite of Mathematics (Band 4 or higher). 

Step 4: Convert Your ATAR in Terms of Performance Bands

From your ATAR goal, determine the required HSC Mark, Percentile, Scaled Mark and Performance Band for each subject. I have used the Matrix ATAR Calculator to create the table shown below.

ATAR Goal: 95

Step 5: Summarise your Goals

The table below summarises your goals.

Step 6: Consult With Your School Teacher Regarding the Required School Rankings for Each Subject Performance Band.

What is the school ranking required to achieve performance band 6 in Mathematics? Top 10 at your school? What is my ranking?

Step 7: Track Your Progress

You can use a table like this to track your progress quarterly.

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