21 June 2019
Combined Tertiary Information Evening at Saints
Term 3 is an important time for Year 12 students as they prepare for their life after school. By the end of Term 3, students considering undertaking study at most university courses in 2020 need to have made their applications to the South Australian Tertiary Admission Centre (SATAC), or the equivalent organisation interstate.
The Combined South Australian tertiary information evening is being held on Tuesday 6 August to assist families to understand the tertiary entry processes and plan course options with university staff. Pembroke School, Wilderness School and St Peter’s College have worked collaboratively to run the information seminar for boys and parents/guardians for a number of years and this year it will be held at Saints from 6.30 pm to 9.00 pm, with the formal presentations commencing at 7.00 pm. At this stage, there will be representatives from the University of South Australia, University of Adelaide, Flinders University, Monash University, University of Sydney, Bond University, Torrens University, Marcus Oldham and residential colleges present at this event to assist with course options and address any other related issues for parents and students. Details of the evening will be emailed to all Year 12 parents.
Studying in the UK
Applications for most UK universities can be commenced now and submitted from the beginning of September 2019. Applications for Oxford, Cambridge and for courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Science close on the 15 October. Other key dates can be found at www.ucas.com/apply/key-dates. Students wishing to apply for a full-time undergraduate course at university or college must use the UCAS online service called ‘Apply’. Apply is a secure, web-based application system which is available 24 hours a day. The UCAS application process is outlined at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/ucas-undergraduate-getting-started.
The School is a registered UCAS Centre. Consequently, the Careers Counsellor will need to guide the applicant for the initial set up their UCAS application, which includes the issuing a buzzword to the applicant. This buzzword will allow them to apply and link their applications to the Centre. While the deadline for most UCAS applications is in early January, to guarantee that the all the documentation can be submitted by the School, the UCAS application must be completed by the student by the last day of the school year – 6 December 2019. The British Council provides information and advice on studying in the UK, go to www.educationuk.org/Higher-Education for this information. There are also numerous resources available to prospective students and their parents on Keystone – learning resource ID of 8WPSZ9.
Bond University – Scholarships
Bond University’s Scholarship Program offers a number of full-fee and part-fee tuition remission scholarships. These scholarships are available to students who show leadership, academic excellence, sporting prowess, community involvement or ‘all round’ abilities. Scholarships available include:
- Vice-Chancellor’s Elite Scholarship – 100% tuition remission
- Bond University Indigenous Scholarship – up to 100% tuition remission
- Sporting Scholarships – up to 100% tuition remission
- Excellence Scholarship – 50% tuition remission
- Transformer Scholarship – 50% tuition remission
- Leadership Scholarship – 25% tuition remission
Year 12 students can now make an application to study at Bond University in 2020. Applicants should visit the following link to commence the online application: https://apply.bond.edu.au/. Applicants just need to upload their term 1 report into the ‘Year 12 Semester 1’ section within the supporting documentation. There is no application fee. For scholarship and application details, please go to – https://bond.edu.au/future-students/study-bond/how-apply/scholarships. Please note: applicants will need to complete a study application prior to commencing your scholarship application.
Applications to Australian & NZ Medicine and Dentistry Schools
Several activities are planned or have been conducted to benefit the Year 12 boys who aspire to study medicine or dentistry in 2020. This has included presentations by universities, individual discussions, and sessions explaining where and how to apply for medicine/dentistry courses in Australia and New Zealand. The latter session also included the distribution of documents that summarises the requirements of all the medicine and dentistry schools in Australia and New Zealand. Any Year 12 student who is contemplating studying medicine or dentistry and has not collected one of these documents, should see the Careers Counsellor as soon as possible. Another event is planned for lunchtime on 27 June. This is a medicine Q&A session. As has been the case in the past, this will be a very beneficial session for our Year 12s. It involves a panel of young old scholars who are currently studying medicine, addressing numerous questions the current Year 12 students may have about the selection interviews, the course or anything on the topic. This session will provide our current students a greater insight into the course entry requirements, selection processes and the nature of the course itself.
Personal Qualities Assessment (PQA)
The PQA is a ‘test’ designed to assess a range of personal qualities considered to be important for the study and practice of medicine, dentistry and other health areas. The PQA is used by Adelaide University as a part of the selection process for international students for medicine and dentistry. The test is held in different centres on several dates during the year. Registration to sit the PQA is done via Adelaide University’s international applications website, and must be made before 30 June. For more details, please go to www.pqa.net.au.
International Student Admission Test – ISAT
International students currently studying in Australia and who are considering applying for Medicine and/or Dentistry at some institutions in Australia, will need to sit the ISAT. ISAT is a three-hour computer based test that is held at various times during the year. However, applicants MUST check with each institution to determine their deadline for the ISAT results. The following institutions use the ISAT:
- Monash University, Melbourne – Medicine
- Monash University, Malaysian campus – Medicine
- Flinders University, undergrad pathway to Medicine
- University of New South Wales (UNSW) – Medicine
- University of Queensland – Medicine
- University of Tasmania – Medicine
- University of Western Australia (UWA) – pathway to Medicine & Dentistry
- University of Western Sydney (UWS) – Medicine
For more information on the ISAT go to https://isat.acer.edu.au/about-isat
The University of NSW Co-op scholarship
The Co-op Program is a career development scholarship for high potential undergraduate students. It offers industry training, leadership and professional development, networking opportunities, mentoring and financial support of $19,600 p.a. tax free for four years. Australia’s leading companies take part in the training and professional development of the Co-op scholars with a view to recruiting high-potential young professionals. The scholarship is offered for study in many areas, including engineering, science and business. More details can be found at https://www.coop.unsw.edu.au/. Applications (https://www.coop.unsw.edu.au/apply) close on 30 September. The application does require applicants to prepare a short video ‘snapshot’ presentation. A School contribution is also required, so any boys intending to apply need to see Mr Colsey in the first instance.
Defence Forces Gap Year
Gap Year 2020 applications are now open. Interest in this Gap Year opportunity is usually very high. The Gap Year program is a great opportunity for 18 – 24 year olds to experience a diverse range of roles in the Australian Defence Forces, all with a one year sign on. Early applications are encouraged as each ADF role in the Gap Year program has a maximum capacity and when this capacity is reached, it is closed. For more information please go to https://www.defencejobs.gov.au/students-and-education/gap-year/
Australian Defence Force Academy – ADFA
Year 12 students considering applying for ADFA are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible to ensure sufficient time for the application process. Year 11 students can also apply now. ADFA develops and educates the future leaders of the Navy, Army and Air Force. The program at ADFA combines military and leadership training with a recognised degree from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). There are a range of degrees available at ADFA: Arts, Business, Engineering, Information Technology, Science and Technology. For more information, go to https://www.defencejobs.gov.au/students-and-education/australian-defence-force-academy.
601 Squadron of the Australian Air Force Cadets
The Squadron is currently recruiting young people aged between 13-16 years as cadet members for Term 3, 2019. The Squadron is located at Keswick Army Barracks on Anzac Highway, and Parade is held on Friday nights during the school term. Cadet members can experience a diverse range of experiences and activities which include opportunities for flying, learning to navigate, participating in bivouacs (camps) and a structured home training program. More information on the AAFC, the Squadron locations in SA and becoming a Cadet can be found at: http://www.aafc.org.au/. Recruit information nights are being held on Friday 21 June and Friday 28 June from 7 to 9pm. Any queries can be emailed to 601sqn@airforcecadets.gov.au or messaged via Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/601SQN/.
Law Admission Test – Registrations now open
For students considering studying Law at UNSW will need to sit the Law Admission Test (LAT). LAT is a written test that is used to demonstrate a student’s aptitude and suitability for studying undergraduate Law at UNSW. A LAT score, in addition to academic results (e.g. ATAR + additional points) will be used in the selection process to allow us to better differentiate between the many high achieving applicants to Law. For more details, go to http://www.law.unsw.edu.au/LAT-FAQ. The test will be held on Thursday 3 October. Applications are now open.
UniTEST – Flinders University
uniTEST is an aptitude test that has been designed by ACER to assess the kinds of generic reasoning and thinking skills that are needed for students to achieve success in tertiary education. uniTEST assesses this reasoning and thinking across the broad domains of mathematics, science, humanities and social sciences. At Flinders, uniTEST is available for school leavers and has the potential to effectively improve an applicant’s selection rank as the uniTEST result is weighted at 40% and considered alongside the applicant’s ATAR (weighted at 60%) during the selection processes for Flinders Uni courses. For details about the test, go to https://www.flinders.edu.au/study/pathways/year-12-entry/unitest
Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) – holiday courses
AIE is offering several holiday courses for students. The Introduction to 3D Animation is designed as an introductory course for people interested in learning basic skills in 3D art. Students will be introduced to the uses and architecture of 3D software and will gain an understanding of skills and techniques necessary to create and render 3D objects through the creation of a 3D environment. Ages 14+ years. Cost: $365
The Game Programming in Unity course teaches students the fundamentals of programming for video games using the Unity3D game engine. Students program games by building the inner workings of the game, then finish it with interesting game-play mechanics and visual effects to make the creation unique. Ages 12+ years Cost: $365
For more details, go to https://aie.edu.au/course/adelaide-holiday-courses/.
Mark Colsey
Careers Counsellor