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Year 12 Tertiary applications

Applications for university entry in most States of Australia opened on Monday August 2 and close on 30 September. All Year 12 boys have been provided with resources to support their applications.

Interstate applications: most applications to Tertiary Admission Centres (TAC) interstate have similar processes, arrangements and deadlines to the South Australian Tertiary Admission Centre. The Year 12 boys have been provided with some information on these applications because there are some differences, including applying for scholarships and for special entry arrangements. For any domestic students applying to VTAC, it is strongly recommended they also register for the Special Entry Access Scheme (SEAS) in category 1, as this aspect covers an applicant’s living or school location, and this may apply to SA students that have to move to Victoria for study.

Any boys wishing to discuss their plans for 2021 and beyond or need any assistance with their applications can arrange to meet with the Careers Counsellor.

SATAC has released a ‘How to apply video’ and this can be accessed at Applications to SATAC.

Resources to support tertiary applications can be found on Keystone – Learning Resource ID of JQ9ZXS.

Uni SA Guaranteed Entry

The University is now offering two forms of guaranteed entry. One is by the applicant achieving a pre-determined selection rank (ATAR), an arrangement that has been in place for several years. For 2022 entry, the University will be offering guaranteed entry into courses based on the results of the best three Stage 2 SACE (and IB equivalent) subjects. No additional application requirements are necessary for students to gain entry by this arrangement, it is managed as a part of the normal SATAC application process. To be considered for this arrangement, applicants must list a Uni SA course as their first preference. For more details, including access to a guaranteed calculator, please go to Uni SA guaranteed.

Flinders University Year 11 Grades Pathway

Flinders University has recently decided to resume the Year 11 Grades Admission Pathway for 2022 entry which will enable students to apply for an eligible Flinders course based on their Year 11

grades. This pathway will allow current Year 12 students to gain entry to Flinders based on their Year 11 grades and gain an early conditional offer to start their studies. Students will need to successfully complete the SACE or equivalent to confirm the admission. Please note: A minimum ATAR of 70 will be required for all Education/Teaching courses. To participate in the pathway, students must register with Flinders University at Yr 11 grades pathway and have listed an eligible Flinders University as their 1st preference in their SATAC application by 30 September. The Year 11 Grades Pathway brochure lists the courses available and the Year 11 grades required for entry. The best 50 credits at Stage 1 are considered for this pathway.

IB Recognition Scheme at the University of Adelaide

This scheme will recognise the academic achievements of IB graduates by granting credit or exemptions for some first year courses based on curriculum equivalency and academic performance in the IB subject. This program is available for most degrees, but not all. Credit and/or exemption will be offered as part of the scheme. Exemptions recognise that certain IB subjects and their related University course are substantially similar, and allow students to commence their studies at the appropriate learning level. Exemptions do not reduce the number of units required to complete a student’s program, but allows the IB subject to be recognised as a substitute for a course or courses listed in the program requirements. More details can be found at IB recognition.

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 uniTEST.

M D & R D Elliott MBE Scholarship: is a scholarship available for a current Saints Year 12 student who has accepted a place in the medical faculty of an Australian university for 2021. Applications forms which include details of the selection criteria are available from the Senior School Office and are also posted on Keystone with a learning resource ID of JQ9ZXS. Applications must be submitted to Ms Ennis, in the Senior School Office by Friday, 29 October.

Leonard William Bakewell Law Scholarship: is a scholarship available for a current Year 12 Saints student, who has accepted a place, whether immediate or reserved, in the law faculty of an Australian university for 2021. Applications forms which include details of the selection criteria are available from the Senior School Office and are also posted on Keystone with a learning resource ID of JQ9ZXS. Applications must be submitted to Ms Ennis, in the Senior School Office by Friday, 29 October.

Adelaide Uni Principals’ Scholarship

This scholarship is valued at $5000 for one year, the scholarship will be awarded to one current Year 12 student at the School and will be based on the recommendation of the Headmaster. The Headmaster is able to nominate up to 2 students from Saints for the scholarship and the University will then decide on the successful recipient. The application forms, which includes the selection criteria, are available from the Senior School Office. Applications must be submitted to the Senior School Office by Friday, 29 October.

Applying for entry into Medicine and Dentistry courses in Australia

Students considering applying for undergraduate entry into medicine/dentistry courses are reminded that many of these courses do not allow late applications and may have extra application requirements. These requirements may require a school reference or other contributions from the School. To ensure that the School can complete and submit any additional requirements before the closing date for applications, it is very important that the institutional requirements and timelines are met by any potential applicants.

  • Flinders University Medicine – students apply via SATAC by 30 September. No extra application requirements.
  • Adelaide University Medicine & Dentistry – students apply via SATAC by 30 September. No extra application requirements unless applying for a rural based place.
  • NT Medical Program Charles Darwin University – students apply via SATAC by 30 September. No extra application requirements
  • Monash University Medicine – students apply via VTAC by 30 September. No extra application requirements.
  • Uni of NSW medicine – students apply via UAC and on the Uni of NSW medicine website by 30 September.
  • Uni of Tasmania Medicine – students apply direct to UTAS by 30 September. No extra application requirements.
  • Bond University Medicine – students apply via QTAC in mid-January 2020. No UCAT required. Course starts in April/May.
  • Uni of Queensland Medicine – Provisional entry as the course is graduate entry, but has an undergraduate entry path. Apply via QTAC by 30 September. No extra application requirements.
  • Uni of Sydney Medicine – combined degree entry. The course is graduate entry but has an undergraduate entry path. No UCAT required. Students apply by 30 September to UAC. No initial extra application requirements.
  • Griffith Uni Medicine – students apply via QTAC by 30 September. Successful applicants do an initial 2 year degree at Griffith Uni first. No UCAT required. No extra application requirements.
  • Uni of WA Medicine – students apply via TISC by 30 September. The medicine course is graduate entry, but has an ‘assured pathway’ into this course. No extra application requirements.
  • Uni of Melbourne Medicine – apply for Chancellor’s program in Biomedicine or Science via VTAC before 30 September. No UCAT required.
  • Western Sydney Uni medicine – students apply via UAC by 30 September.
  • James Cook Uni medicine and dentistry – students submit an application form to JCU (available online) AND apply via QTAC by 30 September. No UCAT is required. The additional application forms need to be downloaded from the JCU website. There is an application form and a school prediction form. Applicants complete the personal and other details on the school prediction form and forward it to Mr Colsey by 17 September. This deadline is to allow sufficient time for the School to complete and return the school prediction to JCU. Please note: the student part of the JCU application is quite detailed, requiring the applicant to provide extended responses. This part of the application also requires the applicant to sign their application in front of a Justice of the Peace or similar – a list of suitable witnesses is indicated in the application. Unlike medicine, no school prediction is required for dentistry at JCU.
  • Uni of Newcastle & Uni of New England joint medical program: applicants need to complete and send an application form (available online) to the University and apply via UAC by 30 September. No school reference is required.
  • Curtin University Medicine – apply by 30 September and a school reference form needs to be downloaded from the Curtin website. The personal and other details need to be completed on the form by the applicant and then be given to Mr Colsey by 17 September to allow sufficient time for the School to complete and submit the school reference to Curtin University.
  • Macquarie University Medicine – clinical science degree indirect pathway to graduate medicine (GAMSAT). Apply via UAC by 30 September. No UCAT.
  • La Trobe University – rural pathway. Biomedical Sc degree pathway to graduate medicine. Apply via VTAC by 30 September. No UCAT.
  • University of the Sunshine Coast – Medical Science degree pathway to graduate medicine. Apply via QTAC by 30 September. No UCAT, no interviews.
  • Charles Sturt Uni Dentistry –apply via UAC by 30 September. Additional application form required if applying as a rural or indigenous candidate.

Agricultural Careers Expo

Urrbrae Agricultural High School is hosting an expo to highlight the careers and employment opportunities that exist in Agriculture and related Industries. This is an event which is open to anyone interested in finding out more about Careers in Agriculture. It is being held on Tuesday 21st September from 2 to 7pm.

St Mark’s College

St Mark’s is a residential college located on Pennington Terrace in North Adelaide. The College is keen to take prospective residents for a tour, and this includes day students as well as boarders. There are a couple of scholarships available at St Mark’s College for graduating St Peter’s College students. For details about the College, please go to St Mark’s College or phone 8334 5600.

St Ann’s College

St Ann’s is a residential college located on Brougham Place in North Adelaide. The College is willing to host any prospective students/families for a tour of the College. For details about the College, please go to St Ann’s College or phone 8267 1478.

International House

International House is a residential college associated with the University of Melbourne, RMIT University and the Australian Catholic University. There are a number of scholarships available, and a listing can be found at scholarships. For more information, contact Ms Thu Nguyen at.nguyen@unimelb.edu.au, Ms Tamra Keating –tkeating@unimelb.edu.au or go to International House.

Study in the UK webinars

For any student even just contemplating further study in the UK at some stage, this is a wonderful opportunity. Two very prominent and highly regarded institutions in the UK, The University of St Andrews (Scotland) and Imperial College London (England) have combined to conduct a one hour webinar on studying in the UK. There are opportunities to ask questions about the universities, courses and selection processes and engage with current students. If a student even has just a passing interest in studying in the UK, this maybe a worthwhile hour of time in helping them learn more about UK study. There are two webinar opportunities remaining. They are being held on 14 and 21 October, commencing at 12 pm UK time (9.30pm SA time) and 21 October, commencing at 8am UK time (5.30pm). More details, including registration details, can be found at 14 October and 21 October.

Studying in the UK

Applications for most UK universities can be commenced now and submitted from the beginning of September 2021. 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 UCAS 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 UCAS applications. Students considering tertiary study in the UK will benefit from registering for the UCAS Hub, which will allow students to easily explore tertiary options, commence planning their Personal Statement and provides a ‘to – do’ list.

The School is a registered UCAS Centre. Consequently, the Careers Counsellor will need to guide the applicant for the initial set up of their UCAS application, which includes the issuing of 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 – Friday 3 December 2021. The British Council provides information and advice on studying in the UK, go to Study UK for this information. There are also numerous resources available to prospective students and their parents on Keystone – learning resource ID of 8WPSZ9.

TAFE SA – pathway to Higher Education

TAFE SA is well known for its vocational education and training, but also offers a range of specialised higher education courses. Some of the higher education degrees are offered directly by TAFE SA and some are offered in partnership with universities. TAFE SA is a dual-sector VET/Higher Education provider, thereby offering benefits to higher education students. For more information, go to Higher Education

Western Sydney University (WSU)

WSU has introduced a ‘True Reward’ program. This program is a unique pathway that offers early entry to university by being judged on the subjects a student loves studying. Early offers are based on Year 11 or Year 12 results in the subjects that are relevant to their desired course. Students need to apply directly to WSU to be considered in this program. For more details and to apply, please go to Reward.

University of Tasmania – Schools Recommendation Program

Applications for the Schools Recommendation Program are now open. Applications via this pathway gives students early offers for the 2022 courses. Applications will be open until 31 October. For more details and to apply, please go to Schools recommendation.

Lincoln University – Christchurch NZ

The University offers a wide range of courses including agribusiness, landscape architecture, viticulture, oenology and tourism. Australian students studying at Lincoln pay the same low domestic fees as the New Zealand students do. For more information, go to Lincoln University.

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 LAT at UNSW. Applications close on 13 August. The test will be held on Thursday 30 September. Applications are now open.

Space School – Year 10 students

The SA Space School Year 10 camp is planned for the 2021 October School holidays.  This low cost 4 day residential camp includes students being involved in microgravity and astronomy investigations, build & launch rockets at Hamilton Secondary College Space School, undertake a full day ‘Mission to Mars’ at the Hamilton Space Science Centre, tour the new Space Discovery Centre at Lot Fourteen as well as visit many other Space research and industry groups. Go to Space School Applications for more details and applications.

SA School Space Camp

Running for the first time in January 2022 and open to all 14 to 18 years old’s, the SA School Space Camp will be based at St Peter’s College, Adelaide with a NASA astronaut and a host of world renowned scientists. The camp has an overall mission of working in a team under the guidance of NASA astronauts and top scientists to design an experiment destined for the International Space Station (ISS), at the end of the week camp judges will pick the best experimental idea which will be built by King’s College London, launched to the ISS, and carried out in space by the astronauts aboard the station. For details and applications, go to Mission Discovery Adelaide.

References

Often students require school references for tertiary applications (in particular overseas applications) or residential college applications. The references can usually be categorised as being academic or personal/character type references. The School does have a policy to support students requiring a reference or school-based referees. Any student requiring a reference or seeking a staff member to be a referee should contact the Careers Counsellor in the first instance. This is so the type of reference required can be ascertained and appropriate arrangements made to prepare a suitable reference. References, transcripts of results and academic statements cannot be prepared immediately. A minimum of two weeks notice is required to effectively prepare the reference, transcripts and/or academic statements, and students should factor this time requirement into any planning for applications.

CDW Studios 3D Modelling Workshop

CDW studios is holding a holiday workshop on 2 & 3 October. The workshop is available in-person and online, and will provide an introduction to 3D modelling. It will be perfect for beginners who are new to 3D software and will provide an overview of the industry, an introduction to essential skills and techniques used in 3D sculpting and modelling, and provide a live demonstrations using a range of 3D software. For more information, please go to 3D modelling.

Game-Changer

Game changer is a fee for service organisation that supports young people looking to secure sporting scholarships in the USA. For more information, go to game-changer.

Mark Colsey
Careers Counsellor