Pathways - Ways of qualifying for a certain university course when you didn't get the ATAR you had hoped for.
Worried about your ATAR? Read this...
It seems like your entire future depends on your ATAR. Even when people tell you, “It doesn’t mean everything,” you don’t believe them.
If you don’t get a good ATAR, then you won’t get into the right university, then you won’t get a good job and pretty soon you’ll be begging on the street and no one is going to respect you.
Right? Wrong.
Your ATAR seems overwhelmingly important to you because school is pretty much all you’ve ever done. The only way in which you are able to score yourself as a constructive member of society has been by the grades you get in school – given that, it makes sense that your ATAR, the ultimate mark that you’ve been working for basically all your life is going to determine the rest of your future.
But it doesn’t.
Most adults have no idea what they want to do (let alone students) and then end up doing something completely different from their degree – and the entire purpose of an ATAR is to get you into a degree. After university, chances are that no one will ever ask you about it ever again.
There are also plenty of successful people without degrees but they all have something else in common which I’ll discuss a bit later on.
If you know what you want to do, there are alternatives that you can explore if you don’t get the ATAR that you need. They are called “Pathways” and you should call up every university you’re interested in to find out what they are. It may save you a panic attack or two.
But the gist is this – it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t get the ATAR of your dreams but there is something which is important.
Hard work.
What makes someone successful is a bit of talent, a dash of luck and an insane amount of hard work. Look at anyone who you consider is successful and I guarantee they’ve done the hard yards.
(I know there are some of you which grind yourselves into the ground. If you’re one of these, please don’t work so hard that you don’t look after yourself and have a mental breakdown – you’re allowed to do things other than study once in a while!)
The take away is this, do everything you can to get the best possible score but don’t think life will end if you don’t get the right ATAR. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel and another train to catch if you miss this one.
Send me a message if you have any questions or comments – I know this is a big issue for you and while I’m not an expert on Universities, I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction 🙂 .
