mine

Lovely, sun-filled room is perfect for plants. (The lucky lady who lives here says, “ Y’all… I am never going to get over how privileged I am to be living in this room.”)

1. If you want to go to uni, can you just register or do you have to write an application or even make a test?

2. If you got accepted into the program, do you have to write applications for each separate course or can you just get into them?

3. Does a type of higher education that isn’t academic exist?

4. Are university confession pages on Facebook a thing?

5. How difficult are exams? Can you retake exams as you want or only if you fail? How many times can you retake them? How common is it for people to have to retake exams or even retake a course the next year?

6. Do you have pay for uni?

7. Not about universities but: how long does high school take?

1. You can just register. You may have to have sufficient grades for certain courses, or prove language proficiency. No essays or anything though 

2. You just get in 

3. You can do apprenticeships or do a dual course (half at a certain type of uni, half at a company of your choice)

4. man i thought you meant something religious there lmao but nope 

5. Depends on your uni and your course, every institute can decide mostly for themselves (apart from state exams for law and medicine). For me it’s mostly a limit of three retakes, no more than one retake a semester. If you fail four times you failed for good and can’t take the class again. Difficulty of exams varies, and we don’t have exams in every class - we mostly just write essays in humanities.

6. A couple hundred euros each semester (300 for me) including a public transport pass. You can get support from the state if you can’t pay that. 

7. 6 years primary school, 6 years high school = 12 years overall. Some schools offer 13 years instead (7 years of high school). Middle school isn’t really a thing. 

half our country is currently on fire so this gif is appropriate 

1. If you want to go to uni, can you just register or do you have to write an application or even take a test?

Each student takes a state-based test in their final year of high school for each eligible subject. They are assigned a rank/ score, called an ATAR, based on a combination of their school mark and their examination marks. 

Placement in most undergraduate courses are based off an individual’s ATAR score. 

Some (private) universities, students who wish to enter university from non-traditional pathways and some courses may require a separate application, personal statement or further testing/ interviewing. 

2. If you got accepted into the program, do you have to write applications for each separate course or can you just get into them?

As above. 

Entry into most undergraduate courses is determined by your ATAR score/ rank. 

Notable exceptions include undergraduate medicine (MBBS - though most Australian universities are phasing this out).

Entry into post-graduate courses usually depends on prior performance (usually in your undergraduate course or by comparable professional experience) and further testing and applications.  

3. Does a type of higher education that isn’t academic exist?

There is a technical/ vocation-based stream that parallels the university system. For example, TAFE. These courses can also be used as a means of university entry as well. 

4. Are university confession pages on Facebook a thing?

Yes. 

5. How difficult are exams? Can you retake exams as you want or only if you fail? How many times can you retake them? How common is it for people to have to retake exams or even retake a course the next year?

Examination policy differs between universities. 

Usually exams (i.e. end of semester/ unit exams) can’t be re-taken unless it is your final exam for your degree. 

Grading is a clusterfuck no matter what uni you’re at. The bell curve will end you. 

6. Do you have pay for uni?

Yes. However, citizens essentially “loan” money from the government and do only start repaying that loan through their taxes once they start earning an income (the threshold changes, but as of 2019, you had to start making repayments when you earned around $45k)

HECSSSS BABYYYYY

7. Not about universities but: how long does high school take?

Look, technically its around 5-6 years. 

But some schools make an “arbitrary” distinction between “middle school” and “senior/ upper” school, the latter being the final 2/3 years you are in high school.  

8. Is it common to get the highest possible grade? What’s equivalent to a (magna) cum laude?

WELCOME TO THE BELL CURVE (which most universities use. sorry for those that don’t gg)

IT WILL FUCK YOU OVER

PRAY TO THE SCALING GODS. 

also welcome to the AMERICANISATION OF AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES, WHEREBY WE USE GPAs BUT ALSO NUMBER AND LETTER GRADES, YET MAINTAIN THE UK SYSTEM OF “HONOURS” AND AWARDS IN A WEIRD HYBRID THAT DOESN’T REALLY TRANSLATE ACROSS ALL OUR UNVIERSITIES

01.06.18