getting into uni - mature age

[Emma1979]

hi,

im hoping to hear from anyone who has gotten into uni as mature age student... im a novice when it comes to university and need all the help i can get in understanding how the system works. is there anyway of knowing how difficult it is to get an offer as a mature age student? are places few and far between, or do i stand a decent chance? im hoping to study a double degree, bachelor of nursing and midwifery at monash gippsland, but have no idea if i have any chance.

i have read that by completing two units of study from the course, this MAY enhance the chances of getting an offer. has anyone heard or done this?

any tips or advice AT ALL about uni and applications, when to apply, numbers of places, ANYTHING you can offer would be of interest to me.

[Karina]

Hi Emma,

As I understand it, most unis will have a certain number of places specially for mature aged students. So in other words, you probably wouldnt be competing against school-leavers for a spot in uni. This was the case for my course (nursing) but may not be the case for every course at every uni. Best to check with the uni to be sure.

I started uni this year. I applied through the tertiary admissions centre last year. Have a look on the tac website and that should tell you when you can apply and all the closing dates, how too apply and so on. I did all of my application online and then had to also send them a copy of some of my certificates and pay a fee for my application. I think the fee was about $40. It was fairly simple to do my application. I think the applications opened in August and closed in October but it might be differnt between the different states.

As I am mature-age student, I had to sit the STAT (Special Tertiary Admissions Test), which I did in October. It was just a multiple choice test with about 70 questions. There were reading/comprehension type questions and maths type questions. I didnt do very well in my STAT, but I guess that didnt really matter as I recieved an offer in the first round of offers. You can get practice questions for STAT from somewhere. I cant remember where but if I do remember I will come back and let you know.

I think Midwifery is pretty competitive to get into. Maybe you could have a chat to the uni as well and ask them whether you will need to do STAT and if any of your previous study or employment will count towards your application.

Good luck!

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Emma, Karina has given you some great advice!
If you google VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre) that site should be able to give you wide and varied information.
As a mature age student you will likely have to sit the STAT and they also tend to ask what sort of things you have been doing over the years.
As Karina said - maybe have a chat to the respective uni - I would say the Monash would be HIGHLY competitive because it is one of the more reputable VIC uni's but I might be mistaken.
Wish you all the best darl, keep us informed. I'd love an online study buddy if we both get in.

Karina - what kind of Maths questions on the STAT? I got above average results in year twelve maths but unless it's something I've been actively studying I'm pretty hopeless at it.

ETA - Karina don't worry I just remembered I'm not eligible to sit the STAT this year.

[sushee]

Another mature aged student here. Sat my STAT test last year in August, both the quantitive component and written English component (as required by all WA unis), applied for entry into first year Psychology with my STAT results, and now here I am, a first year Psych student at almost 38 years of age. I too started out by going to my state's Tertiary Admissions website and finding out firstly when the next STAT test was, and then talking to Student Services in a few unis, just to see what prerequisites I had to meet to get in.

It really wasn't all that confusing once you started to get some info together. So start with the STAT test first and the rest shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Good luck!

[Ambah]

I applied as a mature age student back in 05 (to start 06). Not only did I sit the STAT exam, but I also decided to complete the PCA (Personal Competencies Assessment) Essay which you can write to help further your chances. I decided to do this, as I had only completed 2 yr 12 subjects when I was younger, and did not have much full time work experience in my past either, and wasn't sure how well I was going to perform on the STAT. The info about the PCA should also be on the TAC site.

AFAIK anything with Midwifery is very very competitive to get into these days, but nursing on its own is generally easier to get into.

GOODLUCK with everything!!

[Karina]

Ashlea or anyone else, if you go to www acer edu au , you will be able to have a look at some example questions for STAT. Go to TESTS and then UNIVERSITY and then STAT.

[Emma1979]

thanks for all the info...
i have run and am going to speak to someone on wednesday to learn more about it...

there are only 30 places for the nursing/midwifery and i am up against the high school leavers... they did say they take a variety of people though, made up of high school leavers and mature age... im still not sure ive got any chance...

im planning on doing the doula course first, so maybe that will better my chances of getting in...

god its hard.... 10 years after leaving school i finally work out what it is i want to do, then discover i may not even be able to study to do it!

[myboysmumma]

I would recommend you doing the STAT. If you have done any previous study (such as Cert IV or Diplomas) that could improve your chances, as can work experience, even if unrelated.

There are alternative pathways for gaining entry such as writing an essay to back up your past experiences. Make sure if you do this you are careful to address the exact selection criteria and give specific examples.

Some courses you can apply straight to the uni. Others you must apply through your relevant authority such as QTAC in QLD, UAC in NSW, etc - check out their websites. Usually they provide guides for would be applicants, as will uni websites (try propective student links).

Hope this helps - also if you are planning on doing nursing, or teaching, perhaps contacting their professional association and asking questions could help.

BTW I know MANY MANY mature age students in varying disciplines. You probably have a good chance. You have life experience, something a 17 or 18 yr old is yet to have time to do, no matter how clever If you don't get in, keep trying - it will happen and you can make your dream come true.

[The[cookie]Doctor]

Emma you've just got to keep applying!
Eventually you will have experience and knowledge etc.
Good luck!

[Emma1979]

when you say keep applying - do you mean, keep applying each year? i guess thats the only option, just annoying that years will be slipping away, iiykwim.

hey does anyone know how to find out your TER score from ten years ago? or will it not be relevant? i did bare minimum at school in year 12 as wasn't interested in going to uni, so my TER score would have been well below average, is this taken into account all these years later??

[The[cookie]Doctor]

If you are eligible to sit the STAT I"m pretty sure it's not something they look at. Unfortunately, I'm not able to sit the STAT so mine will be counted. Best to check with the uni again. I think the monash entry is around 80 - so it might be worth including rsults if you're in that ballpark, if not i dont think it really matters.

[Laranna]

Hi Emma, the WA TISC website (google TISC WA) has an online calculator that converts TEE scores (from 1992 onwards) to the current TES scores. So if you remember your TEE score from 10 years ago, enter it in the calculator and it will convert it.

[myboysmumma]

Some unis accept 2nd semester entries (ie start in Jul instead of Jan). So that way you could apply every six months rather than wait a year Hopefully you won't have to.

[Karina]

My TER wasnt counted (i did mine is 2001) I'm glad it didnt count - my TER was cr@p!
I did STAT, which overrode my TER. With some unis, they dont consider your TER if it was more than say 5 years old.