It’s the final countdown! As a parent you’ve raised a newborn, a toddler, a tween, a teen… and now, congratulations, you have a school leaver on the cusp of adulthood. Between an HSC final exam and a fulfilling, lucrative professional career is that stretch of time known as tertiary education. With information overload, the call on what to study can be a daunting one. We asked the team at Manly’s ‘castle on the hill’, the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS), the top 10 questions parents should be asking their school-leaver…
1. Will This Degree or Course Be the Key to a Fulfilling and Well-Paid Job?
The commitment and time it takes to achieve a degree means that it’s worth, together with your school-leaver, doing your homework on industry average salaries and locations. Do they want to stay in the Northern Beaches area? Can this degree help them achieve this goal?
2. Are Internships Included?
Even entry-level jobs demand experience. Make sure a chosen degree includes built-in industry training (also called Work Integrated Learning). At ICMS, for example, students complete two trimesters (approximately 600 hours) of industry training at a company in their industry of interest – as part of their degree. And it’s all organised by the ICMS Work Integrated Learning team.
3. Can You Apply Directly?
If students apply directly, they don’t need to set up a UAC account and select preferences. They can go straight to their preferred institution’s Apply page and fill out the application form.
4. What’s your top UAC preference?
If students choose to apply through a centralised application portal, such as the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC), they should make sure that they pick achievable degrees on their preferences list to ensure they get an offer on 22 December 2022.
5. How Do You Want to Study?
Do they want to commute to campus or study at home? Study options include online, face to face or a ‘blended sync learning’ mode. Students should investigate their options.
6. Is ATAR the Only Selection Criteria?
A few institutions, like ICMS, look at factors other than ATAR when assessing a student’s suitability for a course. There are countless examples of high profile, talented people who have achieved great success but whose ranking didn’t reflect their potential.
7. Will You Be Treated as an Individual?
Comparatively smaller institutions, like ICMS, are able to offer prospective students the chance to shine as individuals, and offer a personalised educational experience.
8. Are Government HELP Loans Possible?
If you are an Australian citizen, when you attend university or another approved institute of higher education, you can get a HECS-HELP or a FEE-HELP loan to pay for your studies.
9. Is the Degree Accredited and Recognised Globally?
A degree that is recognised and accredited globally unlocks the world for your child, including the high paying professional jobs that are most sought-after.
10. Could you Get a Scholarship or a Bursary?
A scholarship is one way to cover partial tuition fees for study and/or accommodation. High achieving students should also ask about High Academic Places and other bursary options. Like everything in life – if you don’t ask, you don’t get!
Answers to the above questions and more can be found at the ICMS Parents Information Evening on Thursday 24 November, 6-7.30pm, at the ICMS Northern Beaches Campus, Manly. Follow the link to register.