University Entry requirements 2014, Year 10 Booklet - Universities ...

Introduction1 YEAR 10: THE YEAR OF DECISIONSThe Universities Admissions Centre (NSW & ACT)Pty Ltd (UAC) has prepared this booklet on behalfof participating institutions to help you make decisionsabout which courses to take in Years 11 and 12.If you plan to apply for tertiary study you should selectHSC courses that keep the doors open for entry toa range of tertiary courses.UAC’s participating institutions have listed the areas ofstudy that they plan to offer in 2013 (as far as is knownat the time this booklet went to print). Where applicable,the participating institutions have shown details of:n course and subject prerequisitesn assumed knowledge andn recommended studies.Refer to the Glossary on pages 84–85 for definitionsof the above terms.For more information:n see your careers advisern contact the institutions – see ‘Participatinginstitutions’, starting on page 13, for telephonenumbers and addressesn read the UAC Guide. Reference copies are availablefrom your careers adviser and/or in your school library.Entry to tertiary institutions in NSW and ACT iscompetitive and not all students who satisfy theminimum requirements for entry to a particularinstitution are offered a place in the program of theirchoice. This booklet is intended, however, to makeit easier for you to choose which courses to take.Participating institutions are aware that not every schooloffers the full range of HSC courses. If your school doesnot offer a course recommended as preparation for tertiarystudy, or if you can’t study the recommended course,ask the institution of your choice what supplementarystudies you may need to undertake.Subject selection and the ATARIt is a myth that choosing certain HSC subjects willautomatically maximise your ATAR. The best way tochoose your subjects is to consider:n what you are good atn what you like doingn what will best prepare you for what you areplanning to do after the HSC andn what gives you some flexibility if you changeyour mind.For more information on the ATAR, see section 3.2 ACT SYSTEMIf you are a college or school student in the ACT andyou are thinking about studying at a participatinginstitution, check equivalence between the NSW HSCand ACT Year 12 Certificate courses on this page. For acomplete listing visit www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/EnglishACTNSWEnglish (Major) English (Advanced)English (Major Minor) HSC English Extension 1English (Double Major) HSC English Extension 2MathematicsACTNSWMathematical Methods Mathematics(Major) or SpecialistMathematics (Major)Specialist Mathematics HSC Mathematics(Major Minor) Extension 1Specialist Mathematics HSC Mathematics(Double Major) Extension 2Information about the calculation of the ACT AustralianTertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is available from the ACTBoard of Senior Secondary Studies – call (02) 6205 7174.3 AUSTRALIAN TERTIARY ADMISSIONRANK (ATAR)ATAR coursesATAR courses are Board Developed courses forwhich there are formal examinations conducted bythe Board of Studies that yield a graded assessment.These are the only courses that can be included inthe ATAR calculations.3.1 What is the ATAR?Tertiary institutions in Australia have found that aselection rank based on a student’s overall academicachievement is the best single predictor of success formost tertiary courses.The ATAR allows the comparison of students who havecompleted different combinations of HSC courses. TheATAR is calculated solely for use by institutions, eitheron its own or in conjunction with other selection criteria,to rank and select school leavers for admission totertiary courses.Other criteria such as a portfolio, interview, audition,questionnaire or test may also be taken into account inconjunction with the ATAR for certain courses. See pages13–83 for further information on selection criteria.The ATAR is a number (not a mark) that indicates astudent’s position in relation to their Year 7 cohort,including students who did not complete Year 12.An ATAR of 80.00, for example, indicates that studentswith that ATAR have performed in the HSC better than80 per cent of their Year 7 cohort, had all these Year 7students completed Year 12 and been eligible for anATAR. The ATAR is reported as a number between0.00 and 99.95 with increments of 0.05.Calculation of the ATAR is the responsibility of theTechnical Committee on Scaling on behalf of the NSWVice-Chancellors’ Committee. Students who indicate ontheir HSC entry forms that they wish to be notified oftheir ATAR will receive an ATAR Advice Notice fromUAC. ATARs are also made available to institutions forselection purposes.4Introduction