Hi my name is Emily and I am currently in my 1st year of Health Sciences (Nutrition) at Flinders University.

It was only this time last year that I was submitting a SATAC application ready to begin in February this year. This process for me was unnecessarily stressful as I left it rather late to apply, and was having some trouble deciding what I wanted to pursue. Originally I had my heart set on becoming a teacher, then I had a new found interest in studying Criminology, and after that I got onto Behavioural Science and Child Psychology. The process of narrowing down choices and prioritising courses can be lengthy, so you should expect it to take some time and research. One of the best pieces of advice I would give is to choose what YOU want to do, not what other people want you to do. It’s also really important, and perhaps relieving, to know that when you submit a SATAC application, you are able to log back in and make changes to your preferences as many times as you like up until Tuesday 03 January 2017. For those of you who are not familiar with the SATAC application process, you have the option to include up to 6 preferences for courses you would like to study, and you put these in the order you wish to do them. From January 17 SATAC will start making offers to applicants to their highest preference for which they have met the required cut off for entry. Personally I didn’t decide on my preference order until the last few days before the change of  preference deadline. I ended up preferencing Psychology (Honours) as my number one choice. My second preference was Behavioural Science (Psychology). This second preference and others, were my “back-ups”. I knew that the Psychology (Honours) course had a higher ATAR, but by having preferences in my application which were similar in content but have slightly less competitive ATARS, meant if I didn’t quite achieve the ATAR needed, I might still be competitive for an offer to uni. Once you have started at uni, there is flexibility in most courses to apply for transfers if your grades are high enough – this means if you work hard, you might be able to transfer to a course you missed out on with your ATAR!

This is one of the most important pieces of advice; always have back-up plans in your SATAC application. The staff at Flinders are always happy to advise you on the best back-up options for your course of choice. Call them on 8201 5322 or email today!

I began at Flinders in semester one of 2016, studying a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology). After one semester I came to the realisation that I had a passion in another area, Nutrition. I booked an appointment with the Prospective Students Office, to talk to an advisor about the process of applying for an internal transfer. The process was much easier than I originally assumed. I completed an application and after a few weeks I received an early round offer to transfer into Health Sciences (Nutrition). My ultimate goal is to study Nutrition and Dietetics.

If I could give 3 pieces of advice to myself 12 months ago, they would be;

1. Begin drafting up possible preference lists as early as possible to ensure you are happy with your first preference, and your back-up options.
2. Choose a degree that YOU want to study. Listen to other peoples’ experiences and advice but choose what you want to do.
3. Remember that your application is not the end of the road. If you don’t initially get offered your first preference, explore what pathways could get you there. You can change your mind, and change direction!