You know what sucks? Getting toward the middle or end of your uni degree, and realising that you’ve really stuffed up. Realising that you can’t fit in units you really wanted to do, or can’t go on exchange – just because you didn’t plan your degree well.

It might be more common than you think, and the reason for that is a lot of students simply don’t plan ahead. At uni, some units are only offered in Semester 1 (or Semester 2, as it may be). Some units are compulsory. To be eligible for one unit, you might need to have done another unit prior (this is a “prerequisite unit”). And these are all things you really need to consider soon. Don’t leave it hanging and think you’ll deal with it when the time comes, because doing so can have some nasty consequences. 😉  Here’s our advice.

Degree/Course Map

Search for your course plus “course map”. Some unis are really great in providing clear outlines of what units you need to complete in order to qualify for your degree qualifications. Following these closely is a very good idea – right from your very first semester.

You need to make sure you hit the appropriate number of first year units, third year units, electives, major units and so on, and having a university-approved course map is a great first step for this. Print one out, write in your current units, and consult it before selecting your units for semester two and beyond.

If you search online and nothing relevant comes up, chat with your uni to see if they have anything similar available for you to use.

Course Advice

That leads us to our next point: actually speaking with your university.

Institutions want their students to be happy. And if you stuff up your units and have a bad experience, you’re not going to be happy. That’s not good for the uni, either, so they’ll want to help you where possible.

If you’re really confused about how to actually select units for semester two, speak with your uni. If you need advice on what units are best for a certain career path, speak with your uni. Most institutions have student support and/or course advice services, and they have them for a reason: for you to use. So book in an appointment, speak to somebody in person, and get peace of mind that the units you’re selecting are appropriate ones for your degree and ambitions.

Use Excel to map your units

If nothing else, you can use Excel or similar to keep track of units that tickle your fancy throughout the year. If you hear about a uni that somebody is studying, or see a reference to what seems like an interesting unit online, make a note of it! You might be able to plan your degree so that you can take that unit.

Personal experience: I was “saving” this one particular unit that sounded fantastic for practically my entire degree. I figured I’d do it in my final semester to finish off uni with a bang. What I didn’t realise (because I hadn’t checked properly), was that the unit was only offered every second year, and my final year didn’t happen to correspond with one of those years. So I missed out on the unit altogether, when I pretty easily could have done it earlier in my degree. It sucked.

The point of this story is to do your research incrementally, and to keep notes on potential areas of study that interest you.

ATAR Notes!

And, of course, you always have ATAR Notes at your disposal. 😊 We have a small army of past, present and future uni students, and you can float your ideas/ask your questions at any time! The general university discussion board can be found at this link, but you might also be interested in:

•  Mega University Guide – Uni Resources
•  Specific University Discussion – Victoria
•  Specific University Discussion – New South Wales

Remember: there’s no harm in starting your research earlier, and thinking about what you might like to study can actually be a whole lot of fun! 😁