Applying to university is one of the first major life decisions a child has to make. It’s not unusual, however, for doubt to set in about their initial choices.
If that happens, chances are your Year 12 student is going to turn to you for advice and guidance. Understanding the procedure for changing preferences in the university admission process will give you confidence about how to support your child if they’re feeling confused or unsure about what to do.
Admission pathways to university
First of all, alleviate any concerns your child may have about future opportunities to attend university. There are now so many pathways into university, no child should feel like their entire future is riding on their ATAR ranking. You’ve probably already spoken with them about the university admission process but it’s worth reviewing all the options available.
- Tertiary Institution Service Centre (TISC) is the traditional way for your child to select a university and course of study. Even if your teen is applying for an early offer, they need to apply through TISC.
- Portfolio Entry Pathways offer additional options for Year 12 and mature-age students who don’t meet Murdoch’s standard admission requirements but demonstrate the necessary qualities to study.
Changing preferences when applying to university
It’s an exciting time for students when long-held dreams begin to take shape. So many factors weigh upon how a child chooses a university and a course of study, and they can change quite rapidly as closing dates draw near. It’s a time of huge change in the life of a Year 12 student, so it’s to be expected their initial preferences may change too.
While you may know everything about how to apply for university, changing preferences once your child applied requires a few more steps. Each admission pathway has different requirements for how to change your student’s preferences.
- TISC – Students can change some or all of their preferences at any time prior to closing dates. Students change their course preferences for TISC by logging into TISCOnline and updating preferences in their application.
- Portfolio Entry Pathways – In the first instance, students are encouraged to contact the Admissions team to chat about their change of preference. The team will guide your student through the change of preference process which is based on which course they are interested in and whether or not it requires a new application to be submitted.
Don’t worry if your child is feeling anxious or indecisive about their university choices. There are many different ways to enter university. Murdoch is making it as easy as possible for students to plan their university career, and changing preferences is a natural part of the process.
