Didn’t score the dream OP? Don’t panic
Didn’t get the OP you’d hoped for? If you’re thinking what’s next for me or where do I go from here, hopefully by the end of this post you’ll feel like you’ve got a few options.
1) Have a discussion
You’ve worked hard all year and acknowledging you didn’t obtain the desired score might be the hardest thing for you right now and will continue to be a challenge. I only talked to those who are very close to me because I felt very insecure and didn’t want others to judge me. I informed my immediate family members and close friends. They were there for my happiest days and darkest of times. I believe that you’ve got to give yourself sufficient time before you can move on.
2) Seek advice, resources and help
The next phase is regaining your confidence through information, knowledge and a clear understanding of the future possibilities. It might seem that your dream career is far from reach but by being proactive in asking friends, career planners and professionals who are in the field, you might find yourself a direction and a plan to follow. I used the Griffith admission pathways tool that can be accessed here.
Furthermore, I looked through the entrance requirements for the degree I wanted, which can be easily navigated from Griffith search or through the web. This was key for me because for some degrees, Griffith allow ‘non-standard’ applicants. The easiest way to explain this is students who have not finished Year 12 recently. In addition, some Griffith degrees also allow internal transfer after studying for a period of time with few exceptions.
How did I get into the degree I wanted? I studied full time over an entire academic year, and I applied through QTAC again as a non-standard applicant. Instead of using the OP score I got from high school, they used my university score (GPA) to rank me against other applicants. In this instance, my GPA score was weighted better than my OP score. If this is confusing for you, please have a look online or get in touch with the university.
3) Back-up plan
With every decision you make, there should always be a backup. I chatted with so many people and professionals, but what I found most important was the backup plan and knowing that there is a way of achieving this dream job of yours. I held onto the slimmest of hope and looking back now, I needed the confidence this backup plan gave me.
4) Take your mind off and recharge
Like going through the motions of a breakup, it will take a toll on your mental and physical wellbeing. Take some time off to recharge, hit up the gym, adopt new hobbies, make new friends, change up your diet and way of life. It is important to ‘rebuild’ yourself during this process so you can come back feeling stronger and more ready to tackle this again.
From 14-19 December 2019, you can chat online with Griffith Uni staff about your options: griffith.edu.au/options
By Steven Wey