Understanding the structure of an undergraduate degree

Next Steps

• Browse courses by ATAR
• Check on accepting your offer
• Read how to change your preferences

5 quick study tips for WACE exams

5 quick study tips for WACE exams

Your WACE exams are just around the corner. Although you’ve probably been preparing throughout the whole of Year 12 for this moment there’s still some final study to be done.

We’ve put together 5 quick tips on ‘How to study for your WACE exams’ – which don’t involve cramming the night before – that will help you get the ATAR result you want!

1. Organise your WACE subjects in lists

Preparing for WACE exams should involve planning your study time by your WACE exam timetable, and your subjects and sub-topics that need more time. Here is how we suggest you get organised:

• Write a list of your WACE subjects.
• Break each WACE subject down into the topics that you will need to know for the exam.
• Highlight the topics that you already know and prioritise on studying the ones you don’t.
• Order your subject study order based on your WACE exam timetable.

2. Plan blocks of study time

Now that you have your WACE subjects and topics listed you can put time aside to study each day. One of the most effective ways to plan study time is by arranging your day into ‘blocks’, which allows you to take breaks in between different subjects.

• Book in 6 – 8 study blocks a day.
• Each block should be 50 minutes long with a 10 minute break at the end.
• After 3 blocks in a row you’ll need a longer break - book 45 minutes.
• ‘Mix up’ your subject blocks - moving from one topic to another will stop you from getting bored.

3. Pick or set-up the right study space

Once your plan is in place you’ll need the right space to make studying for your WACE exams easier and more productive. Your perfect study space should have the following:

• A big desk – you’re going to need the space for all your notes and textbooks.
• A comfy chair – you will be sitting for most of your sessions so make sure you’re comfortable!
• Mixed lighting –a mix of natural and artificial light, such as a desk lamp, will take the strain off your eyes and ensure you don’t get headaches.


4. Get social (no, not on Facebook!)

Most tips tell you to keep active but that means more than just taking a walk; stay in touch with friends and family as well! It helps to have people to talk to about WACE stress, any subjects you are not sure about and to give you a real break from studying!

• Go for a 30 minute walk – it will help clear your head and allow you to stretch out after sitting at a desk all day.
• Make plans to see your friends or go out with family in between your study time, treat it as a reward for finishing a topic!
• Study together! Some of your friends will probably be taking the same WACE subjects; use this as a chance to ask about something that you might not understand and offer your assistance if they are struggling with something.

5. Keep a routine

A good routine will help you get the most out of what little time you have left to study so try and stick to it.  It can take a while to set a habit, so persevere!

• Go to bed and get up at the same time every day- this helps regulate how much sleep you get.
• Eat regular meals and snacks - your brain can’t focus properly when you’re hungry.
• Work out when you feel most productive then plan to study at that time every day.

Following these 5 simple WACE exam study tips will put you on the right track towards getting the ATAR score you want.

Need more WACE preparation help?

Read key tips from our WACE preparation seminars.
Check out past WACE exam papers.
Time management tips from our Student Learning Centre

Key Dates for ATAR and TISC

Key Dates for ATAR and TISC

Submitting your university preferences via a TISC application is just the start of the process for applying to university.

We’ve put the key dates and processes together in one handy place to ensure that you’re across how TISC preferences and offers work, from initial TISC applications to WACE exams, ATARs, preference changes and offers.

29 September 2014

This is the closing date for on-time TISC applications. It doesn’t mean you can’t apply through TISC after this date; you will just need to pay a $130 late fee. Read our advice on filling out your TISC application.

3 November 2014

This is the date that the written exams for WACE start. More information about the practical exams can be found here. You can find a timetable of all of the exams here. Don’t forget to read our Blog for study tips on WACE exams.

25 November 2014

This is the final day of written WACE exams. Hooray!

24 December 2014

Murdoch University will break for Christmas holidays at noon, so be sure to speak to our Student Advisors for course advice  before this date.

29 December 2014

WACE 2014 results will be available online. See more information on WACE results here.

The Murdoch Student Centre will open from 8.30am – 4.30pm to offer advice on ATARs and change of TISC preferences. Call us on 1300 MURDOCH or speak to someone in person by visiting the South Street Campus.

31 December 2014

The Murdoch Student Centre will open from 8.30am – 4.30pm to offer advice on ATARs and change of TISC preferences. Call us on 1300 MURDOCH or speak to someone in person by visiting the South Street Campus.

2015

2 January 2015

The Murdoch Student Centre will open from 8.30am – 4.30pm to offer advice on ATARs and change TISC preferences. Call us on 1300 MURDOCH or speak to someone in person by visiting the South Street Campus.

2 January 2015

This is the final date to submit a TISC application and change your preferences for the main round of offers. Subsequent applications will go into processing for second round offers.

16 January 2015

Main round offers will be sent to you by email or post. Be sure you secure a place in your course by accepting your offer here.

If you did not receive a main round offer there is the chance to change your preferences for the second round of offers. We recommend you speak to a Murdoch Student Advisor for advice on second round offers by calling 1300 MURDOCH or visiting the South Street Campus.

23 January 2015

This is the final closing date for TISC applications for Semester 1 2015. To be considered for a second round offer you need to submit an application before this deadline.

3 February 2015

Second round offers will be sent to you by email or post. Be sure you secure a place in your course by accepting your offer here.

If you did not receive a second round we recommend you speak to a Murdoch Student Advisor about alternate pathways into university by calling 1300 MURDOCH or visiting the South Street Campus.

17 February 2015

Semester 1 Orientation week and university life begins. Welcome aboard!

Remember, anyone that wants to start at Murdoch in Semester 1 2015, needs to apply through TISC between August and January, or directly with Murdoch outside of those dates.

Next Steps

• Browse courses by ATAR
• Check on accepting your offer
• Read how to change your preferences

How to Change Your Preferences: A Visual Guide

They say change is a good thing.

Maybe you feel like the courses you put down as your preferences for Uni back in September are not quite right anymore?

A lot of things could have changed since then. 

Maybe you are feeling really confident after sitting your exams and you think that you could aim a little higher?

Or maybe you have discovered another course  that is more ‘you’ and more in line with following what you are interested in.

Or maybe you've had a chance to weigh up all the options available to you and decided "I don't want to do course 'x' anymore, I need to do course 'z' because I think I would LOVE it!"

That’s why you get the chance to change your preferences, once before results come out and then again after first round offers if you want to go in for the second round.

It’s not hard to do, but there are some key dates you should know. That’s why we created this handy diagram, to lay it all out and hopefully make it super straightforward!

You may also be interested in:

Our Guide Tool

Our Course Finder Tool
Browse Courses by ATAR

Words from the wise: Field advice from Murdoch Alumni

Image ↬ Elizabeth Sanchez

As a student it can be hard to visualise the kind of role you are going to have when you finish your degree.  Questions such as where will this lead me, what kind of job can I get, what will I actually be doing, are commonly raging around in most students heads!

We thought that some advice on working out your path from uni to workplace would be useful to current students, so we turned to our Alumni and asked them if they could offer any insights. 

Meet Magdeline Lum, Murdoch Graduate Bsc. Chemistry, Grad Dip Extractive Metallurgy

Magdeline (Mags for short) Lum is a chemist and metallurgist on a mine site, a writer, a blogger, a science communicator, a volunteer and mentor to school students.

Mags is a lot of things.

Mags says, as a student she didn’t think about it until her final year which is when she started to look online and in newspapers to see what kind of work was available, what kind of work someone with a Chemistry degree could get.

While you don’t have to have a concrete plan in place, Mags suggests at least doing some things in your first semester to figure out if it is in fact a direction you want to go in. 

She highly recommends chatting to the employers at career expos and to sign up for vacation programs in your 2nd year over the summer months.

Mags adds that it’s important in particular if you are applying for graduate positions where applications open a lot earlier then uni graduation dates and the process is quite long. 

This leads into her next hot tip, which is useful to keep in mind not just as a new graduate, but all throughout your career:

Mags admits it can be hard to find mentors and she suggests turning to the internet. She suggests searching for people who have done things – more and more people have blogs, or find people through professional associations and networking functions.

Round up

• Go to career expos/fairs/days, here are a few that happen in Perth:
• CareersExpo  
• The National Careers & Employment Expo 
• The Big Meet

• Find mentors via blogs and Twitter is a great place to find people in your industry and area of interest. Also start a professional profile on LinkedIn, join industry groups and find leaders in your field of interest.

• Check out the Murdoch Career Hub

You might also like to read:

Figuring out what you want to be when you grow up

Find what you love and just do it

Be Friends with us on Facebook for advice, tips and updates.

Our Facebook Friends to the Rescue: Advice for New Students

Image ↬ Jen Collins

If you are new to university, there are plenty of peeps around who can help you out, both with the serious business & the social stuff.

Always remember the Student Advisors who you can find in our Student Centre! They are full of advice for you at all stages of your time at uni. When you need to find anything, when you need help changing units, when you think maybe you are in the wrong course and need to find one that is right for you, when you need to know about credits etc they are there to help you!

If you’re finding your course a bit hard or aren’t sure about an assignment, your First Year Advisor will be more than happy to help! Find them on Facebook & they’ll be able to point you in the right direction!

The next piece of good news is (there's no bad news in this post, FYI) that everyone else at uni has either been in your shoes or is sharing the same thoughts and feelings about being a 'newbie.' 

Our current students are full of tips about how to make it work and make life better at uni. We asked our friends on Facebook what advice they would give to new students and this is the excellence they came back with:

1.     “Find some great friends in your units because they will be your support group. They will understand what you as a uni student are going through and help you and they will become your study group.” Breanna

2.     “Do your readings before you go to the lecture or workshop then you actually know what they are going on about.” Kneecar

3.     “Make a study plan and stick to it! And ask questions!”  Billie-Lee

4.     “You are not alone! If you ever struggle, there are heaps of friendly people ready to help. Murdoch has a great support system. Everyone is super friendly.” Jasmina

5.     “There is so much available to you if you get stuck. Help classes, workshops, the student learning centre, your first year advisor, hell even go and see your lecturer or tutor- they will bend over backwards to help you! Just don't forget to have some fun and set aside some me time - because the last thing you want to do is burn out.” Tegan

6.    “ Join a study group, and if u can't find one create one :) It’s much easier when u share the load with study buddies.” Deb

7.    “ Never let procrastination get the better of you! Keep up with the workload and remember everyone else in uni is going through the same thing, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!” Emily

8.    “ Don't blame the teacher... they didn't write the assignment or sit the exam. You only fail yourself. Study!” Christine

9.    “ It's important to have fun as long as you keep up with your studies and never be afraid to ask for help, if you ever feel you need it!” Vanessa

10.   “Relax and enjoy the ride!” Leah

11. “Do and start your assignments as early as possible. Sounds stupid but you will be surprised how much info is in the unit books, google and the question. Plus you will end up having more time when everyone else is stressing out.” Cassidi

12. “If you need help ask. Meet new people because they help you grow and teach you new things. Time management is most important. Have fun relax and try not to stress too much!” Sharnye

13. “Go to your lectures! It definitely pays off!” Jess

14. “Get into a study group!!!” Emma

15. “Ask questions, there's more support than you probably realise and most of all, enjoy it! This could possibly be the best time of your life and it will go very quickly!!” Alexandra

16. “Meet as many people as you can! There will be so many new like-minded people around you.” Kimberley

17. “Surround yourself with others who are serious about achieving good grades and enjoy the learning process.” Deb

18. “Always make sure that amongst the study there is room for fun :o)” Leah

19. “Always do your best, even if you fail. It’s never the end.” Emma

That’s right, it’s never the end! There is always support for you at Murdoch, don’t hesitate to drop by our Facebook page to ask questions either!

Need more help? Check out these links:

Find your First Year Advisor to help with any course related issues.

Get some quick study tips.

See different ways that you can join in on campus. 

Should you consider a Preparation Course?

MUPC stands for ‘Murdoch University Preparation Course’ and is run by The Murdoch Institute of Technology (MIT).  It’s the same as doing a bridging course as it prepares you for uni study and gives you the qualifications you need for entry if you don’t have an ATAR.

Key points you need to know from this video

• Why you should do a MUPC, for example, if you don’t qualify for OnTrack or need to do some prep units to get into your chosen course at Murdoch.
• That you apply to Murdoch uni straight through MUPC when you have finished. 
• That although you don’t get credits towards towards a uni degree for completing a MUPC, it provides great preparation for courses like Law and for completing foundation units that you may have missed in school – such as physics or math.

We also chatted to Games Art and Design student David about how he came to Murdoch Uni through a course at MIT and how he chose his uni course:

“Every single time I told someone I was studying at MIT they would say, oh so you failed year 12 and I would be like no I didn’t fail year 12, this is my year 12. By the end of that time, I was at that level that the uni wanted me at and I was familiar with the campus already.”

Read about how he did it here. 

Is MUPC the right option for you? You can also explore these options for your pathway into uni:

Why we recommend OnTrack to gain entry into Murdoch
The Low Down on sitting the STAT
You don’t have to be a school leaver to use your ATAR
Using previous uni qualifications to apply for a new course
Is TAFE your Ticket into a uni course?
Breaking up with your ATAR and finding a new pathway into uni
The top question we get asked when ATAR results are released