The Careers Centre staff invite many Universities to the College to keep the St Peters community informed of the options, “allowing our students to be more competitive within the Tertiary application processes,” says Jacqui. In the past couple of weeks St Peters have hosted visitors from across the US and Canada including Hofstra University, New York, The University of Transylvania in Kentucky, Embrey-Riddle Aeronautical University, the University of Hawaii and the University of Waterloo, Canada. Representatives have come in to talk with students personally from these institutes—as well as local universities—Griffith University and The University of Queensland.
While it’s exciting, and sometimes confronting, for students to think about life beyond St Peters, here are Jacqui’s top five tips to think about when choosing a University, either within Australia or Internationally:
- Does it offer courses which align with your abilities, interests and preferred learning style? Will the quality be of a standard to meet your accreditation needs and will you get the support you may require (e.g. smaller class sizes)—refer to Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) to compare courses. Note: Courses in the same field may be taught differently amongst institutions.
- Do you meet their pre-requisites or do they offer suitable pathways that may lead you to other preferred courses?
- Consider their links to industry and work integrated learning options. Opportunities to liaise with industry representatives and real world projects will enhance your employability.
- Do they offer sporting teams, professional groups, a career service, employability skills straining, international exchange opportunities, a thriving student guild—all of these contribute to the culture of the institution.
- Are their costs affordable for you? Can you access the campus without detriment to your learning or grades? Is there flexibly in the way they deliver courses?
We are here to help you
Come and make an appointment with at the Careers Centre to navigate your way to the next step of your education. Students and parents are able to book individual appointments to discuss subject selection, academic engagement, prerequisite requirements and post school options. Jacqui works on the premise that it is “never too early to commence exploring the options”.
Jacqui also meets with all boarders to offer guidance on their school engagement and support with their post school exploration.
“Relevant information is sent frequently to parents as they are influential in students’ post school decision making processes. This includes fortnightly Career Bulletins which outlines opportunities such as University experience days, STEM workshops, and university courses options,” says Jacqui.
The Career Development Program offered at St Peters embraces a holistic approach, acknowledging that many variables contribute to sound post school decisions such as an increased awareness of one’s abilities, interests, values, character strengths while also considering the impact of influences such as automation, globalisation and other factors on the future world of work. If you’ve never visited the Careers Centre, you are encouraged to do so and you will receive a very warm and hospitable welcome from Jacqui and Kath.