Tertiary Open Days

If your son is considering studying at TAFE or university after school, it is crucial that you attend Open Days.

Throughout the year, vocational and tertiary institutions open their doors to the public and showcase their courses, accommodation, scholarships, pathway courses, student services and their ‘point of difference’.

At an Open Day, you will be able to:

Get a feel for the culture of the campus

Learn about courses and career options

Undertake campus and accommodation tours led by current students

Speak directly to student ambassadors and lecturers about the courses or careers you are interested in

Compare the course area you are interested in at different institutions

Learn about sports and societies you can join and be active in

Get course counselling and guidance

Attend information sessions and workshops

Watch live demonstrations

Listen to bands, eat lots of food, participate in activities and have fun!

Don’t pick a course at an institution without visiting the campus – you potentially will be spending several years studying there and spending tens of thousands of dollars on your course and accommodation. It’s worth making the effort.

By now you should have identified institutions you would like to visit, found out their open day dates and downloaded their open day programs.

Once you have the programs, make a list of the information sessions you would like to attend.

If you have time, try and attend information sessions on topics like pathways, scholarships, accommodation and overseas exchange programs.

If you are unsure what to ask on the day, Victoria University has developed some questions you can ask:

Are there any prerequisite subjects I need to study for this course?

What study scores/ATAR do I need to achieve to get into this course?

Do I need to attend an audition, have an interview or present a folio as part of the selection process?

Are there any other ways into this course other than through a VTAC application?

Can I do a vocational course first which might then lead into a university course?

What is the difference between TAFE and university study?

If I can’t get into this course, is there a similar course at this institution I can apply for?

Can I study majors and/or minors in this course?

How many hours per week are spent in class and can I study part time?

Can I defer the course?

What kind of jobs do graduates of this course generally get?

Are there any scholarships available?

The following is a list of Victorian Open Day dates for Victorian institutions. On the websites, you will be able to register to receive information about the Open Day/s, go into draws to win prizes, watch videos from the 2017 days and download the Open Day planner for 2018.

July

• Swinburne University: Hawthorn (29), http://bit.ly/1FRMN40

August

• Monash University: Peninsula (4), Clayton & Caulfield (5), Peninsula (19), http://bit.ly/1pmUEzv
• RMIT: Bundoora (5), City (12), http://openday.rmit.edu.au/
• Australian Catholic University: Melbourne (12) & Ballarat (26), https://bit.ly/2qLXb7d
• La Trobe University: Shepparton (3), Melbourne (5), Albury-Wodonga (12), Mildura (15), Bendigo (26), www.latrobe.edu.au/openday
• University of Melbourne: Parkville & Southbank (19), https://openday.unimelb.edu.au/
• Deakin University: Warrnambool (5), Geelong (19), Melbourne (26), http://openday.deakin.edu.au/
• Chisholm Institute: Berwick (19), https://www.chisholm.edu.au/open
• Victoria University: Footscray (15), www.vu.edu.au/
• Federation University: All campuses (26), http://bit.ly/2pX92Ah
• Box Hill Institute: Box Hill (26), https://www.boxhill.edu.au/openday/

• Holmesglen: Various faculties and locations (9), www.holmesglen.edu.au/open/

Full list of Victorian Open Day dates for private providers and TAFE institutes: https://bit.ly/2NQdoEY

Interstate Universities
For Open Days in all other states and territories go to https://bit.ly/2mh7bFu

Mr Damian McAuliffe
Pathways Coordinator