5 things to look for in a uni

Studying at uni is a life-changing experience. On top of their studies, your teen will be meeting new friends, immersing in the campus lifestyle, building professional networks and experience, and transitioning to a new study environment after the stress of Year 12.

When choosing the right university, it’s vital to keep your teen’s needs at the forefront to ensure you can support them to find the best fit for them academically and personally, because there’s going to be so much more to their university experience than textbooks and tutorials.

1. What does your teen hope to gain from their university experience?

When choosing a university, while rankings are an important factor for ensuring your teen will receive a quality education, it’s vital to also look at what they hope to gain from their university experience – this should be the core driver when shortlisting options.

For example, if your teen wants to have a university with a practical approach to learning, studies that connect to real-world industry experiences, or a vibrant student community, then this will help narrow down their options.

You might also consider doing research online to see what people are saying about their study experience, and see if it matches what your teen is most looking for in a university experience.

Make sure you understand enough about their needs and wants, and get clear about what can be compromised and what can’t. It might help to ask your teen to write it down so they can remind themselves when making any final decisions.

2. Does the university align to their career ambitions?

Industry and work experience is a vital part of discovering the career paths you want in your future – after all, the purpose of an education is to prepare you for a rewarding career.

Ensuring the university offers the curriculum that matches your teen’s areas of interest will go a long way in preparing them for the workplace. This includes the facilities to practice what they learn, and the industry opportunities for them to get hands-on skills and experience to prepare for the real world of work.

You can also get recommendations from friends, family, colleagues and research online through reports such as The Australian Government’s QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey and Graduate Outcomes survey to ensure the university your teen chooses has a good reputation for producing graduates that succeed in the workplace.

3. Does the university offer the right course options?

Sometimes it might be tempting to choose a university because it offers prestige or because you’ve been told by friends or family that it’s the university one should attend.

While prestige and personal recommendations are valid reasons, it’s important to make sure the university offers the course your teen wants to pursue as their career, and the course options and curriculum match what they want to get out of their course.

For example, no university will offer the exact same curriculum, electives, majors or specialisations, and core subjects. If your teen has a specific specialisation or topics of interest within a study area they want to pursue, then ensuring the university offers this should be an important factor in their decision.

Make sure to take time to read through the curriculum, course descriptions and electives or specialisations. After all, they will be spending at least three years studying, so it’s vital for their course options to be aligned with the interests they’d like to pursue into a career after graduation.

At La Trobe, we believe in empowering our students to make an impact in the future they choose. That’s why we offer over 50 majors and minors to give them a degree that combines their unique interests and passions.

4. Does the teaching style match to your teen?

All universities are different, from different subjects and electives to their core values and approach to learning and teaching.

When supporting your teen to choose the right university it can be very helpful to dig a little deeper to find out the university’s approach to teaching and the academics that will be teaching your teen.

Is your teen looking for a more hands-on and practical learning environment that emphasises skills? Or do they prefer a more academic and theoretical environment? These are good questions for your teen to ask themselves when choosing a university.

Another factor to consider is online versus on-campus study. Many universities offer variations of online, on-campus or a blend of both. This study flexibility might help inform your teen to choose the right university that matches how they learn best.

One way to discover more about the teaching style is to get recommendations from friends, family and colleagues – or search online to find out what current and previous students like the most about the teaching and learning style, and the attitudes of the academics and lecturers.

At La Trobe, we believe in empowering our students to succeed, no matter their circumstances. That’s why our La Trobe by You model offers students the ability to study on-campus, online or both in a practical learning environment, with industry opportunities embedded into the design of our courses.

5. Does the university offer the right student services?

Transitioning to university can be a very tough adjustment for many teens. The university environment is very different to Year 12, and sometimes a little help can go a long way.

When researching universities, it’s important to make sure the uni has the support services in place to support your teen with adjusting to life as a university student. This can be academic skills support, mentoring, career support, mental health and wellbeing services, and social support.

What’s also important is to make sure the on-campus community and the variety of student events and clubs match your teen’s interests and passions, since they will be making friends throughout the three to six years they spend at university.

Choosing the right university can be as important as choosing the right course. Understanding what your teen values and expects in a university experience will go a long way to making sure they’re making the right decision for their future.

If your teen is considering La Trobe University, then we’re here to help answer any questions to make sure your teen is making the right choice to study with us.

Need help with supporting your teen?

Our course advisors are here to help you and your teen with any questions about studying at La Trobe.