Choosing the university and course that best fit you can feel like an overwhelming decision, but these two career experts can help.
Prof Caroline Rueckert is Dean, Career Readiness at Griffith University. Wanda Hayes is a career development and education pathways specialist and a former national president of the Career Development Association Australia. Here, they share their tips on what to look out for when you’re making your decision.
1. Pay attention to how the university speaks
Prof Caroline Rueckert, Dean, Career Readiness at Griffith University
Listening carefully to the voice of a university and its students can tell you a lot about the culture.
“Be mindful of whose voices speak for the university and what stories [the university] chooses to tell,” Rueckert says. “In those stories you can find out, very powerfully, the values of the institution.
“Is the university talking about the skills you’ll get and the job it will lead to? Or is it emphasising how you can use your degree to create purpose and have a positive impact on the world? It will say a lot about the university and the kind of experience you will have.”
What a university chooses to amplify to the world can help you determine what it places importance on, and whether that aligns with you.
2. Find out what on-the-ground experience you will gain
Wanda Hayes, career development and education pathways specialist
Hayes says: “I really encourage students to look for opportunities to get industry experience while they’re studying.”
She believes this will ready them for a career after university and set them apart in the job market.
“It means students are applying what they’re learning as they’re learning, and they’ve got actual industry experience to put on their résumé.”
Griffith offers a range of work-integrated learning opportunities. Some are embedded in programs, while others are open to all students, including community internships and innovation workshops and events that can help students build their entrepreneurial skills and networks.
Students can get to know what they like and value via real-world experience, make a difference in the community and hit the ground running when it comes to work.
Rueckert says: “That’s often where the magic happens, when students have an opportunity to take what they’re learning in a classroom and then to apply that knowledge in a real-world context.”
3. Visit the university in person
Both experts say while a website can certainly give you a feel for a university, an in-person visit can reveal much more.
Hayes says: “Nothing can beat actually getting into the place and getting a feel of the vibe. There are lots of outreach programs these days, not just open days, but programs where prospective students can work with the teaching staff, and in some cases also with current students, and have a chat about what it’s like to be in that university and what they value about it.”
Rueckert agrees. “Visit in person if you can,” she says. “Think holistically about what you’re going to need to be successful as a student. Flexible hours? Hands-on learning? Learning support? Talk to the people – students, staff, teachers – who can help you work out how well the university will meet those needs.”
4. Dive into the content of the course
Hayes says even if degrees have the same name, they may not be made up of the same elements.
“There are hundreds of different business degrees,” she says. “If you know what you’re interested in, you can look for the opportunities to do unique combinations that really trigger excitement for you.”
Photograph: Fly View Productions/Getty Images
Rueckert says: “Not all degrees are equal. Are there ways to be involved in the community? Opportunities for industry mentoring? Sometimes it’s those things that make the difference.”
5. Scope out the alumni
“Connecting with alumni will help you explore your options,” Rueckert says. “Their experiences and pathways might spark something for you. What have their journeys been like? How are they using their degrees, and how does that align with what you care about and want to achieve? They can also warn you about what to avoid.”
6. Build your learning journey around your life
Both experts say study is not as linear as it used to be. Today people return to study multiple times and have learning mindsets throughout their lives, which can result in different relationships with universities.
Hayes says: “I say to students, the decision they’re making is not about a whole lifetime, it’s about what you’re going to do first.
“People are like a Lego set. As you learn, you accumulate new Lego pieces, and when you get bored with what you’re doing you can take the Lego apart and make something else with it, and you might learn some new things to pick up some more pieces.”
Rueckert says the key is to always have a learning mindset.
“Students used to do a degree and then get a job, but now it’s more interconnected,” she says. “A job might spark your curiosity about a degree. Joining a club on campus might ignite a passion. Be open and curious about the unexpected connections so that you’re always open to new possibilities.”
Thinking about study? Find out if Griffith University is the right fit.
