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News 24 JulyA message from Executive Dean of Health Sciences Professor Suzanne Chambers: Winter has so far been a season of future-thinking and action for the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Prospective students don’t have to give up their university dreams if they miss the ATAR they need or don’t have a Year 12 qualification, or the international equivalent. ACU’s Foundation Studies program offers another pathway to entry into an undergraduate degree. Zoe Warham and Geraldine Hui Yi Kiing completed the program in 2021 and are now enrolled in degree programs at ACU.
For Zoe, university was always on her radar, but the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on schools meant her Year 12 results suffered. With the support of her career advisor, Zoe decided to apply for the ACU Foundation Studies program after exploring various pathways to university.
“I saw that it was the best option for me as it would give me a taste of what university life was like before committing to my Bachelor, and it seemed a little bit like it was meant to be,” she said
The Foundation Program, which is fee-free for domestic students, is open to both school leavers and non-school leavers. It offers guaranteed entry into an ACU undergraduate degree for students who achieve the grade point average required for their degree. Small class sizes mean students can access personalised support from teachers and advisers during the program to help them develop the skills and the confidence to pursue further tertiary education.
For Zoe, her teachers were a highlight of the program.
“There are so many good aspects about the program, but my favourite would be the one-on-one time that you get with teachers and the close relationships that are formed with those teachers and other classmates in such small classes,” she said.
Zoe is now enrolled in a Bachelor of Laws degree at the Blacktown campus.
“I am loving the work already and the people that I have met,” she said.
“Without the Foundation Studies program, I don’t think I would have ever been motivated enough to chase my dream of being a lawyer the way that I am now. It gave me an opening into university life as well, to see if I could cope with a tougher workload and to see what being on campus was like.”
Like Zoe, Geraldine Kiing joined ACU’s Foundation Studies program to find a pathway into university. Geraldine enrolled in the international program and studied online from her home in Malaysia.
The program attracted students from a range of countries, and the opportunity to meet people from around the world was a highlight for Geraldine.
“My classroom consisted of people with different nationalities from around the globe. Besides learning about them and their culture, it feels wholesome that we formed strong bonds with each other despite the distance,” she said.
Support from her teachers and other ACU staff was a key factor in her success during the program, according to Geraldine.
“I am blessed with supportive teachers, ACU staff and friends who guided me in every step of my learning, including my personal life,” she said.
“Their passion motivates me to be a great educator in the future. I look forward to my teaching journey, to inspire children like my teachers did to me.”
Geraldine recently travelled to Australia to begin her Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) degree.
“Things are foreign to me here and I get homesick and overwhelmed at times, but I am learning to take my time to adapt and not rush through things,” she said.
The Foundation Studies program is offered to domestic students at the Blacktown campus and to international students at the Melbourne and North Sydney campuses and online.
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