Should an ATAR Determine Which University

BY BRIDGET HOLLOWAY

Should an ATAR determine which university course you get into?

My mum always tells me that 'you get out what you put in'. Which means that the success you achieve is displays the quality and quantity of the effort and hard work you put in. This motivates me every day to put in the hard work, and I will be rewarded for my efforts. This should be in the back of every student's minds when completing homework, assignments, tests and exams.

An ATAR is considered the most important test result in your schooling career. Everything that you have learnt over 13 years all comes down to one final score, which can determine which university course you get into. It is a clear indicator of a student's skill level and should allow them to get first preference into their preferred course. Although many students feel as though an ATAR is overrated and puts too much pressure on them, the majority feel that the determination to receive a good score is very healthy for them.

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The reasoning behind this theory is that an ATAR shows the intelligence level of a specific student, it encourages them to work for their desired course and finally, we will have skilled professionals working in higher qualified jobs.

An ATAR score shows the intelligence level of a specific student and if they can handle an advanced course. If we allow anyone to complete an advanced course such as brain surgery, the content covered will be too difficult for him or her.

By doing this, we are therefore wasting the intelligence of other students who got better grades and who would be a better qualified professional. Higher education Minister Senator, Kim Carr says "the fact remains there is a strong correlation between people's entry scores at university and their success rate." As you know, some jobs pay a higher wage than others do. These jobs generally require a higher qualification. Without the ATAR system, many individuals will only become highly qualified professionals just for a good income, not for what they are passionate about. My question is, why would you employ someone who is clearly just doing the occupation for money over someone who is passionate for the job?

Everyone has a dream job that they want to do after school whether it be a vet, paramedic or even a pizza deliverer. An ATAR encourages every student to work for it so they get into their desired pathway. The process also teaches them important life skills such as being organized, handing work in on time and how to deal with stress in a work environment. Without an ATAR, people feel as though they don't need to work hard in school and they can still get what they want. It is proven that it will help develop them for the workplace. 99.80 ATAR achiever, Jamon Windeyer, said, "The key to success· is simple. Hard work. If you work hard, you will succeed." As a student myself, I sometimes feel overwhelmed that my final score, in some ways, can determine my future. This encourages me to work harder to ensure that I have no regret when I leave school. This way, I feel like I have set myself up for life and left some doors open.

The final reason as to why an ATAR should determine which university course you get into is we will have less skilled professionals working in higher qualified jobs. If we remove the ATAR system, we will have people working as brain surgeons when they aren't fully qualified. This will ultimately lead to a higher death rate and other major dilemmas. As I said before, An ATAR will allow very intelligent people to work for what they are passionate about and help shape the world for future generations. At Brighton Grammar School, ATAR score were through the roof! Of the 108 boys in the class of 2016, 38% of them achieved an ATAR of 90 or above. This talent will be wasted if the ATAR system is removed. Due to many student joining a course, many universities won't be able to cope with the high enrolment rate. This will lead to a higher dropout rate as very few would have the ability to complete the course.

An ATAR assists with acknowledging the accomplishments of each student in High School. It is a gentle way of guiding someone into their suited fields, which are suitable for their intellectual capabilities. Are you prepared to let under-qualified people into Australia's highest-ranking jobs? I truly hope not.