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Your transition to university
When you enrol in Headstart, you become a university student studying alongside USC undergraduate students. You undertake independent adult learning, and are responsible for your own attendance and assessment:
- You attend all classes on campus for your chosen course. This allows you to experience university life, meet other students, and make full use of the university’s facilities. Most courses offer a number of class times from which you can choose from.
- You will be expected to complete all the assessment items that are a part of your course. These may be written assignments, oral presentations, group projects or exams.
Fitting in both university and school studies
To fit in both university and school studies, it’s important to maintain a balance of schoolwork, university work, sport, family commitments and social activities. The commitment planner (PDF 36KB) can help you to map out your weekly schedule.
You should also talk to your school about your options—you may be allowed to drop one of your high school subjects for a USC course, or change lines or class times to suit your schedule.
To give yourself the best chance of success, you should allow at least 10 hours per week for your university study. This is divided between attending lectures and tutorials on campus (three to five hours) and individual study such as readings, research and assessment.
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Be supported
You are supported throughout your Headstart experience. The Headstart Orientation session introduces you to the university essentials before you get started. Your USC lecturer and tutor will provide feedback on your progress throughout the semester. Student Services staff may contact you during the semester to see how you are going, and they are always on hand if you need assistance. Don’t forget that your school is also there to help you balance school and university—talk to your school’s Headstart Coordinator if you need help.
At the end of your Headstart studies you’ll not only have experienced university, but you may also get a jump-start on your university degree before finishing school. Successfully completed Headstart courses earn credit towards your USC degree if they are related study areas. Credit may also be granted for related degrees at other universities, but this is subject to approval by the other university. If you wish to continue your studies at USC as a Year 12 school-leaver, you apply for your degree through QTAC and the credit transfer is processed by USC once you accept your offer.
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