ECU students meeting at Mount Lawley Campus.
Students working in one of ECU’s Science Superlabs.
A lot of students come to university not knowing exactly what they want to do in their working life. Especially school leavers. And that's OK.
But the more you can do before you start applying for uni, the less chance you'll have of finding yourself in the 'wrong' course.
And even if you do end up in a course that isn't working for you, it's still possible to change to a different degree – you can even be awarded credits for the units you've already completed!
Here are some ideas to consider before you get to uni.
Visit our study area pages
If you have some idea of what you think you'd like to do, visit one or more of our study area pages. These study areas are like themes. Some are quite broad, like Science or Arts & Humanities, while others are more specific, like Engineering or Teacher Education.
This is a good starting point to see what kinds of courses might appeal to you.
Attend a Future Students event
This is another great way to help you with a career direction. Some of these events are specific to a study area, so if you already have some idea about what you want to do, you should definitely attend one of these. And you can bring your parents or friends too!
Start general in your first year
The first year of a uni course isn't always about getting into the details. Many courses expose you to a wide range of subjects in your first year so that you'll have a better idea what to specialise in for the rest of your degree.
In many ways, you're able to build your own course.
For example, if you have only a vague idea of where you're heading you should consider a course like a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. These courses offer loads of majors, minors and elective subjects to help you mix and match your study to your interests.
Even more specialised courses like Biomedical Science have a first year where you can explore different subjects and fields. Most of our Engineering courses give you a taste of everything in your first year too.
So don't stress about picking the 'wrong' course. It's OK to be unsure about your future direction. If you're really stuck for ideas, think about the things you love and try to find a career that would allow you to follow your passion. Your school's Career Counsellor should also be able to help with this.
