South West graduates look ahead

The graduating class of 2020 breathed a sigh of relief early last week with exam results and university entry scores released online. In spite of their final school year being disrupted by a global pandemic, several Year 12 graduates from the South West achieved outstanding Australian Tertiary Admission Rankings. Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School student Lauren Mellett, pictured, was the highest achiever in the South West region with a ranking of 99.80. The high flyer is planning on a career in medicine but studying in WA is not her first preference. “Next year is a bit up in the air for me, I have applied for medicine in Adelaide, Queensland and WA but I’m thinking of taking a gap year,” she said. “There is a program in New Zealand where you can work as an outdoor ed supervisor which starts in August so I’m hoping to do that and get into Queensland uni the following year. “I’ve always been interested in emergency medicine but I’m still not sure that’s where I will end up.” The Tertiary Institutions Service Centre, which processes university applications, said more than 500 students had logged on to its website to find out their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank within five minutes of the data going live. This year 10,677 school leavers achieved an ATAR by sitting four or more ATAR course exams, compared to 11,156 last year. The median ATAR for the State was 81.85, slightly higher than last year’s median of 81.05. The South West’s best and brightest students also included two students from Manea Senior College, Harrison Lawler who achieved an ATAR of 98.65 and Ruby Gilroy who achieved an ATAR of 98.00. TISC executive officer Wayne Betts said despite challenges earlier in the year, the end-of-year exams had gone smoothly. “Every year, many students are delighted with their results and some are disappointed,” he said. “It can be a tough time for students who have worked hard all year, if their results don’t quite reach the level they were hoping for. “We want to reassure Year 12 students there are so many pathways available to them following school, there is always a way forward. “The universities and TISC will have people available to provide advice for students about their study options.”