Morgan Bolack-Lees found her HSC experience challenging. “It was pretty hard for me,” she says. “I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and it was really tough. I always enjoyed school, and I enjoy learning, but the work piled up a bit too much.” Her ATAR wasn’t what she’d hoped for, and she missed out on a place at UTS, her chosen university.
“I started looking for pathways to UTS,” she remembers, “UTS College came up in my web search. It looked amazing. You’re doing the same stuff you’d do at UTS, but you don’t have to have the ATAR, and you get extra support. I was surprised I’d never heard of it. At school, they told us about UAC and things like that, but I didn’t know anything about this. I think more people should know about it. More domestic students should know it’s an option for them.”
Morgan says that UTS College has made a big difference for her. “It bridges the gap between high school and university in an environment where you have extra help. UTS College has taught me to manage my time. That was something I struggled with in Year 12. I’d end up freaking out the night before something was due. The lecturers here helped me find a better way and now I can play soccer on the weekends and have a social life and still not fall behind in my work.”
The supportive environment at UTS College helped Morgan to shine, and winning a Dean’s Merit Award her first semester as a Diploma of Science student showed her she was on the right track. She says, “I’ve always had an interest in science and I thought this diploma would be a good starting point. With science, you can apply your knowledge to help people. My real interest is in pathology, haematology – bloodwork. I’m leaning towards going into laboratory work and looking at blood, and different immune responses.”
Morgan is now excited about moving to UTS for second year of her Bachelor of Science degree. Her advice to anyone who didn’t get the ATAR they needed for their chosen course is that there are other ways to do things. “There’s always another way to get to where you want to be,” she says. “There’s always a way to do what you want.”