Neda was a mature student when she came to UTS Insearch. ‘I was a little older,’ she says, ‘and my ATAR wasn’t relevant. To be honest, it wasn’t particularly good to begin with, so I needed to find a pathway to study at UTS. When I found UTS Insearch, it looked like a great option.’
It has worked out well. Having completed her Diploma of Science at UTS Insearch, Neda is now preparing to enter second-year of her Bachelor of Biotechnology at UTS.
She says, ‘I want to study biotechnology. I’m really interested in genetics. My Mum’s interested in genetics too. When I was younger, she would sit me down and say things like, “Your brother has curly hair, and that’s where this trait comes from.” You could say she inspired me.’
Her experience at UTS Insearch has given Neda valuable academic skills. ‘Before, I didn’t really have a proper study habit. Coming to UTS Insearch helped me build my study skills from the ground up. One semester, we had a whole subject just on academic writing,’ she says. ‘That was a big tipping point. Writing at high school is absolutely nothing like writing at uni. Same with research, and knowing how to find proper academic sources.’
Neda clearly recalls a moment when she knew everything was falling into place for her. ‘I was doing my titration exam and it was a real test of the skills I’d been learning. There was just this moment when I realised, “Oh look! I’m learning. I know how to do this!” It was a nice feeling.’
To students considering UTS Insearch as a pathway to UTS, Neda says, ‘Do it. It’s made me so much more goal oriented – more organised. I’ve learnt to do everything in little steps until I get there. It’s really helped. Just show up and step-by-step, little-by-little, it’ll all work out.’