What UOW students did between finishing high school and starting university

You've finished the HSC; now what? For many of you, this is the first time your calendar is no longer defined by school terms, study or exams, which can be elating or daunting. If you're not ready to run headfirst towards freedom, read on to see what UOW students got up to in their summer break.   

"I got a new job, and I moved out of home." - Caitlyn   

"Not a lot. I did work a bit at Bunnings." - Tien   

"I did a bit of travelling down the coast and hung out with friends and family." - Jess   

"I worked a lot and then travelled with friends." - Paige   

 "I went to Fiji for a holiday." - Darcy   

"I got a full-time job at my mum's work, and I worked a lot. Then I moved to Wollongong." -  Jessie   

"I had a gap year and worked full-time at a chemist." - Arcadia   

"I took a break and hung out with friends." - Harry   

"I went to the beach and just chilled out." - Erin   

While there are some similarities across everyone's anecdotes, there is no right or wrong way to spend your break. However, you can do a few things in your spare time to prepare for your first semester of university.

Review your preferences 

You have until midnight 16 December to review and rearrange your UAC preferences before offers are sent out. Now that you're on the other side of the HSC, it's good to look at your preferences to confirm they are still what you want to study, as things like stress can cloud your judgement. If you're unsure about your chosen courses, you can use our Course Finder to explore what motivates you and turn your passion into a career. 

Enrol

UOW Early Admission offer holders can begin to enrol from 5 December. We require details like your Tax File Number (TFN) and Unique Student Identifier, so it's best to organise these before you start the process, as a TFN takes 28 days to be issued if you still need to get one. Enrolment allows you to choose your first-year subjects, declare a major (if required), and submit a photo for your student card. 

Note down key dates

Note down any important dates in your now very free calendar. Some good places to start are different orientation weeks and tutorial enrolments. Each subject will have a specific enrolment time and getting in early will give you the most choice in designing your timetable.