Whose opinion matters when it comes to university?

A bucketload: naysayers

Anyone pooh-poohing your passions is usually not the font of wisdom. No matter who you’re talking to, look out for these bland statements in need of extreme salting:

• ‘There’s no point studying something that won’t make you a lot of money’
• ‘Don’t waste a high ATAR on a course with low entry requirements’
• ‘You’ll have time to pursue your interests on weekends’
• ‘I don’t think that course is the right fit for you’
  
  

In fact, we’re so confident in the unhelpful-ness of this advice that it’s best left off the plate entirely.

A handful: your friends

Even the friendliest of advice can be fraught. Fraught with sly intentions for you to go to the same uni together; fraught with the opinions of their own family – who likely wouldn’t know you well enough to directly offer advice in the first place; fraught with every bit of uncertainty and inexperience that you have yourself.

A good handful of salt with their titbits offered over recess is needed. And if that much is required to make their opinions palatable, consider if it’s worth the risk to your blood pressure.

A pinch: parents and teachers

Your parents might know you better than anyone in the world, and they might want you to succeed even more than you do yourself. This can be lovely, but sometimes their sage counsel is a touch outdated, or tinged with dreams of your world domination.

Perhaps they totally get you and are a great help in fleshing out your visions for a post-high school life. But sometimes, selflessly wanting what’s best for you isn’t quite the same thing as knowing what’s best. So, sprinkle a pinch onto their guidance.

A great teacher can inspire in a way almost no one else can. If you’re lucky enough to have a teacher like this in your life, there’s a good chance they understand how you learn and what you’re enthusiastic about.

But they only know you in a classroom context and, occasionally, a disheartening remark from a teacher can have you questioning your ability. A pinch of salt, certainly, is to be taken with their recommendations.

A grain: career advisers

It’s a career adviser’s job to be in the know about where your interests are best applied after high school. Basically, they’ve dedicated their career towards helping you find yours. That’s a pretty serious commitment to your future success.

Given their expertise, experience, and investment in your next steps after high school, career advisers are one of the most trustworthy sources of advice you can find. We prescribe the tiniest, single grain of salt with their advice.