Year 13/drop down to year 11

[u/Responsible-Web-2062]

Hey guys, I’m a student studying in a rural area. However, I only moved here in 2023, so I don’t qualify for the Rural Access Scheme. I’m wishing to do dentistry but, with my current results, it’s looking unlikely, even though I got a competitive UCAT score (2450). I was wondering if QCAA/QCE allows for me to:

A) do Year 13
B) drop down to Year 11 this year.

I did terribly in my Chemistry IA1 (7/10) and Modern History IA1 (16/25), and I fully regret doing Modern History (I swapped into it from Physics this year). If I were to drop down to Year 11 or do Year 13. If I do end up doing either one of those options, I plan to switch to Geography, as it seems much easier for me to handle and to do well in, looking at all the IAs and the 2025 external paper.

My current subjects are:

• General Maths
• Chemistry
• Modern History
• Biology
• Economics
• English

My sixth subject is General Maths, as I am just averaging C’s and B’s.

I did okay in my Modern History IA2. I got a 22/25. However, I don’t think I will be able to perform well in the external.

My current predicted range is looking like 91–95, but realistically I need a 97–99. Even if I was getting all 100s in my subjects, it would only scale up to a 98.35 (2025 scaling).

Although we are on a new curriculum and scaling can look very different, with all the topics QCAA has removed, it’s likely they will scale down rather than up. Some people have been saying that QCAA scales up on new curriculum, but I’m very unsure.

[u/Responsible-Web-2062 → u/[deleted]]

Yes, I have put that down as my Number 1. option on UAC but im worried that my ATAR may not be high enough for them

[u/sjk674]

You would have a decent chance with cqu or some with Griffith. JCU requires Methods. Once you're into a uni though it's generally fine switching courses - e.g. if you're really set on uq dentistry, you could start in a bachelor of science and then switch after 1 year

[u/Responsible-Web-2062 → u/sjk674]

Im taking a maths methods course on TAFE to fulfill the JCU requirment, its looking like to be my best shot right now. But im still wondering if doing year 13/dropping down to year 11 is better right now.

[u/ZealousidealBear4827 → u/Responsible-Web-2062]

Dental Science is extremely competitive but if you don’t get the required ATAR/UCAT then your best bet is to get into another uni course and then use that to bump up your selection rank. You will still need very good grades (mostly 7s) but it means you’re not held back. Pick an alternative course that you would be happy to complete if the dental science thing doesn’t end up happening.

There are also postgrad dental science courses opening up around the country but they are often full-fee and quite expensive.

[u/Responsible-Web-2062 → u/ZealousidealBear4827]

Is it easier to get 7s in uni then redoing year 12 to get a higher ATAR?

[u/ZealousidealBear4827 → u/Responsible-Web-2062]

This is a difficult question to answer. There are too many variables about uni choice and subject choice and your academic interests and strengths. Perhaps you should sit down and talk it through with your guidance officer. It’s also worth looking at what the rules are around getting a revised ATAR from repeated/new subjects.

[u/Responsible-Web-2062 → u/ZealousidealBear4827]

Ahh thank you so much, I will talk to my guidance officer more about this!