Preparing your child for university

This section gives you some tips on how to help prepare your child for university study.

Here are some helpful tips for helping to prepare your child for uni. You can:

Plan ahead

• attend your child's school's Year 10 'Decision Day', (or equivalent)talk to the school's Career Advisor
• encourage positive discussions about post-school options
• tune into their special talents and abilities - What makes your child unique? What are their strengths? What do they enjoy doing? Do they have any hobbies or interests outside school?

Be supportive

• be enthusiastic about their ideas
• offer to attend career days and university open days with them
• listen - sometimes this can be the greatest support
• encourage your child to do work experience in their school holidays - exposure to different work environments will enable them to make more informed decisions about subject selection, courses and future directions
• encourage them to talk to professionals in careers they may be interested in. Most people are more than happy to talk about their field of expertise if someone shows real interest.

Be realistic

• treat this as an exploratory process. There may not be one best career option for your child
• no matter what your child chooses to do after leaving school, options for further education will remain open to them throughout their lifetime
• remember that every child is different
• It is normal for your child to change their mind regularly. This indecisiveness is a healthy part of the process and is evidence that they are engaging with the resources available to them and the multidimensional world they inhabit.