How Valeria can help you take the next step towards your future

September 17, 2020

Find out how OUA student advisor Valeria can help you find the right course for you. She's handled all sorts of questions and is ready to answer yours.

Through Open Universities Australia (OUA) you have thousands of courses available to study online at your fingertips. Quite literally. But when your ambitions are plentiful, how do you know which direction to move in?

With the help of one of our friendly expert student advisors, that’s how.

Student advisors like Valeria are on-call to help you chat through your future and help you figure out which course is the right fit to get you there. Today, we ask Valeria about her day-to-day life helping budding students just like you.

1. What’s the best part of being a student advisor?

I love being able to directly have a positive impact on the lives of so many people. Helping students change their life for the better is what it’s all about for me. It’s so inspiring to shape their future through higher education.

2. What’s the most common question you get asked, and what’s your response?

I often get the question: “I don’t have an ATAR. What bridging course do I need to complete in order to study an undergraduate degree with OUA?” It’s quite common.

My response is: “None!”

That’s the great thing about OUA. Enrol in our ‘open enrolment subjects’ and you can use those to pass the requirements for entering an undergraduate degree instead of an ATAR score. You just need to enrol in a few and pass them to be admitted into certain degrees and graduate!

3. Your job aside, would you recommend studying through OUA?

Definitely! I’m actually studying Digital and Social Media Marketing with Griffith University online through OUA myself. I’ve learned a lot from the course, as it brings together theory and practice. It’s taught me how to create a digital marketing campaign in a real-life scenario, which I love. As well as this, study has taught me a great deal in terms of working full-time and managing my studies. I can really relate to the students I speak to on calls now. Trust me when I say, it’s possible!

4. What have you noticed as the biggest change in education? 

The biggest change has come from the ability students now have to pick up micro-credentials, such as short courses and single subjects, rather than a traditional full-length degree. These courses take just weeks instead of years – so it’s a real game-changer for those looking to upskill. Also, the opportunities students now have to get into degrees based on pathway subjects. It’s this kind of flexibility that has had a huge and significant change in the education industry.