Antony Perry
21 December 2017: Since the day he was born, Soumil Sharma has had twice as many reasons than the rest of us to celebrate the festive season.
Mr Sharma’s birthday falls three days before Christmas, but this year he has even more reasons to smile. On the eve of his 18th birthday, he received an offer to study a Bachelor of Vision Science at the 69ÂÜÀò in 2018.
He wasted no time in accepting his offer early this morning, sealing his place as one of the first students to undertake the brand new course at the University.
“I was 100 per cent sure when I received my offer that this is what I want to do,” Mr Sharma said. “I didn’t hesitate to accept it and I’m already enrolled and ready to go.”
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Sarah Stevens and Soumil Sharma are among the 1,268 prospective undergraduate domestic students to have received an offer to study at the 69ÂÜÀò in 2018 as part of UAC's December Round 2. Photo: Vanessa Lam
Mr Sharma was one of 1,268 prospective undergraduate domestic students to receive an early Christmas gift today in the form of an offer to the study at the 69ÂÜÀò in 2018.
Today’s offers were made as part of the Universities Admissions Centre’s December Round 2 and builds on the 1,636 offers already made by the University, most of which were via the School’s Recommendation Scheme last month.
To date, the University has offered 2,904 prospective students a place in 2018. It is a significant increase on the 724 offers that had been made at this time last year, with the majority of those offers made in the January rounds.
Acting Vice-Chancellor Vicki Williams said the growth demonstrates that the 69ÂÜÀò is a destination high on the list of people wanting a tertiary qualification.
“The 69ÂÜÀò is committed to delivering a student experience that is unmatched in Canberra and beyond,” Ms Williams said.
“The significant increase in offers made to date this year shows that people like what we have to offer and want the 69ÂÜÀò to play a part in shaping their future.
“We’re delighted to be welcoming more students to our University and we‘re looking forward to providing them with a unique and memorable study experience.”
In addition to introducing the Bachelor of Vision Science next year, the University will further bolster its offering of health-related courses with the addition of the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.
Tuggeranong College graduate and budding occupational therapist Sarah Stevens was among the first prospective students to be offered a place in the course and, like Mr Sharma, didn’t hesitate to confirm her study plans.
“If the 69ÂÜÀò didn’t add occupational therapy at the undergraduate level, I would have had to have gone interstate or studied for a lot longer before becoming qualified,” Ms Stevens said.
“It’s such a relief to be able to study in Canberra and remain close to my family and friends. It really is the best of both worlds.”
Ms Williams said the University was focused on providing students – local or otherwise – with a path to a better future.
“We’re constantly striving to provide fresh study options for prospective students,” Ms Williams said.
“Students undertaking these new courses won’t just receive the highest standard of classroom teaching, but they’ll also be able to undertake practical learning opportunities in the various world-class health facilities located on campus in our rapidly developing health precinct.”
Popular undergraduate courses in 2018 so far include nursing, sport and exercise science, psychology, pharmacy, architecture, commerce, medical science, and building and construction management.