Defying ATARs and reaching for the stars

January is a quiet and relaxing time for students transitioning from the hectic nerves of high schools' final days to the exciting dawn of a new academic experience at university. As each sunny day passes, however, anxious anticipation starts taking hold. Will higher education be the brilliant life-changing journey promised by TV, film and the anecdotes of erstwhile graduates? Or will it simply be a trading of one set of timetables and book lists for another, albeit with fewer dress codes and more opportunities for day drinking?