Lauren Bailey - Research Programme Coordinator

“When I finished high school, I was incredibly disheartened to find out that my uni application had been rejected due to missing the University Entrance pre-requisite, after falling behind while on overseas exchange. But I was offered a place in the foundation programme at the Faculty of Education and Social Work and it was honestly the best thing that could’ve occurred. It increased my confidence and gave me the motivation to work hard to complete my bachelors and honours degrees.

“The Foundation Certificate Education* was a fantastic first step into immersing myself into the University context. Those of us who had completed the Foundation Certificate entered into the Bachelor programmes having the knowledge of the campus, the support systems available to us and the expectations of the University. We also had the academic writing, referencing and researching skills we needed to succeed.

“Foundation studies also provided me with an immense support network for my degree. I had the support of my peers who had also been through the Foundation Certificate and the lecturers who were teaching on both the Foundation Certificate and the Bachelor of Education (Teaching) programme so there was already a relationship that had been established.

“Now I work as a research programme coordinator, helping academic staff to submit funding proposals for research projects at the Faculty of Education and Social Work. My advice to students who didn’t get the high school grades they wanted is don’t give up hope! The foundation programme was an amazing experience for me, and I still use a lot of the skills I learnt from it in my job now.”

*Now known as the Tertiary Foundation Certificate (Education and Social Work pathway)