UTS Co-op BIT scholarship 2021 (3 Viewers)

[burningfortime]

Hey, I don't think anyone has discussed this yet for this year (if there is already a thread, my bad) but I just wanted to see how everyone else is doing for their written application!! Also, if i dont have any prior IT experience or extra-circular, would you guys reckon I still have a chance? idk i feel like there's no hope but I'll try for it anyways haha

 

[jimmysmith560]

UTS's eligibility criteria for its Bachelor of Information Technology Co-operative Scholarship states:

Applicants must be/have:

• Australian or New Zealand citizens, or the holder of an Australian permanent resident visa or permanent humanitarian visa; and
• Recent School Leavers; and
• For the duration of the Scholarship: full-time enrolment in a UTS Bachelor of Information Technology undergraduate degree, which is their first undergraduate degree; and
• All candidates must apply using the UTS BIT online Scholarship Application form to be eligible; and
• Apply through UAC for admission into Bachelor of Information Technology
• It is expected that students will achieve an ATAR of around 90 or higher. The Faculty may consider applicants whose ATAR falls in the range of 80 to 99.95 (including adjustment points) depending on the quality of their application and interview.
• Scholarships will only be awarded to applicants that attend an interview.

https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Bachelor%20of%20Information%20Technology%20Scholarship_CoA_v3_PUBLISHED.pdf

As you can see, there doesn't seem to be any strict requirements in terms of having prior IT experience or extracurriculars. From the above, the two most important things that UTS is looking for is an ATAR of approximately 90 or higher, as well as having applicants attend their scholarship interview. If you can focus on achieving those 2 requirements in addition to all the common requirements that precede, I believe you'll definitely have a chance of getting accepted.

I hope this helps!

 

[30june2016]

Hey, I don't think anyone has discussed this yet for this year (if there is already a thread, my bad) but I just wanted to see how everyone else is doing for their written application!! Also, if i dont have any prior IT experience or extra-circular, would you guys reckon I still have a chance? idk i feel like there's no hope but I'll try for it anyways haha

Hmmm, put it this way:

You're going to uni - to (hopefully) learn and be best prepared to work in the IT industry.

Alongside every other student in the course (regardless of experience/background) - you'll be learning everything from scratch on Day 1.

So nope, you're not expected to have IT experience etc! Of course, you do need to demonstrate your enthusiasm (otherwise, why pursue a course you're not very interested in?). But don't self-sabotage and avoid applying just because you feel like you haven't had the right opportunities to do so (my high school didn't even offer IPT/SDD etc. for HSC!). Don't let that imposter syndrome get to you!!

A common misconception with the tech industry is that people feel like they need to be 'techy' and be armed with some sort of knowledge or experience to be able to work in the field. Truth is - there is a LOT of people in tech who don't even come from IT/dev backgrounds! There are people in industry with other degrees, like commerce, arts, psychology or even med. But then why do they get hired? They get hired because of their soft skills - like leadership, taking initiative, communication, and being quick to learn. This is because most entry level or graduate roles will have you learn a LOT on the job, and as tech continues to change, you will continue to learn, and what you did in uni won't be too relevant in the end anyway.

Also keep in mind that tech is a MASSIVE field - there is more to tech than having experience/skills to code. There's Project Management, UX/UI, Cyber Security & Governance, Business Analysts, Consultants, Test Analysts etc. I'd do a bit of research into roles that you can get into with an IT degree. Have a look at people who did the BIT Co-op degree on LinkedIn and see where they've landed for inspiration

Also, with the other reply above - yes ATAR is important, but how well you do in the interview is just as important. You'll find that a lot of applicants will end up meeting their ATAR threshold anyway, so really pay attention to your application & interview answers.

Hope this helped!

edit: source - I'm a recent BIT graduate

 

[burningfortime]

Hmmm, put it this way:

You're going to uni - to (hopefully) learn and be best prepared to work in the IT industry.

Alongside every other student in the course (regardless of experience/background) - you'll be learning everything from scratch on Day 1.

So nope, you're not expected to have IT experience etc! Of course, you do need to demonstrate your enthusiasm (otherwise, why pursue a course you're not very interested in?). But don't self-sabotage and avoid applying just because you feel like you haven't had the right opportunities to do so (my high school didn't even offer IPT/SDD etc. for HSC!). Don't let that imposter syndrome get to you!!

A common misconception with the tech industry is that people feel like they need to be 'techy' and be armed with some sort of knowledge or experience to be able to work in the field. Truth is - there is a LOT of people in tech who don't even come from IT/dev backgrounds! There are people in industry with other degrees, like commerce, arts, psychology or even med. But then why do they get hired? They get hired because of their soft skills - like leadership, taking initiative, communication, and being quick to learn. This is because most entry level or graduate roles will have you learn a LOT on the job, and as tech continues to change, you will continue to learn, and what you did in uni won't be too relevant in the end anyway.

Also keep in mind that tech is a MASSIVE field - there is more to tech than having experience/skills to code. There's Project Management, UX/UI, Cyber Security & Governance, Business Analysts, Consultants, Test Analysts etc. I'd do a bit of research into roles that you can get into with an IT degree. Have a look at people who did the BIT Co-op degree on LinkedIn and see where they've landed for inspiration

Also, with the other reply above - yes ATAR is important, but how well you do in the interview is just as important. You'll find that a lot of applicants will end up meeting their ATAR threshold anyway, so really pay attention to your application & interview answers.

Hope this helped!

edit: source - I'm a recent BIT graduate

Hey!

Sorry for such an incredibly late reply, I got an email for my interview (woo), do you have any tips to prepare for it?

Thanks!!

 

[sawlani63]

Hey!

Sorry for such an incredibly late reply, I got an email for my interview (woo), do you have any tips to prepare for it?

Thanks!!

Hey man I had my interview today too? How was it for you?

 

[burningfortime]

Hey man I had my interview today too? How was it for you?

Oh! you had your interview today? How was it? Mines not until Thursday, haha.

 

[sawlani63]

Oh! you had your interview today? How was it? Mines not until Thursday, haha.

I thought it was today for everyone. It was shockingly not anything to be stressed about.

 

[burningfortime]

I thought it was today for everyone. It was shockingly not anything to be stressed about.

I thought it was on Thursday for everyone until I read the email and i was so confused when it said "see you tomorrow" haha How long was the interview/ What kind of things did they ask? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[sawlani63]

I thought it was on Thursday for everyone until I read the email and i was so confused when it said "see you tomorrow" haha How long was the interview/ What kind of things did they ask? If you don't mind me asking.

The interview will be around 20-30 mins long. They just ask you to describe situations where you demonstrated leadership skills or teamwork skills etc. As long as you know what you wrote in your application, you'll be fine.

 

[burningfortime]

The interview will be around 20-30 mins long. They just ask you to describe situations where you demonstrated leadership skills or teamwork skills etc. As long as you know what you wrote in your application, you'll be fine.

hi! i just finished my interview, it went a lot better than i expected (i thought i was going to blank out) but i think i was just rambling haha. how about you?

 

[sawlani63]

hi! i just finished my interview, it went a lot better than i expected (i thought i was going to blank out) but i think i was just rambling haha. how about you?

Happy it went well for you! I just kept rambling on as well they had to tell me to stop ahah but it was good for me too. Are you applying to unsw as well?

 

[burningfortime]

Happy it went well for you! I just kept rambling on as well they had to tell me to stop ahah but it was good for me too. Are you applying to unsw as well?

omg haha, nope i'm not applying for unsw. probs just uts + wsu (maybe mqu too), how about you?

 

[sawlani63]

omg haha, nope i'm not applying for unsw. probs just uts + wsu (maybe mqu too), how about you?

Im applying to unsw, uts, mcq. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding between uts BIT co-op and the unsw co-op scholarship.

 

[burningfortime]

Im applying to unsw, uts, mcq. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding between uts BIT co-op and the unsw co-op scholarship.

oof, are you applying for IT? and what's the differences between each co-op?

 

[sawlani63]

oof, are you applying for IT? and what's the differences between each co-op?

I am applying for IT and well from what I read online, UTS is more on the business side whereas UNSW is more technical and well UNSW is a better university but UTS gives you a job in hand even before you've graduated. Lot of pros to both so I'm having trouble deciding and maybe someone can advise me on this.

 

[Katsumi]

Hey, I don't think anyone has discussed this yet for this year (if there is already a thread, my bad) but I just wanted to see how everyone else is doing for their written application!! Also, if i dont have any prior IT experience or extra-circular, would you guys reckon I still have a chance? idk i feel like there's no hope but I'll try for it anyways haha

Yeah. I got into the courses 2015 intake.

Research the IT industry and have some insights that set you apart. If you do that and present well, articulate well and score an ATAR of above 95 then you have a decent chance.

 

[Katsumi]

oof, are you applying for IT? and what's the differences between each co-op?

The sentiment was generally that UNSW was the superior programme but I don't think it really mattered. Pretty sure UNSW is 4 years while BIT is three. Apply for both and take what you can get.

 

[Helloing]

Yeah. I got into the courses 2015 intake.

Research the IT industry and have some insights that set you apart. If you do that and present well, articulate well and score an ATAR of above 95 then you have a decent chance.

Hi Katsumi, did you study at UNSW? any insight if I got both BIS and DS shortlisted ? Thanks

 

[Katsumi]

Hi Katsumi, did you study at UNSW? any insight if I got both BIS and DS shortlisted ? Thanks

Never studied at UNSW. The consensus 6 years ago was that BIS was more prestigious than BIT. I suggest looking at the sponsors and amount of industry placement spots each has. This is what will make the majority of difference (long term) i feel. Once you have a few years of experience under your belt, a degree just ticks a box.

If you do not have easy access to this information, you should talk with your course coordinator (or co-op scholarship contact) about it. This is a good time now that you're short-listed.