Jacob Calabria will set off to Melbourne next month after landing an offer to study a Bachelor of Science this week.
TWO local students are bubbling with excitement after they scored places in their dream university courses this week.
Jacob Calabria and Ramandeep Kaur were among hundreds of Griffith HSC graduates who received their tertiary offers on Wednesday.
After scoring a staggering 99.15 ATAR in his HSC, Jacob faced a nervous wait after he found out he was accepted into a University of NSW Bachelor of Science (Advanced) on Wednesday night, but did not know until yesterday whether he'd made it into Melbourne University.
The news finally came through that he had been accepted to study a Bachelor of Science at Melbourne University.
Now all he has to do is decide which offer he will take, though he is leaning towards Melbourne because it offers the option of zoology - a career path Jacob hopes to take.
High achiever Ramandeep Kaur, who scored an ATAR of 98.75, found out on Wednesday night she had been accepted to study medicine at the University of NSW in Sydney.
"Hopefully I'll be able to specialise in paediatrics," the 17-year-old said.
"I'd really like to work in a rural community, I'd love to come back to Griffith if I could."
One who didn't have to wait was Marian Catholic College graduate Laura Favero, who was shocked to find out in November that she had gained early entry to study pharmacy at Charles Sturt University in Wagga.
"I didn't think they'd let me in because it's really competitive and you need high marks to get in," Laura said.
"But I've always worked really hard to achieve the highest result that I could and I've wanted to do pharmacy for a very long time."
But for those who didn't make it into the course they wanted, Marian Catholic College assistant principal Frances Robertson said there were other avenues graduates could take.
"The most important thing is there are many alternative pathways," Mrs Robertson said.
"Evaluate what you really want to do and take time to seek advice on how to do it."
Mrs Robertson said employment was crucial and could provide graduates with greater insight into their chosen career, or even open up other options.
"When school goes back, talk to your careers counsellor and see what options are available," she said.
"Ring the university and let them know you're really passionate about something - in my experience, they've sometimes been able to suggest alternatives to study what you want."
Graduates could also consider studying at TAFE, Mrs Robertson suggested.