Aussie university to add "life skills" to entry requirement list

CANBERRA, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Canberra's leading university is set to become the first Australian tertiary institution to officially introduce "life skills" to its admissions requirements.

In an unprecedented move, the Australian National University will expect its entrants to have acquired "skills" from life situations, such as playing sport, undertaking volunteer work or caring for a disabled person, alongside the necessary ATAR scores for specific courses.

The shift in admissions policy will come into play for school-leavers planning to apply for the ANU places starting in 2020.

ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt suggested the requirements recognized Australian students as more than "just a score".

"We know they are passionate... have unique skills (and) gain experience through community service, volunteering, working part-time, participating in school leadership, excelling in sports, gaming, performance, competitions and more," Schmidt told The Australian newspaper.

"We also know sometimes life pans out differently for some students. Some have to work to support themselves, or care for their family or face other challenges. These are all important life skills and we will consider these factors alongside ATAR marks."

Applicants will require experience in three skills recognized on an ANU database, including communication, community engagement, inclusion and awareness of diversity, personal responsibility, team¬work, inclusiveness and creative and critical thinking.

In addition, ANU will require all Australian applicants to have studied both maths and English, from 2022.

Marnie Hughes-Warrington, ANU deputy vice-chancellor (academic), said the new approach would be fairer than relying solely on ATAR scores.

"We looked around the world; we've done it with an Australian twist so it's quite transparent, and we have published the schedule (database)", Hughes-Warrington said.

"What we don't want is CV-stacking. We won't be asking for personal statements from students. We want this to be fair, transparent and as objective as possible.

"My view is all of our students pretty much are doing this already, regardless of where they come from. In due course we probably will roll this out to international students." Enditem