JOBS in health are the most sought after by early bird applicants to the University Admissions Centre (UAC).
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This year has seen an eight per cent surge in early applications to university.
At Calrossy Anglican School alone, 81 out of the 95 Year 12 students want to go to university, careers advisor Charles Impey said.
"We have a higher number because the students come from backgrounds where both or one parent is a professional," he said.
"We don't have many, if any, students that come from long-term unemployment type backgrounds so the family culture is there to go on to tertiary education.
"By and large students are more certain about what they want to do rather than take a gap year without a plan."
More than 43,000 students from NSW and ACT have applied to study in 2021 through UAC, plus another 21,000 non-Year 12 applicants.
At least a quarter of the Calrossy students who chose a degree in health as their first preference specifically wanted to do nursing.
After health, the students predominantly chose society and culture with half of those naming psychology as their first preference.
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Education, agriculture, environmental studies and specifically marine science were also popular with the students.
It's been a tough year to do the Higher School Certificate, Mr Impey said, but students have been provided extra support to achieve the marks they need to get into their desired courses.
"I think on the whole they are feeling okay, there have been some students who have been stressed out but that happens every year," he said.
"There's that belief it's ATAR or nothing and life ends but that's not the case.
"There are so many backdoors and side doors, the belief that you have to get 99.65, while it does happen - there are other pathways and that's echoed across every discipline."
Early applications to university through UAC have now closed, but applications for the first semester are open until February 5, 2021.