Joanne, 18, received her first preference and scored a $20,000 scholarship to do a Bachelor of Arts/Master of Teaching degree at the University of Western Sydney.

She received the good news the day after learning her Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) was 91.

``Neither of my parents went to uni so it was kind of a big shock,'' she said.

``No one on my dad's side has been to uni.''

Joanne received one of the 10,160 UWS offers this year.

The university said 70 percent of its offers went to students from greater western Sydney.

She will study the four-year course at the Penrith campus and hopes to become a secondary modern history teacher.

``I've always had an interest in learning new things and helping others learn new stuff,'' she said.

``I'm really interested in the wars and how that affects other people, not just the soldiers.''

Joanne, who went to Macquarie Fields High School, said her senior history teacher Mr McKenzie had inspired her.

``I did ancient, modern and history extension [for her HSC], '' she said, ``and he was a really good teacher''.

She said she was eager to start her first semester of university on March 1.

``I just kind of want to get in there and start a new chapter in my life,'' she said.

In Campbelltown, the most popular UWS courses were Bachelor of Business and Commerce (395 main round offers), Bachelor of Nursing (250 offers) and Bachelor of Health Science: Sport and Exercise Science (230 offers).