I'd actually love to hear more about PPE - how are you finding this aspect of study, and has it met your expectations in terms of the content you're covering? This is something I'd potentially be interested in in future.
PPE is a pretty unique course, it covers each area separately as well as the interdisciplinary nature of the 3 areas! This semester, I am doing microeconomics and introduction to politics, and they are both very interesting! It is only the first week but both subjects are exceeding my expectations. Micro is really interesting to me as I am interested in majoring in economics (in my commerce degree), and whilst I wouldn't consider myself a humanities student, politics is challenging me in a good way! I won't be doing any integration subjects until my second year (as I am completing the economics core subjects earlier to help my course progression) but I am excited to try these too.
PPE does have a pretty high dropout rate here, with most people dropping from a double to a single. It is definitely the degree and I am slightly nervous as my previous schooling experience won't really transfer over but it is very good so far! I'll try and remember to update this after this semester to see how much I enjoyed my first 2 PPE subjects!
Out of curiosity, what made you chose ANU and not any of the local unis in melb?
For me, there are 2 main areas that made me choose ANU, degree choice and social environment.
Degree choice: ANU has an incredibly large range of degrees to choose from. There are so so many. However, my degree can be studied elsewhere (Monash has it), but if I wanted to change one of my degrees, I couldn't do that anywhere else. ANU has a great Flexi double degree program where you can combine literally any 2 undergraduate degrees you want! I may transfer into Actuarial Studies and PPE, a combination I couldn't do anywhere else, but can here at ANU. It is also a very well-known institution and is slightly smaller than the unis I was considering in Melbourne (Monash and Melbourne).
Social Environment: Frankly, I needed to leave Melbourne. I was stuck in a pretty toxic bubble and knew if I stayed there I would be seeing the same people and doing the same things. I was actually considering moving overseas for a while to get the "college" experience, but ANU has that, especially in my res where everyone is super nice and involved. I also knew that I could always move back to Melbourne, but wanted to take this opportunity to see how I liked moving away. I have already gained independence and make friends that I feel like I have known my whole life. It is obviously individual and I think does depend on which residence you are in, but I feel like I am a part of a 400 person family 🥰 Canberra is also a nice place (people love to shit on it but it is beautiful) and staying in Melbourne would honestly for me feel like a continuation of high-school. For the first time in a while I can say I am truly happy and moving here has 100% caused that!