ATAR Notes: Forum
Uni Stuff => General University Discussion and Queries => Topic started by: pyro-53 on January 24, 2013, 03:05:37 pm
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This is probably the second craziest decision i’ve ever made. I think I’m going to turn down the B.Arts (Psych) in Deakin Burwood and apply for B.Science (Application in Society) at La Trobe (Bundoora) instead. The major turning point for me was when I found out that I won’t be able to move out this year. This means I need to travel about 1-2 hrs to Deakin. But if I got into La Trobe I can move to Reservoir which is close to it. Oh man, I need to make a quick decision before round 2 starts but I still don’t know which one to choose :(
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Why is it crazy?
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Why is it crazy?
Because, I keep changing my minds. Also because I'm going to switch a good uni for a different one (no offence to La Trobe people :( ) just so I can live closer to the uni, have better care and maybe be close to my old friends.
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Because, I keep changing my minds. Also because I'm going to switch a good uni for a different one (no offence to La Trobe people :( ) just so I can live closer to the uni, have better care and maybe be close to my old friends.
if you were really passionate about Arts @ Deakin then the traveling time shouldn't deter you from it IMO.
I know quite a few people on AN and close friends who take an 1 hr+ to get to UoM/Monash (such as bcub3d, kingpomba, Thushan) and I'm sure that they can give some insight on it
I'd be willing to travel a little more to study a course that I would be satisfied with over having close friends + being close to home + probably being unsatisfied with La Trobe as a university (from the sounds of it)
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if you were really passionate about Arts @ Deakin then the traveling time shouldn't deter you from it IMO.
I know quite a few people on AN and close friends who take an 1 hr+ to get to UoM/Monash (such as bcub3d, kingpomba, Thushan) and I'm sure that they can give some insight on it
I'd be willing to travel a little more to study a course that I would be satisfied with over having close friends + being close to home + probably being unsatisfied with La Trobe as a university (from the sounds of it)
Thanks for the reply, but it's not only the travel hours that scares me the most it's also the thought that arts might not be right for me. I'm afraid that I'll be overwhelmed with so many essays to be submitted >< This thought makes me shudder :( I remembered last year I was so unmotivated with planning an essay to even write one in ESL class :( But don’t get me wrong, I love ESL, I think I was just being lazy back then.
Anyway, I'm going to pm the members that you mention.
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This is probably the second craziest decision i’ve ever made. I think I’m going to turn down the B.Arts (Psych) in Deakin Burwood and apply for B.Science (Application in Society) at La Trobe (Bundoora) instead. The major turning point for me was when I found out that I won’t be able to move out this year. This means I need to travel about 1-2 hrs to Deakin. But if I got into La Trobe I can move to Reservoir which is close to it. Oh man, I need to make a quick decision before round 2 starts but I still don’t know which one to choose :(
Why can't you move out? :o
Btw its not a crazy decision, I used to be passionate about medical area and now change to commerce related due to some financial probs. Who knows, things may change in life
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Why can't you move out? :o
Btw its not a crazy decision, I used to be passionate about medical area and now change to commerce related due to some financial probs. Who knows, things may change in life
I'm having financial probs too :( but anyway I need to find trusty roommates first to move out but uni hasn't started and I know no one yet so I'm stuck.
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You need to decide which course you prefer because it decides your career in the future
If you like Arts @ Deakin, dont change your mind because you cant move out or far distance. Do they have accommodation? If they dont, you can rent house or share with friends. In case you havent found any yet, stay at your current house. When uni starts, make some new friends and you can move out and ask them to share house
If you wanna study B.Science @ La Trobe over B.Arts, go for it
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This means I need to travel about 1-2 hrs to Deakin. But if I got into La Trobe I can move to Reservoir which is close to it.
Honestly man, it's not that bad. I'm not going to tell you to suck it up or anything, i remember being in this situation not so long ago.
I also remember thinking it would suck hard and it was a big deal. It's kind of hard to liken to anything unless you've done it before. It's a bit like getting an injection, sometimes the buildup and thoughts of it are worse than the actual thing.
It seems like you'll have all your time sucked away or something. Compare it to school though. I don't know the exact hours but say school went from 8-3. That's 7 hours a day, plus maybe 10-20 minutes travel too, about 8 hours a day. Now, lets look at uni. Even the highest courses have contact hours somewhere around 22 hours a week. Divide that by 5, you get 4.4 hours at uni a day. Add in 4 hours of travel (2 up, 2 back). You get 8.4 hours a day spent at uni and traveling. It's honestly not far off a school day.
Remember, that is an average across all days. Assuming you go to school every day of the week or even one less you get 32-40 hours a week at school/traveling to school. Assuming you go to every lecture, you have 22 contact hours. Unlike school, you will probably be able to jam your timetable into two or three days if you miss lectures, i wont even subtract the missed lectures from the contact hours, i'll leave them as is. 22 contact hours and say you only travel 4 days a week, for 4 hours a day. 4*4=16, 16+22=34. It's pretty much the same as school, maybe better. I'm still counting the contact hours for all lectures even though you might miss some and the lower bound of my school estimate depends on you getting a day a week off.
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Now for the other side..
Granted, it is still a sucky scenario. I'm not going to lie. Most people have a vision of uni having greatly reduced hours compared to highschool, i proved they're roughly equivalent but certainly not any or much lower. If you go 4 days a week, 4*4 = 16 hours of travel. Not to mention everything is shifted 2 hours back for you. A lecture that starts at 10am means you gotta leave at 8am and maybe wake up 7am (this is assuming all the buses and trains run when you want them to run, its doubtful itll be exactly 10 or 8). So, what isn't too bad for someone who lives close could be bad for you.
Spending 4 hours on a train a day, when you're only awake for 16 as well sounds mathematically sucky. I doubt everyone is studying all the time. You'd probably spend 4 hours procrastinating at home too. I guess you might have 2 or 3 hours less than closer people though. If you're not working, i cant see it affecting you THAT badly, especially if you skip the earlier lectures/ manage to swing days off. You'll still have more than ample free time to do your work and other things. You won't be living like a king with your time compared to a lot of the closer people but it's certainly not bad either.
If you are working though, i can see it making it harder for you.
TL;DR Total time at uni + travel is roughly equal to total time at highschool + travel. You're not really losing, you won't be gaining shitloads of free time like other people making the highschool -> uni transition though. Travel has its legitimately sucky points. There's still enough time in your waking day to buffer it out enough so you don't suffer academically or even socially. Still 4 hours a day on a train is 1/4th of the time you're awake. You have to get up earlier than everyone else. It's up to you to figure out the pros and cons.
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I figured out the pros and cons just as like said Kingpomba and here’s what I came up with
Pros
Live closer to uni
Less worry for parents/sis
Still can study Psych and Communication
No prerequisites are required
Save money on myki (ie. I’m on full fare but I'm only going to travel in zone 2 for La Trobe)
Live close to a shopping centre so I might get a job there
Can still be independent because it's not my house (it’s my big sister’s best friend’s house)
Save time and money (ie. Academic and social side will be improved)
Will have my own room :)
Cons
The fee is 5k higher
The course will be Science not Arts
Might not be able to find jobs Communication-related because of Science degree
It’s a new course. (ie. Put together random subjects to create a degree)
Doesn’t have sister to care for anymore
Have to study a science foundation subject and statistic subject at first year :(
Side note: I’m not really worry about whether it’s a Science or Arts degree because I’m a little bit of both. I’m not fully an artsy person nor a wanna-be scientist anyway.
So, yeah I’m going for La Trobe.
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Very much agree with kingpomba, you really do just need to suck it up and move on. Travelling 4 hours a day is nothing if we compare that to what other people are encountered with in their daily lives. You'll be sitting for most of the trip anyway, so there's time to do some reading, watching movies/tv shows or sleeping. I agree that it sucks but you'll get use to it.
Personally I'm 4 hours on average a day too, but some days can be 3 1/2 others 4 1/2. I have to walk/bus/train/tram, so the lot. Since you'd be doing arts your contact hours won't be too high, you'll probably only go in 2-3 days a week. This may sound harsh, but if you can't handle the pain of travelling 4 hours a day, a few days a week then how are you going to succeed? How are you going to handle uni + work + social life even if you live closer to home? As I said earlier when you're travelling you're not the one driving the train or bus, you can do some study on the train, catch up with some sleep etc.
The longer hours of travel just restrict your timetable a little more. You'll have to adapt, learn to be more efficient with your time.
Your other dilemma regarding whether or not you'll like arts: you'll never know until you give it a go. Just do it. You might not get another opportunity like this one. If you don't like it then you can always transfer, just make sure you do some study to maintain decent grades. Who knows you may be able to transfer to Arts UoM if you really want - as indicated in your sig.
I know how you feel, I was in a similar position to you when I started uni. The thing I learnt is get over it, eat some concrete for breakfast and you'll be fine. During semester I deal with 4 hours travel, 3-4 days of uni a week, 10-14 hours of work a week sometimes more, and whenever I can catch up with friends. Ultimately, you control the situation. It's the same deal for me again this year, this summer I've had to go to uni everyday for 21 contact hours. Most mornings I leave at 7:30pm, 2 nights a week I get home at 7:30pm, 2 other days at around 5:30 and the other day I have to travel home get changed and go to work afterwards. With the limited time I have left, I try to meet up with friends and of course study... Although it doesn't sound very fun, this process over the past few weeks has really changed my perspective on things and really helped me set my priorities.
Life isn't easy. You've got to do what you got to do, to get to where you want to go. Set out your priorities then go out and achieve your goals.
Good luck with your decision! :)
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eat some concrete for breakfast
and harden up !!
(I say this all the time lol) :)
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Remember, that is an average across all days. Assuming you go to school every day of the week or even one less you get 32-40 hours a week at school/traveling to school. Assuming you go to every lecture, you have 22 contact hours. Unlike school, you will probably be able to jam your timetable into two or three days if you miss lectures, i wont even subtract the missed lectures from the contact hours, i'll leave them as is. 22 contact hours and say you only travel 4 days a week, for 4 hours a day. 4*4=16, 16+22=34. It's pretty much the same as school, maybe better. I'm still counting the contact hours for all lectures even though you might miss some and the lower bound of my school estimate depends on you getting a day a week off.
It's very rare that you'll have a 4-day week in a BA though, especially when you skip non-compulsory lectures. In fact, when I was completing my BA at Monash, the most number of days that I was there for any given week was two. I live far out in the west and used to travel on the train nearly four hours each day that I was at Monash, but I made it easier on myself through efficient timetabling. If you choose the right subjects and skip lectures, you can cram all of your tutorials into 1-2 days and have a 5- or 6-day weekend as a result. Can't complain there, can you?
Also, there are benefits to long transit times on public transport that you've forgotten to mention. It gives you time to complete your weekly readings, of which there are heaps in a BA. Might not be everybody's ideal place to study but it worked for me. You can catch up on sleep too, if needed. ;)
Granted, if you hate writing essays, the BA is definitely not for you. Each unit will have 2500-3000 words of essay-writing to be completed, potentially more if your unit has an exam.
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Since you'd be doing arts your contact hours won't be too high, you'll probably only go in 2-3 days a week.
I In fact, when I was completing my BA at Monash, the most number of days that I was there for any given week was two.
Missed the bit about him being in arts, the contact hours are pretty much half what i stated.
Your other dilemma regarding whether or not you'll like arts: you'll never know until you give it a go. Just do it.
This, honestly, time is nothing in uni. It's not like school where everyone moves up at the same time. Many people are in doubles, so, they take shorter or longer than other people. Some people go part time. Some go on exchange. Some fail subjects. I can guarantee you a fair chunk of the 2013 cohort will not finish in the alloted 3 years, not that it matters.
I'm doing a first year subject in my third year and i did a second year subject in my first. Thats about as normal as it comes in uni.
So, dont be afraid of blowing a year just by trying it out. Many many people take longer or switch degrees or change their mind, as above.
Whatever you choose, just keep in mind you can change it. Easily. You're not doomed if you make a single slip.
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I just visited Deakin today and I love what I saw ;D The uni is not too big where you will be easily lost but not too small either. It's just somehow perfect for me. What a shame that it's too far :(
This is my schedule to and from uni if anyone is interested.
3:54 Train leaves station
4:26 Train arrives at Southern Cross
6 mins wait
4:34 Get on 75 tram
5:40 Tram arrives at Deakin
Conclusion: So it's a total of 1 hr and 40 mins to get to Deakin, not bad. I made a wrong choice of choosing tram instead of taking another train though. I wanted to get a feel of the suburb but I got so bored that I felt asleep and woke up one stop further away from Deakin :P Also I'm not a fan for tram.
After arriving, I walked around the campus to have a feel. Then I saw the 281 bus and after checking the map I jumped on it because I was too lazy to walk back to the tram :P
6:06 281 bus leaves
6:26 Arrives at Box Hill station
11 mins wait
6:37 Flinders train arrives (Weee, it was a limited express train :D :D :D )
6:69 Arrives at Flinder
18 mins wait
7:17 Train leaves Flinder
7:51 Arrives at station
8:13 Arrives home on foot
Conclusion: So it's a total of 2 hrs 17 mins to get back home, wow.
I’ll try a different combination tomorrow to see how it goes.
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Massive thanks to Jenny_2108, Greatness, Furbob, Kingpomba and Muuru. If I'm able to see you guys outside of this forum, I'll give you guys a massive hugs (only if you allow me too :D)
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No worries pyro-53. AN is a great community, whenever you are in trouble, feel free to share with us :)
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protip: try chucking all your tutorials in one day and watch lectures online
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protip: try chucking all your tutorials in one day and watch lectures online
Does it matter if I try to make all tutorials into a chain? (ie. going to another tute after another and another)
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Does it matter if I try to make all tutorials into a chain? (ie. going to another tute after another and another)
why would it matter? I do it all the time and it's alright although I do feel a bit tired in the 3rd consecutive tute
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Hey man, I have to travel 1 hour 20 mins just to get to uni! Trust me, it's worth it, if you enjoy what you want to do!
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Hey man, I have to travel 1 hour 20 mins just to get to uni! Trust me, it's worth it, if you enjoy what you want to do!
Thanks man. It's true that it will worth it if you're doing something that you truly love. But now I'm bombarded with this choice of units.
There's this unit call Introduction to University Study that I'm still unsure whether to keep it or not.
Pros: Will be extremely useful for school-leavers like me who are completely new to uni life.
Cons: I don't know why but I feel that this subject is dodgy for some reason. I mean, why is there an exam for a Uni Study? Also, what I think is that to learn how to study in uni is by tackling directly at your subjects (eg. by learning how to write a Sociology essay not just by learning how to write a general one).
But after discussed this with the course adviser. He asked me what is my ATAR and I told him that it was quite low (ie.only 60). Then he said the choice is up to me so I'm still undecided :-\ whether to to keep it or replace with Sociology instead.
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I travel between 1hr40 - 2hrs, to get to monash its not toooo bad.
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With this timetable I think I'll be alright for first semester :D (http://i46.tinypic.com/3466dk7.jpg)
I guess waking up early to allocate timetable has its perk :)
Mod Edit: Identifying information (name and email) removed from image.