I think the most important thing one can take out of it is that marks is not everything. You have to make the most of any opportunity that presents itself, whether this be a casual job, volunteering, or joining some sort of club/group.
A lot of students have the mentality that marks are the end, not a means to an end. 5 years post-graduation, nobody's going to care about your marks in Calculus 1. Once you've got a job or two under your belt, your GPA will become much less important. Your marks are just one aspect - work experience is equally (if not more) valuable - obviously, work experience relevant to your field is about the best thing that you can get. Same for other extracurricular activities. Also look for internships and similar work experience
I guess it's different to VCE - it's tempting to look at your GPA as a 'university ATAR', while this isn't really the case. It's not as you'll show your transcript to a prospective employer, 'oh you've got a 85 GPA, you can start right away!' - in the way that your 95 ATAR guarantees you entry into a BSc at Melbourne University. You'll need to interview well, and, ideally have some work experience too. University is the best opportunity to build this up - don't become so preoccupied with your GPA that you ignore everything else. It's counterproductive.
It's worth keeping in mind what you want in the end, and the marks you'll need to get there. It's more important if you're considering postgrad, especially a postgrad with a high GPA requirement (or grad program). Most (but not all) postgrad programs will look on relevant extracurriculars favourably, too. If you're aiming for say, a Masters program, Honours or similar, it's worth remembering the score you'll need through your degree.
Become a bafflingly and slightly worrisome semi-psychotic fiend about your marks and pretend not to be one when you go outside.
High school was all about practice questions after practice questions, and I personally found this boring and tedious, and you'd usually bash the same principle to death over a couple of weeks. In university, you usually spend 1 hour MAX on a principle, and only see it again if it's useful for other ideas. In this way, I often did a lot more work, yes - however, it didn't feel like work. It was fun, and enjoyable, and I didn't have to beat this damn concept to death with practice questions, because at university they don't try to fuck you over like VCAA does - they just want you to learn something.
I actually found it really easy to make acquaintances in tutes; I just chatted randomly and casually to anyone near me, made sure I remembered everyone's names, appeared interested in them and their lives, etc. But no real friends. My fault for spending the bare minimum time possible at uni, but also... I just found no one like me. Probably would have changed if I went through more years at uni and gave it a better chance.
I just let the friend-making process flow by itself. First few days - just force myself to say hi nice to meet you to the person next to you, and then you just meet people from there. But getting involved with my societies did help as well
Get to know students in your tutorials, workshops etc.. these people in the smaller classes are the ones that you'll spend most of your time with. If you're a bit shy (like me), then being smart and helping others works too.
If you plan to go to lectures while waiting outside just strike a conversation. If not, dont worry you will get your opportunity once you go inside. The first lecture, trust 99% of everyone in first year will be there. By week 12 that number will probably be around 30%. So chances are in your first lecture, it will be packed which means you will probably be sitting next to someone, talk talk, then next lecture come up and say hi.
Tutorials, is slightly different. Probably not packed, but you will see these people for the next 12 weeks, so try to make friends, at least group discussions will be bearable.
It helps that majority of my school came to the same university as me but I wanted to distance myself away and meet new people which has been an awesome experience through clubs, volunteering as well tutorials/lectures! With tutorials/lectures, I found it's easier to meet people in specialised streams (E.g Biomed) since people actually came to tutorials/lectures and are generally the same age as you whereas generalised streams (E.g Commerce) tend to have a mixture of 1st-4th years in your tutorials/lectures :P
Most of it was really taking initiative and saying 'hi' (and if you see them a few times, ask to friend them on FB or something) or helping them out with something they didn't understand. Sometimes it was just about teaming up with people who you already knew - my high school friend ended up befriending others and then I ended up as friends with them.
Agreed - the first few years of my degrees, all my courses had 1000+ people, so making friends was hard (you'd make friends in a prac, and never see them after the end of the semester.) Became easier in third year and beyond, as the classes are small enough, and you generally have classes with the same group of people.
I found that the university had LOADS of camps and opportunities to make new friends, it's just a matter of putting yourself out there. Even then, if you have subjects with labs (which are VERY compulsory and you should go to), you'll often find you just naturally mingle with everyone, particularly if you put in an effort to get to know them all. If they're doing this subject with you, it's highly likely they have similar interests and/or goals, so you'll probably get along!
Also, clubs. I really don't have to say much more - clubs are social places. Join a club with interests you have. Other people will have those interests. You will make friends, whether you like it or not.
I felt there was just so much that I personally missed out on Sem 1 (think: joining student committees, applying for scholarships, Big 4 development programmes, etc). It's completely different to like high school where every opportunity is marketed a billion times
The Vice-Chancellor's Ancora Imparo Program is a unique opportunity, available only to second-year Monash University students. Participants will hear from inspiring leaders with backgrounds ranging from business, politics, sport, public service, education, health, law, and the arts.
Like also there was this fantastic volunteering opportunity that I took part in over SWOTVAC period (SWOT with MUHI at melbourne). Downright fantastic 2 days that I spent with students from underrepresented schools. Never heard of it before and I only found out because a friend shared it with me. Possibly missed out on tons of fabulous experience without even being aware
In my final year, I joined an orientation mentor program where I assisted new 1st year students in my discipline. In that same year, I signed up to be a lab demonstrator/tutor and honestly this did so much for my confidence and experience. So grateful for both these opportunities because they definitely made me a better person and reaffirmed my desire to teach and mentor young people.
I found all extracurricular activities I did were beneficial whether it be meeting new people, empowering young students and career progression, it's been really helpful. I won't go into all but for volunteering this year, I was a mentor at Access Monash (which has led me to be involved with Student Recruitment so anybody at Monash COP then I'll see you there), consulting and various uni clubs (interested in Economics then hmu)!!
I got involved with so many clubs - and like many people, I went to almost none of them. However, there were a few that I kept up with - the board games society, who I go to every few weeks, which I find is a great opportunity to just sit down and relax and play some really fun games. There's also my own course club (which I eventually became president of, olol), where I met most of my closest friends at uni. So many benefits, and it cost barely anything with the nice, little MSA card.
Most of my friends are from uni debating (I also have friends in debating societies in other universities). I'm not a very outgoing or entertaining person, and there aren't a lot of places where I can make new friends as easily as I did in uni debating. It was different from high school (I went to a selective school and the people I socialized with back then were fellow selective school/private school students which makes me cringe now), where most people exist in a vacuum of perspectives, cliques and judgements. In debating, I found people who were more like me and made me more like them (although there are a lot of private school students, they tend to be much more open-minded). It's a world you can belong in (I haven't even gone to any international competitions yet).
Cramming worked to achieve perfectly okay, if not brilliant, marks, and that frees up more time to spend on things more important to you than seemingly pointless study (e.g. friendships, volunteering and self-directed learning).
on the sport side of things competing at events like the southern university games or australian university games is quite possibly the funnest week anyone could have in their life but people dont know about it or how easy it is to get on teams. half of the teams at most uni's fold because they dont have the numbers and its really not hard to go and learn to play something and have a laugh and become a national-level athlete LOL also its a good way to meet people and stay fit by getting involved in sport. alot of the people who ive met at uni have had entire new social groups created by being a member of a team of something
melbourne uni has 0 interest loans with very little questions asked for up to $1000 and you can get up to $5000 if you have a guarantor. a girl i know got into some amazing study program overseas for 6 months but she couldn't afford it and wasnt good enough for a scholarship so the uni have her a loan and they arranged so she can pay it back after she graduates when she starts working full time. i myself have gotten one and its pretty easy and most unis offer that sort of thing
Don't do what I did - stress the fuck out of yourself for not keeping up with workload (this was at the start)
One piece of advice i can recommend is to not burn yourself out in the first semester, just chill. First sem is to work things out, to figure out what works and doesnt for you. The second sem is where you can start grinding for the marks you want.
At first a little hard since it was 5 hours of travel per day. Working wise no problemo amigo since uni was 3 days and i worked the other two. Did my work during the train rides so my weekends were usually free.
It feels like a bigger step up from VCE/HSC/ whatever equivalent you likely did to get into uni. Sure, it gets difficult, but it also means you're definitely learning something.
But mainly I regret not admitting to myself that my mental health was seriously terrible and I needed to get support far earlier.
I don't have a family (and never did). (being serious) This (and a whole bunch of other experiences that I've bottled up for the last 18 years) has affected my studies, social interactions and general wellbeing such that I have just started addressing them with a psychologist.
I didn't have a great balance, as I didn't engage with my studies as much as I would have liked (and basically did my assignments and studied when I really had to). As for my other committments like work (I work about 2 nights a week), debating, rowing, contemporary dance, music and volunteering, I just make an effort to fit them in. The way I see it is if something is really worth the time, it is possible to fit it in and organise studying around those commitments (except I never really did that).
I think the most significant way to ensure that your time at Uni is experienced most positively, is to have a really strong sense of purpose. Purpose is elusive, it changes. And at times it will be hard to pin point, but the effort to introspectively identify it is key. Constantly reflecting on why you are doing what you do is so important for maintaining a sustainable University experience. This could be about your degree - are you studying something for you, to grow and to learn in a personal and/or professional sphere? Or, are you studying a particular course to bow into approval of others? The former is the most sustainable purpose for tertiary studies. Similarly, understanding your purpose within a broader society is something that a lot of University students evolve with as your identity shrinks to little fish in a big pond, at least temporarily. What do you contribute? University isn't purely about academia, but also an experience of reflecting on identity, forthrightly or subconsciously. Purpose may be ephemeral or concrete. Nonetheless, recognising it is essential for optimising opportunities, enjoying tertiary studies, and forming an identity as a young adult.
I think I got things right in second semester. I chose units I loved and had a better background with. I had a decent balance between them. I really regret pushing myself into doing something I knew I was going to hate (*cough* that one unit in FY first semester).
The people who are reading this are probably top notch vce students. Some of you might not experience getting above 80% for a while. Dont beat yourself down. My first sem average was 73%. The lowest mark i got since year 10. I figured things out, studied efficiently, this sem, without including my exams is above 80.
I think as well - if you have the perception that uni is just parties and you think you're going to just breeze through it... you are sadly mistaken… Don't think you'll just breeze through uni without putting in the hard yards. You will not get a HD automatically - REGARDLESS of if you got a 90+ ATAR in high school. Remember that employers look at both marks and experience (e.g. industry projects/IBL for engineering and practical disciplines). P's get degrees, but HD's get jobs (very important to get a balance between study/life right).
It's also worth pointing out that university marks tend to be scaled differently. It's hard to get over 80 (H1 range), harder to get mid-80s, and extremely hard to get 90+. People who get those scores (90+) are - literally - at the top of their courses. If you can get those scores, great, but don't worry if you can't.
There's also not a 'higher authority' akin to VCAA. In most courses, it's the course coordinator who has the final say, with oversight from the department. The final distribution of grades can thus differ, as can the application of curving, scaling, etc. In my experience, science courses generally scale up or don't scale at all.
Also, the scores posted in the results thread aren't representative of the broader student population. Most people get in the 70s range, and rarely see a score over 80.
In some way or another, it won't be like you expect. For me, I'd always heard people talking about the shock of having to 'grow up'. I found it the other way round; it was so... far below the way I'd been coordinating my life in the gap year before. Not to boast about myself, but it felt pitched way below my level.
But for you - it could be totally different, or totally the opposite. Just expect that you'll find some elements difficult to adjust to because they're different from what your life's been like before, and ride with that. It's hard.
Also, it's okay to decide that uni isn't for you. I'm happy with my decision to drop out, and it's firmly based in the direction I want to go in life.
Cramming and trying to maintain your super-crazy expectations and demands from high school is just not possible. Marking systems are way different to VCE, so it's important when you step into uni you realise that your marks will most likely "drop" (this isn't necessarily a bad thing).
Ask, ask, ask. Tutors are employed to help you, at ridiculous rates might I add. Shoot them an email, or ask them your assignment related questions. One regret I made was that I had too much pride to open up and ask for help. Don't be like me - ask for help. It will only benefit you in the long run.
I often ask myself the benefit of going to lectures. Whilst I hated going to lectures because they weren't compulsory and were recorded - I felt like I had zero motivation to voluntarily go and watch them on the recording service. If you have nothing better to do and aren't inconvenienced by it, go to them. Even if you just write down a few points, at least you were physically there and didn't have your usual distractions.
Also, textbooks are a scam. Ive bought 8 this year, and havent opened one.
Also, if you go to monash, dont use the monash free wifi, theres something called eduroam, you can log in there with your deets. I just found now after a year of shitty wifi.
I took up a lot of volunteering/extra-curricular activities during high school so coming to university was really strange because I wasn't doing anything but I can definitely say it is a lot heavier than high school. High school you're taught discipline and following a study design whereas university workload is a different ball game but if you're organised then it is doable.
Balance is key regardless of degree otherwise you'll burn out. I just kept up with a routine and stuck to it despite disruptions (and boy were there plenty :P ). Project out any assignments you have in the future and start them early so you don't fall behind. But on the flipside, uni's all about having fun as well and I can definitely say I skipped some lectures to have fun elsewhere LOL but always remembered to catch up on work afterwards).
Structure your timetable with as little breaks as possible LOL (for Monash, auto-clashing in Allocate+ does work, have been given best timetable twice this year). First few weeks don't bring food to uni (there'll be a BBQ every day for first few weeks of uni next year).
The thing you're meant to do is timetable and/or organise everything, block off time to study and do other commitments. Tip: always make sure you have some time to catch up.
Tip for future students:
1. Don't play the 'it'll be fine' card when you know in the back of your mind that it's not going to be. That goes for anything, whether it's mental health, academia, study/life balance or just life in general.
2. Ask questions and approach others (nicely, of course). You're there to learn.
3. Take some time to walk around campus when you get the chance before you start.
Seriously though, I found work near uni so I could fit that in-between classes, and university has lots of volunteering opportunities for you to sink your teeth into. If you're not studying stupid science subjects like me, though (why does chemistry have 7 contact hours ;___;), you'll often find you have plenty of time to not be around uni, and so don't have to adapt everything near uni like I did. Ngl, though, uni became so much more enjoyable when I had these opportunities to get me through the week. Nothing like having a bad lab from 2-6, to then getting drunk at a trivia night just an hour afterwards.
I excelled in adjusting to university life and the university mindset - my main regret is never taking in my own lunch. The cafes and food joints around Monash are just so enticing, my poor little wallet weeps...
Don't fight against the current, swim along it. Life will be much more enjoyable that way.
As for the social side - I moved interstate for uni, so this didn't apply to me, but a lot of people I know that stayed in my hometown basically kept the same friends they had in high school, and are happy with that.
- Leech notes off friends
- Make connections to get past papers and secret questions
- Stay good "friends" with people who get good jobs so that they might be able to get you a job / tell you about opportunities
- Be polite and nice to academic staff. If there are difficulties in meeting deadlines, they will be more likely to give you an extension.
University- wise: I am reasonably involved in uni debating (weekly training and debates, internal and external competitions and the occasional schools coaching) and Model UN. I have found uni debating in particular to be extremely enjoyable and beneficial in futhering my critical thinking skills, knowledge on a wide range of topics and desire for an intellectual challenge (I didn't do very much debating in high school, so it's definitely possible to pick it up in uni). In the future, I am also looking to get involved in economics society, mentoring, microfinance and social enterprise consulting, uni magazine as well as neuroscience/psychology/physics/economics research assistant positions.
I chose my extra-curriculars in the basis that it would be difficult to participate in those things outside of uni and a reasonably high level of commitment was required in order to yield the benefits
Things that I did well:
- Got involved uni debating despite reservations about the difficulty, competitiveness and the people
- Chose to socialized with different people rather than the ethnically and socially typical selective/private school crowd like in high school
- Learnt a lot about what I care about and what kind of person I liked
- Got more insight into various career pathways and opportunities
- Generally enjoyed my studies
Regrets:
- Engage more with the study material. While learning is definitely possible outside of concrete educational institutions, universities are one of the very few places where you can appreciate the intricacies of scientific experiments/psychological studies, learn advanced economic theory while applying it to real world events and study and discuss philosophical texts in depth (I would contend that these things would be much more difficult to engage with outside of uni).
- Universities can really be a place of opportunities if you choose to engage with the various facets such as academic, extracurriculars, careers etc.
- Be aware of important dates like census (last day to drop a subject without having to pay the subject fee), last date to self-enroll, last day to withdraw without fail ( you would still have to pay the subject fee but the subject wouldn't count towards your WAM/GPA)
- Don't be afraid to deviate from original plans/goals. I think the main thing stopping people from changing majors, courses and career plans is the resistance of wanting to achieve what they originally set out to. It's ok to develop new perspectives, interests, priorities and goals in life.
Actually, PASS is available in several disciplines. You should check to see if it is available for the units you're taking,
There are also versions of PASS at other unis, with one certainly being at Deakin. (A friend confirmed this.)
1. Did you found it difficult to make friends? How did you go about doing so?Personally not really. It helps that majority of my school came to the same university as me but I wanted to distance myself away and meet new people which has been an awesome experience through clubs, volunteering as well tutorials/lectures! With tutorials/lectures, I found it's easier to meet people in specialised streams (E.g Biomed) since people actually came to tutorials/lectures and are generally the same age as you whereas generalised streams (E.g Commerce) tend to have a mixture of 1st-4th years in your tutorials/lectures :P
2. How did you found the workload compared with high school?I took up a lot of volunteering/extra-curricular activities during high school so coming to university was really strange because I wasn't doing anything but I can definitely say it is a lot heavier than high school. High school you're taught discipline and following a study design whereas university workload is a different ball game but if you're organised then it is doable (Joseph41's advice is pretty solid stuff).
3. Did you partake in extracurricular activities? If so, did you find these beneficial?I found all extracurricular activities I did were beneficial whether it be meeting new people, empowering young students and career progression, it's been really helpful. I won't go into all but for volunteering this year, I was a mentor at Access Monash (which has led me to be involved with Student Recruitment so anybody at Monash COP then I'll see you there), consulting and various uni clubs (interested in Economics then hmu)!!
4. How did you balance uni with working, volunteering, family, and other commitments?Balance is key regardless of degree otherwise you'll burn out. I just kept up with a routine and stuck to it despite disruptions (and boy were there plenty :P ). Project out any assignments you have in the future and start them early so you don't fall behind. But on the flipside, uni's all about having fun as well and I can definitely say I skipped some lectures to have fun elsewhere LOL but always remembered to catch up on work afterwards).
5. What did you do well in your first year? Do you have any regrets?Making myself as well-rounded as possible which is important for my Commerce degree since it's very hard to differentiate yourself from everyone imo. I probably would have liked to put more effort into my grades to supplement my extra-curriculars LOL but no regrets with 2016.
6. Do you have any other thoughts or advice for first year students?Structure your timetable with as little breaks as possible LOL (for Monash, auto-clashing in Allocate+ does work, have been given best timetable twice this year). First few weeks don't bring food to uni (there'll be a BBQ every day for first few weeks of uni next year).
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Would love to hear other experiences too. Get involved!
- What are your questions? (current year 11-12)
- What are your experiences? (current/past university students)
1. Did you found it difficult to make friends? How did you go about doing so?To begin with, yes. It was alleviated a little due to the fact that studying Science, most FY students had at least one lab unit, so I did meet random people who went on to become friends. Most of it was really taking initiative and saying 'hi' (and if you see them a few times, ask to friend them on FB or something) or helping them out with something they didn't understand. Sometimes it was just about teaming up with people who you already knew - my high school friend ended up befriending others and then I ended up as friends with them.
2. How did you found the workload compared with high school?It feels like a bigger step up from VCE/HSC/ whatever equivalent you likely did to get into uni. Sure, it gets difficult, but it also means you're definitely learning something.
3. Did you partake in extracurricular activities? If so, did you find these beneficial?Not so much. I did end up joining a few clubs, but never went to their events.
4. How did you balance uni with working, volunteering, family, and other commitments?The thing you're meant to do is timetable and/or organise everything, block off time to study and do other commitments. Tip: always make sure you have some time to catch up.
5. What did you do well in your first year? Do you have any regrets?I think I got things right in second semester. I chose units I loved and had a better background with. I had a decent balance between them. I really regret pushing myself into doing something I knew I was going to hate (*cough* that one unit in FY first semester), but other than that, I don't really regret anything.
6. Do you have any other thoughts or advice for first year students?Tip for future students:
Course specific advice:Actually, PASS is available in several disciplines. You should check to see if it is available for the units you're taking,
-Biomed: Everyone is NOT your enemy for post-grad med.Have that mentality and you'll find next three years to be very taxing (embrace it since cohort is very nice and to do well you'll need a great group of people to carry you forth via group study etc.). For Monash anyway, PASS is helpful so sign up to it if you can (places run out like in 10-30min so be quick)!
Joseph41's questionsTo begin with, yes. It was alleviated a little due to the fact that studying Science, most FY students had at least one lab unit, so I did meet random people who went on to become friends. Most of it was really taking initiative and saying 'hi' (and if you see them a few times, ask to friend them on FB or something) or helping them out with something they didn't understand. Sometimes it was just about teaming up with people who you already knew - my high school friend ended up befriending others and then I ended up as friends with them.It feels like a bigger step up from VCE/HSC/ whatever equivalent you likely did to get into uni. Sure, it gets difficult, but it also means you're definitely learning something.Not so much. I did end up joining a few clubs, but never went to their events. The thing you're meant to do is timetable and/or organise everything, block off time to study and do other commitments. Tip: always make sure you have some time to catch up. I think I got things right in second semester. I chose units I loved and had a better background with. I had a decent balance between them. I really regret pushing myself into doing something I knew I was going to hate (*cough* that one unit in FY first semester), but other than that, I don't really regret anything. Tip for future students:
1. Don't play the 'it'll be fine' card when you know in the back of your mind that it's not going to be. That goes for anything, whether it's mental health, academia, study/life balance or just life in general.
2. Ask questions and approach others (nicely, of course). You're there to learn.
3. Take some time to walk around campus when you get the chance before you start.PASSActually, PASS is available in several disciplines. You should check to see if it is available for the units you're taking,
There are also versions of PASS at other unis, with one certainly being at Deakin. (A friend confirmed this.)Lab requiring unitsFor any lab-requiring units (Science/ Biomed/ Eng./ Med/ etc.), I would highly suggest being very on top of the topic being tested on. There are almost no experiments in which you will do without some form of assessment. Prepare well for it and make sure that any assessment dates are thoroughly checked, especially quizzes. They will close and it's harder to convince your TAs (basically lab teachers) that you missed it for a good reason; 'forgetting' usually isn't good enough. The same goes for questions you're meant to do beforehand; it can result in deducted marks and yes, they will check. Also, don't feel afraid to ask questions; people are there for a reason.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not at all saying that marks don’t matter at all – because that would be silly, especially in some fields, where good parts are necessary for career advancement. But your grades are but one element of the university experience. The point of this particular section is to make clear (at least from my own perspective) that attending uni isn’t primarily about getting good marks. For me, uni is about personal development – and good marks can certainly be a result of this. Aaron puts it like this:
For some courses, the people you have classes with will probably stay relatively consistent. People can correct me if I’m wrong, here, but for something like undergraduate Medicine, there’s a much greater ‘cohort’ feel than in something like Arts, where you may very well never see or hear from people in a particular unit again.
The people who are reading this are probably top notch vce students. Some of you might not experience getting above 80% for a while. Dont beat yourself down. My first sem average was 73%. The lowest mark i got since year 10. I figured things out, studied efficiently, this sem, without including my exams is above 80.
6. Do you have any other thoughts or advice for first year students?
- Leech notes off friends
- Make connections to get past papers and secret questions
- Stay good "friends" with people who get good jobs so that they might be able to get you a job / tell you about opportunities
- Be polite and nice to academic staff. If there are difficulties in meeting deadlines, they will be more likely to give you an extension.
Random question, but how should I address a uni teaching staff member in emails? "Professor"? "Dr"? Their full name? First name only?In my experience it's just been by first name (we have to put Dear first though to sound professional or something) - a fair amount of the teaching staff in my course have PhDs and I haven't yet met any that want to be called Dr. haha.
Random question, but how should I address a uni teaching staff member in emails? "Professor"? "Dr"? Their full name? First name only?For the first email definitely be professional and address them properly by using Dr/Professor or whatever is stated when you look that person up. Once a few exchanges have occured and if they sign off with something more casual like their first name it's probably fine to use that from that moment forward.
For the first email definitely be professional and address them properly by using Dr/Professor or whatever is stated when you look that person up. Once a few exchanges have occured and if they sign off with something more casual like their first name it's probably fine to use that from that moment forward.