Timetable question

[Genericname2365]

Hi, I am planning to go to University of Melbourne next year, however this requires a fair amount of travel each day, as I live on the Mornington Peninsula. I was wondering is there somewhere I can find a typical timetable for first year students (if indeed such a thing exists), keeping in mind I will try to avoid assigning anything for early mornings if possible - I don't know what my choices are in the first year. Also, what is the earliest time that lectures or tutorials are held? Thanks.

[Greatness]

Hey I'm at Melb uni and from the Mornington Peninsula too!
Timetabling really depends on what course and units you are taking. There are classes that start at 8am but generally there are streams for lectures so you can choose between multiple time slots. However, you won't be able to do that with smaller subjects. There are usually a lot of time slots for tutorials so you can choose when to do them - avoid early mornings! I think 10am onwards is good, also too late isn't good either.
Train + Tram to campus is usually 1hr 15mins-1hr 25mins from Frankston.

What course are you going to study and what major/units do you intend to take?

[Genericname2365]

Hey I'm at Melb uni and from the Mornington Peninsula too!
Timetabling really depends on what course and units you are taking. There are classes that start at 8am but generally there are streams for lectures so you can choose between multiple time slots. However, you won't be able to do that with smaller subjects. There are usually a lot of time slots for tutorials so you can choose when to do them - avoid early mornings! I think 10am onwards is good, also too late isn't good either.
Train + Tram to campus is usually 1hr 15mins-1hr 25mins from Frankston.

What course are you going to study and what major/units do you intend to take?

Cool, I wasn't sure how many there would be in this forum. 
Thanks for that info, 1hr 15mins-1hr 25mins is better than I expected. 8am sounds fairly terrible but if there are only a few then that will be ok. How do you find the travel each day? I suppose being able to avoid early mornings some of the time would make it more bearable?

I'm going to be studying a Bachelor of Arts; I'm not 100% on all my majors but I'm definitely hoping to do Psychology.  Politics and International studies, Media and communications, History and some form of literature are other ones I'm considering. Not the most specific information at this point I realise. 

[Russ]

You can build sample timetables by using the handbook (handbook.unimelb.edu.au)

For example, in your first semester if you took these subjects

https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2013/MULT10014
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2013/PSYC10003
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2013/MECM10003
https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2013/ENGL10002

That's an Arts Foundation subject (compulsory), a psych subject, a media subject and an english lit subject (I chose randomyl from your ideas above)

Monday: 1-2, 3.15-4.15
Tuesday: 10-11, 11-1, 2.15-3.15
Wednesday: 10-11, 1-2, 2.15-3.15,
Thursday: 10-11, 11-12, 12-1, 2.15-3.15,
Friday:

There's a clash of lectures on the Monday 1-2, so you'd have to listen to one online I guess. My point is more that you should have a look and try to pick some subjects you like and see what you'll be doing

[Slumdawg]

From Mornington, the travel is 1 hr and 45 mins usually, but I've had it take 2 hrs as well - just depends on the day really.

The travel does suck, so when I made my timetables I'd always chuck heaps of stuff on particular days if possible. In first year I was one of the very few people with a 4 day timetable, and in second year I managed a 3 day timetable most weeks which was awesome!

Try your best to study on the train, you'll thank yourself later when you're not as stressed during SWOTVAC right before exams. I know Arts students have heaps of readings, so I guess you could try and do some of them on the train. Having said that, the Frankston line is so crap, I usually find myself not being able to concentrate cos there are creepy people on the train that I need to keep an eye on. E.g. just the other day I saw 2 guys pushing open the train doors while the train was at full speed and they joked that they'd push someone out. Ha ha so funny, NOT 

On the way up in the morning, the train is usually full of really loud bratty primary/high school students and the noise level is very distracting. Then the way home (depending on what time you leave), usually the train is so packed you won't be able to get a seat for the first 20 minutes. I usually find I can only study on the way up, on the way home the trains are so crowded and I'm usually really tired that I can't study. I just listen to music or go on the internet on my phone.

Just make sure you bring your ipod or iphone every train ride otherwise it's shockingly boring. 28 stations of misery.

[Greatness]

You can experiment with your timetable in the first 2 weeks of semester before timetable changes are closed (you can still go to different lecture streams throughout semester) so maybe try stacking up as many classes as possible into a couple days/few days or spread it out across the week.
First semester I had 4 days a week with a fair few breaks on a few days, I found that pretty annoying tbh especially when you only go into uni for maybe 3 hours then have to go home...
Second semester I had 2 full days and 1 day with a 1 hour lecture and had to go since lectures weren't recorded -.- I think I eventually went to a later lecture on that day for another subject instead so it wasn't a wasted day.
I prefer to try and keep the number of days going into uni at a minimum because of travel. Probably takes me around 3 hours 40 - 4 hours everyday taking into account waiting for bus/trains. I reckon it's good to have a break at around 12-2 since most people will and it's a good time to catch up with some friends. Also try not to have massive blocks of breaks like 2hours+, I found that having less than 1 hour break sucks because there isn't really enough time to do any study or chill with people and 3 hours+ is too much time since you'll procrastinate. 2 hours is a good block for a break I reckon. But whatever suits you is fine
Also for the Frankston line and same applies for other lines I guess, avoid taking peak hour trains home. It's ok on the way to the city since we're at the end of the line and get a seat, but it sucks home bound! Once I was in a train in peak hour and people were standing in the aisles and at the door entrances really packed and squished like sardines. No one got out of the carriage till Cheltenham/Parkdale that's like 40 mins or so! Freaking crazy.
School time in the afternoon is really annoying. You get school kids get on in mass hoards, they talk so freaking loud and compete to get their message across which only increases the racket they make lol The best time for trains I reckon were peak hour in the morning (if you get a seat lol) most people are going to work and are fairly quiet, keeping to themselves or sleeping. It's nice and chill. Also, noon trains on the way home are nice and quite too, you won't get many people on the carriages.
Also, since you're studying Arts your contact hours will be fairly low. You'll probably be able to squeeze it into 2 days maybe 3!