University life has been interesting so far. It has been both confusing and confronting; perhaps my getting lost multiple times in the first week has contributed to this disorientated and sometimes nauseous sensation of being overwhelmed by the large edifices of the Melbourne University Parkville campus. I use the word ‘edifice’ because they are not quite known buildings to me yet; a lot of them are Victorian-styled with their original facades and some are less congruent with the historical landscape – they are more avant-garde and boast some interesting uses of steel and large panels of glass. But, a little cheer occurs whenever I pass the RMIT complex on Swanston Street that looks like someone spat gum on the top storeys. Or, heaven forbid, someone dislodged a large quantity of mucus atop the structure.
The section of the university that is most quaint is perhaps the Old Quad area. It has a green centre and is surrounding by archways that stretch facing this miniature Eden trapped amongst the ancient building. I plan on taking a coffee from one of the many coffee shops on Lygon Street in my thermos mug and reading a book in the Old Quad area (University Café does a wonderful skinny latte).
College is perhaps, so far in my very brief life, the best experience I have had. Admittedly, I am home sick; I miss my room, a larger bed that I can stretch my body out – in a human swastika - and be consumed in my blankets and, most of all, my family. It can be unsettling being stuck in a building with one hundred other students and it can feel at times like you are stranded in your own room. I guess this is, ultimately, a positive. Having the opportunity to sit and think in your own space is essential to learning. It is also conducive to me maintain my passion of reading.
Janet Clarke Hall is very book-orientated. It seems to have books strewn about the place and even boasts a history of recognised literary figures (and also some Rhode Scholars and Nobel Prize winners, from memory). It is a fantastically stimulating place, and also a little intimidating. You will inevitably meet people who will knock you off your puerile pedestal and eviscerates your self-esteem when they demolish your views of the Romantic Movement. Not only do they offer solid ripostes to your points, but also have the precision, panache and prowess you have yet to acquire or had been quelled since you left the academic practise pool of high school.
Despite this challenge to my intellect, being thrown from the proverbial fish pond I was trapped in to the Olympic pool of cerebral studs, I have met some lovely people. The people I have met have a passion for learning and to embrace the opportunities that city life and the culture of Melbourne offer. Admittedly, my college is filled with predominantly nerdy sorts and they seem relatively tame when it comes to the party culture. I say this comparatively to Trinity and Ormond which is nestled at either side of the small enclave of JCH. Ormond is renowned for making a ruckus if your room faces their college. Trinity, despite sharing the chapel with JCH, has a superiority complex and takes it upon itself to articulate their feelings of superiority over my college. Snobbery does exist, and it can be quite disheartening to think the alcohol-addled freshers of these colleges will be subjected to the brainwashing of the upper echelons of the other colleges.
At college you will be taught a “fresher dance”, which you will be made to perform in front of the public regularly throughout your orientation week. Some colleges have a lot of alcohol-based shenanigans. There are plenty of pubs and bars about and you are a stone throw away from the CBD. College life is eclectic and can take a bit of getting used to, but after a week and a bit you feel like you have nestled. I was fortunate enough to get a second year room and I am enjoying the added space; however, with that said, first year rooms are also a relatively generous size and will be comfortable if you spend the time to decorate them to your own liking. The greatest part of it all is that you can do what you want. I spent this morning on Lygon having coffee with friends and then I went to my lectures. You can miss organised meals – maybe not your formal dinners or “high tables” – and go out to eat (there is plenty to choose from if you have the money). Victoria Market is also good for cheap food and vegetables as well as knick knacks to decorate your rather austere room when you first move in.
Lectures at university are alright and take some getting used to. You are in a lecture theatre with a few hundred people trying to make out the incantations of some of the most self-absorbed and esoteric people possibly waltzing around the college – professors. The humble professor is generally either articulate or has a speaking manner that makes their speech demented or distracting (coughing, clearing of the throat when they ponder or simply speaking very loudly and wondering why their microphone gives feedback through the speakers). The first week of lectures, for me as an Arts student doing Philosophy and Politics, has been basically introductory stuff where they go through the course outline and try and elucidate upon the manner in which these subjects are taught (keep in mind, my first semester is almost purely Philosophy and philosophers are notoriously eccentric). I have not been to many tutorials because most do not run for my classes on the first week.
A few recommendations for anyone who will be attending UoM: if you do not want to splash out on coffee, buy yourself a thermos mug (get a good one, costing around about thirty five dollars; yes, it seems pricy, but it will keep your caffeinated/spiced beverage warm all day); if you do not like waiting in queues for a very long time, become familiar with the SMS queuing system that allows you to go to your student directory for your faculty without physically queuing; spend time on O-Week finding your lecture theatres and tutorial rooms before time so you are not frantically looking for them on the first week; do not be afraid to ask someone more knowledgeable than yourself a question; spend first week making new friends and enjoy it and, if you are a coffee aficionado, try some of the coffee shops on campus and on Lygon. I suggest, so far, Keri Keri, Castros, Streats, University Café, Koko Black and Brunettis (excuse any of my spelling). You will discover your own haunt soon enough.
Please excuse any mistakes in this; I wrote this after all my lectures today and I am still trying to feel better from my drinking last night as well as sleep deprivation.
Happy camping.
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