Another introduction

Hello, I’m Kelly, and I’m another of the new first_year@unimelb bloggers. I’m so excited to have this platform to share my experiences of my first year at the University of Melbourne, and I hope that sharing them will help other prospective students and first year students – or at least provide a laugh!

So a bit about me:

I am studying the Bachelor of Arts, and my main interests (I’m loathe to say “major” at this early point in time) are politics and media and communications.

I am “mature aged”. Without being specific, I finished high school over ten years ago. Apparently this isn’t too noticeable though, according to the tutor the other day who gestured to the whole class saying “you’re all 18 or 19 years old…” (to be honest, I didn’t hear much after that, I was writing an excellent evaluation of this angel in my head).

I have three children, aged six, four and (almost) two, which basically means that coming to uni is a holiday for me. The hassle of getting everyone ready, lunches cut and out the door to school, kinder and daycare in the mornings is totally worth it for the peaceful train ride and drinking a coffee while it’s still hot.

 

I may not be so optimistic about it once Winter sets in though!

I actually live in a regional city outside of Melbourne, which I love for its cheaper housing and general living costs, its community and wonderful schools, but it takes me around an hour and a half to get to uni by train which is pretty exhausting by the end of the week. I claim to use the train time to do the readings for my classes, but if I’m being honest, I actually just sleep. Then I do the reading when I’m supposed to be sleeping. It’s a vicious cycle – I’m sure most students get it!

One other thing I’d like to mention about myself is that I suffer from anxiety and depression. I don’t bring this up because it’s the first thing I want people to know about me, or because I want sympathy, but because I know there are many other sufferers out there, and it can be a huge obstacle for those undertaking further study (or any other major life change). I have found the past four weeks to be quite challenging from the anxiety aspect, and I hope to be able to share any tips and tricks that help me along the way. At the very least, it’s always helpful to know that you’re not alone.

 

I’m looking forward to blogging throughout the year, and welcome any comments or questions. If you notice my posting becoming overly regular, it most likely means I have an assessment due and I’m procrastinating, so feel free to tell me to get back to work!