End of Semester Thoughts

Sorry for the absolutely blinding streams of light from the Australian sun in that first photo…

That photo was taken during a little stroll in Carlton Gardens around June of last year, quite near when I sat my first university exam (I did first-year physics as a part of my VCE). It’s been almost a year since that photo and I thought it would be a time to reflect on the end of my first semester at UniMelb.

Weeks 1-3

This was the most exciting bit. Just after O-week was the splurge of motivation, fresh ambition and optimism from a cohort of ~5000 (if I remember correctly) BSc students. The prospect of new freedom and independence unheard of during the dark, grim VCE era came now and forever (want to read more about uni freedom? Click here).

Lecture halls were full. Tutorials barely had seats to sit in. I scouted every corner of the universities for clubs that piqued my interest and signed up for all that did (only 2 in the end…).

In retrospect, there were a lot of good and not-good things that I did during this quarter. I really enjoyed the fact that I committed myself to coming to lectures and tutorials in person – and that’s something I should have continued doing, read on. I should have joined more clubs – even those that I felt was only slightly relevant to me. It’s always easier to withdraw from those clubs than to join mid-semester – by then – all the internal organisation has been organised, less roles to take on, less involvement since most events would have been already set in stone, etc.

All in all, not a terrible start to uni.

Weeks 4-6

The second quarter of uni was more slow-paced in my opinion. Everyday life appeared more and more routine and I could tell what stop my bus reached just by the number of bumps in the road. I still showed up to lectures and tutorials when I could but by now I found out that my motivation was not ever-lasting.

My tutorial classrooms had more and more empty seats, lecture halls were half-filled by Week 6, and by now tutors and lecturers no longer had the endless source of ambitious jaffies raising their hands in excitement.

Also, since I was more settled, I began searching for a job, because… you know… money.

More on that later.

I felt like I had a more and more distant relationship with the clubs and societies I signed up to, mostly due to my own doing (or rather, lack of doing).

This period was peaceful, but a 3/10 in terms of overall quality and interestingness.

Weeks 7-9

So I found out that I actually got the singular job that I applied to (yay!).

I’m labelled as a “healthcare worker” but am honestly just a receptionist at a GP clinic. The commencement of this role sucked so much time away from me – it was so rewarding but uni felt more like “casual study” and not “full-time study”. I think at my work’s peak – I worked 34.5 hours in a single week.

It was a rare sight to spot me on campus – and my friends can affirm to that. By all means, I caught up with coursework and whatnot (I read others’ tips in surviving first year uni and they said to never ever get behind on lectures and online videos), but I was so absorbed in my work that uni felt more like a thing of the past.

I wouldn’t necessarily say I could have done these weeks better uni-wise. Our work team was pretty limited so I had to play the hand I was dealt. However – I probably should have negotiated my hours better. Feeling distant from uni (especially as exam period begins to close in) is not a ditch I want to be in, ever.

Weeks 10-12

Woah. Okay. This is the big one. Huge.

The final quarter before hibernation (SWOTVAC) and war (exams).

Work was less demanding and by now I began to feel the toll it took on my studying. I reached out to my manager and he was more considerate than I would have thought – so my hours were cut to reduce my workload.

I renewed my connection with uni – I started showing up for workshops and tutorials and (some) lectures again. Yes yes, money from work is good, but connecting with friends at uni feels better. There’s a sense of purpose in life that a bank account can’t fill but a conversation can.

I honestly should have probably studied more for some subjects – but after observing the consensus from my circle, it doesn’t seem like I’m the only one that made this mistake. Anyhow I’m writing this article the evening before my Biology exam so let’s hope it all goes well.

What’s the big takeaway?

TLDR:

• Get more involved with uni. Your first year should revolve around making friends and connections and not a boat-load of work.
• Attend everything in-person if possible. Learning through a screen is soulless. Talking to people will, in fact, renew your motivation.
• Set a routine, but add interesting to it to stop life feeling boring.