First Year Diaries

When Printers Attack! (Ode to Independence) [Aimee]

Hello my favourite reader pal!

Today I want to talk to you about something all-important: independence. It's a big word, isn't it? Independence. In-dee-pen-dance. Have you ever noticed how when you say it slowly it sounds like a dance? As in: "I'm indepen-dancing!" (Get it? Indepen-dancing...? No? Okay...)

Seriously though, once you get to uni, the word 'independence' becomes a big deal. Whereas before, it was perfectly acceptable to scream 'MUMMY!' and run to the nearest dependable adult, at university, things change. (It's a bit depressing really!) Suddenly, YOU are the adult and you get bombarded by nouns with the word 'independent' attached to them. Independent learner. Independent thinker. Independent life-manager. Want to know the craziest part? Being independent doesn't come with an instruction manual. No one teaches you how to indepen-dance. You just do it.

But, what does it mean to be independent? And how do you learn to indepen-dance?

This brings me to this week's little anecdote...

A while back, I attempted what seemed, at the time, to be death-defyingly impossible - nay, inconceivable! - and used a printer.

Now that I've told you my death-defying & impossible feat, it might not sound so death-defying or impossible. So, let me explain... First, printing at university is very different to printing at high school. Second, I'm one of those people who should not be allowed anywhere near a piece of sophisticated technology. Ever.

The story began in the library, when I wasn't sure how to print without a credit card.  Thinking I needed help, I got onto the 'ask a librarian' page and asked a librarian.

"How do I top up my unicard account without a credit card?"

The answer I got from the librarian: "To top up your unicard account, use your credit card."

Well!

In vain I explained that I don't possess this all-important key to internet transactions. It was too late. The librarian had gone offline. (Probably to get a well-deserved coffee!) Deciding to embrace independence, I went to top up my card on the scary-looking top-up machine - all by myself!

This was where the trouble started. I told you I have a bad effect on technology - well, this was no exception! The minute I logged in, the unicard machine (which I'm sure was a trained extortionist!) refused to accept my money. Every time I fed it a five dollar note, the money was rudely spat back in my face. Even better, a queue of people was gathering behind me, waiting to top up their cards. So, my fight with the machine scored a live audience! After minutes of the machine regurgitating my money,  me running everywhere to catch my five dollars and the crowd behind me looking more and more annoyed, I cracked.

"Listen to me, you product of Satan! If you're hoping to extort more money from me, you're out of luck! I'm a wallet-empty HECS-debt-loaded student. I've only got five bucks and I have three massive readings to print - so, suck it up!"

Apparently persuaded, the machine obeyed.

The next step on my cataclysmic journey was to get the printer to work. This was no easy task.  It took me a record-breaking ten tries to get it to respond. This meant that everyone in the library got to watch their favourite first-year comedian do ten long laps between her laptop and the printer.

At last, the printer decided to cooperate - at least, for a minute. Then, it made a terrible inhuman noise... (Imagine a cross between 'Alien' and 'The Lion King' and you'll get the idea!) There was a paper jam. *Cue horror movie music!*

By now, I could - and probably should - have renounced my mission and gone to get a librarian. Instead, being so independent, I tried to fix the problem myself. Following the instructions on the print-screen, I attempted to open the printer and clear the jam. Unfortunately, I opened the wrong side. As a result, part of the printer accidentally broke off in my hand. (It's times like this where life should come with an undo button!)

Mortified, I tried to gauge the reaction of my audience. Were they laughing? Or were they about to report me for printer-directed vandalism? Neither. They contemplated me with bored expressions and got back to work.

By some miracle, I undid the damage and, after only five attempts, restarted the printer. It worked for a while. Then, obviously possessed by some malevolent demon, it made the terrible noise again and bingo: another paper jam! Once again, I set to work fixing it. What came out of the printer this time was a sheet of A4 so hot that it must have been torched by a fire-breathing devil. Ink had been printed all over it and it had been sliced into lots of little pieces.

I cursed the printer with every rude word I could think of and then looked at my fellow library-goers. Surely, my performance had earned at least a smile? No luck. They all stared at me in deathly silence. The boy behind me, in fact, looked like he was struggling to contain his irritation.

Still, I wasn't beaten. Summoning up the last of my independent-mind-strength, I restarted the printer. Like something out of 'The Exorcist', it decided to purge itself of its hellish printer demons and vomited out all three of my readings in one belch. There was just one problem - the readings were all mixed up together and in completely the wrong order. (You see what I mean now about me and technology?)

There I stood, like an island in a sea of paper, bewildered and completely helpless. Not to mention, surrounded by gawking fellow students. Then, I heard a funny coughing noise... Turning around, I realised it was the boy behind me. He had finally caved in and started laughing. And  I don't mean a small inaudible 'LOL'. He was laughing so hard that he was in serious danger of wetting himself.

As an independent printer-user, I had flunked.

Yes, so, moving on...!

What's the moral of the story, my faithful reader buddies?

It's true that independence means sometimes going it solo. But, this doesn't mean you have to do absolutely everything by yourself. Sometimes, you need help. In these situations, wherever you are, the best thing you can do is ask. If you don't get the answer you're looking for, ask again! Otherwise, you may end up in a mess.

And, if you're anything like me, it will be an inky, papery, printery mess of epic proportions.

Nothing is worth such a mess. Not even the awkwardness of admitting that you might possibly have no idea what you're doing...

THE END.

DISCLAIMER: No people were harmed in the making of this blog post. The same cannot be said about printers.

Aimee

 

 

With a Little Help from My Friends

Studying as a Jaffy first-year student is not easy. From the expectations to listen and understand most, if not all the lectures, the assignments that you have to hand in before its due (and the notion that you're still working on it creeping up to you everyday until you hand it in), and the readings/problem booklet/quizzes that tries to trip challenge you and other classmates every week or so, more than once I felt that I was at the brink of crashing and burning. Fortunately, I'm always reminded of a little something I saw on the ad board in the Union House at the beginning of the semester. Continue reading "With a Little Help from My Friends" →

#3//Electric Episode (Nicole)

Of all the serendipities that university-hood has to offer, here’s something that has caught me with the widest possible grin; a Game of Thrones showing at the Rowdy library.

The TV lounge area at the Rowdy has been my little hobbit-hole for afternoon naps. A podcast episode, or a shoegaze-surf-esque playlist, would often fade off to reënergise me for later lectures. Today however, is different.

“Who are you?”
“No one.”

I gladly put my biphasic sleep schedule away, and a GoT episode has brought together a community of laughter, occasional cursing (what is a GoT episode without casual mind-blowing), and silent fervour.

“A girl has no name.”

Though strangers by nature, GoT easily surfaced our collective excitement and amusement, and it wasn’t long before I realised how much better a replacement of coffee—or napping—this episodic screening has become.

“What do you want me to do with this?”

It hadn’t properly hit me, until now, on how great it is to have the occasional courtyard concerts, sausage sizzles, and clubs fairs to keep community spirits up. Community is infectious, and I would love to take a hand in organising one of these events when the opportunity arises. I will definitely have to look into this after blogging.

“Wear it. Burn it. Do whatever you want.”

But for the time being, it’s back to Game of Thrones.

“My watch is ended.”

GoT Time!!

Confession Time (Aimee)

 

 

Dear reader,

You might remember me telling you that every so often, like anyone, I'm plagued by what can only be described as 'WHAT-IN-THE-NAME-OF-SANITY-AM-I-DOING-HERE?!?' moments.

Well, a while back, I had one and now, I want to tell you about it.

That's right, reader buddies: our relationship has progressed! Together, we have bypassed awkward acquaintanceship and moved on to... the next level! *Da-duh-daaaa!*

It's time for some honesty.

Like most first years, I came to uni with a suitcase full of expectations. Among these, two stood out. First, university would be a reward for working my butt off in Year 12. Second, university would be fun.

Like anyone with expectations, I had the joy of discovering that mine were pretty much completely wrong!

I soon learned that university, though it's rewarding in so many ways, isn't a reward for finishing Year 12. You don't come here to kick back and chill. (Oddly enough, that's why we have holidays!) University, like VCE, means hard work. I don't know why someone with an 90+ ATAR like me didn't work this out sooner. Maybe it's because people told me that doing an Arts degree is a breeze... (Or just maybe your ATAR isn't really the be-all-and-end-all measure of your intelligence - shock, horror, gasp! :O ) Well, dear reader, let me make one thing perfectly clear: doing Arts is in no way comparable to a gentle gust of warm air. Often, it's more like a hurricane!

Sure, the Artsy people get fewer contact hours than the Mathsy-Sciency people, but this is not because our professors love us so much that they want to shower us with heaps of time-off. Nada. We get more breaks to do what people in other degrees don't necessarily have to - reading, researching,  reading, writing theses, reading, procrastinating about essays, reading, doing an all-nighter because we procrastinated too much... and did I mention reading?!?

And now, we come to revelation number 2.

I always thought  that you came to university to have fun. You know the dream - becoming a puffed-up intellectual who dresses in tweed and spends all day debating the point of existence over endless cups of tea. (Wait, is it just me who dreams about tweed? Awkward...) Well, sure, it is fun. But, unlike Luna Park, university wasn't built for your amusement. It's here to help you qualify for a job.

And this is the hair-raising, spine-tingling, perspiration-producing truth - up until now, I had no clue what job I wanted. (Unfortunately, there isn't yet a degree to help you become the greatest, richest, most likeable person in the known-universe.... but I'll keep you posted!) Basically, this meant that I was working without motivation.

So, after these and other such goosebump-inspiring reflections, what did I do?

Surprisingly, I didn't jump on the next plane to Siberia, go into hiding with flying squirrels and spend the rest of my life buried under my doona cover. (Though, believe me, at the time, this seemed like the only possible - nay - sensible course of action.) Instead, I did the next best thing and called a friend.

I moaned, I whined, I lamented. "I didn't realise what I was getting myself in for! This university thing doesn't make any sense! Poor me...!" You get the idea.

Here's what my friend said to me:

"Well, of course you're feeling that way. I am, too. It's normal!"

That's when it hit me: oh yeah, there are a few thousand OTHER people doing first year WITH ME!

What then, you might be asking, is the point? Well, my digitally-interfaced pal, if you must have a point to take away from my yakking, please don't make it out to be that university is hard... Any duffer could think of that one!

I guess, what I really want to say, is that sometimes you will have these "OMG, this is too much - I'm fleeing the country!" moments. The thing is: you don't have to go through them alone. (What fun is Siberia without a fellow escapee anyway?)

If - no - when you find yourself in a situation that you can't handle, talk to someone. Anyone. Your parents. Your lover. Your unfailingly sensitive and understanding pet stick insect. Yell, scream, cry, punch things - they'll support you: ironically, that's what support teams are for! (Just don't punch the person you're confiding in, because then, you might have some problems...)

I'll bet you five bucks (as much as my student income will allow) that they'll know what you're on about. Chances are, they've been through it themselves. Then, you can enjoy the blissful experience of shared-ranting. This will make the world a much funnier and friendlier place.

And when the sun comes out, the clouds have cleared and you've realised that you're not alone, celebrate by euphorically singing 'You've Got the Love' into an egg-whisk while breaking open a congratulatory pack of peanut butter Tim-tams.

Is that just me again? Oh well.

Aimee

Intermission (Eleanor)

You've survived half of your first semester at university! Pat on the back and a high-five for getting through so far- because wow, is it different from high school.

No one telling you to hand in homework.

No one telling you to be on time.

No lockers, no backpacks, no uniform.

At first this seemed like freedom. I could watch Netflix non-stop! Wear a onesie to class every day!

It would be great if we could all relax and get a H1 for all assignments. Unfortunately, after receiving back a first few assessments, even with effort scoring well can be hard. Some subjects are pleasantly easy, others are actually difficult once you begin the work. And after coming back from the big break (post-year 12 summer holiday) studying still feels like yesterday. I chose to start university straight after finishing high school. Sometimes seeing my friends on their gap year, having fun overseas makes me slightly jealous.

However it's important to stay positive. Coming back to study after a year-long break can be harder whereas diving straight in may keep you in the mindset. There's always the option of a gap year after undergraduate study, or combining holiday and study together by going on exchange during your bachelor course!

And, of course, remember the reasons for choosing your subjects. It's much easier to work on something you're interested in - find those moments that inspired you to know more!

Alright, enough of my motivational rambling and time to get cracking on those essays.

There's light at the end of the tunnel!

Eleanor

 

So, how's the study going? (Raphael)

I still find it ridiculously fantastic to be able to tell someone "yeah, I'm studying at Melbourne Uni at the moment;" it makes me feel so grown up! But "how is that study going at the moment?" you may ask. "How has the transition been, have you found a balance between University-level study and the clubs, committees and events?" Well...

I was told many times that the transition is tough. "I haven't met someone who hasn't struggled with it," I read somewhere on the internet. Yet somehow, in all the excitement of just getting started at Uni, I still managed to underestimate it! It's probably a common Jaffy thing, because after leaving year 12 behind in that 3-month break I feel that I've had to completely re-learn how to study upon entering this new environment. The structure of University is just so completely different! Mostly for the better; there's heaps more flexibility and more choice when it comes to what you're studying and when, but the hard work is most definitely still there and the intensity can be quite extreme; in some cases entire VCE subjects are covered in one 12 week semester – and that's just first year! More than anything, the challenge is adapting your learning to this new structure.

So how have I coped with this change? Well I was dismayed to find myself steadily falling behind over the first few weeks, and then had to scramble to catch back up. I'd liken those first few weeks to marching into a dark cave; there was no way to know what it would be like, or what I would have to do to stay alive! I spent a large portion of the Easter break rewatching lectures, reading textbooks, completing worksheets and started week 5 (almost) completely back up to date. Since then I've been mostly keeping up with things, and study is important enough to me (as is my sanity come SWOTVAC) that I haven't let myself get too far behind, but it's a constant challenge.

I'd say I'm still transitioning, and will be for most of the year; figuring out how I study best in this context, where my best study spots are on campus, and how to manage my time to make the most of everything here at UniMelb.

So to any future or present first years, here are my tips for acing the initial study transition:

  • Prepare yourself for a change; just be cognisant of it
  • Try and keep up with classes from the very beginning of the semester. I fell into the trap of thinking "it's only week one, it's not important yet" but every week is important when it's one of 12, even the first! Don't let things snowball!
  • Check up on yourself every week or so to make sure you're moving in the right direction in terms of study and balance.
  • Make use of any breaks you have in the day to get work done. It can be tempting to just chat to friends for the whole time or take three hours for lunch, but you'll thank yourself when you get home and have no work left to do for the night!
  • Choose which club events you want to go to strategically. You can't do everything! (Also, money doesn't grow on trees!)  Fortunately, a lot of events and parties are held annually or semesterly, so chances are you'll have another opportunity to go even if this semester it's on the day before your mid semester test...
  • Figure out how you study best. I have found it much easier to focus on my work when I'm on campus as opposed to at home, and some libraries work better for me than others. Find your fit!

So best of luck with all your assessments and mid-semester tests as we head into week 7. It's crazy to think, but semester will be over in just under 6 more weeks!

Thanks for taking the time to read,

Raph 😊

Coming up soon from me:

  • Destination Melbourne: What was it and why you should go next year!
  • Uni 101: What's the difference between a Tutorial and a Lecture?
  • And other smaller posts on how Uni's going in general.

A Neat Observation

Outside of studies, Moving to Melbourne would still definitely bring a culture shock to most people, and as with such most of us have to adapt to the changing customs, different language, and higher prices (le sigh). Fortunately, something about that first part is a thing that I can definitely get used to. Continue reading "A Neat Observation" →

Moving On Up (Aimee)

 

Dear reader,
I hope you've had an absolutely spiffing weekend! ('Spiffing' - what a marvellous word! Try saying it now in your best posh accent!) Would you believe we're in week 7 which means *drum-roll please!* .... we're over halfway through Semester 1!!! *Cue fanfare!*

While you've been transitioning to winter woolies and the end of daylight savings, this blogger has made her own enormous step forward... This month, ladies and gentlemen, I boldly ventured where few first years have gone before and moved out of home.

No doubt those lucky home-bodies reading this blog will be wondering what it's like to enter the wilderness of rent-paying, housemates and "OMG who stole my mineral water!?!" So, I've decided, in this post, to give you all the gory details...

*WARNING: Read on at your own risk!*

DIARY OF A WIMPY INDEPENDENT KID - ENTRY 1

DAY 1:
12:00pm - Arrive at your new front-door carrying half the house on your back and realise that you still forgot food for dinner
1:00 - Spend a ludicrous amount of time doing battle with your bed linen (why can't doona covers attach themselves!?)
2:00 -Say goodbye to your dad
3:00 - Play 'Take on Me' (VERY LOUDLY!) and dance like a lunatic around your bedroom because you're all alone and there are no parents here
4:00 - Climb into your new cupboard (for privacy) and burst into tears because you're all alone and there are no parents here
5:00 - Your dad returns (on the pretense of fixing the bike rack that he accidentally ripped off the wall earlier) and takes you out for fish and chips
7:00 - Watch TV with your housemate on a couch adorned with chewing-gum. Stay up late discussing the meaning of life.

DAY 2:
- Discover a plastic bag which someone has tried to flush down the toilet (mm-hmmm....)
- Listen to a passer-by outside your window joyfully singing 'Bob the Builder' at the top of his voice, because he thinks no-one can hear him...
- Attempt to dry dishes using a tea-towel with a big hole in the middle as your housemate set fire to it

DAY 3:
- Take a cold shower before going to uni. Why cold, you ask? Some especially bright spark has swapped the hot and cold taps around. Go figure!
- While showering, leave your clothes and underwear on the basin, right near a resident colony of ants...
- Find yourself scratching awkwardly in unmentionable places all day because you've literally got ants in your pants!

DAY 4:
- While resurrecting last night's left-overs, watch a 'pet' mouse scurry frantically into the kitchen
-Watch your housemate scurry frantically into the kitchen, trying to catch the mouse
- Help your housemate clean up mouse droppings

DAY 5:
- When all alone, discover that a nest of gigantic (and boy, do I mean GIGANTIC!) flying ants have hatched in your kitchen
- Run screaming out of the kitchen and send an S.O.S. to the experts (Mum and Dad)
- Go trigger-happy with fly-spray

DAY 6:
- Discover some cute fluffy mold growing in your non-functional fridge
- Discover a new species of fungus growing on your window
- Decide that this house would be ideal for a biologist

DAY 7:
- Have your first ever house-meeting with tea and choc chip cookies.
- Help your housemates decorate the lounge-room with fairy-lights
- Curl up in your brand new Aria day-bed with a book and a mug of hot milo - this, surely, is the life!

May this coming week bring you all the serenity, harmony and joy which you probably won't find at my share-house... May it bring me lots more good material for blog posts!

Addio!
Aimee

#2//A Good Test (Nicole)

The past week touched my nerves for a bit, and I’m embarrassed to say my limbic reptilian senses mildly emerged as the assessments rolled in.

It’s interesting how one’s mental landscape can be quite the petri-dish no one wants it to be, and a simple introspective moment can be quite the antibiotic to start afresh on an (ideally) new dish.

But it’s not a new dish, nor do I want a new dish, because I want some of those pathogens to stay behind, to remind me what I did wrong, how I defeated it, and let it be a punching-bag for me to exercise my confidence and problem-solving skills. Asking for a new dish is just an easy way out.

No one likes to get stressed out, but for me, it’s important that I remain uncomfortable all the time. One of my favourite quotes comes from the fantastic Hungarian-American Andy Grove:

“Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive”.

So, dearest University, give me all you’ve got.

 

I’ve also taken some time to explore new ways to manage my tasks in a more effective manner. I love task lists and apps, but none of them quite hit the mark, especially when some features only come from monthly subscriptions. I often find myself switching between several sites and apps, and that is absolutely wasteful of my time. So, three key things that I’ve incorporated for this week:

1. Graphical weekly task planner on a word document

  • I’m a spatially cognizant person, and none of the free to-do-list apps offer a way for me to see my tasks in a good calendar view
  • MS Word, because it’s clutter free, transfers better to paper, and I can access and edit online (via Google Drive), natively on my computer, and on my phone (via GDrive as well)

2. App on computer (OSX) to keep me on a current task

  • I’ve landed on FocusList
  • It’s great so far. It follows the pomodoro timing technique, gives me stats on what I’ve done, and has a nice, simple task list
  • Yes, it’s paid ($7.99), but it’s cheaper than most and gives me what I want
  • Why not just stick to a task list manager? Well, I wanted a no-frills task list that I use for the day, and simply listing out everything that I need to do for the whole month doesn’t keep things in immediate perspective
  • You can also give DoOneThing a go; it’s free, and just shows your task on the menu bar
  • Sorry windows/ubuntu people! There are plenty of free options out there for you though

3. Figure out some radio station appropriate for study

  • Haven’t found a verbal show conducive to concentrating yet; the American ones I stay tuned to—WNYC and WBEZ—are far too interesting to pass as “study radio”
  • Still sticking to NPR 24/7 All Songs Considered circa IB studying in high school

 

Alright, gotta study.

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