First Year Diaries

Science Case Competition

I got my badge on Badgr!!

You may ask what a Badgr is. So Badgr is the University’s digital credentialing platform. Once you set up an account you will have permanent access to your digital credentials, even after you graduate.

So you may still be confused with what the badge on Badgr can show.Once you complete an activity, your Melbourne Plus digital credential will be stored through a badge on Badgr.

I got my badge from attending Science Case Competition, which is a dual delivery event, with each workshop and presentation taking place in person and online. My group members and I worked in teams to pitch a solution to the Case identified by The Dirt Company. Our team was selected for progression to Heats! We made a presentation for our solutions. Unfortunately, we did not pass the Final Judges. But we stilled enjoyed free pizza together heheh.

I am honored to be able to complete this activity with some unfamiliar but friendly team members. In this activity, I have gained a lot of friends, and I have also felt everyone's rigorous attitude towards a task. My role was to brainstorm my topics and keep refining our solutions to make them implementable and creative. In the process, we collected a lot of data and opinions from the general public. We hope to have a science-based solution. I realized that everyday items are often the products that consume the most or waste plastic the most, so we finally settled on working with supermarkets to recycle plastic packaging.

What I learned from this situation was I have to learn more about the needs of each partner so that they will have a stronger incentive to cooperate with our actions. The biggest challenge I faced was when I was giving presentations, I didn't have the confidence to explain our action plan to everyone. I was reading more because I didn't prepare enough. I felt most of the time, I only try when I'm sure I can succeed, but I should try my best first.

Anyway, come for your onw badges on Badgr next time!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Week 7: Application Anxiety

Now playing:

Doris Day – Que Sera Sera

↺ |◁ II ▷| ♡

 

I survived the shenanigans of Week 6 🥳!

Updates from last week - I went and thoroughly enjoyed the club event – Save the Children and Film Society’s Movie Night at Arts West’s Interactive Cinema Space! It was a fundraiser for Save the Children’s Ukraine Relief fund, where Ukrainian film “Lethal Kittens” was screened. Although the film was slightly confusing with lots (I mean LOTS) of Ukraine-based folklore, I appreciated the free pizza (yum yum) and the efforts from both clubs!! It was slightly daunting at first as most people came in groups but I was able to speak to a few new faces and learn more about both clubs!

My sleep schedule is still as messed up as before so really got to fix that this week - quite desperate for a mid-semester break right now – Week 7 seems to be just as chaotic for me with 2 MSTs and an assignment due (very funnnn) 💀

Majority of Masters applications were also due this week and GRRR not feeling great about them tbh! Mainly worried about not getting accepted or not knowing whether its right for me… I do feel kind of in a pickle with future career plans as there are so many options and I can be a very indecisive person at times, but I guess it is a part of life that everyone has to face at some point! There’s only so much I can do so just gonna cross my fingers and hope for the best – good luck to everyone in a similar spot, you’ve got this 🙏!

Something I am looking forward to this week though, is the Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as Mooncake Festival)!! For those who have not heard of it before, it’s a Chinese tradition where family members gather together to drink tea and eat mooncakes (truly tasty lil thangs, I recommend the flavours red bean or yam for beginners) and that’s about i- just kidding, there’s a really cool tale behind the festival so do read up about it if you’re curious! I remember playing with lanterns on the festival as a child – it was probably more fun than eating mooncakes at the time, but now that I’m legally considered an adult, the judgement is real if I keep the lantern thing up XD

As this week is pretty intense, I thought my challenge for this week could be meeting up with friends for a study session!! I definitely need to get on top of my unwatched lectures and what better way than to do it while catching up with familiar faces?

Until next post,

Cherie


Week 6: A-Tisket, A-Tasket

Now playing:

Anthony Lazaro – Life could be so simple

↺ |◁ II ▷| ♡

 

As someone who has pictured themselves in a great deal of eccentric situations (like having hands for feet and feet for hands), I never once pictured myself writing a blog post, so here we go!! Here’s a quick little self-intro~

 

Pseudonym: Cherie

Year: Third

Course: Bachelor of Science

MBTI: INFP

Wig: Snatched

Hotel: Trivago

:D

 

With all jokes aside, here is a little brain dump I’ve decided to type up on my notes app at 1:51AM in my snug, floofy blanket (one of the best inventions of all time, I rest my case).

As the little girl loses her yellow basket in the song (I am not insane just yet, see title for reference), I am quite literally losing my sanity (AHA! all in the span of a sentence geez) with the attack of assessments and lectures piling up! These days, it always seems like there is something to do; the tidying up of a desk, the mental planning for tomorrow, the overthinking before replying a text, as if our lives have an incessant heartbeat screaming at us to keep going.

However, in the midst of this (admittedly) self-induced chaos, I have started feeling sentimental about my university experience. Maybe it’s the “romanticizing studying” tiktoks that keep appearing on my social media feed, or the recurring reminder that it is my final year before I delve into “adulting”, but I have come to appreciate the homely, albeit short (screw you Covid), pockets of time on campus. From staring at the Zambrero lines in awe to getting a cute stamp on a Castro card, I realise how important it is to immerse yourself with your surroundings as moments are fleeting and life goes on☹ so here’s a timely reminder to me (and maybe you too!) to stay grounded and grateful.

DUN DUN DUN! I thus declare my personal challenge this week to be participate in a club event! I blame the 2AM epiphany (seriously though, why does this happen @scientists), but I’ve decided it’s a great idea to try something new every week for the remaining… 6 (!!!) weeks (!!!) I have left. And update each week for accountability or public shame should I fail to attain accomplishment hohoho >:) Just looking at the website, there are so many events (https://umsu.unimelb.edu.au/things-to-do/events/) to choose from AHHHHHHH

To all the extroverts out there, I truly am envious of your ability to literally SPEAK and have WORDS come out of your mouth (…where else would words come from ahfipdnwfs) – this is coming from someone who gives “have you ever had a dream” vibes in public 24/7 (T o T)/~~

Anyways - join me on my snack-infused journey as I attempt to stubbornly make up my lost years to Covid with the heart, mind and soul of an enthusiastic first year throughout the rest of 2022! And as we bid this chilly winter goodbye, let’s welcome spring (and September!) with open arms 🌸

annotated photo of grattan street

Until next post,

Cherie


Introducing Captain Hook

Hi everyone!

I am Captain Hook. I am a second year Bachelor of Biomed student. I am an international student here, from a country that is 8689 kms away from Melbourne (I will leave it with you guys to guess the country! hint: super famous for the garments industry).

Now, you guys might be curious to know why I have "Captain Hook" as a pseudonym; honestly, I have been using this pseudonym for a REALLY LONG time, maybe from when I was in first grade. But that is a story that I will share with you guys some other day. I will be sharing small snippets of my life here in First Year Diaries.

As I write this, I am literally standing in the SUPER long queue for Barry the Bear on Open Day (though  feeling like an imposter since I am a second year! ). So, I will leave you guys to it and go take my little buddy Barry home.

Signing off,

Captain Hook (I know the name sounds super cool! )


EEG volunteer experience

I am honored that I can contribute my EEG information to the development of neuroscience, although this experiment took me 3 hours. The happiest thing is that I got a $30 voucher:)

As a psychological student, it is easy to find experimental recruitment information on a website called REP. So some of the experiments will offer some benefits like a voucher or subject credits. But for psychological students, nothing is more interesting than participating in the experiment itself and observing their EEG in a lab. Also, you can communicate with researchers, if you are interested in what kind of study they are conducting.

However, your hair may be covered with glue. And most experiments are strict with subjects. You cannot move your body and head during the experiment. And you may boring and sleepy with boring and repetitive experimental content like giving a response to some images and clicking the button. But experimenters who record data tend to be more tired and dull.

Anyway, I encourage you to make some money from being volunteers in experiments. And some experiments may only ask you to participate online and will not take a lot of time. So you can choose whatever you want to try on the REP website.

 

 

 

 


What next?

My last exam is tomorrow and then I'll no longer be a doe-eyed fresher 🤩 Thought I'll write my last post while I am still technically a first year.

So, it's been an amazing experience here, working with some amazing students and learning from such great professors.... yeah, now it's sounding like a graduation speech. I'll save it for the podium 😝

Cat is off meds for now, has shed a few kilos and learned some new management concepts like servant-leadership, micro-management and follow-up. She is actively practicing them on me by following me around the house 🤣 #BossCat

As for me, I am busy planning vacation activities. There won't be any cookbooks this time but I'll be working on my latest discovery - instant noodles. They have been around since time immemorial 😆 but I recently got over my childhood trauma of overcooked maggi (no offence mom, you know I hated it 🥴) and entered the wonderful world of slurpy noodles 🍜 Can't get enough!

My other project will be winter soups, something that's healthy and hearty enough to pass off as lunch. I'll be travelling to work now and can't spend too much time on 4-course meals 😑

And finally, the biggest and baddest of them all, preparation for job interviews 😣 My experience rules me out of the internship and grad job race and I have got my eyes set on mid-level management roles in the most competitive financial institutions in the world, who hire only the best 🙄

Unimelb has been the perfect launchpad to get me started on this journey and I got my resume sorted, I even got to attend workshops and sessions with these companies 😁 But now I'll have to start preparing for the dreaded technical tests and that will be taking up most of my time this break and the next semester.

Speaking of the next semester, I have a few classes that are on-campus, looking forward.

Hope to see you soon.

love,
MoneyOverMen


One week to go

Looks like I am not going to Tokyo this year, unless they have new category for those who can’t swim 🤣

My last exam is next week so not too stressed in this one. Just going through the study material and trying to make sense of it 😐

After the exams, the semester will be officially over for me and next week’s post will be my last one here. I wouldn’t be so quick with that sigh of relief, if I were you 😝 ‘cuz I’ll level up to Year 2 and wait for the invite to ‘Back for Seconds’

I can continue here until that one comes through but I don’t have much uni action going, not actively involved in any clubs and I haven’t even attended a single employability session this sem! Missing them badly 😢 I still have a ton of unanswered questions but I am usually working when they meet ☹️

Exams ongoing, who has the time to read lengthy blogs! I’ll 🤐 now

Best of luck.

love,
MoneyOverMen


2 down, 2 to go

Just finished my first exam of the season 😁 The auto marks in canvas were a measly 31.75 out of 120 and my first reaction at seeing them was flight mode - sell the car, pack up and move to Antarctica. But then, there was a shinning * in the end that said 'some questions are yet to be marked'... Still some hope for me 😆 I am not greedy with the marks at all! I am just looking for enough to get me into my dream job without an interview. If I am lucky, even a 'P' might do the trick 😉

I would have wished you guys for the exams earlier but I was too busy covering my own 🍑 Had the 'First Day, First Show' seat in the exam hall, wouldn't miss it for the world 😝 And while I was fretting over it, no points for guessing who was the cool Cat 🙄 #BossCat

I have another one the day after tomorrow and then a week of respite. Best of luck to you guys and hope we come out of it without much brain damage 👍

love,
MoneyOverMen

 


One down, three to go

Lockdown’s back in town, baby! SWOTVAC's here... Yeah, stating the obvious 😒

My transition to office has been put on hold and I am working from home in regular office hours, no pay cuts or shift losses and with enough time for studies. Got zero complains but just to make sure nobody guesses my age, I'll throw a tantrum at being grounded and not able to party, like a good little teen 👼

I have finally found my favorite subject for the semester, it's totally the one with no exams 😁 Finished the presentation, done with the subject and it's such a relief. Cat, of course, wanted to present it herself but was detained last minute by something shiny and I had to step in 🤓 #BossCat

This week, I need to prepare for the most difficult one in the sem, at least for me. After multiple revisions, I can now remember what the prof said for more than 3 days at a time and am quite optimistic I'll pass. I just need to somehow remember it till next Monday 🤪

Missing my swimming lessons but hopefully I'll have more catchup later 🙂

Stay safe and study on.

love,
MoneyOverMen


Pre-exam jitters

I have started studying for the exams now, trying to get my head around all the workshops that went bouncer when assignments were due. No wonder I scored so less! I can finally see why on going through them again 🙃

While I am focusing on exams, the remaining assignments are in Cat’s capable paws. There are 250 more words to go and I am sure she can handle them. #BossCat

Kinda worried about the exams, of course my subjects aren’t mathematics based like last sem, but I‘ll have to work really hard to get the concepts right.

Found out today, just 2 more weeks of swimming lessons left. I think I’ll manage to float in the bathtub after that, not ready for anything deeper yet.

Wish me luck.

love,
MoneyOverMen

 

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