Hullo, my name is Sebastian, and I'm a first year student studying Arts. Don't ask me which subjects though, they will probably have changed by tomorrow; I've already altered 7 of the original 8 I chose in January (I think it was January... I don't remember). Two of the most recent alterations haven't even been approved yet... Anyway, presently I'm not in the most fecund of moods, so I shall proceed to write the mandatory biographical information. I arrived in Melbourne at roughly 6am on Monday the 10th of December 2007, wearing a tweed jacket and a dark green tie, both of which were completely unsuited to the climate ("inferno"). Before that I had been living in Inchture, a small village full of old people and trees near in city of Dundee in Scotland for 4.5 years. And prior to that I had been living in the Mediterranean coastal town of Altea in the province of Alicante in Spain for 3 years. And before that I lived in bland suburban Beenleigh near Brisbane for about 6 years. And before that I lived in deepest drunken Bavaria, near Nürnberg, where I was born. I have both Australian and British citizenships but I don't feel Australian in the slightest. Although I do have a newly-discovered fondness for Carlton Draught since turning 18 in February. After that geographical account of my history I would now like to offer a more personal description of myself. My hobbies include playing the pianoforte, indulging in "classical" music (I call it "real" music), drinking tea like an addict, and using the serial/Oxford comma. Haha. I also have interests in the fields of: philosophy, psychology, anthropology, educationalism, futurism, politics, aestheticism, archaeology, geography, astronomy, poetry, literature, opera, drama, linguistics, self-development, anarcho-communism, mixology, travel, architecture, Mensa (of which I am a member, ho ho), neologisms, omnilingual puns, zen buddhism, the nature of polymaths, calligraphy, snuff, cigars, gourmet food, vegetarianism, automatic streams of income, the futures market, investments, the peerage of the United Kingdom, European aristocracy, Victorian Gothic buildings, and copious brain-vomiting. My aim for first year at Melbourne Uni is to get first class honours in every subject so I can get into the University of Oxford in 2009 and escape this demonic heat. I'm serious about that. I was going to write a sonnet about my orientation experience but it morphed into the poem I'm going to submit for Creative Writing, quite by accident. I would post it but Wordpress is pathetic and can't deal with basic formatting. This intro probably made me seem like a pretentious snob. Well, I am.
On Wednesday the 12th of March, 2008, I had my first ever horrible uni experience. It went something like this:
It all started the night before when I had to read basically all of Romeo and Juliet (because I left it to the last minute) and subsequently went to bed at 3am. As a result, I had minimal sleep, woke up late and missed my 10 am H2H lecture (it didn't matter too much, because the lecturer was absent anyway and I ended up watching it on the net instead). So I ended up having to catch the 10:05am bus to the train station, which is where my bad day really began. As I proceeded to walk to the gates, a train (not the one I needed to catch) arrived. Not realising this wasn't my train, I started to run but the gates closed on me. As I waited for the train to pass, I wasn't standing in a good position, because when the gates opened, I was trapped! Well I thought I was and I kinda started to panic; so there I was standing like an idiot, thinking I was trapped behind the gate while the other commuters walked passed me (probably laughing at me), until a girl informed me I could use this other gate that wasn't electronically operated. (I don't know if any of this makes sense...[I've used the word 'gate' too much]...but basically I humiliated myself in public.) At that stage, I wasn't feeling too great and had a bad omen that the rest of my day was going to suck. Sure enough, I was right. In my Eco lecture, I was so tired that I don't think I was even listening to the lecturer...I almost went to sleep. After that it was lunchtime, and even though I wasn't feeling too great, I decided to go to the poster stall in North Court simply because I saw a lot of people with them and was curious to check them out. (I ended up buying three!) 1pm was approaching, which meant I had to head off to my Eco, Lit and H2H tutes. After my H2H tute finished, I got a lift home and as I was walking towards the car, I suddenly remembered I had left my posters in my Lit tute room. I don't even know how I remembered, but when I did, I immediately walked from Royale Parade all the way to John Medely tower (without my phone) to see if the room was still open. After walking up 5 flights of stairs, I discovered (not surprisingly) the room was locked, and since I didn't have my phone with me I couldn't call the number on the door so somebody could open it for me. By the time I got back to the car I was extremely angry at myself for losing the posters and wasting my parent's money. So that concludes my recounts the day everything went wrong. However, the only silver lining to this tale is the fact that I got some form of exercise having to walk to John Medley, taking the stairs to the fifth floor and walking back all the way to Royal Parade. (However, I think that was neutralised by eating Nando's on the way home!)
2nd week, 1st sem
I am still wondering what is the reason behind the names of my core subjects ( all of which end with the word "Environments") - is it because the people who made them just want to reiterate that these are affiliated with the Environments degree OR is it because they are lacking in imagination?
Hi, I am Gianina, a first year Environments student from the Philippines (proud to be Pinoy!) To the people who find it hard to pronounce/remember a name with more than 2 syllables, please Please don't call me Nina. To put it simply, you might as well dig your own grave if you happen to abbreviate my name that way, especially on a Monday morning. Ok... I'm exaggerating a bit.
On a more positive note, my o-week was relatively good - I met a lot of people, filled my mobile with new numbers (only a few of which are numbers that I actually use), and was able to familiarise myself with the campus. Be that as it may, I still ended up lost, late, and lost again during my first day. Thank you Alloc8 for that.
Anyways, during the said o-week, I also joined 2 clubs - one religious and one faculty-based. I'll be honest and say that I joined the latter because of its promise of free cake (and coffee too, although I'm not really a coffee person) throughout the year. Hmmm.... cake.... Ehem, speaking of coffee, I got one free mocha from Castro's yesterday. I was on the verge of running late for one of my classes when one person from there handed me a free cup. Gee, what are the chances of that happening? It was the only positive thing that happened in an otherwise horrible day.
That's it for me for now.
For the students and supporters of the Melbourne Model, "keep dreaming large and everything will fall into place!" (words of one, er, wise prof).
To the people who are not so happy with the model, Tough. Deal with it.
Well, hello all! My name is Nicola and shall be providing yet another reason for you to procrastinate this year. Exits are located in the top right hand and bottom left hand corner. Feel free to read the blogs… annnyyyytime. So what about me? First thing you need to know is that I’m pretty mixed up. A mutt, a cocktail, you make the call. 6 nationalities rolled into one. Let’s just stick with English/Singaporean for now ;) You’ll probably get to know me quite well over the course of this year, but I’ll give you a heads up. I am a Christian, I am a state-of-the-art procrastinator *shock horror* and I love chocolate. This year I'm doing Science, along with about 95% of the people I've bumped into so far. (Does anyone know where the arts students got to?) However, I am hoping to transfer into Commerce next year. (Though to be honest I don't have a clue what I want to do.)
What else? Oh yes, I’m an ex-gapper (this means I graduated high school in 2006 and took a gap year last year) so any parents reading this, fear not! I am back at uni and didn’t decide to drop out to pursue extending ventures around Asia. Though that does sound more exciting...*begins daydreaming*. (I came back 3 weeks ago and went to uni the next day. BAD idea.) WARNING: For all those who think that trying to remember Chemistry that you did in High school after 4 mths, try 16mths! [I’ve already had a “I quit! I’m never going back to uni ever!” moment] Despite that, and the fact that I can’t remember how to use a calculator, if you’re contemplating taking a gap year – go for it!
Anyway, this not about gap year, this is about uni and so uni I shall talk about.
O-week was surely a time of fun and festivities for many, for me it included walking around with a bag full of advertising and figuring out what some of the clubs actually do. i.e Friends of Unnatural Llamas. I did join one club though, which brings me back to the main question… What’s with Tuesdays?!
I dunno, but it seems like everything happens on a Tuesday, maybe it’s just me. I joined the debating society – MUDS – but so far haven’t been able to attend anything ‘cause its on a Tuesday. I just so happen to play soccer on a Tuesday, and then... I had a brain wave, why don’t I join the uni soccer team? Why not? 'Cause the training for the next couple of weeks is on a Tuesday! What’s with Tuesdays?
If you can provide an answer for me I'll be extremely happy and give you 10 points. Its a win-win situation.
Ciao!
Yes I am a fan of Fall Out Boy and other rock/metal/alternative bands. I am also a Science student at this academic paradise and I commute each day to attend my beloved classes. I also read a lot and play the piano.
It's been a week and 3 days since I've started uni. Everything is so different now and I'm enjoying physics, to my absolute shock. I make no secret of the fact that I didn't do very well in physics at VCE level. I just couldn't get it. Now I do. Apparently that happens a lot with students, whether it be accounting or chemistry.
And to summarize my orientation experiences:
I found the Course/Subject info sessions incredibly useful. And by also checking out the Student Portal and LMS, I was a step ahead.
I chopped and changed my host group as I couldn't find them. I also found the general vibe of O-Week perfect for making new friends.
I joined way too many clubs. I blame the student union member discount.
I discovered a fun paradise. The Rowden White Library. It's definitely more than worth the student union membership required to borrow. Study is NOT allowed.
Then there's another oasis, called the system gardens. It's quiet and peaceful and yet it's so close to the library and union house.
I found a map absolutely essential so far. I was late to a subject in first week as I couldn't find it and then I had to go through a different way as there was construction work all around. It was very unsettling.
Another time I got lost traveling from a tutorial to my timetabled 11am Biology lecture. I then discovered that the Biology staff weren't exaggerating about the number of students who would rather go to the 11am lecture than their scheduled 8am. People who have valid reasons not to be in the earlier lecture, eg. Having to travel on a train for an hour to get into the city, let alone university, and those special students were allowed to move to a later time. All the other students are just being lazy and irresponsible and discourteous to their fellow students who travel long distances each day, getting up much earlier and going to bed much later, just to go to Melbourne University. I am one of those commuters who had 8am bio on their timetable and was allowed to move it to a later time. I, however, moved back to the 8am lectures, getting on the 6:21 train 3 times a week so I can be guaranteed a seat at my biology lectures.
On a brighter note, I would gladly welcome any comments, suggestions, questions or otherwise. And dear readers, feel free to comment on favorite books, authors or series. I'll start: Favorite author: currently it's Isobelle Carmody. Favorite series: a dice roll between The Obernewton chronicles, The Gateway Trilogy and The Legendsong. Favorite book: any book by Isobelle Carmody.
Studying is calling me now, so I must go. And for the record, I agree with Wageesha, last year's blogs were great entertainment.
...My name is Wageesha (pronounced Wag-ee-sha, except in a less robotic manner) and I'll be one of the first year uni students giving an account of life at Melbourne Uni and my experiences throughout this year.
So, who is Wageesha? Well she's an 18 year old female, (she knows you had no idea!), who was born in Sri Lanka and migrated to Australia in 1994. She has only been to her land of birth once (6 years ago) and experienced a culture shock upon arrival; chaos on the streets, exotic smells, humidity, mosquitoes, intense heat and three-wheelers! As a result of her inability to survive for the two weeks in unfamiliar surroundings, it is proof that she is basically 100% Aussie (she will not, however, drink beer, eat meat pies/sausages/sausage rolls/anything they would serve up at the cricket and because she cannot think of anything else, she will leave it at that). As far as studies go, she is undertaking an Arts degree in which she is participating in the following subject areas: Political Science (which she is enjoying thoroughly; love how the lectures are interactive), English Lit (loves the fact she is finally able to read and gain a deeper understanding of the classics including Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet and much, much more), From Homer to Hollywood (she also loves the subject but became frustrated and confused when reading The Iliad as she had difficulty in following which character was which and who they were affiliated with) and An Ecological History of Humanity (which she has a love/hate relationship with; she liked the intro because it prompted her to think about new things, such as the notion of a "unified history of humanity", but found chapter 5 too science-based and difficult to hold her interest).
Now, back to the way I really talk/write...
I chose Arts because I only undertook science/maths (plus English, which was obviously complusory) subjects all throughout high school and really struggled to engage with the three science and maths subject in year 12. As a result, I didn't do as well as I could have, largely becasue I didn't have a passion and interest with the subject matter. So towards the end of year 12, I reflected on the past 6 years of my life and decided I wanted to head in a different direction. And that direction is in the form of undertaking an Arts degree; since I had obviously completed English, I knew I had some skills in order to succeed in the subject, so by choosing Arts, I haven't really gone too far out of my comfort zone (I hope!). In terms of career aspirations, last year I did contemplate becoming a journalist, but now I'm not so sure...I think i'll see how this year pans out first...But one thing's for sure (at least for now anyway) and that is I want a career in writing; I want to perfect my skills, expand my vocab and express myself through the written word in a coherent, eloquent and engaging manner. I guess that's partly why I wanted to join this blog, although blog writing and professional writing may be sliiiiiightly different!!
On a completely different note, I'll give a brief run through of my O Week experience:
- became a Student Union Member
- got lost and had to consult my map numerous times
- walked around aimlessly with my host group (my host group leader was lovely, but the planned activities sucked...I didn't make any friends with the poeple in my group because I felt it was too artificial and I had nothing in common with them)
- joined the following clubs: PIS (Political Interest Society), ALP Club, Labor Club and MUSLSA (Melbourne University Sri Lankan Students Association (I think that's what the acronym stands for), which turned out to be a waste of five bucks, because in order to get into their events you have to pay...I'm not a stingy person, but I thought these clubs required no further payment after joining. The lesson learnt here is:
don't join MUSLSA inquire before handing over money!
- attended a mind numbingly boring info session called "Beyond Google and Wikipedia". The first half hour was how to use the library catalogue, in which some lady proceeded to go through the whole process of typing the words into the box through to what each of the results mean...Needless to say I left after that.
- disovered the Baillieu Library's quite study areas
- explored Union House and laid eyes upon its array of edible delights.
So that's it from me for today. I hope my blog was somewhat interesting (if not I'll make sure of it next time!) But before I hit the hay, one quick comment: I loved reading what last years bloggers had to say; it made for entertaining reading, so keep it up guys!
As much as I would like to open up my first post with a brilliant introduction that entertains as well as informs, I must say that sadly, I do not have the skills. So instead, this will pretty much be just the obligatory pompous post all about me, what I'm studying, me, where I'm from, me, my interests and oh, did I mention me? Lol, hopefully you guys won't be too bored. Please bear with me as I chug my way through the basics. Warning: I'm been known for my inability to keep things concise.
Hi! I'm Yuan and I'm currently studying medicine or if I use its full impressive title - Bachelor of Medicine/Surgery/Medical Science. There's roughly 260 of us first year med students which doens't sound very large compared to the (I think) 600 students who do commerce but thanks to our structured course, we are pretty much one giant blob of students that move from point A to B in unison. And since the dental and physiotherapy students are also with us for PBS (Principles of Biomedical Science), we have to use either the Copland or Carrillo Gantner Theatre, which due to the high demands by all other faculties, results in regular 8 o'clock lectures from Tuesday to Thursday. On Monday and Friday, we get a reprieve in the form of 9 o'clock sessions. But more complaints about my early schedule later.
As my newly-made friends could tell you, there's no way I can say where I'm from in one simple sentence. So here goes my best attempt in keeping it short. I was born in China but spent the last decade of my life and grew up in Brisbane but last November, after my high school graduation, my family and I moved over to Glasgow, Scotland because of my dad's job and we were thinking that I'll study university over there. Little did I know that Melbourne University was going to offer me a scholarship to come here but because they did and so here I am, back on this side (and hemisphere) of the earth. After having gotten all my results, university offers, enrolment information (several days late) via electronic, scanned files and then having to complete everything either online or via the fax machine (and pray that they would arrive on time), my best advice for any high school students in their final year is that, don't, no matter what you do, migrate overseas straight after graduation. I've learnt that the hard way.
My parents are still in Glasgow. I'm currently living in a shared house that I found via the university student housing services. Forgoing college was probably not a very good idea for a person who never had to cook, clean and look after herself. Independent living is not all that people make it up to be. I was rudely awoken to that fact on the second day and had a nervous breakdown plus a crying fest right in front of one of my housemates. I think he was scared to death. But after awhile, things do get better and now I'm pretty much cruising through my third week, content with my decision of not going to college. However, I'm still envious of my college friends who only have to wake up at 7:30 whereas by then, I was already in the trams, getting my personal space violated in the morning rush.
I have to confess, I am a procrastinator. I have lost count the number of times I tell myself I'll get an early start and finish my assignments a couple of days before it's due but end up, staying up the night before, furiously typing out an assignment from scratch. While I know the method has worked for me before, I really don't want to chance it at university. So I'm turning over a new leaf and planning to become efficient and organized, which explains why my desk (and room) is an utter mess and I've only completed one-sixth of my revision plan for the weekend. Lol, I guess old habits die hard.
Other than my procrastination, which as other fellow procrastinators know, dominates most of my time, I have other interests including:
- Music: I play the flute and piccolo but unfortunately, don't have my instruments with me here in Melbourne. I listen to a variety of music, anything from classical to Celine Dion to Linkin Park to Kelly Clarkson
- Politics: my friends absolutely hates me whenever there's a US primary happening because I go fanatical over it
- Television: recently, I've developed a taste in crime series and have wasted quite a large chunk of my time watching CSI, Law & Order etc. I also enjoy shows like the Chasers, which is absolutely awesome by the way!
- Reading: I am a book junkie, I can burn through 4 or 5 decent-sized to thick novels a day.
Uh, I think I've ticked off all the things I have to cover in my introduction all about myself. I'll recount my journey through O week and the first week of uni next time before I bore you guys into tears. Once again, I'm terribly sorry this is all very dry and boring. To all the current uni students out there, good luck and hope we'll have a great year this year and to the high school students in their final year, hope you guys do brilliantly (don't procrastinate like I did) and all the best for your future (bah, I sound teacher-like)!
Till next time!
Have you just started first year at the University of Melbourne?
Would you like to be part of the first year blog by becoming a writer?
If you would, please apply by emailing transition-info@unimelb.edu.au with the following information:
- Name
- Student Number
- Course
- Email address
and, most importantly:
Give us a mini-blog (up to 100 words) about why you would be a great first year blogger!
The First Years of 2007 have now moved on to Second Year, so you'll find them with other previous First Year bloggers on 'Back for Seconds': http://transition-blogs.unimelb.edu.au/seconds/
Look out for the new first year bloggers soon!
- The Editors
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another year of the blog! (Speaking of blogs, do any of the admins/other bloggers know when we get moved to the Second Year blog?) It's great to be back on campus again, and so exciting to see new first years and realise how far you've come since you were one of them, isn't it?
So, quick update on life: it's O-week at university and college. This year, JCH orientation is superhero themed, and the fresher dance song is 'Grace Kelly' by Mika (for detailed descriptions of college orientation and fresher dancing see last year's O-week post). I'm back at college because I have a music competition in Melbourne today and it was most convenient to come back early. I'm not an O-week leader, and since I didn't pay for O-week activities I can't participate in them, but I did have fun watching. I spent the summer in Hong Kong, except for 6 weeks where I interned in Beijing. This coincided exactly with the weeks when all my friends from high school came back from the US/UK/Canada, so I didn't get to meet up with any of them, which sucked a little. Other than that, it was a pretty awesome holiday, and being away from the terrible Melbourne public transport system did wonders for my nerves. I am never, never, never going to get used to the fact that people my age drive to places here instead of taking the high capacity bullet train.
I'm running some of the music faculty O-week activities as part of the MSS, so if you're a new music student, come say hi to me in the foyer (and sign up for the Music Students' Society - only $3 in O-week, and you'll recoup your investment within a week at the first free pizza event tomorrow) - I promise I won't eat you!
My host for orientation week host groups from last year was hosting again this year - she's one of the other 12 music/law students in the university and a year above me. I think I must have scared her first-years by randomly going up to them and waxing lyrical about what an awesome host she was last year.
It's kind of sad that there won't be any new music/law kids around this year. The awesome thing about doing a really rare combination of courses is that you kind of have an automatic group of friends because everyone's so happy to FINALLY meet the one other person in their year who does their course. It's a bit of a special bond, really. But the new music students seem cool, so that's alright.
It's been pretty busy already, even before university started. I'm auditioning for the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer's Awards today (hah, I'm so unprepared), and on Monday I had my orchestra audition and an editing deadline for the Australian Journal of Labour Law. Then there's O-week stuff for the MSS, and things like scholarships and internships that have application deadlines within the next few weeks. Plus, I want to get the JCH choir off the ground for the next year and not let it die from want of care this year. And at the end of March, I need to make a recording for International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition pre-screenings. It's all interesting stuff and by choice, though, so it's the good kind of busy, not the bad kind that accompanies swotvac.
Well, hopefully this will be a fun year, and I'm dying to meet the newest batch of first-year bloggers.
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