How a study tour will benefit your degree

The Shibuya District in Tokyo

-By Troy

As 2012 comes to a close I've been reflecting on what an amazing year I've had through my global experiences at Deakin. You may remember earlier in the year I travelled to Exeter in South West England for a semester abroad and blogged about some of the challenges and discoveries I made.

I'm still reaping the benefits nearly six months after coming home to Melbourne. Whilst abroad, I wrote and produced new work, made new friends across the globe (who I regularly Skype now), drank espresso in Venice and had creme brulee in Paris. In October I produced a show for the Melbourne Fringe Festival which was a direct influence from the exchange project and 2013 is already looking productive with new projects inspired from my time away.
Of course, a semester abroad is a big commitment and sometimes financial, personal or time contraints may impact on a student's ability to pack up and move away for such a long amount of time.

So another option that's worth considering is an International Study Tour. I've been lucky to have just returned from two and a half weeks in Japan on a Graphic Design, Animation and Video Games study tour, which is facilitated through the Faculty of Arts and Education.

As a professional and creative writing major, I was not sure that I was even eligible however after checking the unit handbook I saw that any arts student could apply - And so I did, attended a brief interview, crossed my fingers and toes and got confirmation in September.

In mid November I boarded a plane for Tokyo with 17 other students and spent the next 14 days running on pure adrenaline. Japan is like nothing I've ever experienced and I daresay perhaps the best place I've travelled to.
The benefits of a structured academic study program meant that we were up and out the door every morning to see, taste and experience as much as possible. This included tours of the Studio Ghibli Museum, Marza Animation Studio and the 21-21 Gallery in Tokyo, the Manga Museum and Nishiki market in Kyoto and of course ancient temples and gardens in all three cities.

All up we visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nara and spent a decent amount of time in each city. Culturally, Japan was so different: food is ordered via touch screens, it's taboo to talk or eat on the subways and its also the cleanest place I've ever been to as well.

What was extremely exciting was the opportunities to spend time with the local Japanese students. We were welcomed to several different universities whom Deakin is building strong relationships with. At Ryukoko University in Kyoto we met lively students who were working on their English and were keen to learn about Australia and our culture. It was interesting to observe the cultural similarites and differences and they showed us around the city on our free day.



Deakin and KUAD Students from the Animation Workshops

At the Kyoto University of Art and Design (KUAD) we participated in a two day, 2D cell animation workshop, whereby we conceptualised character artwork and then proceeded to animate them the following day. I think we were all challenged by the language barrier and the work itself and so had to be creative in our problem solving and finding ways to communicate with these students, who were much more quiet and shy.

All of these experiences are so unique I think I will remember and draw on them for a very long time.



Japanese Maple in Kyoto

We landed in Melbourne on December 1st exhausted but content, yet the work does not stop here. One of the best things about the trip is that we all now have to produce creative projects which are informed by our time in Japan.

We held a presentation evening in Kyoto where everyone's ideas were discussed, which were specific to our craft; animation, to wood carvings to plush toy design, I reckon the results are going to be really interesting and will be on display in a special exhibition at the Phoenix Gallery in March next year.

I hope this gives you guys some insight into the trip, and I highly recommend going into the Study Abroad Office ASAP and investigate if you can have some global experiences of your own, whether it be an exchange program or a shorter intensive study tour!


Happy travelling!

Friends: adding that extra zing to university life

-By Karen

Ann yeoung!
Konichiwa!
Xin chao!
Ni hao!
Bonjour!
Ciao!
Hola!

Sawadee!
Namaste!
Kumusta!

Ok, I think you get the gist by now. Those are just some of the "Hello"s of the world that I have learned so far in this journey called 'life'. The most awesome part about that is, I learned all of them from a bunch of amazing people that I had the privilege of meeting while at University.

If you're like me then you'll know that being so far away from home can really tear you apart, and that feeling can sometimes make the university experience much more daunting than it already is. I remember being so excited that I would start packing my luggage 1-2 weeks prior to the end of the semester (and this is coming from one person who hates packing with a passion!) And I did all of that just so I could board the next flight home as soon as the semester break begins.

But of course, this does not mean that I hated my time at university. I loved it and I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to chase my dreams. I am also grateful for the people that I've met along the way, and they are the reason behind my writing today. Being away from home and family meant leaving my bubble world and stepping out of my comfort zone. And the further away I was, the more desperately I wanted to keep my family close. Yes, there is a never-ending list of ways I can communicate with my family but it isn't the same as being "home". And it was times like these that friends played an even bigger role in my life. They became my comfort zone and my family while I was miles away from mine. Their presence added that extra zing factor to my achievements at Deakin University.

So here's ONE tiny advice I'm sharing with you today about surviving university life, especially if you're far away from home. Establish positive and meaningful friendships with those around you. The next time you're early for a lecture or tutorial, sit next to someone and say, "Hello". Chances are they will say "Hello" back! And by the end of the semester, you might have just extended your knowledge with a few new languages.

Here's a song that I would listen to on repeat for days when I'd feel extra homesick. A beautiful song performed by one of my favourite artists and from my favourite cartoon show. Don't judge me, but I still love my cartoons. Haha!

What are your tips to surviving life at university? Share it with me and everyone else in the comments section below =)

xx Karen

Me and my buddy - procrastination

-By Jo

Procrastination creeps up on me and watches over my shoulder.

I feel its breath on my neck and my concentration is swayed.

The pages of my textbook flutter and the words blur ever so slightly.

I shake my head and try to throw it off, but the damage is done.

I may be five minutes into a study session or an hour or...maybe I never got that far...

The kettle is boiling, another cup of coffee is what I need, but the caffeine takes time to work on me so I should feed some dragons in Dragonvale or see if the Angry Birds are up for a game...and...
I haven’t read today’s news, must catch up with that...A text? Might be important, best check it to be sure. 

Ah, Mother’s roses are in bloom...meh...that essay won’t write itself you know?

The voice of reason kicks in, but procrastination tells me there’s always tomorrow, the sun is shining and well, not to be rude, but all that sitting on your butt is leaving you kind of out of shape...Oh! When did I last go to the gym? Or for a walk even? Hey...I could walk around the shops, then, it wouldn’t seem like exercise...

See what procrastination did there? Yeah, now I’m procrastinating about the vehicle I was going to use to procrastinate my way out of study, it’s clever stuff, no doubt about it, but it doesn’t help me pass my degree. It just adds stress.

But the essay is due and the exams are getting closer and I’m way behind in my readings, my notes, how many lectures did I miss? 

Deep breath, deep breath, knots in the stomach, headache that’s dull and persistent, racing heart from panic or too much caffeine, bad moods, can’t sleep, can’t function, deadline looming, indigestion. 

HELP!

It’s time to implement the emergency plan (which should be my initial plan all the time).

Switching off social media devices (if I can’t be trusted and that means deactivating Facebook and Twitter, just for now).

Setting a time to check my emails.

Turning off my mobile phone – the world survived just fine without them for eons, I can survive a study block.

Getting out of the house, away from distractions – go to the library, a computer lab, a public park or a cafe.


Learn to say ‘NO’ and mean it. Others have to respect my choice to get this degree, and not interrupting is all the help I need them to give me.

Remembering that my body can’t survive on coffee, chocolate and toast for a whole trimester.

Most importantly I must always sleep – I find it very tempting to feel guilty over the number of study hours lost during a night’s sleep. Unfortunately they are necessary and come to terms with that for my sanity.

Meeting students from other cultures

-By Sui On Tang

I got an opportunity to meet new students from other cultures during Orientation Week at Deakin. I found it to be fascinating as it is a completely different environment compared to high school. At Deakin, there were students from all over the world. We were attending lectures and tutorials together. But initially, it was hard for me to communicate with students from other countries as I am an international student with my mother tongue being Cantonese and Mandarin. Also, I am really shy and feel nervous that the conversation with them will end quickly. Hence, I was anxious about making friends from different cultures. This made me feel isolated and I found it difficult to fit in.

But this situation changed after I joined a few student clubs and societies, like the Deakin Sri Lankan & Indian Club and The Australian Union of Jewish students. They gave me a new perspective on Deakin. I got to learn more about different foods, events and traditions in various countries all over the world. This helped me to connect with other students and integrate into university life. For example, now I start conversations with other people and try to find out whether we have any common interests. It provides me with the opportunity, as well as for them, to learn about foreign languages, countries and cultures. I learnt that all these students are just like me; they feel lonely sometimes. But they are all nice and friendly. So we are all in the same boat. Now, I am enjoying the life of cultural diversity at Deakin while studying my double degree undergraduate course.

Lost? Unsure? Let student services help you!

-By Erzsebet

I remember walking into university for the first time. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed not knowing what was to be happening next. I had been to the university many times before for rehearsals, and other little events here and there. What I did not know is that there are many services that can make transition to university life just that little bit easier. So I went for a little walk to see what I could find.

My first unit chair at Deakin was very welcoming and took the time to sit down and discuss my areas of concern especially as, coming back to on campus was the biggest hurdle in my life (well one of them!) She suggested the Disability Resource Centre-DRC. The staff at DRC assist those who have special needs, whether medical, or other. Together, with the liaison officers, I created a Learning Access Plan. This is a confidential document that assists the staff to ensure your needs are met.

Learning has never been my strong point but I found through ads that there were Language and Learning Advisers who can help with your work. I made an appointment and they gave me an hour session and we were able to go through what I need help with. These ranged from Essay writing skills to referencing in the different styles that are essential to the subject areas I am studying. They also suggested me to go to Study Skills workshops which help students in better academic writing and learn some useful tricks. These workshops have been really helpful and my marks have shown significant improvement since I have been at Deakin.

More often than not without realizing, we can feel overwhelmed, anxious or stressed. Effects of these symptoms vary from person to person. This sort of thing can affect the everyday functioning of an individual. I know from a personal level that my emotions can overtake me when I least expect it. The Counselling service at Deakin was and continues to be such a wonderful service to use as hard as it was at first! If you are feeling really down and out, don’t be afraid to ask for help! I even learnt there are medical services available for students right on campus! Nurses, Doctors, Counsellors, how much more convenience could one ask for?

Careers?! AHH! What do I want to do?! How will I get there?! So many ideas came and went through my mind. So I went to the Careers office-Jobshop. They offer resume checks, career tests, cover letter checks, etc. Last year, I went to an appointment with an adviser who helped me to work out that I was destined for area that I have always loved! – Commerce/HRM.

I recommend students to make the best use of all the DSL services that are provided, right here on campus.They are here to help us succeed and make the most of our time here at Deakin.

New students' guide to the universe of university fashions

-By Ninah

Uni is a crazy and unpredictable universe. Here, the rules are different to what has previously been true in our lives. There is no cool or uncool. There is just fun, insanity and awesomeness. We are not judged by what we wear, two people aren’t separated by whether or not they are wearing designer jeans. So why bother pretending to be someone you are not? Just wear what you want to wear and be confident in yourself. Enjoy the freedom, no more uniforms baby! If you feel like wearing a three piece suit or a bright orange dress, who’s going to stop you?? Or hey, if you are having a slow morning and have trouble crawling out of bed, just wear your pjs (asuming of course you wear pjs, we don’t want any nudie runs on campus people). 

You will see the University Universe is welcoming to all kinds whether you are hippies, Goths, skater-boys, fly girls or just plain weird. You will find your niche here. However, as with everything, there are just some things that are definitely not on, for example...

Showing your underwear in any form is just not ok. Even if you have a body of a supermodel the universe of university says NO!! So please be considerate to your fellow uni students and keep your underwear where they belong- UNDER your clothes.

Unless you are a Superhero of course!!!

Toddles people and tune in on my next post. Keep cool and stay awesome .

Your fellow trend setter, 
Ninah xx

Who's the STAR?

-By Noel.

You are! After all, these blogs are for you to read and to make the most of. :-)

Anyways, I've been inundated, lately (and even at the time of originally posting this!), with people asking me about STAR, which is currently in Read Only Mode; therefore, the following information is for those who want to know about more about it, in preparation for Trimester 2.

To that end, this is simply a FAQ Post; the questions you see below are those that I've actually had to answer many times to my colleagues last year.

• What exactly is STAR?
• STAR (Student Timetable Allocation [and] Registration) is a web-based application used by Deakin to, based on your preferences, allocate your classes to create a (theoretically speaking) clash-free timetable.
• Why the need for STAR?
• In secondary school, your teachers would have created your structured timetables for you. At Deakin, however, the timetable is more flexible in nature and allows you to have a say in when your classes are held.
• How does STAR work?
• I'll let Deakin explain that for you; feel free to click here.
• How do I use STAR?
• Deakin's STAR Video Tutorials can be found here.
• So, how do I access STAR?
• You do so by clicking here and logging in using your username and password.
• But I've forgotten my username and/or password... What should I do?
• You could contact ITSD; however, provided you can answer four simple questions, a more convenient way to retrieve your credentials is to click here. To that end, your Deakin Card or Letter of Offer can provide you the answers to two of those questions.
• Are there any important dates, pertaining to STAR, that I should take note of?
• Yes; here they are.
• I want to only do three days; yet, my timetable is spread across five... What gives?
• If you're doing a full-time course, you're expected to be available across all five weekdays.
• Is STAR only used for on-campus units?
• Yes. This explains why the off-campus or online units don't appear on STAR. Having said that, you should be able to see your Trimester 2 Units as well; if you can't, for some reason, then I'd suggest you should check your enrolment via StudentConnect.
• I have a timetable that clashes... Where do I go from here? 
• I suggest you go contact the Unit Chairs in question for advice.
• I know you haven't answered everything there is to know, regarding STAR; where is Deakin's FAQ?
• Here you go.

Anyways, I hope this helps to answer your questions;

until next time, do take care. :-)