N = the least favourite grade

-By Jo

Results are usually a relief, they arrive, you got what you wanted, sometimes more and sometimes less, but it usually means you can tick those units off your course and sigh happily that you’re still on track.

That’s how it usually goes for me, until trimester one last year. Of the four units I had taken that trimester I had completed three of the optional assignments, but the fourth one remains on my hard drive to this day, approximately a day away from finished but totally useless to me. I went into the exam knowing a pass would be very hard to come by – but not turning up to the exam would have made me feel worse.

I chose to sign up to receive my results by SMS.

I paced the house from 4 pm.

I held my mobile in my hands from 5 pm.

I stopped pacing at 5.40pm when the message tone sounded.

Here’s where I would normally open the message as quickly as possible and announce my results to my family and then share by email with fellow students.

But I sat.

I starred at the message preview in the lock screen of my mobile phone.

I waited, but I wasn’t sure for what.
There is a certain last minute hope that is hard to give in to. After some time passed I concluded that the marks were there and as they weren’t going to change I had to be brave and look.

There were three credits that I was happy with and one dreaded ‘N’.

I sat and starred some more.

Perhaps I should have gone to my lecturers and told them about the intense semester I had endured and the house move, and my physical health problems, but I hadn’t, thinking I could never fail.

Then I went into denial. I sent an email to the unit chair, one to my lecturer to see if they had got it wrong (after all it was the only logical explanation).

Then I went into meltdown. 
This unit was a pre-requisite for a unit in trimester two, and for a unit the following year. I had effectively added another year onto my degree not to mention the extra fee for when I repeated the unit (back then I didn’t know the textbook would be updated by the following year so on a very tight budget I was going to need another textbook too).

All these thoughts kept leading me back to that assignment I’d missed. I kept comparing my results with that of my friends – how come they passed and I didn’t? Was I not as intelligent as them? Was it a cosmic sign that the powers that be felt I shouldn’t be in this course? Was it karma for lying to my mother in the 90s?

Then the tears and self-pity moved in and decided we should be roommates for the next week or so.

I didn’t access Student Advocacy (through DUSA) which is available free to all students, and which I should've accessed. I felt I deserved the ‘N’ like I’d deserved all my other marks. I had failed a unit and my pride and my ego were suffering from severe bruising! 


I found out that failed exam papers are looked at twice to make sure the grade is correct, that lecturers are usually willing to go over your paper with you and help you understand where you went wrong and most importantly the world doesn’t launch into an apocalyptic ending.

My failure highlights a few things for me – I’m human, life events do impact my study, it’s best to speak up as soon as this happens and maintaining a strict study time table is more important than it sounds.

‘The only failure is when you quit’ is now the first thing I write in my notebooks.

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.

Feeding the habit

- By Jo

I forgot to feed my family. Yes, that’s right and it wasn’t for one night either, more like half a trimester. I also forgot about the dirty laundry. Yet somehow I had clean clothes. The cat litter was clean and the dishes done. It was then that it occurred to me that I had officially been consumed by university life.

Textbooks, computer, paper, pen (vintage fountain pen thank you), something to eat and drink (double espresso stat), and of course the all-important Internet connection for Facebook and Twitter, I mean DSO, and that’s all I believed was needed at the start.

But there was one last resource I had forgotten. To be frank, I’m not sure how as it is seriously hard to miss a fifteen year old with a personality twice her size and a husband over six feet tall, but I did and I still do.

When I’m hunched over my books and I fail to notice them because I’m on a deadline and my only activity is to wear a track in the carpet from my desk to the kitchen to refill my mug, I forget. In fact, I forget to feed them, among other forms of neglect. I only realised this recently when I cooked dinner and they both looked at me like I’d done something newsworthy. Obviously exams had just finished and I fell back into an old routine. They had a new routine. They cooked and cleaned. They made food for me occasionally. Somehow I hadn’t noticed I was living off caffeine, chocolate and toast. But they did.

The moment of epiphany came at a graduation ceremony when the vice chancellor asked the graduates to stand and look for their family and friends and to give them applause for all their support. Family and friends, classmates and internet buddies have all helped me get this far - whether it be bouncing an idea about on Twitter with strangers, or with fellow students on Facebook, or having my daughter play the accused so I can practice cross examination skills or my husband fielding telephone calls when I’m studying, it’s a resource that needs recognition (and probably feeding, must put that in the diary – feed family!) It’s a resource I remember from secondary school – my dad cooking meals every night through VCE (all vegetarian, despite his carnivorous tastes). Come to think of it, this is probably why I forget to cook when I’m studying – default setting. Now sounds like a good time for me to make a resolution, I know New Year’s is past, but I’m never one to conform to the pack, so I’ll make mine now – I shall remember to value the support of my family and friends for the huge contribution they’re making to my academic success, and yes I’ll try and feed them...do you think take out counts?

Friends, fun and freebies – O’Week at Deakin Uni

-By Tenille

We’re all new to Deakin at some point, so why not make the most of it?

Orientation week (known to most as O’Week) is the week before classes start and was no doubt my favourite week of first year. It’s a time to get to know everything about Deakin that you want to know. Explore the campuses, meet some new people, relax and have some fun before you start attending classes.

The best part about it is you can do as little or as much as you want, although I’d highly recommend that you head to as many things as you can. Attend all the events hosted by DUSA (Deakin’s Student Association) such as the always-exciting Mystery Bus Tour, or catch a free movie or anything else that takes your fancy. All these events are listed on your itinerary. It’s a great way to get into the crowd at Uni and make some life long friends as well as having a few tales to tell in the future.

Things can be a little tight at Uni so why not check out the awesome Market Day at your campus and pick up some great giveaways? Who doesn’t love some free stuff? This was my favourite day from O’week in my first year because I got to collect many things from clubs and stalls, bagged some free iced coffee and caught up with some of my new friends. I went home that day with a little more than I expected, but hey it was an awesome time. It also offers you the opportunity to join some fantastic social clubs and associations that you can hang out with over the year.

Being new to it all I wasn’t quite sure what Uni life was going to be like, so I headed to as many seminars during O’week as I could. They will help you set up your whole year in the space of one wicked week. Take advantage of free seminars including things like budgeting and time management, and just trust me this will make your life so much easier and stress free at Uni. I learnt many ways to save and use my money so that I could do other things such as attend social events and participate in Uni sport.

Most of all O’week for me and most Uni students is about having a bit of fun and taking advantage of the time to celebrate heading to Uni. So I hope you all participate and have a blast!

Stay classy,
Tenille

Five tips from the trenches for mature age students

-By Jayne G

Negotiating university life as a new student is always an exciting experience. For many of us it can also be one fraught with difficulty. Trying to find your way around campus, working out the expectations of lecturers and tutors - and most importantly, finding out which cafe makes the best coffee for those long study sessions (priorities right?) – is something that we all encounter. Being a mature age student adds a whole new dimension to the experience. It can be daunting to discover that you’re the only person in your tutorial group who has had to renew your driving license! To negotiate the balance between work, family and study. Or that any tutorial discussion about family focuses less on your parents, but rather your own kids. It can be easy to feel like the proverbial fish out of water, and wonder why on earth you were thinking of coming to uni. I know I felt this way...even though in all other respects I utterly loved my course and all my subjects from the very first day.

So with this in mind, I have devised a list of 5 tips 'from the trenches-so to speak, for beginning mature age students. Have fun and good luck!

1. The Deakin website has a wonderful resource page 'Information for Mature Age Students'. This is essential reading and a great first port of call. Find out about study support, financial assistance, childcare, student support services and a myriad of other useful information. 
2. On campus students-if you can, it’s a really good idea to attend O week. I admit I was a tad sceptical when I started last year, believing O week to be all about partying and social events for ‘the younguns’ (imagine that said in Grandpa Simpson’s voice). However there are campus tours, library tours and social events run by DUSA ( Deakin University Student Association) which are great ways to meet new people, find your way around  and find the best coffee. On that note, Caffeine (as the name suggests) at Burwood does a great coffee, though it can be kinda hectic and crowded. I prefer the LearningSpace cafe, located in Building H, level 1 (below Einstein’s), for a quieter more relaxed vibe. As an added benefit this has become a bit of a hangout/study space for many mature age students :) 
3. Attend a study skills workshop If it’s been a few years since you studied, you may need a refresher on how to best organise your study time, or the ins and outs of writing an academic essay. Many students I have spoken to have found doing one of the introductory subjects such as Introduction to University Study extremely helpful. From personal experience, I wish I had studied the aforementioned subject before attempting any others, as it really deals with the basics of writing and researching an academic essay-an essential skill whatever course you are taking. Consultations with Language and Learning advisors have also proved beneficial to many students I have spoken to.
4. Ask questions! Get to know your Unit Chair, lecturers and tutors – introduce yourself and create a dialogue with them so you can discuss your assignments, ask about exams and ask for extensions or assistance when/if needed.
5. Consider joining Deakin Mature Age Students’ Club at Burwood or The 21+ Club at Geelong. These clubs provide support and study assistance for mature age students. Social events are held on a regular basis to encourage interaction and peer support among mature age students. Speaking from personal experience-being part of the MASC has made my university experience so much more enjoyable and rewarding! Find out more about Deakin MASC (based at Burwood) here or via the Facebook page here. More information about the 21+ club at Geelong can be found on the DUSA Geelong page.