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.

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

Orientation: Where is the Library?

-By Vanessa

Looking out from the fourth floor 24 hour computer lab window with ear phones in to help me focus (Beyoncé-Who rule the world - girls) I notice orientation is on again for first years.

Oh did you hear that?  A tone of, "yes been there done that!"

There are endless lines of students following trustingly.  I remember following and thinking; Oh Bleep how am I going to remember how to find the car again?  As I was lacking in Hansel and Gretel breadcrumbs I tried remembering particular points to no avail.  I felt like I was in a game of follow the leader but the only problem was at some point the leader would say bye and abandon and hide, laughing from behind the bushes.

Embarrassingly I did get lost! Even with the campus map. I kept looking for the letters on doorways and then found they were on the sides of the buildings.  I did eventually find my bottle green Toyota corolla (Myrtle the turtle - Yes, I did name my first car, doesn't everyone!)

Later on I joined yet another line to have my photo taken for my student card.  As they handed it to me I noticed I had a number and it was official, I had my license to learn.
Reality kicked in...

Year 12 was over and now university had begun.

I heard the words lecture, tutorials, DSO, Unit guide, Faculty and something about a star. What did they say- we have to register to be a star? Apparently to my disappointment it was the online timetabling system to register for classes, not a Deakin’s' Got Talent Search.

I had information overload by the end of the week, I thought I listened and absorbed everything.

But apparently I had not.

I didn't know the difference between a lecture and a tutorial.  I turned up with all my books to the lecture and tried in vain to write every word down, only to be told at the end of the lecture that the slides would be posted on DSO that evening.  Then I turned up to the tutorial without any books expecting to sit and listen like in the lecture with 400 others.  No, a big mistake, the tutorial was a class of about 20 and I was the only one without my books avoiding the tutor's glance as they asked for a response.  

I was however impressed with myself that I managed the online timetable system (STAR) with ease.  I even managed to fit all my classes into two days!  Woo hoo three days free a week!

Soon my joy turned to disappointment as my timetable was not workable.  Did I mention there is no recess or lunch bell at all?  I needed to arrange my classes to allow time for breaks.  I also realised I booked in for a tutorial on opposite sides of campus.  Let’s just say for the physically challenged with the ten minutes between classes I learnt my lesson.  The next trimester I learnt to balance my days to allow for breaks, study and yes tracking across campus.

First year was a challenge.  I didn't know a single person on day one.  I can't remember how many times I said, “Hi!"  and "What are you studying?” as opposed to prison talk of "What are you in for?". Having friends on-campus helped. 

I understand now it took time to adjust, learn new skills, make friends and most of all settle in. 

................................................................................

I am so temped to say something to some first years trying to decipher a campus map.  I stop myself, instead I say excuse me as I pass through to the vending machine to swipe my Deakin card and collect my Lychee Tea.

"I found it; we are here, so the library is building V which is that way!”