I graduate from uni in two months, which is a surreal thought because while it is cliché, I swear I just started. It feels like impending doom, a cataclysmic end to my care-free student life and the beginning of the perils of adulthood.
While admittedly a tad dramatic, lately I have reflected a lot on my uni experience. What I’m proud of, what I’ve learnt and what I’d do different if I could. This is a series of those reflections.
Now none of this is proven advice, it isn’t even reflective of the typical Melbourne Uni or Bachelor of Commerce experience. It’s an account of my journey, an exercise to articulate my own thoughts, feelings and learnings.
Making friends and adjusting to uni life
The first thing I was told about uni, before I even started, was that it was a big change from high school and for most people it takes time to adjust, and that’s okay.
When I heard this, I acknowledged and agreed with it, but I don’t think I ever considered that it could apply to me. Turns out this adjustment was the first challenge I faced, and it took me the better part of first year to overcome it.
If I had to describe my first year of uni in one word, it would be lonely. It was hard for me to connect with all the new people and my new environment. It kind of felt like the first day of school, every day.
But this did get better with time and there are a couple things that helped.
Going to lectures & tutorials
Aside from probably helping my grades, the more I attended lectures and tutorials I felt like a part of the campus. I also got to meet people that were doing, thinking and feeling the same things I was (shocker, I know).
So even when lecture or tutorial attendance wasn’t assessed, I found it was still a great idea to go. Given the state of the world, this may not always be possible, but is it is a lot easier now than the last couple of years.
Building the courage to make the first move
I soon realised meeting new people was the easy part; you just show up, the real challenge comes after. You see most of my relations early on at uni went something like this:
Meet awesome people in tutorials 😀
Get on great for 12 weeks of the semester 😀
Never talk to them again after the semester ended 🤡
At uni you can’t rely on a timetable to pair you with your best mates all day, connecting with people requires effort and energy. It means you need to reach out to those cool people you meet in tutorials, grab coffee or invite them to study after class. This is how you make friends rather than just meet people.
I also found the more I did this people were super appreciative. I think most of the time we’re all just waiting and hoping for someone else to make the first move, but sometimes that needs to be us, as daunting that as that can be. And as some someone that is naturally more introverted, this was hard and a skill that I needed to practice.
But the more I said hello to that random person I had a tutorial with or saw at an event that one time, uni began to feel homier and much less like the first day of school.
I’ll be honest, my closest friends are still from high school, and I love them. But I think if I did more of these things sooner, I would have been able to branch out a bit more.
University clubs and societies
The second thing I was told about uni, as soon as I started, was to join a student club.
It became apparent relatively early that student societies were the thing to get involved in at uni, but exactly should you?
I think it’s easy to fall into the trap of joining clubs and societies because they look good on a CV. And while they do, I don’t think that should be the sole motivation.
For me there were two main reasons:
To make new friends
To get involved in an area of interest that's going to make uni a whole lot more enjoyable and fulfilling while battling the waves of assignments and exams
I was a little late to whole club thing and only got involved in them towards the end of my second year. I’ve been a part of two, 180 Degrees Consulting, and of course SAMM.
It would take far too long to describe all the awesome things both have done for my uni experience. But from a personal growth, social and professional perspective they are the two best decisions I've made at uni.
However, clubs and societies were a serious commitment for me and being involved in multiple felt like an extra subject each semester. I do believe my grades took a hit because of this, while many people juggle all of it, I just wasn’t one of them.
But it’s a trade-off I’d gladly make again. The projects and events I got involved in through both SAMM and 180 have been infinitely more fulfilling than any subject I’ve ever taken. I've also got to know some of the most genuine and supportive people that have highlighted my uni experience.
Mapping out your degree
Extending my degree was one of the best decisions I made at uni.
I didn’t know it was possible to take fewer than four subjects a semester and extend your degree until someone casually mentioned to me that they were a fourth year BCom student.
Now in my fourth year, I’ve taken three subjects each semester since 2020. Due to what felt like a wasted first year, a series of unsuccessful internship applications and a few semesters of zoom, realising I could stay at uni for a bit longer was as if Christmas had come early.
A reduced subject load gave me more time to get involved in extracurriculars and I even started to do better in the subjects I did take once I underloaded. Assessment periods were far less stressful and easier to manage.
It also gave me another year to apply for internships and vacationer programs. My first year applying for these was spectacularly unsuccessful. I didn’t know what I was interested in, had little experience and absolutely no idea about this STAR thing every interviewer went on about.
Extending my course allowed me to apply for those same programs the following year. I went into application season with a bit more experience, a better idea of what I wanted to do and a greater understanding of how to navigate the entire process. It was far more successful.
But really, the only reason I needed to stay at uni longer was to simply enjoy this unique time of my life. It’s a period of so much potential and freedom yet you don’t have to do too much adulting just yet. It’s a time I’ve grown to really enjoy, but it’s almost over and I will miss it.
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