SWOTVAC

As the end of semester approaches I’m sure you’ve started to think about your exams. You may or may not have noticed that, before the exams begin, there is a week in between week 12 and the beginning of the exam period. Before you get too excited and start planning to fill your week with all the fun things you have been missing out on during the semester, I thought I might give you a little insight into what this week is for. Continue reading SWOTVAC

To New Students, Welcome! And to Old Students, Welcome Back!

The start of semester is now here, for some of you this is a brand new exciting adventure, for others it is a slightly agonising process of dragging yourself back into university mode after the lovely, yet lengthy summer holidays.  Whichever group you belong to, the university is going to be a bit hectic, especially during the first few weeks.

New students will be running around trying to find their feet, struggling to find classes, teachers and where to get a decent coffee. Old students will most likely be trying to avoid the busyness, and groaning at the excessive amount of time it has taken them to find a car park, leaving them precious minutes to dash to their lecture.

Both groups will possibly be feeling quite overwhelmed, and a little stressed out. It is important at the start of the semester to get a little organised — make a game plan for your studies, and how that is going to work in with your social and work life. You need to know what the important things to be aware of are, and who to talk to if you are starting to struggle.

The most important thing to remember is if you are struggling, or have any queries, or concerns: ask. It doesn’t matter if you are a new student, or a returning student. The best thing to do if you don’t know something, are unsure, or just need to discuss something is to ask, and talk to someone about things.

No one ever really jumps for joy when they hear the phrase ‘time management’, but it is an important part of succeeding at university, and not only university but life in general. It doesn’t have to be the horrendous task that it is made out to be — you can start out small, buy a diary and write down when all your assessments are due, and block out deliberate time to work on that task. Unfortunately, assessments don’t write themselves. Remember that time is the currency of life, so spend it wisely!

Another important thing to keep in mind at university is the need to maintain a social life. Being a university student should also be a social experience. You can meet new people and form friendships with individuals who have similar interests to you. Don’t be afraid to get involved! Become part of the university community, and I guarantee it will make your whole university experience that much more enjoyable!

This leads me to my final piece of advice: be aware of yourself. Self-care is vital. Know your limits, and make sure that you take care of yourself. If you start to struggle with this at any point, we have numerous services available to assist you. That is what they are here for so don’t feel bad for accessing them — everyone needs assistance from time to time.

 

There are these services and more:

  • PASS: Peer Assisted Study Sessions, these sessions are offered for 1st year classes that have been deemed difficult, to offer students extra assistance. These sessions are ran by students who completed the subject to a high academic standard, and wish to assist other students do the same.
  • ASK service: This is staffed by your Student Academic Leaders. This is where you go to ask any university related question, and if the question doesn’t fall within our area of expertise we will know exactly where to refer you to, to ensure that you get the best assistance possible.
  • Learning Skills Advisors: Here to assist you with improving your academic skills, whether that be polishing up your writing style, getting used to university language, or all those tricky referencing and formatting queries.
  • Writing Space: A designated study area within the library in which Learning Skills Advisors, or Student Academic Leaders sit, and are available to assist you whilst you study.
  • YourTutor/Checkmate: Online assistance, where you can ask questions, and submit essays asking for specific assistance with things such as grammar, flow and similar queries.
  • Counselling Services: You can book appointments with skilled counsellors to listen and assist you with stressors that you may be struggling with.
  • Disability Liaison Unit: Here to help people who may be suffering from a physical or mental health concern. This may be for long and short term assistance. If you need help with planning around your anxiety, or have done a sporting injury that hinders your ability to perform at university these guys are here to help you.
  • Health Centres: Because who doesn’t like conveniently located nurses to assist with your medical concerns, when you’re a busy uni student?

Whatever your concerns, we are here to help you! Don’t be afraid to ask. I promise we don’t bite, and are quite friendly and eager to assist you in achieving your university goals!

Good luck in your studies!

Angel

Bella’s 10 Helpful Tips to Success: Sitting an Exam with Less Stress!

Bellas FaceAfter over seven years of sitting exams, I thought I’d share my experience through little tips and tricks you may find useful!

1. Study. It may sound simple, and I can hear you thinking “duhhhh” but the best way to be the least stressed before an exam is to prepare correctly! My tips: Continue reading Bella’s 10 Helpful Tips to Success: Sitting an Exam with Less Stress!

The Struggle is Real: How to Have Enough Time to Study and Play Video Games

angel photoIt’s the start of semester and assessment tasks are flooding in. There are chapters to read, quizzes to do, reflections to write…the list of study related things that need to get done seems endless! During these times at uni I often find myself asking the really important questions, such as when will I have enough time to play my favourite video games? The answer to this all-too-real struggle is seemingly simple, yet difficult: time management.

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I know no one wants to hear these words, and we all know the theory behind needing to be organised and manage our time, but the practicality of it is a little more elusive. Yet time management is so vital for making time for the most important things in life, gaining that extra level on that all-too-intense video game that you play with your friends, finding that hidden treasure after tracking through the forests battling monsters, whilst undertaking random quests.

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On the other hand, how do you do these things and still end up doing your required study? The struggle is a real problem for some of us. We all know it’s important to have a timetable for your classes, and that you have to stick to it. Well, why not schedule your required study time in the same manner? Why not go that extra step and schedule in your beloved gaming time? I know it sounds crazy but it can work rather well! We all talk about the importance of study, but maintaining an appropriate work-life balance is also of vital importance if you want to succeed at University.

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Trying to stay motivated to get on top of your homework, assessment tasks and exam study can be an extremely difficult task. Attempting to do all these things, stay in contact with friends and family, and still have that all important “me time” is something that we frequently forget to focus on in our attempt to succeed at university, but it is these things that often assist us in pressing on to achieve our study goals. Why not consider having a reward system in place?

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For every two hours of solid study you complete, play an hour of video games. If playing video games isn’t your thing then make it a reward that works for you. Go read the new Harry Potter book for an hour, go hang out with one of your friends, even go attempt to catch that all-too-elusive Pokémon. Whatever works!

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– Angel

Census Day

Eric.2Alright folks, this is a public service announcement from your friendly neighbourhood SAL, Eric.

August 31st is Census Day.

What’s that you say?

“All the commercials on the tv say that the census is on August 9th

Well, yes, that’s true too.  But it’s a different census.

Continue reading Census Day

Studying Abroad

Eric.2So, you’ve got the opportunity to study abroad… Do it!

Maybe you don’t know about opportunities, but you’ve thought about it Well, look into it…and then do it!

Haven’t even thought about studying abroad? Well, think about it, then look into it, and then do it!

If you can’t tell, I’m a little biased about the whole thing.  For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Canadian. I’ve been living here for about 6 years, and started at FedUni in 2014.  But, waaaaay back in 2004 I came down to Melbourne to do a Grad. Dip. for teaching at Deakin. I’d just finished my first uni degree and had no idea what I wanted to do. And like so many other people, I thought “maybe I’ll be a teacher.” And then, right around the same time, I thought “maybe I’ll go to Australia.”  And then BOOM! It hit me: why not do both at the same time? Continue reading Studying Abroad

Uni HACKED (Study Tricks and Tips)

BethSo it’s 2016. You’re starting classes for the first time or again  You want it to be the best semester ever, whether that’s get lots of friends and party hard, or get good grades and ace this course. Whatever your goal is, you gotta study smart.

Study Smart. That’s right, not hard or well, but efficient. Every lecturer has told you “to get good grades you have to put in the time”, and then they’ll give you tips on what they did back in their day. Most of the time it’s setting time aside and reading their literature – but nobody got time for that.


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Continue reading Uni HACKED (Study Tricks and Tips)

Revision Tactics for Exams

LilyHello friends! Now it is the end of the semester, and final exams are coming! Are you excited? Well, I am, because this is my last semester at uni! I have successfully survived five semesters of exams, and only need one more semester to unlock the “Graduation” achievement.

Retrieved from http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/35xsry
Retrieved from http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/35xsry

Continue reading Revision Tactics for Exams

Amelia’s Secret Test and Exam Revision Tip

DSC_0142Hi everyone,

Today I wanted to tell you about a revision technique that I’ve been using in the lead up to my exams and tests over the last few months. With exams coming up in a few weeks I thought it would be a good time to share this with you!

So here it is: Continue reading Amelia’s Secret Test and Exam Revision Tip