10 Things I Miss About Living on Res

Flying MaryI moved 430kms away from home in order to study the course I wanted to at FedUni. I only knew three other people in Ballarat and one of those was my sister. I obviously chose to live on campus as I had no friends and didn’t really know what Uni was all about. I am extremely glad I decided to live on Res, as it well and truly prepared me and continued to support me through my University life. I loved Res so much in my first year that I applied for a job as a Residential Advisor and continued to live on Res for the following two years. I honestly think that, without Res, I would not have enjoyed Uni anywhere near as much as I have. After living it up on Res for three years, I finally moved off this year to life in a house, but these are the main things I miss about living on Res:

  1. Social life! Living with 10 other people may sound like the worst possible situation, but it is actually the coolest thing ever! You are pretty much guaranteed instant friendship as there are people from many different backgrounds and have so many varying interests — you’re bound to find someone who likes the same random things as you! Compass Weekend in first year is the best way for new students to establish lifelong friendships as it is only first-years on Res, and you get to know each other through a variety of games and social interactions. I met three of my best friends during Compass Weekend, three friends who I would not have met if it wasn’t for Res as we were all doing completely different courses.image1
  2. Sporting fun with friends! There are so many social sporting events that happen for Res, which allow residents to meet and bond with other ressies they may not have met yet. These activities include ResFit, netball, football, and heaps of Hall-specific events like dodgeball and indoor Ultimate Frisbee. This is a great way to spend study breaks and to use some of that pent up energy in a fun and supportive environment. Competitions against other Halls help to create a friendly rivalry between the Halls, which makes for much more exciting and banter-filled matches!
  3. 24-hour support. There is someone you can literally call at any time to come and help you in times of need! These awesome, life-saving specimens can and do get called at the most ridiculous hours of the morning—trust me, I used to be one who answered the phone! This kind of support is not provided when you live in a rental house; you actually have to deal with life yourself. On top of this, every unit has a dedicated Residential Advisor who is employed to look out for students’ mental, physical and emotional welfare! I don’t think life away from home gets better than this!
  4. 500m walk to class = bulk sleep in! This seriously is one of the things I miss the most about Res! If sleeping was a sport, I’d likely be in the Olympics! So much money was saved by never having to drive to Uni classes too! All you have to do is wake up 10 minutes before class starts, whip some clothes on, grab an apple and some chewy and run out the door! (Mind you I was almost always late to class as I always snuck in a few more mins! OOPS!)
  5. image2Feels like family. From the constant games like Uno, snap, and twister, to the group dinners being shared while lying on the lounge room floor watching movies, the closest friendships can and do get formed on Res. As a unit, you experience all the ups and downs of uni life; share in the stress and struggles of examination periods, getting ready for social outings, the resulting Maccas runs, and celebrating everyone’s birthdays in style. When the year comes to its inevitable end, many tears are shed when move-out time arrives and everyone goes home for the summer. Plans are promptly made for a reunion!
  6. Constant Shenanigans! For example: fitting into food lockers, etc. There is always fun to be had on Res — study breaks must be taken after all, right? With so many wonderful people around, you can always find someone who’s willing to hang out and keep banter levels high!
  7. image3Best ‘landlords’ around! The staff up at the FedUni Living Office are all so friendly, caring, supportive and they even understand if the next rent payment cannot be made on time (they obviously like to be told about this prior though!). They spend so much time and effort organising events and activities for residents to get involved in the Res Community and stay engaged with their studies, while also coming up with ways to enhance the overall student experience on Res. Some of these great opportunities include: ResBall, Kokoda Challenge and Trivia Nights.
  8. All-inclusive bill. On Res, there is no stress or worry about having multiple bills due at various random times, which is something that bothers me now that I have to deal with them. Res just requires one single monthly payment which takes everything into account — water, gas, electricity, internet and even food if you want that option. These bills can easily be paid online and, as I said earlier, if you are in struggle-town and do not think you can make the next payment, the wonderful people at the FedUni Living office are more than happy to sit down and talk about it and most likely come up with a payment plan.
  9. image4Leadership Development. There are so many opportunities for residents to develop and enhance their leadership skills, from becoming a member of the Residential Support Team and going through all the training required for that role (including first aid and mental first aid training), to attending the LLL series, where inspirational and highly motivational people come in to speak to residents about the amazing stories they have and things they have done.
  10. Gym & Pool Membership! This is definitely a massive bonus of living on Res that I perhaps did not use to its full potential. By living on Res, you get an included membership to the UniSports gym and pool, which gives you unlimited free access to both facilities all year around! Taking into consideration how costly it is to sign up at a gym these days, it is so convenient to have a gym 300m from where you live, which you can duck into between classes or smash out an early morning session before class!

It really is true what they say: “For the best start, live on Res!”

For more information on FedUni Living and life on Res, please check out this link and you may see a familiar face or two!

– Mary ☺

image5PS. Sorry for all the photos of myself, turns out I did a lot of promos for Res!

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