What Happens When You Pull an All-Nighter for Uni

DSC_0142As a Student Academic Leader, I like to think that I am a reasonably hardworking, disciplined, and organised student. But there are occasional situations I find myself in that challenge this perception. Case in point: I pulled a late night during week 9 to get an assignment done. It was a 2500 word law assignment due on the Friday night, which I started on the Thursday night. I stayed up until 5am, got a few hours sleep, then continued working on it until I submitted it minutes before the deadline.

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Budgeting and financial support

DSC_0142For most of us, life at university means we’re not only juggling studies but also a social life, family, and work. Studying at university means we are giving up some of our capacity to earn money. Plus, sometimes things happen out of the blue and we find ourselves forking out money on unexpected expenses (or finding ourselves struggling to pay for them). That means that managing our money is even more important, especially if we still want to be able to have those catch ups with friends, put money towards our savings goals, or simply build up an emergency fund.

Continue reading Budgeting and financial support

Money Saver: HECS Discount Schemes

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**NOTE: The HECS repayment schemes discussed below have since been updated, and so the advice contained in this post is out-of-date. However Amelia worked hard on this so it’s still here for your reading enjoyment!**

 

Hi everyone, today I wanted to share with you the incentive schemes in place for paying your student fees up front as well as making voluntary repayments on your HECS debt. Now, your student debt may not be a priority by any means. You probably have other living expenses to focus on and maybe other forms of debt like a credit card or even a mortgage. Or maybe you’re building up your savings to buy a car or travel overseas. Everyone’s circumstances are different, but it’s always good to know what options are out there.

 

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Summer Internships

DSC_0142Hello everyone, and welcome back to semester 2! I thought it would be a good time of the year to talk about internships and summer vacation programs. But what are these, you say? Summer vacation programs are basically internships for university students that take place over the summer holidays. They’re usually for students who are in their second last year of study, and are a great opportunity to get some (usually paid) holiday work and experience in the real world, and are a great addition to your resume! What’s extra awesome about them is that doing such an internship may land you a graduate position! Imagine going through your last year of uni knowing you have a job secured at the end of it. Pretty cool, right?

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When Life Gives You Lemons

DSC_0142Hi everyone,

So I’ve been unwell the past couple of weeks. My immune system has been pretty much non-existent and as a result I have had to put up with viruses galore. I had to take the whole of week 8 off and just spend the entire time resting in bed (I’m now dealing with a sinus infection. Le sigh). I was also feeling very stressed about all the work I had to do at uni and was starting to think that I wouldn’t be able to get through the rest of the semester. It got me thinking. Continue reading When Life Gives You Lemons

Amelia’s Weekly Study Tip 3: Daily Planning (Part 2 + Bonus Tip)

DSC_0142Hey guys, today I’m going to share with you two important tips for staying organised and feeling on top of things. I know that when I’m not organised or feeling in control, I lose motivation, but these things really help prevent that snowball effect.

  1. First of all, I want to talk about to-do lists. They come in all sorts of forms to suit your preferences. A Typo store just opened up where I live (heaven for you stationery lovers out there) and I have to say it is worth a visit. From my lovely Instagram photo below you will see A5 sized lists which I use on a daily basis, and A4 ones which I use as a general list to put all those extra things I can think of (e.g. pick up the dry cleaning, submit that form you’ve been meaning to, emails you need to send, etc.). You can also get large weekly planners in notepad form or as whiteboards. It’s amazing the kind of things you can get these days to help with daily planning. I’m obsessed with pretty stationery. I find that an aesthetically pleasing to-do list with tick boxes on it makes me so much more enthusiastic about life (don’t judge me). I also like to write out my to-do list the night before. It makes me feel so much more organised for the day.

Continue reading Amelia’s Weekly Study Tip 3: Daily Planning (Part 2 + Bonus Tip)

Amelia’s Weekly Study Tip 2: Daily Planning (Part 1)

DSC_0142Hello once again! There is something that every university student does: procrastination. It’s part of being a university student. So what is this experience we all share?

We start with so much motivation when we hear about a new project or assignment and tell ourselves that this time will be different. This time we won’t leave the assignment to the last few moments to start and finish it. This time we will follow a schedule and complete little parts over time rather than hastily hack something together at the last moment. It’s something that we all do, plan to do this next assignment in an organised way but inevitably leave it until the last moment. It’s practically the story of my life (don’t tell my lecturers!).

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Continue reading Amelia’s Weekly Study Tip 2: Daily Planning (Part 1)

Amelia’s Weekly Study Tip 1: Making Progress

DSC_0142Hello! Welcome back to uni! I don’t know about you, but every semester I begin filled with motivation to keep organized and on top of my work. I always plan on keeping on top of my readings and weekly tutorial work, as well as starting my assignments early and pacing myself so that they’re not left until the last minute. But what often happens is, a couple of weeks into semester, all of that good intention goes down the drain and I end up getting overwhelmed with everything I need to do. The result is me giving up and spending my weekends napping and eating chocolate, and then pulling all-nighters and cursing myself for my lack of organization.

Over my years at uni, however, I have discovered many tips and hints that have helped me manage my studies and extra-curricular commitments. So what I’m going to do is, rather than write one massive blog post containing all my tips, I’m going to break my tips down into separate, weekly blog posts.

Today, I’m going to start with sharing with you the ultimate truth that underpins all of my learned tips and hints. It is the mother-load. The red pill. The Philosopher’s Stone.

Making Progress

The truth is, I need to feel like I am making progress. And for me, motivation, organization, and time management are three interlinking skills that allow me to make progress when it comes to managing my studies and extra-curricular activities.

No matter how motivated I might be at the beginning, this will fall apart if I am not organized or am not making progress in doing the tasks I need to do. Consequently, not being organized and able to manage my time really damages my motivation. If I’m not organized, I end up feeling overwhelmed with everything I need to do, which results in everything coming undone. Conversely, no amount of organizing or time management techniques will help if I’m not motivated. I just won’t follow through with them, and I’ll end up back at square one.

So when looking to find ways to manage your study better, consider these things: organization, time management, motivation, and making progress. If you want to read more about motivation and the notion of making progress, check out The Game Changer by Dr. Jason Fox. It is a very good read that was recommended by a business executive at a conference I attended last year.

Stay tuned for my next tip!

– Amelia