Bei-En:
I remember being a nervous and conscientious 17-year old, standing on the corner of one of the main thoroughfares of the University. I had a map of the university at the back of my student diary (we didn’t have apps back then!), which I turned round and round as I tried to find the way to the place where my next lecture was to be. I was always either late or way too early to all my classes in the first
The other thing I remember was being ridiculously over-enthusiastic and signing up to at least a dozen clubs and societies during Orientation Week. I met some nice people though and we ended up going for ice-cream on Lygon Street on one of the really hot days during the first week.
I didn’t discover Learning Skills Advisers and all the useful things they offered until my 3rd year of undergrad. I wish I’d known about them earlier! Talking to a Learning Skills Adviser or attending one of the Orientation classes they teach would have really helped me adjust to university expectations, and saved me a lot of angst when submitting my first essay!
Diana:
I don’t really remember my exact first day of university, but I definitely remember the general period. The university campus itself was like an oasis; perched on top of a mountain surrounded by forest it felt like a fantasyland to study in. The major repository of knowledge on campus – the library – I gradually got to know in my first semester. I remember having to complete a library scavenger hunt for my first-year medieval history unit which was so much fun! Apart from the occasional further tip from a lecturer or tutor though I had to figure out everything else about the library on my own – ie: how to borrow books, how to search in databases, how find and evaluate journal articles. It was tough, but I eventually got the hang of it. I really could have benefited from the kinds of programs and unit involvement the Library here at Monash offers!
Andrew:
Like the secrets of Atlantis, memories of my first day at uni have been washed away by the oceans of time. I vaguely remember a sense of excitement mixed with apprehension. Excitement as I sat in the week 1 lectures and pondered all the fascinating things I would learn; apprehension as tried to navigate the campus, and started to schedule the numerous assignments due that semester. I must have signed up for tutorials at some point. In the dark days before Allocate+, this required physically signing up for your preferred tutorial group on A4 sheets posted in the departmental offices. First in best dressed, suckers! I recall wandering past the dozens of Clubs & Societies stalls in O Week, mulling over the role vexillology might play in my life (spoiler: none!) The one swing dancing class I took had no lasting impact, either. It was at this time I began a lasting love affair with university libraries. First the Rowden White (equivalent to Clayton's John Medley library; full of great music, novels and comics), then the education library (chock full of krautrock LPs from its 70s heyday), and lastly the Baillieu (much like the Matheson at Monash, where you can find answers to almost any question). Starting uni is a time of possibility and uncertainty; and fun, too, hopefully. Enjoy this step in to a bigger world ... and maybe stick with the dance classes if you want better moves than mine!
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