Business As Usual

Today is the last day of Week 11… meaning that next week is Week 12 and the last week before SWOTVAC! I don’t really know what to expect of these end of semester exams as a first year, since I’ve never completed one before, however I have started preparing for them (whether I’ve started early or late, I’m not too sure)!

For anyone out there that’s looking forward to uni in the future, it’s good to understand that studying for exams at university isn’t simply regurgitating practice exam after practice exam. Instead, it’s also about learning how to apply the concept to new situations, especially in Microeconomics! At university, you’ll be lucky to have past exams available to you, so you’ve got to ensure you’ve got a sound study regime, especially since keeping to your study habits from high school won’t exactly yield the best results possible.

My study techniques vary between my two degrees. For my Biomedical Science subjects, I’m mainly creating questions based on lecture slides and answering them using lecture slide or textbook material. However for my Commerce subjects, I’m mainly thinking of examples of how to explain certain concepts, or just going over videos explaining the concept.

Of course, everybody has their own study techniques and I can’t say that mine are perfect. However, I’ve been trying to experiment with what works and what doesn’t to make the most out of the time left to study for exams.

With exams coming up in three weeks time, what better way to procrastinate than to think about what I’m going to be doing for the upcoming break xD

As soon as I finish my last exam on the 17th of June, I’ll be making my way to catch up with my friends since university is draining most of us. We have already scheduled a dinner meetup during SWOTVAC, however I think we also need time to cool our heads!

My break, though, won’t just be consisting of catching up with friends, getting back into exercise or watching the latest sitcom, I’ll also be doing some volunteering over the break as well as heading over to a mid-year retreat! During the semester, I was lucky enough to be elected as a Subcommittee Member of the Economics Student Society of Australia, and during the break, the whole society is planning on heading to a mid-year retreat (location hasn’t been finalised, but I’m super excited to be planning it right now)! It should be a good stress-reliever, whilst we develop closer bonds with other committee members.

On top of all of this, I’m also getting my wisdom teeth pulled out over the break, which I’m definitely not looking forward to. But at least getting my wisdom teeth pulled out sounds better than finishing off this last essay for one of my subjects… or is it? Either way, I guess it’s back to work for me! #Week11Struggles

It’s Monday night and here I am sitting at my desk typing away at my laptop.

Work has been piling up as university has gone by, but I still can’t comprehend that we’re in Week 11 now. It’s such a scary thought knowing I started university not that long ago, and here I am, almost finishing off my first semester of university!

This first semester has been a rollercoaster for me, yet I have enjoyed every bit of it. Whether I’m joining clubs (I’m now a part of the Economics Student Society of Australia) or learning new content in my degree, the experience of university life has definitely opened my eyes to what Monash has in-store for me in the future!

Though I’m not looking forward to the upcoming exams (I’m looking at you, 6pm exam), I’m definitely looking forward to the break, where I can catch up with my friends and finally relax. I should also catch up on sleep during the break, too, since I’ve slowly turned into an owl during this semester!

How exciting to finally end yet another semester – my final one, actually! After four years of full-time studying while working part time, I'm ready to enter the workforce, sort of...

Surprisingly, I had a pretty good week 12! You know how people try to rush all their assignments and submit them before the clock ticks midnight and your laptop turns into a pumpkin (‘cause it's almost Halloween!!! ... Who am I kidding, the only Halloween ghost that would scare us are walking exam papers...)

Kidding aside, I handed my last ever assignments five hours early because I was so excited by the thought of being "free". After I submitted my assignment, I went out for lunch with some friends.

After exams, we have three months of summer holidays. Three months of sunshine and travelling! Happy exam-ing to all the uni and VCE students! Don't forget to keep eating well (yes, put down that can of tuna and cup of instant noodles, get some real food!), sleeping well and don't underestimate the power of taking breaks. Good luck!

It’s my day off! But since exams are coming up, it’s more like a study day than an actual day off.

Having been to a few libraries over the past week to study, I’ve seen numerous VCE students stressing over their upcoming English exam, and to be honest, a lot of the university students look no different! I tried my best to make today as productive as possible, so I decided to stay at home, turn up the thinking music and do a few practice exams in the morning. However, I also made sure to take short breaks in between all the practice papers and revision.

Although it’s hard, I avoid snacking on junk food because I try to keep my body fit amidst all the study. I also try to regularly exercise. Some newfound hobbies I’ve found are biking, scooting and skateboarding. On breezy days, I find it particularly relaxing just to zoom along the path and feel the wind across my face. Surprisingly, going outside helps with my study as I feel a lot fresher after simply going around the park for half an hour or so.

After an extended break of physical activity, it was time to return home and study once more! Being an only child, I sometimes find myself feeling a little lonely, which is why I love being on campus and talking to all my friends at uni. I intended to catch up with several friends today, but I considered against it after thinking about all the exam revision left to do. Ah, the things exam pressure can do to you!

For now, it’s time to concentrate on exams so I can do well!

Hooray!!! It’s the final day of classes (for me at least)! I only have a Business Law tutorial and Macroeconomics lecture, but I am staying a bit longer at uni for various consultations.

I’m an audio-visual learner so I find it much more helpful to attend lectures and tutorials whenever I can. Tutorials are particularly helpful, especially because there’s less students than in a lecture and there is usually an academically stimulating topic to be discussed. However, I also go to extra consultations with my tutors whenever I need extra help with a particular topic. Most of my tutors are really helpful are happy to help me with any questions I may have. And with only a week of revision left, these consultations are crucial to getting the best possible marks during exams!

With exams around the corner, there’s a general atmosphere of stress and intensity that I don’t think I’ve ever felt before. A lot of my friends are worried about exams, however I think regularly revising content helps you feel a lot more chilled and less stressed about cramming everything in during SWOTVAC. My first exam is Business Law and it happens to be on the first day of the exam period, which means that I’ll only have a week to study for it. 

After the exams are done, I’ll be heading off to Singapore and Indonesia for a month or two to gain some industry insights into the business world in Asia and hopefully become a little bit more fluent in another language.

I can’t believe that another year has almost ended, it’s gone by so quick!

I will be having fun outside of Melbourne for the weekend! I'm originally from Canberra, so tomorrow I'll be heading back to visit friends, then going to see a concert in Sydney the day after.

I feel that it will be a good break from the chaos of uni life, particularly as it's a bit before exams starts. Usually when going back I catch a train/bus that takes about eight hours, so I will be lugging around textbooks and studying for at least some of the time, that's for sure! Even though the trip is quite lengthy, I can't resist a good student discount - you've gotta save here and there somehow!

Unfortunately my lecturer extended my last assignment for the semester to Monday. Most people would think this was a good thing, but now it is one extra piece of assessment to worry about over the weekend. I'm going to try to get most of it done by tonight, then hopefully tomorrow I can get it cleaned up and looking presentable.

From today, it is one week until SWOTVAC starts! It is scary stuff, but thankfully my exam timetable is pretty spread out, so I feel I won't be getting too stressed compared to others who have all their exams close together.

After this week ends, I will definitely be studying and preparing myself for the big finale.

I cannot believe that it is already Week 8 and there are only four weeks left until the end of the semester. And weather is also telling us that summer vacation is almost here. Yay! Have you guys got something planned for this summer? I am already thinking about what I am going to do during the summer vacation!

But, back to reality! I am so busy this week and the next following weeks. I have a marketing presentation tomorrow and hopefully it will go well, but I am a bit nervous about it. Because I’m majoring in Accounting, I’m more used to mid-term tests than presentations, but it will be a good opportunity. I also have a big assignment due next Monday, but we have a mid-semester spring break the week after, which is awesome and I’m really looking forward to it! That said, I have a few more presentations and assignments after the break.

Even though I have a lot of assignments and presentations to do, it’s a lot easier to deal with each project one by one. I also like to find time to do enjoyable things, like quick catch-ups with friends on campus for coffee or exercising.

The weather today is so beautiful and it’s a great way to start off this week. Hopefully everything goes well and I’ve still got a smile on my face on Friday!

I will keep you guys updated throughout the week! Hope you guys have a lovely day!

Today I had a mid-semester test for Macroeconomics. But on top of that, I was also volunteering for the R U OK day event at Monash. Fortunately, the event organiser was kind enough to let me volunteer for only half of the event, but it was truly a hectic day!

Monash Uni is quite proactive in promoting mental health, which I think positively attributes to the student’s mental wellbeing. Like most event volunteering opportunities, I had to help carry boxes, direct visitors around and generally assist with the running of the event. I also gave out free balloons and free wristbands. But as the day progressed, we began to run short of freebies! So what did I do? I decided to get a piece of paper and write: Free hugs (and fist bumps and high fives).

So for the remainder of the day I had an excuse to make a stranger’s day a little bit better by offering them a free high five, random fist bump or hug. It was great to be able to make people smile; the happiness I felt was honestly surreal, and it cannot compare to previous volunteering experiences. Whilst it can get tiring, it’s definitely a worthwhile experience. The amount of people who smiled and laughed or even called me “weird” (in a nice way, of course!) was overwhelming. It was also very rewarding for my physique, because after two hours my legs felt so sore! But then again, I did go around to the libraries and main dining areas to make sure everyone could feel the warmth of a hug or the coolness of a fist bump and high five.

I think university is what you make of it, and getting involved is one of the best ways to make the most of it. Nonetheless, studies should always be a priority and so after I finished my volunteering shift, I quickly read over my revision notes for my test. Thankfully I also revised over the weekend, so the test turned out to be not as hard as I thought it would be.

Time management is truly the best skill anyone can develop while at university. I started to develop it throughout high school, but I think one of the best ways to wisely manage time is by not using electronics, or temporarily blocking off social media sites. Websites such as getcoldturkey.com are extremely useful in ensuring we keep our work on track. Having said that, a mid-semester test was quite a nice way to wrap up what has been a wonderful week!

And so the mid-semester break has arrived! After nine weeks of hitting the books hard, I think it's time to enjoy a little R&R.

I mentioned in my last post that on Thursday of this week I was going to listen to Alex Malley (CEO of CPA Australia). The workshop and masterclass I attended were both excellent. He provided great insight into the difficult transition from university life into the workforce, something I'm about to embark on. His message of building a big life, pushing fear and embarrassment aside, especially resonated with me. I know that I can achieve a lot, in both my personal and professional life, but I also know that to achieve this, I'll need to put my head out there, follow my dreams and accept that sometimes I may fall short. But this is okay, so long as I've given it my best shot!

As for what's to come, I think I might catch a movie tonight and enjoy some rest time this weekend. Next week I've got a couple workshops for the BUSECO PAL Leader's Program on Project Management and Leadership - I'm looking forward to these. I'll probably also have to hit the books at some stage, but I'm happy to keep that out of mind for just the time being.

As for the rest of the year, I'll enjoy my last 3 weeks of undergraduate study and hopefully my last set of exams for a while. After this, out into the real world to put my studies into practice!

To everyone heading into exams soon - I wish you all the best! And to everyone who's about to make a big change - high-school to university, university to the workforce, or job to job - I hope this a truly challenging, but rewarding transition in your life.

EXAMS! ASSIGNMENTS! Oh nooo! But as long as I do the work consistently every week and get some extra help from my lecturers, tutors and librarians, I should be fine… If you couldn’t tell, I utilise all sources of assistance!

I had my Business Law workshop today, which once again boosted my confidence and relieved my worries for studying this subject. Ask anyone, and they will tell you how challenging the subject is! I personally think that Business Law is interesting, however it requires a lot of time, effort and, of course, a strategic approach. Luckily, lovely librarians visited our lecture at the beginning of the semester to show us how to take notes and study for the subject.

During the semester the librarians run very helpful workshops, which have definitely facilitated my studying. They also provide workshops for several other core units, such as Marketing and Management, which I highly appreciate. They teach us how to effectively take notes, write a university essay, do research for an assignment, and how to prepare for an open book exam. I found the workshops very worthwhile when transitioning into the uni studying style.

The librarians are lovely and helpful. I even have a favourite one – Ms. Tami Castillo. I consider myself very lucky to have met her and to have her assist me with my assignments. I struggled with my expression during my first year at uni, especially since Vietnamese is my first language and English is my second. So as soon as I properly started studying Chinese at Monash, the three languages mixed up! I was disappointed and frustrated as I could not express my ideas in a concise and effective way, losing marks because of my expression.

Fortunately, I went to many drop-in sessions provided by Matheson librarians and got help from them, especially Tami, who helped me with my English academic expression through discussions. I have definitely made progress, mostly thanks to Tami. What makes me feel even more touched and grateful is her patience, dedication and willingness to help beyond her academic advice. Academic assistance is also amazing because of the time I save, meaning I have more time for other extracurricular activities :)

A wise man told me that university is a sea of opportunity; an institution that provides you with all the knowledge and necessary skills to become what you want to be. All University demands is a little bit of hard work and determination. Now that’s all well and good, but it’s week nine and the daunting feeling of those 40% assignments, not to mention exams around the corner, are making me feel like “a little bit of hard work and determination,” is not quite going to cut the monstrous effort of what I like to call the ‘final countdown’.

So as a third year student, you may think that I have it all down pat. A simple formula or elixir that keeps me ahead of the game and in the space I like to call “stress free,” when it comes down to crunch time.

Well, as I sit here at Monsu café, I recall my first few years of uni and the non-stress free environment I lived in and how I ended up building towards a healthy habit to prepare for the end of semester. My advice to all my fellow students is to look at organising how you are going to expend your time these last few weeks. Check to see what hours you will devote to finishing major assignments and the consistent build up that will make up exam revision. Little by little, help turn that frown into a smile, as it is always the little things that add up to make the biggest difference. Also, remember to have fun. Enjoy the last few weeks of semester and have frequent breaks or, ‘me-time’ to reset yourself.