Business As Usual

Fridays are possibly the longest day of the week for me. There are (almost) back-to-back lectures from 11am to 6pm – I guess this is the price for having two days off. However, I do love Fridays as I have two one-hour breaks, and I use these breaks to study, and to also catch up with friends and have a bit of personal reflection time.

On this particular day, I found myself musing on how exciting this semester has been. In fact, I found myself contemplating on how bizarre and unexpected 2016 in general has been! After all, there’s a surprise Australian election in less than two months, Donald Trump’s chances of becoming President are increasingly higher and Leicester City won the Premier League this year.

Anyhow, it’s time to get back to class – back to business as usual :D

Today began a bit unusually - I found myself reflecting and pondering on life at Monash at 4:30 AM (yes, you read that right!). I had committed myself to an all-nighter in order to finish an accounting assignment. I had actually gone over the word limit and it’s literally taking me more than five hours to reduce my essay by 200 words! As a result, I learnt several lessons this morning:
1) Try to finish your assignment earlier. All-nighters actually really suck!
2) Don’t think “oh I can always edit later, the main thing is I’ve done it.”

However, on this particular morning (as I am taking a break from doing the assignment; I gave up on sleeping altogether as I have classes at 8 AM) I also realised how fortunate I am to have been selected as an Ambassador for Monash Business School. Words simply cannot express the array of extracurricular activities I have been involved with through the Ambassador Program. Some of the biggest perks include a camp at Portsea before the semester (three days of gorgeous scenery) and building a large network of new friends.

A more recent opportunity was speaking and helping out at the Big Data Day, a brand new initiative by the School, which aims to engage year 12s who are interested in pursuing a career in business statistics, econometrics or actuarial studies. With the increasing demand for specialists in quantifying risk and uncertainty in business, there is an increased interest in the actuarial profession. Through this event, I met old classmates from Melbourne High School and had the chance to speak about Monash Business School to a lecture theatre full of students.

On top of the Ambassador Program, I am also a committee member of the Monash Actuarial Students Society, a commerce club run by students aiming to maximise cohesion and engagement with actuarial studies outside of the classroom environment. We have fortnightly meetings to plan activities and events throughout the year.

This year, as the Events Director, I have had the opportunity to work closely with the executive committee members of the club to ensure that our events run smoothly. The most recent of these events was the club’s flagship event, Corporate Cocktails (held last Thursday), and this was a spectacular night where sponsors and students - ranging from first year undergraduates to final year postgraduates – networked, ate and drank.

To top a fabulous night off, several of the members (including myself), journeyed to a nearby shop to purchase a Halal Snack Pack in tribute to the latest online fad.

One thing I found myself reflecting on early this morning was the abundance of leadership opportunities that Monash has to offer.

Just yesterday, for example, I had the privilege of attending the second Dean’s Student Representative Forum. This is a series of forums held by the Head of the Monash Business School and other faculty executive staff, where selected students have the opportunity to voice any thoughts and concerns regarding a range of issues. It’s also an opportunity to network with senior Monash Business School staff and the added bonus of free food! 



This year, I’ve also had the privilege of meeting renowned individuals such as Christine Nixon, Julian Burnside, John Brumby and, most recently, the CEO and co-founder of Bakers’ Delight, Leslie Gillespie. This has been made possible through my involvement in Monash’s flagship leadership program, the Ancora Imparo. The process involved in applying for this prestigious program was highly rigorous and nerve-racking, but I vividly recall the ecstasy I felt when I received my letter of acceptance!

Involvement in the program has also included a three-day residential component in one of the most scenic locations in Victoria, and networking with a diverse range of leading personalities at Monash. Ancora Imparo leadership seminars are typically held on a Tuesday night at the start of every month and our next one will be held in the week before the exams, but hey - it’s an excellent opportunity to meet awesome people, listen to an awesome speaker and eat awesome food. Would you pass that up?!

Though I have two days off this semester, I also have two days where I must get to university by 8am for classes. Today was one of them. Fortunately, I live close by and I can afford to wake up at 6:30, and still get to class on time.

An 8am maths class is perhaps not the ideal way to start a Tuesday for many of my fellow peers, but I find mathematics really intellectually stimulating. Though many of the concepts I learn are abstract and frequently overwhelming to absorb, I quite enjoy the unit. Today, we received feedback on our first group assignment, and our group ended up doing quite well. Hooray! After the tutorial we had to submit our second group assignment, which we had finished over the weekend.

Group assignments at university can either be a nightmare or paradise. Depending on your luck, you’ll be allocated to a group with hard working and dependable members or you’ll be placed with a bunch of slackers who expect you to do the bulk of the work. On the upside, Monash does have regulations in place to sort out any group disagreements, and luckily, I have never been involved in any controversies. The maths group I was assigned to couldn’t have been better. Everyone worked meticulously and enthusiastically contributed to discussions.

Despite starting early, I also finish early on Tuesdays. My second class of the day is a management accounting class which concludes at midday. This tutorial is equally intellectually stimulating, as I happen to have the Head Tutor of the unit, who is extremely thorough in all her explanations and teachings.

On most Tuesdays, I also have a peer mentor group to attend to from 12-1. As part of the Ambassador program at Monash Business School, senior students are given the role of “peer mentor” and assigned to a group of new students to ease their transition into university. The peer mentor catch up is a good opportunity for mentees to catch up with us mentors and let us know of any problems they may have. I remembered being a mentee in the first semester, and I looked forward to these catch-ups because my mentors were always so welcoming and friendly. As a result, I try to be a helpful mentor.

This semester is my second semester of mentoring and hopefully I have the opportunity to continue mentoring for many more semesters. I have been placed with a great group of mentors and mentees this semester, so we have consistently met up on a Tuesday every week. So far, we’ve played basketball, talked about life, eaten free hotdogs and played Pictionary and many other games together. This program is definitely one of the best opportunities the university has to offer!

The week began with a day off! Hooray for long weekends.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a timetable with two days off – Monday and Wednesday. Part of this is attributed to the fact that there are less contact hours (hours where you actually have to go into university and attend a lecture or tutorial) in Commerce, compared to other degrees.

However, having less contact hours doesn’t necessarily equate to less study. In fact, it means that there is a lot more self-study to be done. With my first final exam exactly a month away, today has been dedicated to studies and finishing off assignments. The latest assignment in question is a management accounting essay worth 20% of the final unit mark! It’s been several weeks since I started working on the essay, and yet I continue to find myself proofreading and editing it. That said, Mondays aren’t all about study. I always allocate an hour or two of exercise on my days off, and so during the evening I found myself jogging around the local park.

Whilst this routine of studying, exercise, and then more studying may sound mundane, I find that it is extremely refreshing to have a simplistic routine once a week. Mondays are the one day a week where I do have the opportunity to meditate, converse with my family and mentally prepare for the rest of the week.

Hi there, I’m Mangala. Although I am of Chinese descent, my birthplace is Jakarta, Indonesia and my name is derived from Sanskrit, the language of traditional Indians. Evidently, my parents wanted me to be multicultural!

I am currently in my second year of my double degree in Commerce and Economics as part of the Dean’s Scholars Program. I am majoring in Actuarial studies and Accounting as I haven’t quite decided whether I want to become an actuarial consultant or a tax auditor.

I am involved in a number of activities on campus. Currently, I am the Events Director for the Monash Actuarial Students’ Society, which is A LOT of work in itself!!! On top of that, I am pursuing my passions for leadership by being involved in the Ancora Imparo Leadership Program and the PAL Ambassadors’ Program.

I continue to be gobsmacked at the number of extracurricular opportunities available at Monash- clubs and activities played a key role for me in making the leap from high school to university. I absolutely love the vibe at Monash University – it really gives me a warm and welcoming feeling every time I head over to my campus!

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!

It’s my final mentor meeting today. I’ve been informed that I’ll have the opportunity to be a BusEco Ambassador next year, a role which entails more mentoring, and I can’t wait!

What I find really great about the principles of leadership at Monash is that it focuses on service leadership and displaying leadership qualities that benefit others. These values strongly align to my perceptions of leadership, which is why I’ve tried to involve myself in as many leadership program opportunities as possible. These programs enhance my understanding of leadership and also provide opportunities to commit to service-oriented projects. It’s also been great for meeting people and extending my networks.

At uni, volunteering is actively encouraged and promotes a culture of contributing to the community, and I really enjoy volunteering both within and outside of the university. The highlight this year was helping out at Open Day as a student ambassador and I really hope I get to do it again next year!

Earlier today I also went to Career Connect, a service offered by Monash for students who are seeking help regarding job and volunteering prospects. They were great and helped me acquire some contacts in the volunteering fields that I’m interested in – mentoring and coaching.

It’s the beginning of the last week of University for 2015!

On the way to university today, I found myself contemplating what a memorable year it has been. Not only have I found and made new friendships, I have also enjoyed immersing myself in university life.

I’ve discovered that uni not only challenges you academically, but also provides lots of opportunities and caters for a range of interests. During breaks between classes, I never have to look too far away to see a club activity happening nearby. There are clubs of every kind, varying from Chess club to the Anime Appreciation society.

I also found the transition from high school to university a lot easier with the tight-knit community at Monash and the tips from my lecturers and tutors. Throughout the year they’ve constantly provided me with practical tips and their industry experiences, which I’ve found really interesting. I’ve also really enjoyed applying the theoretical content of my subjects into real life.

Hi there, I’m Mangala. Although I am of Chinese descent, my birthplace is Jakarta, Indonesia and my name is derived from Sanskrit, the language of traditional Indians. Evidently, my parents wanted me to be multicultural.

I am currently in my first year of a double degree in Commerce and Economics, as part of the Dean’s Scholars Program. I am majoring in Actuarial studies and Accounting as I haven’t quite decided whether my dream job is to be an actuarial consultant or a tax auditor.

I am involved in a number of activities on campus. Currently, I am a subcommittee member of the Monash Actuarial Students’ Society and I’m also part of the Non-Residential Colleges and the Indonesian Students Association.

One of my biggest passions (aside from card magic) is leadership, and I’m currently involved in the Monash Minds Leadership Program and PWC Student Leadership Program. I am still lost for words at the number of extracurricular opportunities available at Monash – for me, clubs and activities have played a key role in making the transition from high school to university. The students at Monash are also so welcoming as well and they’re willing to help in any way they can, which has made my first year experience at Monash so much less daunting!

I totally forgot that I had another event going on! I thought I was done for the week, but I realised I had an assignment due at 5 pm today. Fabulous! So to hand in the assignment on time, I had to go to university once more, even though it is supposed to be my day off.

I’m also involved in the PWC Leadership Program, and today is the second part of the program. It’s a two-day course that focuses on building leadership skills and understanding how to distinguish yourself as an individual during important life events, such as in a job interview. There were 40 students selected across a number of faculties, and I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in the program.

The 2.5 hour workshop was quite productive. We did some really interesting and fun activities, including throwing paper planes, play-acting different scenarios and drawing visual instructions for a hypothetical alien. Since the workshop finished at 5 pm, I made sure I handed in my data modelling assignment earlier in the afternoon.

It was a hectic “day off” but I have certainly loved this week!

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!

Wednesdays are by far my most hectic day of the week this semester.

I start the day off with a tutorial at 9am. Most people think that they’ll be fine starting at this time, especially since high school started at 9 o’clock as well, but this isn’t always the case because not many people turn up to the early morning lectures or tutorials. In fact, I’ve noticed that the number of students attending classes have almost halved, and it’s only Week 7! While university is essentially self-study, I find it much better if I attend all my classes, especially since I’m a visual and interactive student. But hey, whatever works best for you, right? After my 9am-10am class I have an hour’s break, which I normally use to do some quick reading before I have to go to my peer mentor catch-up. Today, however, I had to attend a make-up tutorial to make up for the one I missed due to all my activities this week.

The peer mentor catch up is a good opportunity for mentees to catch up with us mentors and tell us about any problems they may have. I remember being the mentee in the first semester, and I always looked forward to the catch-ups because my mentors were always so welcoming and friendly. Because of this, I always do my best to try and be a helpful mentor. After the catch up, I go to the outdoor basketball/futsal courts near the sports pitches to play with my friends from high school. A lot of the Melbourne High guys use this as an opportunity to catch up and get some exercise or fresh air. I sometimes wonder why students try to cram and find spots in the library when there’s so much space all around campus, especially on days when the weather’s nice.

The other thing that I’ve learnt is that it’s really good to infuse some physical activity into your university lifestyle. Whether it’s running around the oval, playing a sport or simply walking up and down the stairs of the really tall buildings and libraries (eg. the Menzies building – that huge white building you see when you get out of the bus loop).

After my weekly one hour of exercise, it was back to study mode again. I had two back to back lectures so it was mentally straining, but I managed to digest most of the things the lecturer spoke about, especially since I sat in the front row. I find that if you sit in the front rows, you will be less likely to fall asleep or check your Facebook feed.

It’s mid-semester week for many of us at Monash!

As part of the Peer Mentor program at Monash, senior students are assigned to new students to help them transition into university life. As a mentor, I did my best to calm my mentees, who are furiously panicking over assignments and mid-sem tests.

Most of my friends are busily studying, but my week began with an assembly speech at Melbourne High School. Returning to my old school brought back so many memories, however, I could also feel the tension in the air, as the senior high school students have their trial exams next week.

After giving my speech (which was about time management) and spending some time catching up with all the senior students and teachers, I had to rush back to uni to attend my classes. Evidently, time management is pivotal!

Being back at my old high school reminded me how much I miss it. I think I even shed a tear or two over it! One thing you learn to get used to at uni is that there isn’t that same ‘cohort’ vibe that’s evident in high school, since everyone will eventually go off on their own paths. Because of this, it’s easy to feel isolated, so I always try to foster and develop as many friendships as possible.

During lectures and tutorials, I always like to say hi to the person next to me, especially if they’re alone and looking through Facebook memes on their phone. In my opinion, Mondays are the best day to make new friends, because you can always ask: “how’s your weekend? What did you get up to?”

Hi there, I’m Mangala. Although I am of Chinese descent, my birthplace is Jakarta, Indonesia and my name is derived from Sanskrit, the language of traditional Indians. Evidently, my parents wanted me to be multicultural.

I am currently in my first year of a double degree in Commerce and Economics, as part of the Dean’s Scholars Program. I am majoring in Actuarial studies and Accounting as I haven’t quite decided whether my dream job is to be an actuarial consultant or a tax auditor.

I am involved in a number of activities on campus. Currently, I am a subcommittee member of the Monash Actuarial Students’ Society and I’m also part of the Non-Residential Colleges and the Indonesian Students Association.

One of my biggest passions (aside from card magic) is leadership, and I’m currently involved in the Monash Minds Leadership Program and PWC Student Leadership Program. I am still lost for words at the number of extracurricular opportunities available at Monash – for me, clubs and activities have played a key role in making the transition from high school to university. The students at Monash are also so welcoming as well and they’re willing to help in any way they can, which has made my first year experience at Monash so much less daunting!