First Year University Experiences!

This is where our journey begins! Read our latest blog, featuring an interview with a university student from Deakin and their experiences after their first year, first trimester!

What were your goals at the beginning? Why did you decide to start studying?

Honestly, my main goal is to get a full-time job so I can live on my own. I came to this goal after realising that working as a barista for a few years wasn't sustainable for me and for what I would like to do for a career (as much as I love coffee).

I chose to study a Certificate 3 in early childhood because I just wanted to start somewhere; it seemed like the easiest and most fun course among all the courses offered at TAFE. During the study, I realised I enjoyed a lot of the content on how children learn and develop. After completing the certificate and working in the industry for a time, I realised I wanted more structure and to do more for children. That is how I decided to become a teacher. My goal is to learn as much as I can from the content offered at university, so that I’m able to give as much as I can to the children I get to teach in the future.

(Movieclips, 2015)

Studying again sounds so exciting! How were you feeling before classes started?

I was very excited about starting university; I was open to new experiences and to completing higher education (something I used to believe I didn’t have the ability to do). I knew it was going to be challenging, but I thought if I was overly prepared, it would be okay.

(Intisarlife, n.d.)

How are you feeling towards the end of the trimester?

This picture on the side represents how I felt by the 9th week.

I underestimated the challenges I would face when beginning university. At the start, I was focused on juggling all the readings and learning as much as I could from them. But then the assignments began to pile up, and I felt overwhelmed by the workload and couldn’t keep up with the weekly readings on top of it. This experience was stressful, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself, especially in managing my time so I can still do the things I’ve prioritised. These include part-time work, eating a healthy diet, exercising frequently, making time for friends and family, taking time to relax, learning as much as I can from my studies, and completing my assignments with as much effort as I can. Throughout the trimester, I felt I had to put some of these priorities on hold so I could focus on my studies; however, now that I know how I work and what works best for me, I feel prepared and confident to enter the next trimester. The journey to learning how to manage my time has been messy, but I’m glad for the experiences, as they’ve been a reminder of what’s important to me and what I need to focus on so I can still learn as much as I can but get to do lots of fun things that life has to offer in the process.

(Emorylovespinterest, n.d.)

Let's talk about one of your classes. Can you give us a moment of reflection?

EAD111 UNIT!

What were the assessments like? Would you care to go over each of them?

I found the first assignment helpful across my other units, as I had the chance to explore the Deakin guide to referencing and get to know it in depth. It's assisted in my other units, so I could focus more on the content of the assignments rather than stressing about whether I am referencing correctly.

As for my 2nd assessment, I really appreciated the freedom to choose which content to explore. Digital literacy is quite complex, and I enjoyed researching the topics I selected. I looked into the idea of a "digital detox" and found some strategies that I found useful in everyday life. I used to depend heavily on social media to procrastinate, but learning about social media addiction and its effects on the brain made me realise how serious it is and its impact on my studies. Now, I approach social media more mindfully, something I probably wouldn't have learned without the extensive research required for AT2.

For my third assessment, I was required to use Excel. Prior to using it, I thought Excel was way too hard to use and just never felt like it was worth my time to learn. I was wrong, AT3 was useful. I’m not sure when I will use Excel again, but now I feel confident if someone asks me how to use it.

(Pinterest, n.d.)

How would your experiences compare with a study done by Baik et al (2015)?

For those who don't know, this study collected information on students' experiences at university and various other aspects. More details down below!

This study collected the experiences and attitudes of first-year university students with four-year intervals beginning from 1994. with an emphasis on those from diverse backgrounds. It collected information on students' experiences with classroom engagement, the university curriculum, workload management, reasons for studying, and overall course satisfaction. They then transformed all the information into measurable data so they could directly compare it to other cohorts who were asked similar questions.

After reading this article, do you see yourself anywhere in this data? If yes, in what ways; if no, why do you think that might be?

I see myself represented as a student who was excited about choosing a course and what it meant for their future. I also see myself in the majority who stress about managing their workload whilst facing financial stress. However, I believe I am part of the majority, for whom the reason for doing paid work is to become independent. Although I still live with my parents, learning to be financially independent is really important to me, as I pay for my own basic needs while also saving on the side. I also relate to the students who understand their purpose for enrolling in university; however, it comes with mixed feelings. As much as I know that this degree would mean I could become a teacher, I also have thoughts that University is a time-passer to decide what I really want, because even now, sometimes I question if this career is right for me. I will continue to aim for my best whilst studying, however, I do believe my sense of purpose brings about mixed feelings, so ultimately yes I do see myself represented, but at the same time, no.

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