[CHAT]: Transitioning to higher education
Year 12 is over, you've got your results and you're sitting there thinking: what happens now?
Lectures, tutorials, majors and minors - the lingo used in the glossy pamphlets can seem like jibberish at first.
Then there's the other worries you might be having: How will I make new friends? What do I do if I'm not enjoying my course? Is it possible to pay attention in lectures without falling asleep? (Hint: it's not :P)
So whether you're just starting out or you've been studying forever, join us here at 8pm AEDT on Monday 23rd January, or click reply to start the discussion now!
@Stealth_ninja I'm not really looking forward to it because it will be hard and I only just got through last semester
I know how that is @loves netball ive been slogging all weekend and today on this assignment thats due at midnight, and now my word has decided not work.
WHY
Oh dear @Stealth_ninja... assingments and I don't get along either. I never failed assignments till masters 😞
I'll go back to uni if I can take Big Ted with me everyday 
Good night everyone! And good luck for any future schooling whatevers this year 🙂
How do you make friends at uni/tafe?
It can be pretty challenging - don't feel bad if you don't make any you are not alone I promise! It definitely requires a lot of effort to make friends at uni - people are living busy lives and most people have friends from high school, etc so aren't as keen to make friends as people are at the beginning of high school. Talking to people in tutes is really key - actively make an effort to talk to people - and even if you don't make friends out of it it's still good to have that social interaction. I really think making friends at uni is all about luck so if you happen to meet someone you click with take a plunge and ask to study with them or hang out during your break 🙂
What is one piece of advice you would give? Or what is one thing you would have liked to have known before you progressed to higher education?
@Alison5 I would tell my former self that nothing in life is perfect - there is no perfect path or perfect way to live your life. Also in many ways experience tends to be more rich in learning than class is (so get onto volunteering earlier!). I often have really high expectations for things so one of the most valuable lesson I have learnt and continue to learn is how to manage those and how to appreciate smaller things in life. If you have a calling for something like I did (psychology) then go with it. It's kinda difficult for me to give advice to people who don't - try and do what feels right for you and know that most people doubt what they are doing all the time (I know I certainly do! But that is normal and quite ok 🙂 ).
I agree about experiences being more rich and already do volunteering, but am keen to do more!
I'll wait and see and like you said earlier @Stealth_ninja - I'll just YOLO it. haha 🙂
@Alison5also I loved this so much when I was in high school and recently re-discovered it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI
I think the words he says gain more meaning the older you get
Its pretty tough, I found that joining some of the groups made it a little easier, also just asking people if they want to sit with you and study together in the library. I also found that when I needed help with an assignment I just messaged somebody and bribed them with beverages so they'd come over and help then we ended up friends. Also the other apprentice at work is obviously at the same tafe so that makes thing a bit easier, except hes a year below me so we only see each during the classes i failed 😛 haha
Me trying to pick just one question.....
How do you make friends at uni or tafe?
I found it quite tricky, to make friends, but ended up just jumping in and talking to people in some of my tutes. Eventually some of them talked back, and now I'm still friends with them! IT was also tricky because i made a fair fe friends in first year, then they all started branching out into their particular majors, and so they did different classes. So you kind of have to be a bit more organised than school where everyone is kind of out in the same place for lunch and things like that. Thankfully you have a lot more flexibility too 🙂
What is one piece of advice you would give?
Talk to people who have done the different courses you need to do in your degree or tafe before, ask them what helped them get good marks, where to get practice tests, just any tips they want to share, bribe them with coffee or other beverages 😛
Or what is one thing you would have liked to have known before you progressed to higher education?
My undergraduate degree was in Biotechnology, i loved it, but it was definitely a very complex research degree that didn't involve people, it took me a while to realise how much i love just exploring things with people and working to discover how a person would like to grow. I think it would have been better for me to take like 3 years off and then done a degree. But that's just me, and things actually turned out pretty sweet anyway so maybe i wouldn't change that... hmm
@Alison5 remember you can always come on here and start a thread about because im sure there are plenty of people going through something similar or a bunch of us that have already been through it that would love to have someone listen to us rant 😛 haha especially me for that last part!
Do one thing every day that scares you, sing
Don't be reckless with other peoples' hearts
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours, floss
Don't waste your time on jealousy
Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind
The race is long and in the end, it's only with yourself
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do with your life
The most interesting people
I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives
Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't
Gnite @loves netball thank you so much for your contributions tonight and i hope you get geared up for a most excellent sleep now! 🙂
