How have you found living at UC?
It’s been really good living at UC! I’m in my second year studying arts at the University of Melbourne and UC has been really good in all aspects: social, academic and extracurricular. I came here from Canberra, so my family is all still back there, and UC has provided everything I would need for moving interstate and living away from home really.
What academic advantages are provided at UC?
The tutorials at UC have been really, really useful, especially in terms of my two major study areas: psychology and cultural studies. For psych, the tutes are perfect for working through practice questions, which prepares you for the exams really well. And then for cultural studies, having someone read through your past essays has been helpful. I could see a distinct difference between subjects where I didn’t have a UC tutorial and wasn’t able to get feedback on my work, and the ones where I did.
What are the social benefits of living at UC?
I’m sort of an introverted person, so at university I don’t really talk to tonnes of people in my tutorials. I feel like if I wasn’t living at UC, with tonnes of people who I could make friends with, I would be a bit lost. But when you’re just able to sit down and eat every meal with people, it’s inevitable that you’re going to form connections, and everyone here is so friendly it’s just so easy to sit down next to somebody and start a conversation. Living with all your friends is just lovely!
What’s one thing you didn’t expect to experience at college?
I guess I was expecting to keep to myself more than I have. It was actually my mum who said maybe I should go to a college. I was unsure and thought I’d prefer to just live by myself, so I wasn’t expecting to get around college life as much as I have. In high school I was so unenthusiastic and had zero school spirit but UC has really brought out the spirit in me and I really get involved in everything here.
How would you describe the UC environment?
It’s really corny to say UC is like a home away from home but it really does feel like that. I catch myself saying things like: “I’m going home now” – and I don’t mean I’m going back to Canberra. It’s just really comfortable and it just feels right.
Have you taken on any leadership roles at UC?
Yes I have! I’m the Equity Representative, which is currently a student executive position. Basically what I do is ensure that all different groups at UC, specifically marginalised people, have their needs represented in terms of both planning college activities and daily life. I work to make sure that everyone feels safe and welcome at UC. As part of my role I’m on the Wellbeing Committee and through that we’ve been trying to organise some Man Cave initiatives and cultural competency talks and I’ve also been planning a calendar of other events to go on throughout the year.
How did UC help you to transition to living in Melbourne?
In terms of emotional support when I first arrived, there were mentors and O-Week leaders and lots of people who you could talk to. In terms of logistics there were lots opportunities in the first week to go and sort out things like your Myki card. I moved around a lot before coming to UC so I was used to it and, comparatively, moving from Canberra to Melbourne felt like a small move. But from what I’ve heard from my friends who had less experience, they felt very supported through the whole process.
What has been your favourite college memory, event or experience?
I really liked being in the college musical production last year, every bit of that was great fun. I think one specific performance, the middle one, was my favourite. A few things were going wrong and there was a lot of improvisation, but we were having the best time backstage! It was just such a great group atmosphere and I’d never done something like that before, so that was really rewarding.
If you could sum up your UC experience in one word, what would it be?
It’s hard to think of just one word. I guess UC has just expanded my horizons, so not one word, but a word cloud.
