Author Archives: Amy

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Hello (again!)

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As a second year uni student I would like to warmly welcome/welcome back the students of 2013. It’s been forever since I’ve posted anything, and I would love to blame that on the assignments that are piling up, but let’s be honest, neither you nor I have started any of them. For my first post of 2013, I thought I’d share what second year has taught me so far:

1. No online recordings

This revelation made me cry a little on the inside. Knowing I have to physically be at an 8 am lecture isn’t the greatest thing to hear. I’m just grateful it’s only one this time, which brings me to my next point.

2. Better class times

The timetable gods have smiled upon me. While there’s one early morning start, the rest of my times are pretty decent. It’s probably to make up for the online recordings. If you’re in first year and you didn’t get an amazing timetable, don’t worry, neither did I.

3. Lecturers aren’t afraid to call on you

Maybe because we were first year students they didn’t want to scare us off. I haven’t been the unlucky soul that gets singled out in a lecture. But let me tell you, having one hundred pairs of eyes on you is an introvert’s worst nightmare. I just want to run up and hug the people that have experienced it.

4. A diary is your best friend (or your best friend is your diary)

In my case it’s both. I’m always referring to my diary, and when it fails to help me I ask my friend what’s coming up. I highly recommend you either find an organized friend, or you be that organized friend. Trust me, people will love you.

5. Burning the hand you write with a week before uni is a really bad start to the year

Hot oil is extremely painful. Stay away from the stuff, especially if you’re in a subject which involves a lot of writing (I do Creative Writing and Journalism).

6. Finding a parking spot on campus is as difficult as people say it is

No seriously, I thought people were lying when they said it was hard. Guess who had a nice long walk to their class? No prizes for guessing.

7. You only get better at procrastinating

Writing a blog post will not help me start my assignments. Having Facebook and Tumblr open aren’t great starting points either.

These are just a few things I’ve learnt in my first five weeks as a second year student. What are some of the things you’ve discovered this early in the semester?

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The various stages of preparing (to study) for an upcoming exam

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1. The “Plenty of Time” Stage (also known as false security): This is when you first hear about the exam. 95% of the time students are given plenty of warning about its approach, and respond accordingly. “Wow, that’s ages away, why are they telling us about it now?” Chances are they’re telling you about the exam for a good reason. I generally find the earlier I’m told about an exam, the more time I should set aside for study.

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Don’t worry they said, things could be worse they said

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I thought by now I would be used to two night lectures and two 8am starts. Turns out I was horribly wrong. Now before you start telling me I should have gotten in earlier when the lecture times came out – I didn’t have the luxury of choice. Our course is small enough to only have one lecture per unit, meaning you’re given the lecture times. It’s a mystery as to who exactly organises the timetables, with our lecturers simply calling them ‘those people’.

While I’m sure whoever made our…interesting timetable tried their best to give us the best possible times, I can’t help but feel like we were given the timetable scraps that no one else wanted. Maybe it’s because we’re creative writers? One of my tutors offered a more creative explanation that went something like this: “It was as though someone blindly threw darts, praying they would land somewhere on the board”. I think I like this theory the most. A late night class then an early morning lecture? The coffee for staying awake for the night  has only just worn off before I have to get another just to keep my eyes open for the 8am start. My friend and I have joked about sleeping overnight on campus, and it’s kind of tempting at this point.

How is everyone else going with getting back into uni (and how are you surviving)? What are your timetables like? Anyone wishing for an earlier night, or perhaps a longer sleep in? If you’ve had any issues like me – it’s probably both.

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QUT’s Open Day [freebies & good advice]

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I think everyone will agree the best things in life are free.  It can be in the form of free food, cute knick-knacks, booklets, vouchers, etc…or my personal favourite – the humble pen.  But what’s more important than any of this is the advice you’ll receive from going to QUT’s Open Day and talking to people who are currently studying at the university. Read more

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How a self-confessed writer ended up here

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Hey everyone! As you probably already know, my name is Amy and I’m in my first year at university, studying Creative and Professional Writing. My favourite part of the course thus far was seeing the looks on some of the other students’ faces when they realised how much reading we had to do. I’m still slightly baffled how they made it into the course thinking a writing program such as this one involved little to no reading.

Sadly enough, I’ve been pretty slack with reading. The last proper book I read before coming to university was George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four…and that wasn’t by choice, it was one of those novels you had to read in order to pass grade 12.

Speaking on the subject of grade 12 (and finishing school forever), I thought it would only be fitting to give you a very brief overview of how I ended up here, sitting in my pj’s, writing for the QUT student blog.

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