Life post year 12 - Mentor Experiences

LIFE POST YEAR 12 MENTOR EXPERIENCES

In this Issue Student Profiles Day-in-the-Life Experiences Advice Columns

Branch-Out Mentoring e: branchout@youthrivevic.org.au www.ryn.org.au

What's it like to be a student in higher education?

Through this resource, you will hear from mentors and Youthrive Victoria Alumni describing their personal experiences in higher education. They will provide some advice about seeking further study, and what a typical day in their uni life looks like!

These stories will give you brief insight into what your experience could look like, and hopefully inspire you to pursue your passions in higher education.

Mentor: Ella Gleeson Born and raised in Cobden southwest Victoria, Ella moved to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Global Studies at ACU Melbourne. With COVID pandemic meaning going back and forth between Melbourne and Cobden, and a mix of online and in person classes for her first two years.

A DAY-IN-THE-LIFE Wake up and get outside for a walk or just some fresh air.

Get organised for the day and have breakfast.

Complete reading, lectures, and tutorials HAVE A BREAK! To avoid burnout Focus on any other tasks.

Get outside and move again.

OUR TRAVEL PACKAGE A good dinner Tidy up any loose ends (no more than an hour) Get a good night's sleep!

Most loved features of uni life: ACU being a national university I can work with students across the country.

The Global Studies department and the opportunity to study overseas!

The Melbourne campus, especially the rooftop (great spot to have lunch)

The Rooftop

ELLA'S ADVICE Be adaptable as you can. It’s not always easy, the earlier you can learn to adapt to new teachers, fellow students, and changing settings, the less stressful your journey will be.

Basically, just be willing to give things a go, if you’re willing to give things a go then you’re already ahead of the pack.

Mentor: Angus Clark After growing up in Leongatha, Victoria, Angus made the move to Melbourne to pursue his studies. Angus studies a Bachelor of Arts and lives on campus at Melbourne University.

A DAY-IN-THE-LIFE Wake up and get prepared for the day.

Attend lectures, watch classes online or complete readings for future classes.

Some time in nature and personal reading!

Game time with friend groups.

Head off to the Victorian Markets to grab some fresh produce for dinner and enjoy a healthy meal!

Gus' Most-Loved Features of Uni life are: OUR TRAVEL PACKAGE The convenient location & accessibility of shops, stores, as well as his classes.

The beautiful architecture of his University, especially the clocktower!

The Clocktower

ANGUS' ADVICE Choose to study something you are passionate about, not just something that you think will make you lots of money.

The better you feel about what you're studying, the more motivated you will be, the higher your grades will be and the higher your chances of being happy are.

Take advantage of scholarships and support available for rural students, e.g. applying for scholarships in Year 12 and getting any accounts sorted before you finish school.

(Bank Accounts, Debit Cards, Centrelink Profile, etc.)

Mentor: Ella Jacobsen Living in Seymour Ella commutes on the train three times a week to Victoria University’s Footscray campus, studying a Bachelor of P-12 Education.

A DAY-IN-THE-LIFE Having my lunch and bag packed the night before I wake up, have a shower and walk to the train station Do pre-class work on the train and finish any homework from the day before Grab a coffee on the walk to uni from Rudimentary in Footscray Attend a 3 hour class Either work a shift in Melbourne or go for a swim Do any post-class work on the train home, then read a book to unwind MostOUR loved features of uniPACKAGE life: TRAVEL Victoria University has an amazing facilities including a gym and pool and multiple cafes with incredible views of the Maribyrnong River Free Shuttle Bus from the Footscray Station to campus Campus backs onto the Maribyrnong River lovely place to go for a walk between classes Victoria University is a bit unique in the way they do uni, you only have one subject at a time for a month so no exams or assessments all at once!

All classes are small and discussion based making it much easier to learn then sitting in a lecture hall Building C has some cosy study spaces

ELLA'S ADVICE Don’t feel pressure to know what you want to do or be when you grow up, as long as you’re trying your hardest and doing lots of different things you’ll figure it out!

Mentor: Courtney Bright-Casey Courtney lives in Maryborough, Central Victoria and is currently completing the placement portion of a Diploma in Community Services. Her study was completed online, with a self-paced approach.

STUDYING ONLINE The freedom to study any time or place that suited.

The self-paced aspect – it allowed me to spend extra time working through units of interest.

As a rural student, studying online allowed me to minimise travel and costs.

Courtney's Challenges of Online Study: Often, there was a delay in response from trainers, which restricted me from being able to move on with OUR TRAVEL PACKAGE study.

Lack of support – the online RTO I chose did not offer any online assistance such as peer chat rooms or message boards etc.

COURTNEY'S ADVICE Create and maintain a dedicated study space!

(Anywhere but your bed!).

Develop a routine for studying i.e., shower/dress, have breakfast etc., as if you are going to class.

Set deadlines for yourself and do your best to stick to them!

Mentor: Bree-Anna Cummins Coming of age in South-West Victoria, Bree-Anna followed her passion for performing to Ballarat Federation University Arts Academy. Her Bachelor's Degree was in Acting for Stage and Screen.

WHAT I LOVED MOST The campus is centralised, with close access to everything you need.

Res is right above the classrooms, which is ideal for late night rehearsal and early morning ballet!

The architecture in Ballarat is great and the town still has a regional feel to it.

Other campuses were within close walking distance of the main Camp St campus.

There is always someone singing, dancing, or playing and you can hear music through the campus at most times of the day.

BREE-ANNA'S ADVICE For those that have no idea what they want to do, just start something. The more decisions you make, the more you experience, the more you know what you actually do want (and what you don't want).

You're never locked in to anything.

You're not supposed to know everything.

Listen to yourself, do what you enjoy and go from there.

Always put in your best effort, and if things work out a different way to what you expected - that's not the end of the road. It's life redirecting you closer to your calling.

Mentor: Madeline Solly Maddie spent most of her high school years growing up in Warrnambool, a regional coastal town at the end of the Great Ocean Road.

Now she is studying a Bachelor of Health & Physical Education (Secondary), with English as her third method. She lives "on res" at Deakin, Geelong (Waurn Ponds).

A DAY-IN-THE-LIFE Wake up early, enjoy breakfast with housemates, drive to Torquay and enjoy a 4km walk. Finish it up with a coffee by the ocean at our favourite cafe.

Head back for a class and follow up with a study OUR TRAVEL PACKAGE session in the library that leads in to the afternoon.

We have a 'family dinner' in our unit and then enjoy some board games or tv before bed.

Waurn Ponds Campus

MOST-LOVED FEATURES The campus is populated with an abundance of native trees Only 15 minutes drive from the ocean.

It's a 1 hour drive to the city It still has a regional connection. I wasn't too big on the city, and Waurn Ponds is more low-key There's great public transport and services The campus has so many awesome facilities but it's also not too big that it feels overwhelming

MADELINE'S ADVICE Trust your gut!

Mentor: Lauren Gale Calling Waratah Bay home, Lauren moved onto Monash University to study a Bachelor of Education for Primary & Secondary School.

A DAY-IN-THE-LIFE Each day is very different for me! I work at a primary school on Mondays and Fridays. I have almost 13 hours of classes and tutorials to attend. These may be online or in person.

I work in additional study wherever I can.

MOST-LOVED FEATURES How big the campus is! It was a little overwhelming at first, coming from such a small town, but I love it so much now!

I love the architecture of the education building.

There's always something new to discover - random clubs, people playing quidditch, others riding unicycles, star viewing from telescopes.

Monash University

LAUREN'S ADVICE Reach out and ask for help if you don't understand how to do something, or don't understand the processes!

Take your time finding the best university and campus for you, because this is going to become a big part of your new lifestyle.