Study tips: timetabling, resources and exams

University can be rather stressful if you are not informed and organized with your timetabling, resources and exams.

Planning and being informed is essential to getting a good timetable that is compatible with your life. This involves knowing the date in which you are allowed to enrol in each tutorial, as if you are not there the second it is released you are likely to get a timetable that has tutorials all over the week. Whereas if you plan it in advance, and decide how all the tutorials can fit into two or three days, you will have more free time for work, study or leisure.

Shot courtesy of Flickr: front entrance to UOW library

Knowing which resources are available to you and how to access them is also necessary to successfully completing university. For hard copies of books the UOW library is the primary source, with librarians always present and available for assistance. However, a lot of resources are now available and accessed online (depending on which degree your doing), via the library website.

“I was really surprised and frustrated by the library database at first. If you change your search terms by one word, it will alter the results completely. You really need to know how to work the database to get relevant results”, says 2^nd year History and Politics UOW student Jeremy Foreshaw.

There is an excellent online tutorial for how to use the library database, called Startsmart. This is compulsory for all new UOW students, and it is recommended that you read it carefully rather than just rushing through. The skills you learn in this are fundamental to using databases and finding sources throughout your entire degree.

When preparing for exams, it is vital that students really listen to the lecturer’s tips and hints, as in a lot of exams it is not all the content from the semester in it, but rather specific lectures or chapters. Being informed and organized is an essential ingredient to success.

Startsmart clip

Links:

Startsmart: http://www.uow.edu.au/student/services/fye/resources/startsmart/UOW070056.html
Library home page: http://www.library.uow.edu.au/index.html
Library Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/UOWLibrary

5 things to do when you're on a budget

When living at Campus East, there are numerous things you can do in the area whilst sticking to a budget.

1. Have a swim at Fairy Meadow Beach= FREE

Only a five minute walk from the Campus East grounds, Fairy Meadow surf and swim beach will keep you occupied for hours. Luckily, this activity costs nothing!

Picture taken from Fairy Meadow Beach tourist website

2. Experience the outdoors= $11

One of the most beautiful areas in the Wollongong region is the Minnamurra rainforest. Located at Jamberoo (30 minutes south of Campus East), the rainforest has had walking ramps built all around it so people can experience its wonders, which features a breathtaking waterfall.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was totally worth the drive. It’s amazing to take some time out, relax and appreciate whats around you”, says 1^st year Media and Communications student Jessica Giezakamp.

This will cost your around $11.00 when you enter the park.

3. Have a drink at Unibar= $20

Unibar is located on the UOW campus, and is the primary socialising spot on campus. Students come after Uni to have a drink, eat good food and listen to Australian musician’s play their music live. This is a good place for unwinding and having a drink and depending on how much you drink/eat will probably cost from around $20.00.

Entrance to the Unibar, located opposite the Uni Hall

4. Go to Jamberoo Action Park= $39

Jamberoo Action Park is located in the country suburb of Jamberoo which is about 30 minutes south from Campus East. Jamberoo is particularly noted for its fun water rides; however, there is also dry land fun such as tobogganing and race cars. Tickets cost $39.00 for adults for the entire day, and apart from food there are no additional costs.

5. Go shopping at Crown street mall= $40+

Crown street mall is located in the city centre of Wollongong, and is abound with shops of all sorts. The Campus East shuttle bus will drop your at the doors and pick you up (runs every thirty-minutes on weekends). The cost of this is entirely dependent upon you (although you certainly can catch a bargain!).

Crown street mall- outdoor section

Links:

Jamberoo Action Park: www.jamberoo.net

Crown street mall: http://www.wollongong.com/crown-st-mall/

Unibar: http://unicentre.uow.edu.au/unibar/index.htm

Minnamurra Rainforest: http://www.kiama.com.au/accom_result1/minnamurra-rainforest/

Fairy Meadow Beach: http://www.about-australia.com/travel-guides/new-south-wales/illawarra/attractions/natural/fairy-meadow-beach/

Profile story: Tori Parker

Campus East student Victoria Parker in her personally decorated room

Sitting cross-legged on her single bed with endless photographs running on the wall behind her, first year psychology student Victoria (Tori) Parker appeared relaxed. We are situated in her homely Campus East room, with myself momentarily mesmerised as I take in the huge personality that her room so proudly boasts. 

 “I grew up on a farm in a small country town called Young”, Tori reveals, going on to later inform me that she went to a very small primary school of thirty-two kids. “For your grade?” I ask. No; for the whole school. 

Tori back home in Young: professional photo's done
with the Australian landscape as the backdrop

Following this, Tori went to a catholic high school in her area that had more than fourteen-times the population of her primary school, at around four-hundred people. To put that in perspective, this is about two-hundred people less then she finds herself not only going to school with, but actually living with at Campus East today.. 

Tori back home in her catholic school uniform at graduation

Moving from the country to the city was a huge endeavour for Tori, and she was very homesick for the first few weeks. “It was a bit of a shock at first because you think oh my gosh I’m in a unit with 2 other girls I don’t even know and we share a bathroom... but it’s really nothing”, she shrugs.

After a few weeks of living at Campus East, Tori was approached in a club and asked if she would like to work for ‘The Harp Hotel’ in Wollongong. Initially disbelieving and rather blasé about it, she never rang. She did however, give them her number.

 So two-weeks following this, Tori receives a call to again ask if she would like to work for the Harp Hotel. After discussing a few sketchy details, she hesitantly accepts and soon transforms into a night owl as the job demands.

“Bartending is good with uni because you work at night- normal start time is 10pm and you get home around 2:30am in the morning”, she happily informs me.

But what is life on campus really like?

Tori takes in her room, pausing thoughtfully before she states“...It’s good but your whole life is just in one little room. My fridge is in here, my study, my bed, everything is in here”.

Tori's bedroom: her boyfriend Shannon on the
computer next to her fridge

Although Tori’s initial fears about moving to Campus East revolved around her having no friends, she has actually made some of her closest friends on campus.  “I really had to put myself out there which was a bit intimidating”, she muses of her first few weeks at Campus East. Tori has now formed a group of five girls; two from Sydney and two from the country that are in the same situation as her.

“Everyone on campus is pretty close”, laughs her roommate and 1^st year arts student Sam Rancan. It was due to this that the campus was devastated when earlier in the year a Campus East boy aged 20 drowned as he was surfing in Fairy Meadow beach. Tori tearfully describes how she was close friends with him and how the shock and mourning of his death reverberated throughout the entire community.

Despite this, Tori and her companions have moved on and Campus East remains a tight-knit community. 

Getting to UOW

With numerous ways to get to UOW from Campus East, having a car is not necessary.

Much greener options are available to Campus East students for the 10 minute drive. These include cycling, shuttle buses, carpooling or train.

One of the parking ticket booths.
Everyone who parks on the University grounds must
pay for it (apart from the carpooling section).

Given that parking is sparse on the university grounds and people often have to pay for it, getting public transport is also a much more affordable option.

Free shuttle buses are the most preferable alternative, as they leave Campus East on route to UOW every 10 minutes in peak times and every 20 minutes during off peak times, Monday-Friday. On Saturday’s and Sunday's buses run every 30 minutes. These shuttle buses also do drop-offs and pick-ups to and from the Wollongong CBD, so those without a car are not disadvantaged.

“The shuttle buses are really convenient. I pay nothing for travel costs, I don’t have to stress about getting parking but I’m also not waiting around for ages”, says 2^nd year commerce student and resident at Campus East Georgia Woodford.

The shuttle bus waiting area just outside student central

Carpooling is also an affordable and environmentally friendly option, with free parking provided to those with 3 or more students in a car. If you don’t know anyone to carpool with, students can register online on the UOW website. The “frequently asked questions” sheet which includes the carpooling registration form is provided in a link below.

Alternatively, students who are health conscious can cycle to the campus with preferred cycle tracks mapped out on the link below. This would take anywhere between 15-25 minutes depending on how fast the rider is going.

One of the bike rack's at UOW, this one situated near Uni Bar

The train station is within minutes walking distance from Campus East, so if students prefer they can catch a train to North Wollongong and get a shuttle to the main campus from there. Students can also catch the train into Wollongong city central or into Sydney for the day for a change.

Public transport map:

http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@bg/documents/doc/uow076068.pdf

Car pooling FAQ sheet:

http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@environment/documents/doc/uow060471.pdf

A snapshot of UOW markets

Delicate handmade jewellery is sold by their creators at the UOW markets

Beautiful flowers and other plants such as tomato trees are sold cheap

Mugs and other unique novelty items are available

Multiple clothes stores sell nice, mostly summer clothing

Campus East costs similar to independent accommodation

An investigation has found that Campus East accommodation is very similar in price compared to independent accommodation.

Front of self-catered apartments on Campus East

Dining hall for flexi-catered accommodation.
Cafe to front and Campus food to left. 

The annual costs for Campus East housing include the annual residence fees and a minimum weekly rent of $229 for flexi-catered accommodation and $181 for self-catered accommodation.

In self-catered apartments a full kitchen is supplied and students cook for themselves, spending around $100/week on food. Whereas in flexi-catered accommodation students purchase their food through a pre-paid meal card and eat in the dining hall (school camp style), spending an average of $70/week on food.

Estimated table of 1st year costs for living on Campus East or in Independent housing

So in the first year of living in flexi-catered accommodation, a student would spend around $16,478 on residence fees, rent and food, whilst in self-catered accommodation a student would spend around $14,612 for the same things. In the years after this, Campus East student’s costs would decrease by $85.00 overall due to administration fees.

Bathroom at independent accommodation

For independent accommodation in the same area (Fairy Meadow), the rent for a fairly modern 2 bedroom apartment is around $180/person weekly.  In addition, food costs would be around $100/week and $150 each quarter for the electricity bill.

In the first year, the cost of living in independent accommodation is more than Campus East housing due to the $1440 one-off bond required when you move in. This totals $16,000 for the first year and $15,160 for every year after ($152 less than the cheapest Campus East housing).

Front of Independent accommodation

However, in spite of the fact that both Campus East housing and independent accommodation are very similar in price, living at home is usually a much cheaper option.


First year PDHPE student and resident at Campus East Hilly Allen says "without my parents help it would be very difficult to be able to live at Campus East. Other people get assistance from Centrelink if they're parents can't help because our weekly income usually just isn't enough." 

Thus, before making any permanent decisions about moving to Campus East be sure to do your sums and research how much assistance is available to you. 

To view the independent apartment that costs were based on visit this link http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-nsw-fairy+meadow-405864421

To view the fees and charges schedule for living at Campus East visit this link http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@accomm/documents/doc/uow015174.pdf

To view the resident’s handbook which has further information regarding fees visit this link (look at pages 11 and 12 in particular) http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@accomm/documents/doc/uow015173.pdf

A virtual tour of Campus East- see it for yourself!