Yesterday evening, after work, I went to the UTS Student Centre to get my concession sticker. The queue was average, not too long, but as every student had quite complex queries regarding enrolment, it was moving along very slowly. There were two guys in front of me, who asked me for assistance regarding the location of their classroom which was in Building 4. They informed me it was their first day, and I assisted them in drawing a map, describing how they could go about traveling to their desired location.

I knew I had extensive knowledge of the university, having worked for enrolments and being a student for the past four years, but it never occurred to me that I had pretty much memorized every building location.

At that time, I was also thinking, why were these students queuing up this long line to ask for directions? Were UTS students really that intimidating? I put it to all new students to UTS who are lost; ask someone – I am sure they will help.

One of the most basic things I think some students are uninformed of is how the building system works. That is, the room number. For instance, CM stands for City Markets (the buildings at Haymarkets i.e. Building 5), and CB stands for City Broadway (the buildings at Broadway i.e. Building 1,2,3,4,6,10). Building 5 is split into A, B, C, D, with 5A being the UTS Library. For instance a class that reads CM05B.01.02 means, the location of the room is at City Markets, in Building 5B, level 1, room 2. Essentially, the break down is building, level, room.

I hope returning/continuing students do help out new students to UTS. Maybe it’s a little idealistic, but I believe all continuing students have an obligation to help out and make the uni as welcoming as possible. Part of my love for the uni has stemmed from my own experiences. I remember my first couple of weeks of uni, I didn’t ask for help because I was too scared, and someone had come to my assistance because I looked lost. Students of UTS are knowledgeable, so new students – ASK US if you are lost!

Posted by Christina on February 27, 2008 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

Last Friday, I enrolled for next year, as a continuing student. I think the process has become procedural and quite easy to follow, although I can see how it could be confusing for some. I have come to my final year of combined law. Next year, I have decided to take the Practical Legal Training (PLT) option, as opposed to the taking on electives.

Some students are unaware, so I thought I might blog this to spread the news – for student continuing onto their final year, you need to lodge an application form for the Graduate Certificate of Legal Practice to the Haymarket Student Centre. The form needs to be the ‘original’ copy you write on; therefore you have to either send it in via mail to:

University of Technology, Sydney
HAYMARKET STUDENT CENTRE
PO BOX 123 Broadway 2007

or go in person. You cannot fax or email it. Note that applications must be received by this Friday, 30th November.

Here's something really interesting I found out when talking to someone from the Student Centre. If you choose the PLT option, four of those subjects are included in the degree. There are two other subjects (Legal Skills, and Advocacy) which are part of the Graduate Certificate of Legal Practice.

The other half of the Graduate Certificate component is the compulsory work experience. Students must complete the Graduate Certificate concurrently to be a graduate and to practice as a solicitor. Alternatively, students can opt for the electives, and then re-enrol to do PLT at UTS, or study it at a college. I think it is more practical to just do PLT as part of the degree. This all seems simple, but it the process of finding this information is more complex - I found that not everyone I approached understood what I really wanted to find out!

Posted by Christina on November 28, 2007 9:39 PM | Comments (0)

Now that exams are over, you wouldn’t think any one would stress anymore, but I think it is more stressful than prior to walking into an exam. I finished my exams about a week and a half ago, and it hasn’t been easy killing time – the thought and countdown until exam results are released is… almost unbearable. While some top achievers stress about obtaining high distinctions, some students simply just want to pass and graduate. I hope the next few weeks come and go with more ease!

Posted by Christina on November 26, 2007 9:33 PM | Comments (0)

What a relief! I just finished my first exam a few hours ago. This morning, I woke up 5.30am to study. I have never been that dedicated. I usually sleep in – that’s my thing. I arrived at the exam location early, an hour early to be precise. At first, it was very quiet and it was easy to review the perfectly indexed bound set of notes I had prepared days ago. Then it hit 9am, half an hour before the exam would begin, and more people started arriving. It is so annoying when there are people around trying to review and study, and people come along and start talking really loudly! I’ve learned to mentally block people out, but seriously – exam etiquette please!

Time seems to fly by in the exam hall. This was the first time I had an exam outside of UTS. Some exams are held at Wentworth Park, but in my previous three years, all of my exams were experienced at UTS. I was too nervous to travel there myself, so I opted for the stress-free way - hiking a lift with my boyfriend. Thank goodness he drove me, because after the exam, even though I was following a flock of students walking back to UTS, I still can’t remember the way around there – so many turns, and so far!

So, one down and two to go… I cannot wait until 9pm tomorrow – at that point I am free!

Posted by Christina on November 13, 2007 4:45 PM | Comments (0)

It has been a few months since I last blogged. The semester seems to have flown by yet again. What have I been up to? Working, studying, working and studying – the usual! At the moment, I am studying for my final exams. It’s quite hectic. I’m not sure how the timetabling unit/division works, but I’ve got 3 exams in 2 days. The weird thing is I’ve got two core law exams scheduled on the same day, 9.30am – 12.30pm, then 6pm to 9pm! That’s practically a twelve hour day. I am really not looking forward to it. You’d think if you were advised to take subjects in a specific progression that your exams would at least be set on separate days – such is life.

So what have I done? I’ve got a huge set of notes to read through – a bound book of about 2.5cm thick for each subject. So what am I doing? I should be studying – keep you updated later!

Posted by Christina on November 9, 2007 11:20 PM | Comments (0)

A while ago, UTS had its open day for prospective students. I was involved on the day, helping promote the new Information and Media Degree. It is a re-vamped version of the current degree Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Information Management). This was the course I was initially enrolled in, back in 2004. I then transferred to combine my degree with law.

The new course takes many aspects of the previous course, adding on more media subjects. The reason the course was redesigned was to attract the new generation – the web-savvy and technologically-advanced. It is clear that in this age and era, it is crucial to remain up-to-date, and the course fosters many of these attributes. Previously, the course seemed to have declined in its attractiveness because some students thought the degree offered a limited career option, while others thought it only had one option – being a librarian.

At the heart of the degree, in many respects, is managing and organising information . The new course retains many of those subjects, teaching students to research in a variety of databases, introducing students to html, creating a web-page, exploring the dynamics of databases and creating a simple relational database. Simple organisational concepts can be applied in virtually any industry.

One thing that I found interesting when talking to students (by students, I refer to those currently graduating from high school), on the UTS Info day was that many opt for degrees with large intakes.

All I hope is that people will see what the new degree offers. I’ve enjoyed my degree so much, it would be sad to see people enrolling into the degree in anticipation of transferring to another degree, and not taking advantage of what the degree offers.

Posted by Christina on November 9, 2007 11:14 PM | Comments (0)

As a law student… summer clerkships basically mark how old you are, you apply for them normally in your penultimate year of study (i.e. your final year). Summer clerkships… from what I know are (usually) paid work experience over the December (sometimes running onto January). It’s very competitive because most companies hire on the basis of clerkships.

Although there are lots of clerkships in Summer, I think there are a few in Winter (i.e. the July break) – but I didn’t apply for any. I think any job application is difficult, it really makes you search for who you are, and reflect on what you have done and what you are capable of doing. I have found it to be quite an enlightening and self-searching experience.

Posted by Christina on July 23, 2007 10:36 PM | Comments (0)