Making the leap from high school and going to uni is an exciting (slash occasionally daunting) one – so you might be freaking out a teenie, tiny bit.
What the heck is it going to be like? Will I make any friends? Will I even like what I’m studying?
Well, let me tell you: it’s going to be way better than high school. Trust.
It’s easy to forget that there’s actually a whole heap of things to look forward to, regardless of what you’re studying. A lot of people never look back – and some never want to leave. And it’s easy to see why. Here are five ways uni is better than high school.
1. DIY timetable
Remember the good old days of high school where you were told which lessons you’d be taking and when? Well, forget that noise. At uni, you’re in a charge of scheduling your classes.
Depending on your course and subject load, you might also have the option to group your lectures and tutorials over a couple of days. Consequently, you’re only required to show up a couple of days each week – leaving you free days to dedicate to studying or making some extra cash at your part-time job if you have one (and if you want one, Charles Sturt can help).
Much better than having to turn up to school for six hours a day, five days a week!
2. The choice is yours
Have you heard of majors, minors and electives? If not, get excited. These bad boys are your ticket to studying subjects you’re well and truly passionate about.
A major (or specialisation) is a specific area of study you can specialise in while working towards your degree. By completing a major, you demonstrate sustained, high-level work in one subject. So, say you want to study communication and have big love for advertising in particular, you can major in advertising, so you spend more time on what really drives you.
A minor is secondary concentration of subjects that often complement your major. So, for instance, you might want to take a minor in PR to complement your advertising major.
An elective is a subject that counts toward the completion of your degree, but aren’t part of the compulsory units you have to take as part of your course requirements. Often these can be from different areas of the uni. So, you could, say, take a business elective to help you set up your own advertising agency when you graduate!
So you can build a degree that works for you and your career goals. We think that definitely beats high school. No more following a strict, pre-determined syllabus for you!
3. One word – uni holidays
FIVE. MONTHS. OF. HOLIDAYS. PER. YEAR.
Yep, you heard right. Going to uni means you’ll spend almost half your time on holidays every year. It’s pretty wild when you think about it. But as your responsible and wise uni guru, we strongly advise against sitting on your behind for the five whole months of the year.
There’s plenty of things you can be doing to make your mark on the world. Here’s a few possibilities for you to think about.
- Travel the world, widen your horizons and also meet some new mates.
- You could even do some study abroad that will count towards your degree.
- Build your skill set with an internship or work experience.
- Get yourself a job to bring in some extra dollars.
- Pick up some summer subjects and, as a result, get a head start on next semester.
- Binge-watch Game of Thrones for the 10th time.
- Give back to the community (at home or overseas) with some volunteer work.
The world is your oyster!
4. Be surrounded by your besties
You often hear that living on campus (or living on-res as we say at Charles Sturt) are the best years of a uni student’s life. And they are. It’s kind of like a never-ending sleepover with all your best mates.
Riley Hodgkinson knows all about this. He’s a third-year student living in Hampton Village on our Wagga Wagga campus.
“Living on-res means your best friend can live next door, down the hall or upstairs. Some of my favourite parts of living on campus are walking to class with your mates or having a group dinner with your roomies and catching up on each other’s day. The people you meet at uni really are like no other. They’re your friends for life.”
If you’re studying online, you won’t miss out. All our courses have dedicated online hangouts so you can chill with your classmates – and ask questions about assignments!
5. Get involved
So, keen to meet your new people and have new experiences? You’re in the right place. There are plenty of ways for you to get involved in campus life when you’re a uni student. From Orientation, to live music and sporting events – there’s always something going on.
Clubs are another big plus of campus life. There are over 100 clubs you can get involved with, ranging from your course, general interests, religion to your favourite sport!
Michael Trinidad is studying the Bachelor of Veterinary Technology and is also an active member of the Wildlife Club.
“I have been a member of the Wildlife Club since my first year at uni and it has opened my eyes to the amazing world of animal research and conservation. I have walked with lions, assisted a PhD student in tiger research and also participated in an expedition to Nepal. All these amazing experiences were given to me because I chose to study with Charles Sturt – and I haven’t looked back!”
Ready to find out what going to uni is like for yourself?
You should come along to an Open Day! It’s the perfect opportunity for you to see what it’s like to study at Charles Sturt University. So, make sure you sign up for Open Day updates.