Stressed for success
It’s exam time!
[Cue Jaws theme, strobe lights, distant screaming]
What if I told you that stress can be good for you?
Author: Jace Blunden
Jace is a second year Human Geography student trapped in a mature-aged student's body. He likes cooking, maps and sitting on his hands during tutorial so he doesn't become 'that guy'.
Navigating addiction: Alcohol
Let’s be honest, becoming a student and morphing into a steaming, booze monster is something of a stereotype. There’s not necessarily anything abnormal here, as The University’s Drug, Alcohol and Other Addictions counsellor, Michelle Lampis explains, “Most people drink a little heavier when they’re younger and reduce their intake as they get older. However, some people don’t”. While this smashed student archetype has given us … Continue reading Navigating addiction: Alcohol
Know you’re product*
Do you have a Personal Brand™? I don’t mean preferring Nintendo to Xbox, your penchant for Converse All-Stars, or having Google tattooed on your face. I mean that buzzword that gets flicked around the place, often paired with ‘Thinkfluencer’ and ‘Webinar’. Some guy called Chris Ducker says that, “Your personal brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.” Now, … Continue reading Know you’re product*
Put down the phone: why you need a digital detox
Here we are, knee deep in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Technology is not just something we use, it is increasingly intertwined with every aspect of our lives, and it’s only going to dig itself deeper into our day-to-day functioning as time passes. Yet, while digital technologies are ingraining themselves into our lives to the extent the old real world/online world dichotomies no longer apply, we … Continue reading Put down the phone: why you need a digital detox
Don’t drive yourself (crazy)
Uni is baaaaaaaaaaaack, and with its return comes a fresh new round of everyone’s favourite lark, Car Park Wars. For those who are new to our leafy campus, parking a car at Callaghan is akin to being a contestant on a post-apocalyptic gameshow, a hybrid of Survivor and Mad Max. For those of us who are seasoned veterans, we know all too well the white-knuckle … Continue reading Don’t drive yourself (crazy)
Why summer is the perfect time to start your self-care routine
At the time of writing this, I’ve been off campus for well over four weeks and I’m terribly depressed. Not because my marks were bad, mind you, but because I’ve been so focussed on uni that its absence has become something of a niggling void, like poking your gum where a tooth used to be, or when hiccups disappear but you still expect one. Rather … Continue reading Why summer is the perfect time to start your self-care routine
Why paying it forward can be the best step forward for yourself
The first few weeks of uni are a pretty exciting time. This excitement, however, is often tempered with a good glob of terror and confusion. And no one ever mentions that mozzie spray is sometimes more important than a pen and paper. You can feel lost geographically, socially and mentally. Luckily, UON has a small platoon of current students who know all too well how … Continue reading Why paying it forward can be the best step forward for yourself
How to stop stress from spoiling your relationships
The assignments are piling up, the coffee jitters are starting to affect my handwriting and I can feel the hot breath of exams on the back of my neck. I’m not having fun, and by the look of the hollow eyes and slumped shoulders I see around campus, neither are you. It’s usually at this point that I withdraw from the people around me, become … Continue reading How to stop stress from spoiling your relationships
Levelling up: What you need to know about postgrad study
The uni rollercoaster is approaching that final, screaming, downhill flail before the end of the year. While many of us are simply looking forward to a break, there are an awful lot of you white-knuckling it through your last semester, and weighing up your post-graduation options. If you’re addicted to the uni lifestyle, avoiding the reality of workforce participation, or maybe fancy a couple more … Continue reading Levelling up: What you need to know about postgrad study
How I went from teenage washout to university student
The paths we travel to arrive here are as diverse as we are. For every high school high achiever, for whom university study was an expected next step, an accepted reality, there is a student who greets university life as something of an anomaly. UON has an inordinate number of students who are the first in their family to attend university. People from working class, marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds mingle happily with the more traditional student body, largely due to UON’s hugely successful foundation studies programs: Open Foundation, Newstep and Yapug. Continue reading How I went from teenage washout to university student
I was a teenage washout
The paths we travel to arrive here are as diverse as we are. For every high school high achiever, for whom university study was an expected next step, an accepted reality, there is a student who greets university life as something of an anomaly. UON has an inordinate number of students who are the first in their family to attend university. People from working class, marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds mingle happily with the more traditional student body, largely due to UON’s hugely successful foundation studies programs: Open Foundation, Newstep and Yapug. Continue reading I was a teenage washout
Why Semester 2 can feel like a struggle
There’s something about second semester that just doesn’t feel right. Regardless of how organised, prepared and motivated I am at the beginning, how much I nag and lecture myself, I just can’t seem to get my sh*t together. I usually begin the semester full of lofty ideals and ready for war. I leave cute little notes around reminding me to keep my chin up, and … Continue reading Why Semester 2 can feel like a struggle