Heidi Sandstrom

Third year, Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communication)
Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus 

For any student, finding their feet during their first year can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. It certainly was for me, having come directly from VCE without a break to first-year study. It was odd, sitting in a lecture theatre full of students I didn’t know, with a lecturer standing at the front speaking into a microphone, when I had been so used to a small classroom with very few students and one teacher who was seemingly always at my shoulder.

The daily struggle to remain focused during first year was always made more difficult by studying on a Campus where everyone was always going somewhere, doing something or having a party. It was extremely easy to forget about the pile of homework in my bag and get distracted. I also didn’t have very good organisational skills, and when I had a large break between classes, I was able to easily convince myself to go home and study, only to find myself watching repeats of Totally Wild!

When a friend asked me to come with him to join the Student Association (DUSA), I readily agreed to tag along. To my surprise, I ended up joining with him and went a step further to become a student representative. Suddenly I went from having nothing to do between classes, to having a real purpose. I found that I had less reason to go home, and more reason to sit down and focus. I started using my neglected diary and actually scheduled some time for study and found with surprise that tackling that giant monster pile of homework put me in a better mood.
 
I guess my advice if you are reading this is to enjoy your time at Deakin. Don’t be scared to join a club or get involved, raise your hand and your voice during lectures and make sure you get the full university experience!