Tarachand Goswami

Third year, Bachelor of Commerce
Melbourne Burwood Campus

University studies were never a problem back in my home country, but all the extensive assignments and the lecture system in Australia caught me totally off guard and literally gave me nightmares!

I struggled in my first trimester and ended up barely passing one of the units. Without wasting any time, I talked to my lecturers and tutors; they were really friendly, understood my difficulty and helped me out with some tips, which I know were valuable and worked out pretty well. Moral of story: make use of all resources!

Life at Deakin is not all about studying; instead it’s a new experience every day. In my second year, I started volunteering in different areas at Deakin, like the Host Program and the ISS-Connect Program. I ended up making lots of friends, enhanced my communication skills, gained valuable experience and from this, I also got paid work within the University. But nothing really beats the satisfaction gained by helping new students around university.

At Deakin, the lecturers and tutors are award winning professionals, masters in their field, and yet they’re friendly enough to give you their time if you see them while walking towards the lecture theatre or outside their office. The staff at the Division of Student Life (DSL) are also really welcoming and supportive, and will help to guide you with almost all your needs: medical, religious, career and job, disability, counselling. You name it; they’ve got it taken care of.

My advice to students is: get involved! Let me give you some reasons to get involved in University life:
1.    It helps make connections and friends.
2.    It improves your communication, team work and leadership skills.
3.    It looks good on your résumé.
4.    If you are lucky and have skills, then you may end up getting a job in the University. I managed to get two!