A day in the life of a first-year International postgraduate student
STUDENT INTERVIEWS
By Shreya Gramle, Master of Commerce (extension)
Like any other student, my journey at UNSW started with lots and lots of questions! Will I be able to manage learning online? Will the time zones be managed? Do I need to attend all the lectures live? Will they be recorded? How do I get the course material? Do I get access to the library?
But eventually, everything fell in place and began very smoothly! Thank god for O-Week and their recordings!
Since I am based in India, specifically in UTC +5:30, let me give you a glimpse of what my day typically looks like.
7am
I wake up, do my morning yoga and exercises, and get started with preparing for the upcoming lecture. This is a very important and usually unmissable part of my day because if I attend even one lecture without preparing for it, I totally lose track of what is happening in the class. The lectures for me usually start at 8:30am and finish by 12pm.
12pm
After finishing up my classes, I then have some time to relax, organise my own things, make lunch and go through the lectures once again. This is usually the time when most of the UNSW events are arranged. Being a member of the Graduate Student Association (GSA), we usually have an event every week. It could be either a social event or a networking event. This is the time when I meet new people and make good friends. Being offshore, I always worried about making new friends, but through GSA, I think I have managed to make a few. Here's a glimpse into the events...
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Sometimes we have special events like this online cooking session.
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6pm
This is the time when I go for my tennis practice and spend around 2 hours exercising! Afterward, I love to spend time with my family. I was away for work and during my undergraduate degree, so I am glad to be back spending time with my family and making memories of a lifetime. India is the country of lots of different festivals, so I get to spend all of them with my loved ones, my parents and my sister!
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My pro-tips for first years
Finally, I would love to tell everyone not to panic at the start of your term. Make sure you attend O-Week events, they are truly helpful and give you an insight into all the UNSW services such as international student support, access to the library, and much more. Make sure you register and enroll for classes in advance. Engage in as many student groups and societies as you can. I found most friends through GSA! There are a variety of clubs and societies available based on interest and academics, do not hesitate to join any!
And most important: DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS!
At UNSW, I have realised the silliest of doubts are answered and you are not judged at all for asking them. So, feel free to connect with Nucleus for any questions!
Welcome to UNSW!
See you around.
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