During the school holidays, my cousin who is currently in Year 9 decided to tag along to uni with me. I thought it would be a very good indicator of a first time uni experience, so here are the things that have become second nature to me, and I would otherwise forget to inform you about:
* Wear comfy shoes! There is a lot of walking to be done (especially since we walked from my house).
* Attending a lecture in Slade is equivilent to downing 2 sleeping tablets. That, or, 2pm is not a good slot for a lecture that you wish to remain awake in.
* Psych is great! We did an experiment in our tute and our tutor was having so much fun making us count backwards in 3s and subsequently teasing our memories of sentences such as “the rock rolled down the hill and crushed the tiny hut”...!
* At the coffee carts, you line up at the register, whether you’re buying a packet of gum or ordering coffee, then you pick up the coffee where the coffee machine is.. This may sound obvious but I definitely remember from my first week, not quite understanding what was going on and feeling like a bit of a loser. P.S. Chai Latte is a great option for when you don’t feel like coffee, but also don’t feel like dishing out your money for a cup of hot water and a tea bag. They are yummy!!!!!
* There exists a Make-Your-Own-Sandwich bar at level 4 in the Wentworth building, where they weigh it to determine the cost.. and it’s delish!
* There are 5 minute printing stations at most of the computer access labs so you don’t have to wait in line forever to get a computer if all you want to do is print. As well there are 5 minute computers just inside the doors of Fisher Library (not connected to printers) where you can check your emails or the location of a book.
* The front lawns are so sunny, warm and beautiful to sit / lie on and enjoy your lunch / coffee (/chai latte) / break!
* There is a step on the way out of Fisher which became the culprit of a rather messy trip-over by my cuz.. so don’t learn the hard way!
* Her favourite learning experience of the day was the fact that “globular” is a scientific term.
* During my stats lecture, her poor innocent 14-year-old mind was addled with strange sentences such as “If X~B(n,p) then E(X) =np and Var(X) = np(1 - p),” and she directed herself to the age-old phrase, Dont Panic.
* Last but not least... Sydney Uni IS as huge as it’s cracked up to be, and as pretty, too!