Graduation Celebrations

The me of a week ago was a frantic mess; how can I think of my science degree graduation when I’m neck-deep in honours assignments and work commitments? What will I wear?! What if I fall over?! Will the weather be okay? Should I wear heels?! WHAT WILL I WEAR?!!

Today (one awards ceremony and one graduation later) I am a much happier, calmer lady – and a graduate! The weather was fantastic, I didn’t face-plant it on stage, and yes, I did wear heels Three year’s work (give or take a few for some graduants) was celebrated in a sea of multi-coloured academic gowns (try not to: strangle yourself, sit on the person’s beside you, or channel your inner Harry Potter and use it as a dementor cape!), mortarboards (is it on the right way? It’s cutting off the blood-flow to my brain!!) and smiling students (or ex-students as the case is now for many). For those who have never experienced a university graduation, I have to say that it was far more interesting than I’d expected – here are my highlights:

• The entrance of the academic procession – loved the outfits!
• Our guest speaker, an exceptionally intelligent, hilarious and wise astronomer from Yorkshire (Professor Frederick Watson – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Watson) who spoke of the possibility of microorganisms from Mars creating a pandemic here on  Earth (amongst other, slightly more relevant things)
• The ‘musical interlude’ which was a  stunning Adele song performed by creative arts students
• Hearing the crazy shouts from family and friends as their loved ones received their testamurs on stage
• Shaking hands with the chancellor (she was SO friendly, despite my name being at the very end of a very longgg list)

USQ students are so fortunate to have the Japanese Gardens (which are actually the largest traditional gardens in Australia) on our doorstop – and my group made good use of them by sneaking of for a photo shoot after the ceremony (and after our fair share of delicious snacks and drinks; all that clapping is thirsty work!).

I’d like to quickly mention the unsung heroes of graduation… No, not the staff members who help us fix our academic gowns just before we walk on stage – though they are pretty darn important – or the car park traffic directors (it’s a hard job; I remember working last year – standing in a snazzy poncho in the rain trying to prevent car crashes whilst sending graduants in the right direction). I mean the PARENTS and FAMILIES – thank you SO MUCH for your support; you have stood beside us on our respective journeys, and (unless you can’t take the proof-reading of our assignments and cooking of our meals any longer and move to an exotic overseas island to escape) you will remain by our sides for a long time to come. What is more, you do AMAZING things – like making the delicious ice-cream graduation cake below

To my mum, Sandra – you deserve a degree yourself for putting up with three years of stressed-out me!

So, what now? It’s back to the assignments and work commitments, back to normal clothes and normal cakes. With any luck, I’ll be back in the Clive Berghofer Centre graduating from my honours degree next year – bring it on!!

Want to see what some other USQ graduands have to say? Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnIO4JkpaF0&list=UUp0ShvPUKqiKvfj40bexawg&index=3!

The Year to end all Years…

In two days’ time I will commence what I have been told is the most grueling year of a student’s life. A year that will test my academic ability, jeopardize my social life, reduce my sleep bank balance, and compromise my sanity. In two days’ time I will begin a journey that may ‘make or break’ me – Honours Year*. I don’t think the reality of the situation will actually sink in until I’m sitting in that classroom, beginning an 8-day intensive workshop on multivariate analysis, research and thesis proposals, ethical dilemmas, and counselling techniques. For the moment my brain is still enjoying being on holidays, pleased to have completed my undergraduate science degree and to only have casual employment, volunteer work, coffee dates, and road trips to be concerned about. It is hard to comprehend that I should be preparing it for an onslaught of reading, researching, and revising. A week or so ago I was enjoying my 21^st birthday with family and friends – not a care in the world – and now I am bracing myself for the return to study; my textbooks and laptop to be my most important companions.

Thankfully, I am not to brave the storm alone. My family and friends – some of whom have already completed similar study – have been amazingly supportive so far, and I know they will be there again, despite how stressed out, cranky, or deliriously tired I may get.

I am exceptionally lucky in that my boyfriend is also a psychology student and about to begin honours himself, as are several of my friends. I have been teamed up with an amazing thesis supervisor, and have been allocated the topic that most interested me for my research project (Autism Spectrum Disorders). I am confident in the USQ staff and facilities. Ultimately, I think I’ve been given the best chance to succeed that I’m ever going to get. I wouldn’t say ‘bring it on!’ but I’m also not running in the opposite direction just yet.

This year will be a balancing act – I hope to continue working and volunteering (I help at Lifeline one day a week) and maybe even to see daylight and my friends every now and then. Stupidly or not, I even have a cruise booked for July (everyone needs a break!). I’ll check in with you again in a few months to let you know how I’m travelling, and just how skilled I am at time-management…

I thought I’d end with the top three events from my holidays (holidays which are about to fade into nothingness all too soon): 1. As mentioned above, I turned 21! 2. My Rotaract Club organised a movie night that raised almost $1200 for Guide Dogs Queensland – thank you to anyone reading this who supported it! 3. Last but not least, I volunteered at the Woodford Folk Festival – and would recommend it to anyone; especially if you are a poor student and fancy a free ticket and accommodation.

Oh, and I also got be on a bus, wearing my new, free USQ t-shirt! Make sure to come along to the Phoenix Carnival on the 24^th Feb (I am especially looking forward to the fairy floss, movie at sunset, and dunking machine hehe…) Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3CaOfSy5cU

Well, that’s all from me for the mo’ – off to gather stationery for the big day! :S

- Gena

*For those asking ‘what is this insane-sounding honours year?’ Differences from an undergraduate program include:

• Week-long workshop blocks (with class from 9am-5pm each day), which occur four times a year, rather than several 2/3-hour classes each week. Workshops are often held in the weeks usually considered holidays.
• A research project/thesis due at the end of the year, as well as other ‘normal’ subjects each semester.
• Though it is an on campus program (and cannot be completed unless you attend the workshops), more external-style study is required and students must take the initiative in catching-up with their supervisors and staying on task.
• The program only takes one year of full-time study to complete.

For more information, The University of Southern Queensland website is more accurate than I (check out http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/current/sci/BSCH.html).

Wishin’ and hopin’…

…And, as Dusty would say, “thinkin’ and prayin’, and plannin’ and dreamin’”. The end of my science degree – which occurred on the 5^th of November with my final exam – marked a time of relief, celebration, and sleep; but also a period of anticipation. Not only was I awaiting the release of end-of-semester results, I was wishin’ and hopin’ for an offer into the honours program next year…

For those of you considering a future as a psychologist, be warned: the road is a long and competitive one, especially at USQ (as I am beginning to find). From the hundreds of students enrolled in the three-year Bachelor of Science (Psychology) program at the start of first year, less than forty will be accepted into the honours program that follows it – and it’s your GPA that determines your fate. And, if you do get in to honours, you still need two years of supervised practice in the ‘real world’ or a Master’s degree in psych (which – you got it – is ridiculously difficult to get in to as well) before you can become a registered psychologist. ‘Registered psychologist’; two little, very elusive words that will take a minimum of six years, a lot of hard work, and some luck, to call your own.

So, be warned, the mentality that “c’s get degrees’ at uni won’t get you very far if you dream to be a psychologist. That being said, I really enjoyed my science degree and the journey so far, and though I struggled with some of the statistical courses and medical jargon I’m happy I stuck at it. The support was there for me and I’m proud of my achievements. And the holidays have never been better! Since I chose to study year-round (taking on subjects in the summer semester) in my first and second years, this is my first real break since I started – ♪SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER!!♫ now has real meaning.

So how have I spent the last few weeks of freedom? Well until recently they were comprised of waiting, nail-biting, and checking my emails religiously every few hours, hoping for a few little words that would determine what I would do next year. Did I succeed in my quest for acceptance? You’ll need to wait a little longer before you find out (I’m trying, and most likely failing, to build in you the suspense that I felt). During the first weeks of the holidays I also applied to be a volunteer at Lifeline, trying to gain some experience in the world of counselling and human services. I now work voluntarily one day a week there, and it’s incredible – the people I work alongside are so inspiring and the programs really make a difference in the lives of many.

Aside from this I’ve been continuing to work at my retail job of two years, and also helping to organise a fundraising event with my local Rotaract club. “Fundraising event?” I hear you ask “I am dying to know what you mean”. Well, because you asked (and in an act of shameless promotion)…

So, if you’re in the Toowoomba area, a Disney fan, and wanting to support a great cause, leave me a message and I’ll get you some more information.

Anyway, now that I have sufficiently harassed you with that, back to my holiday goings-on… It hasn’t all been uni anticipation, work, and movie organisation, I’ve also been able to sleep-in (YES), catch-up with family and friends long-lost to the perils of exam block, and even managed to see a band or two. And what about the reckless partying engaged in by newly-finished uni students everywhere? You may wonder. Well, I’m not much of a drinker but I certainly know how to partayy… As you can see below…

Being pretty hard-core late one night drinking chamomile tea whilst watching a ‘gig’ (as they call it) at the local pub.

I didn’t reallyyy let loose however, until after the 26^th of November, when I received a certain email, and later, a certain letter, which looked something like this –

Drum roll…

The week following  the 23^rd of November was an eventful one – I received my semester two results, my official academic transcript, a letter saying I was a graduate of USQ (you may now call me ‘Georgena BSc’), and a letter offering me a place in honours next year. I’m SO excited for what the year ahead will hold, and though I’m told it’ll be one of the toughest of my academic life, I’m just grateful that I’ve been given the chance to take a crack at it.

No more wishin’, waitin’, or hopin’ for me – BRING ON 2013!!

Holidays (what holidays?!) are over – And so it begins…

I’m finding it ridiculously difficult to believe that the uni break – that little beacon of light I’d been looking forward to during past weeks – is over already. I had planned to have a real chance to relax, but my classes start back tomorrow and I already feel under the pump. Where did the opportunities for sleep-ins, road trips, movie-watching days, and uni-work catch-up disappear to? Looking back over the last fourteen days I realise that this break has been more hectic than usual; and I use the term ‘break’ very loosely…

The first day of the holidays arrived; signalling a chance for freedom, relaxation, fun… For me, something else was in store – Monday 17^th September for me meant an assignment due date. A week’s extension given to my one of my psychology classes seemed awesome at the time, but when met with my unrivalled knack for procrastination and extra work shifts, it lent itself to a very stressful first day of holidays. I heaved a sigh of relief when I submitted it online with less than twenty minutes on the clock; another close call for this third-year student who should probably know better. After a day or two of contented holiday bliss, I then realised (or chose to finally acknowledge – I had written all my due dates in my diary) that a major assignment for my external English subject was due on the last day of the break – BOOM went any hopes of a weekend away or a day trip to the DFO.

I got the English assignment in by 5pm Friday as required – tired, hungry, and dizzy – dozens of articles on rural masculinity and Australian identity floating before my eyes. I am sure you are wondering ‘Why does she do this to herself?’, ‘It really shouldn’t be that hard to manage time…’, and ‘This girl is carazzayy!’ Though I admit the following is poor defence, let me try and explain my last-minute approach. People may ask what students get up to on their holidays; I’m here to tell you it isn’t all channel-surfing and partying:

This break was BUSY. A shortage in staff at both of my jobs meant I racked-up plenty of hours at work, I was also housesitting for two different families (and the presence of one horrible paralysis tick on one of the dogs kept me worried and the vet busy), birthdays were everywhere – including two 21^st parties, and there were committee meetings, trivia fundraisers, and music events to attend and support. The most amazing – and time-consuming – thing to happen was definitely my involvement in a program run for youth, held near Laidley twice a year (in a camp format). And when did the most recent camp occur? 14-16^th September – it finished the day before my first assignment was due. As this was my third year as a leader within the program, I was really fortunate to be one of the two coordinators running the team this year (for the first time). The weekly meetings in the months leading up to camp paid off – the participants had an incredible time, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for all the early assignment submissions in the world. Here’s a random glimpse of what we get up to at the camp (filmed in 2011):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQD42VZUPgs

If you’re more of a visual person, here’s my break in pictures:

So you can see that assignments weren’t always necessarily my first priority, and it’s no surprise that the course readings I wanted to get on top of remain firmly where I left them two weeks ago. I really have a HUGE respect for those busy students who – on top of study, work and extra-curricular activities – also have a family to raise, and manage to take care of children and loved ones whilst knowing assignments are due and lectures need reviewing. I think that I’m busy, but you take it to another level. You really are SUPERHEROS.

What I actually wanted to mention in this blog (before I got side-tracked in reliving my holiday adventures) was the noticeable difference in students and the university atmosphere generally before and after the mid-semester break. The tension in the second half of courses is noticeable; assignments have been rolling in for a while, exam timetables have been released, it’s make or break time. Before you lose your mind contemplating how much you have to learn and how quickly time seems to be racing (as I often do), take some advice from someone who’s lived through the lead-up to USQ exam block eight times before:

1. Study tips I have found really helpful when short of time include:

• downloading lectures onto a CD and listening to them as I drive to and from work, when going to sleep etc.
• allocating one ‘group study day’ close to the exam (complete with junk food and lots of tea-drinking) as I’ve found it easier to be motivated when surrounded by others trying to achieve the same goal.
• rather than try to read the whole textbook again in the lead-up to your exam, look closely at the key terms (which are usually highlighted), the glossary sections, and review questions

2. Don’t shut out the people who love you and who may be able to help you.

3. Take your study seriously, but also know that all the stress and worry will come to pass, and that it is definitely not the end of the world if you don’t do as well as you’d hoped. Other options will be open to you and will get you where you want to be in the end. In the scheme of things, this is only one or two months of your entire life. Breathe. Eat properly. Sleep properly. Study will always be there, your health won’t.

I hope everyone had the mid-semester break that they hoped for – and good luck with the second half of semester two!!

Eclectic Electives: Why my degree resembles an ice cream…

When applying to enter the undergraduate science program at USQ almost three years  ago, my former self had little clue that she would be experiencing much more than psychological theory and statistical jargon… She would be putting her fingers in all the pies, stealing the knowledge of many other faculties, and forming a degree that featured an assortment of different flavours and academic sprinklings – it would be like the making of one very creative, epic, delicious ice cream.

But I suppose I should really take a step back and start my story from the beginning…

When I was in grade eleven I stumbled across an amazing thing – they called it ‘Head Start’. What teenager wouldn’t want to drop a subject at school and instead attend a weekly, three-hour Uni class in which you mainly listened to music and discussed the Beatles and Rolling Stones? Whilst pretending to be a witty, laid-back, astoundingly cool Uni student of course…  I heard about Head Start at school and from friends and was excited at the idea, but the huge selection of courses to choose from posed a problem for the 16-year-old Georgena who had no idea what she wanted to do after high school. However, despite being the exceptionally indecisive person I was (and still am), I eventually chose ‘An Introduction to Popular Music’. The class – worth over $500 – was fully paid for by USQ, and I was told it guaranteed me a place there after school if I wanted it, and could potentially contribute to my future degree. I loved every minute of the course and thus began the creation of custom-made USQ journey.

Over the next year I decided a degree in Psychology was the way to go, and I enrolled in a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Psych.

“Decision made,” I thought to myself “bring on the predetermined classes and structured coursework!” This was not the case however. University threw me a curve ball; only sixteen of my twenty-four subjects were set – the remainder were (you guessed it) up to my less-than-experienced self to decide upon. Instead of a pre-made sundae I was given only the basics – a fifty cent cone which I then had to doll-up myself. You can imagine my dismay upon discovering the hundreds of subjects open to me yet again. And so, instead of a cleverly researched approach, I adopted a pretty happy-go-lucky/crazy woman one… “Introduction to Education? Why not, some of my friends are taking it…” “Journalism? Sure, throw that one in there” “English Literature? Didn’t mind it at school, sign me up!” I didn’t know what I was interested in at the time so I thought why not try a bit of everything; no need to choose between caramel topping and crushed nuts when you’re given the option of both.

I muddled along during first year, completing my set subjects as well as a good few not-so-set ones. I didn’t feel particularly attached to the semester one education course or to the journalism course I undertook in summer semester that year. But, third time’s the charm as I came across a winner in English Literature (thank goodness!) – My choice of subjects finally began looking a little less eclectic, a little less random (after over a third of my degree was already completed…). I decided to take on four literature courses; the four which are considered a minor within an arts degree (the last of which I am completing currently, in the final semester of my science degree) – and I haven’t regretted it since.

I consider literature a breath of fresh air when I get too bogged down in the midst of all that psychology work, and I’m thankful now that I was given so many electives to play around with, and that I experimented until I found the perfect combo. So here’s the final description of my rocky-to-start-with ice cream:

1. A novice with no background in ice cream buys a flake before even considering the ice cream to be had (i.e. my music elective)
2. Several years later (the flake maybe slightly melted and forgotten by this point), a much more enlightened being purchases the ‘base’; a very large cone and a generous serve of vanilla ice cream (i.e. enrolling in a science degree with the major of psychology)
3. A bunch of crazy children arrive and drench the ice cream in mismatched toppings and sprinkles (i.e. the education, journalism, and first literature electives)
4. Luckily, a seasoned taste-tester arrives and, appreciating the small amount of caramel sauce found, adds more and gets the balance near perfect (i.e. the following three literature courses)
5. A final passer-by realises that the ice cream is being lost amidst all these new flavours and adds a final scoop, perfecting the recipe (i.e. the third-year psychology elective I chose in the summer semester of my second year)

I think the moral to this somewhat in-depth analogy is that, at the end of the day, your degree should be unique to you, and you shouldn’t be afraid of customising it where possible. Learning is a lot about choices and decision-making (as my former self quickly discovered) – and ice cream tastes a lot better when you make it yourself!!