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University of Melbourne Life
Mon, 19/11/2007 - 1:53pm — Kyrilee
By Josh Lynzaat You know... Uni. I've just completed the first year of my Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne. For musicians from country Victoria hoping to take the same path, I thought it would be helpful to write about my experiences discovering Melbourne and University life (I sound like a pamphlet, sorry), with the aim of giving people more of an idea as to what to expect. Studying music in Melbourne is amazing, but it wasn't an easy journey. To start off with, I wish someone had told me how different Uni was from High School. They are incomparable, and it was a bit of a slap in the face for me. I walked in there saying to myself ‘alright, I'm getting top marks in every class, because I know I can do it!', but when you're trying to wrap you head around University and moving entire cities, on your own, it's tricky to have the brain space to undergo 30 hours of study every week. Always remember that your happiness comes first, and you can't feel bad for wagging a couple of lectures to get some space. Don't do it all the time though... Unless you miraculously glide through all the massive changes, all you want to do in first semester is PASS. There's time to prove yourself after you've settled in. Something I found useful was separating my Uni work from my home life. I chose to do all my Uni work at Uni, and do whatever I felt like (practise, reading, concerts, movies, whatever) at home. If I didn't do this I felt like I couldn't get away from Uni, because moving into a new home and studying at Uni was lumped together as one big thing I had to tackle. The music course is extremely busy. The required workload challenged my passion for music, and caused me to focus on my enjoyment of it to get me through the hours. You number 1 priority must always be enjoyment of music. After all, isn't that why we do it all for? If it becomes a chore, just a routine, and Uni just makes it boring, if it's not making you happy, make the changes that will help you enjoy your music again. There is an academic focus on music at Melbourne Uni and this hasn't been inspiring as I thought it would be. But you can choose to rise above it, if you just remember why you want to play music. ‘VCE' isn't even mentioned at uni, and when it is, people are just bagging it out. Get the score you need, and get in, but remember it has no effect on your actual university experience once you're there. Once you're used to everything, Melbourne truly is the city of dreams. No matter what you're studying, there are opportunities every time you step out your door. Street theatre, art exhibitions, multiculturalism, random protest rallies, free stuff, auditions galore...but initially, the city itself is a complete contrast to Bendigo, and living in the city is a completely different experience to just visiting it.. Anyone who is driving anything is probably annoyed or angry, the lack of eye contact in the street, the hurried and stressed men and women all intent on getting to where they need to be, and the constant pollution, noise and otherwise... the city rarely stops, everything seems so impersonal and at first I felt as if I was lost at sea with nothing to keep me afloat. After a time this passed, and for this my thanks goes to college. College was my rock- I was surrounded by new friends and support networks, didn't have to concern myself with the added baggage of what I was going to eat or when I was going to pay the bills, but was still able to conduct myself as an independent citizen. College has been an essential help in my transition into Melbourne Uni, and when it comes to colleges you can't go wrong with Medley Hall. Trust me. It dominates. Lastly, I strongly recommend practise-runs before leaving for previously undiscovered destinations. 3 times I have gone to the correct street but in the wrong suburb. Do not do this. It's embarrassing, and just flipping annoying.
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