Chat to our students

Answer by Krishan: How Aussies party; it is different from the rest of the world, but you'll only experience it if you do it yourself and it's one of the most amazing times you'll have!

Answer by Cindy: How to make friends. It’s different from high school where you’re surrounded by the same people all the time, so you have lots of chances to make friends. In university you’re with different people all the time for a few classes so there are not a lot of opportunities to make friends in your class. I learnt that participating in extra activities out of class (e.g. clubs and societies) really helped with making friends.

Answer by Tyson: That RMIT Mates is available to all new RMIT students. I really recommend signing up, it connected me with so many other people and we were able to do fun activities. 

Answer by Libitha: The best accommodation for an ideal student is applying for a short term stay initially and after reaching here, going for long term accommodation. From my personal experience, after coming here we get along with friends and get a good connection with various students from various cultures, then we could go for a shared cheaper accommodation within a convenient location to the campus. If you would like to know more, feel free to chat to me.

Answer by Krishan: It does have certain perks. I can choose to not get out of bed and watch a lecture recording and actively participate in the class too. It has also saved a considerably large amount of commute time which I am glad for.

Answer by Anny: At first it was fun cause I got to stay home and work at my own pace but now I just want to go back to uni. Staying at home is still fun but there's too many distractions compared to studying at the university’s library which is quiet and allows you to focus. 

Answer by Nathaniel: I met a lot of my friends in Melbourne at on-campus events such as RMIT clubs day and at the weekly "Chill and Grill" hangouts. It's a great way to meet new people from across the university who might be studying a different course but still share your interests!

Answer by Libitha: The first thing I did to involve myself is join RUSU (RMIT University Student Union) and become a part of various clubs at RMIT. That helped me interact with people more and gain good friends.

Answer by Anny: Once I started the semester at RMIT, I also joined a program called "RMIT Mates". All "mentees" would be separated into teams with our own group leader, "Mentors" and they would set up activities where we could meet and chat to other people. 

Answer by Libitha: After the acceptance, I did arrange for a overseas health cover, applied for the visa, arranged for a temporary accommodation, estimated the living expenses, initiated a bank account and then after the confirmation of my tickets, applied for the airport pick up which was arranged by RMIT.

In addition to that I asked some of my friends and family in Melbourne. Also did a quick search on the internet. I am sure you can find it on the RMIT website on what to bring and all.

Answer by Nathaniel: I studied a design course, so a lot of my classes are taught in a mixed "studio" style. That means that we have a longer class (about three hours) where a lecturer introduces us to a topic, and then works closely with us to implement it hands on for whatever project we might be working on! These classes take place in state-of-the-art studios built for the discipline, so in my case, high tech computer labs and art studios for Game Design.

Answer by Anny: Depending on the type of course you could have any of the 3 class types. Lectures, Tutorials and Seminars. Lectures (LEC) are held in huge lecture halls where Professors would give a lecture on the subjects using PPT slides (you can follow along or access this file on your student portal). Tutorials (TUT) are held in classrooms, this is where you will do questions and activities based on the lectures given (this is where you can ask questions). Seminars are usually 3 hours long in which both TUT and LEC are combined, it is also in a classroom set up, after the lecture you will do activities based on the lecture to improve your understanding. 

Answer by Libitha: As a research student, I had only very few subjects and more lab work. Classes are online currently due to the pandemic. As a research student my labs are assigned with a restricted number of students with different timings. The students allowed in a lab depend on the space inside each lab and with distancing guidelines requirements by the Government. And we do have online meetings with weekly updates on writing and work procedures with the prior week’s work plans.

Answer by Tyson: To ensure a great balance, I think it’s important to exercise ‘self-care’, take a break time after studying, by doing something you enjoy. I do this by rewarding myself, be it with a walk around my local town, or grabbing a coffee to go.                       

Answer by Krishan: I love taking photos so now that I've got all this free time. I spend it editing those photos and I usually get splendid results. I now have extra time to do a lot of cooking, the excuse before was that I didn't have time but now I have loads of time to spare.

Answer by Anny: In my case it was getting out of my comfort zone. A lot of the times I would start to miss home and my family. Especially since there are cultural differences, sometimes it can be quite lonely. Thankfully I made a few friends here in Australia so whenever I feel lonely, I can call them and ask them to hang out. 

Answer by Krishan: Getting work here is rewarding and can also be challenging sometimes. Make sure that you have a tax file number (TFN) and that work processes are legal so that your rights can be well protected.