Top 3 Questions from New Students
Your Top 3 Questions about Academics/Your Studies!
1. Books
How do I get my textbooks? Are they necessary? When do I need to bring them with me to Uni?
Required and recommended reading materials are listed under ‘Learning Resources’ in each electronic course profile (or "ECP") but wait until Week 1 to work out what textbooks you should get. Used textbooks are great for savings, but watch out for out-dated information.
- Buy: The School Locker or Second-hand Texts & Stationary
- Print: UQ Print
- Borrow: UQ Library
You rarely need to bring them to uni unless you are asked to by your lecturers, tutors, or group members.
2. Lectures & Classes
1. Can I skip lectures and are they available online if I can’t make it to class?
Yes, your lectures are generally recorded and available online. But here’s the thing: You learn better in person. Recorded lectures have some of the absolute worst results in terms of retention of information, and research shows that students who spend more time on campus generally (even with friends, for clubs, work, or volunteering) do better than those who don’t. It’s your call, but you’re paying big bucks so do watch out for the habits you form and set yourself up for success!
Bonus tip: A positive relationship with your lecturers and tutors can be really valuable – getting to know them can open all kinds of opportunities and you never know when you'll find yourself needing them to help you out.
2. What if I’m late to class or have to leave early?
Generally speaking, it’s not a big deal but try to be respectful. For instance, when you can, use the back entrance of a lecture room if you arrive late or need to leave early to create the least distraction to the Lecturer and other students.
3. What should I do if I miss a test or exam?
You'll need to look into a deferred exam ASAP, as time can be a factor. If you KNOW you are going to miss something, get on this beforehand. If something comes up and you miss it last minute, get on the differed exam process as soon as you're reasonably able to.
To help you, here is a great deferred exam breakdown complete with “Dos” and “Don’ts”
3. Your Degree/Programs
1. What do I do if I feel like I’m in the wrong major or degree and who do I talk to about it? Can you change degrees and/or majors?
Short answer – Yes! If you want to change majors, or even degrees you absolutely can. The HOW and the consequences of doing so depend on where you are in your studies and how structured your programs are. Some programs have room for electives, which increases the likelihood that classes you have already taken may still count toward your new program of study.
So, should you change? That’s up to you, but if you can swing it, studying something you love almost always has a better outcome than suffering through something you’re not into.
How do you change? my.UQ is your best friend here in sussing out what to do to change your program.
Who can I talk to for advice? Your major/program convenor and your school or faculty admin teams are great people to go for to get advice and support. Go to the academics for the ‘should I’ questions, and go to the school/faculty admin offices for the ‘how do I’ questions if you can’t find that answer on my.UQ.
2. Who do I talk to if I need help structuring my degree or timetable?
There are good self-help resources on the Program and Courses page (within my.uq.edu).
3. How does GPA work?
And if you want to get more detail, here is a good resource to help you get technical about the ins-and-outs of GPA at UQ.
Your Top 3 Questions about Your Opportunities here in HASS at UQ!
Got questions? We've got answers!
1. Life on Campus
1. How do extracurricular activities improve your uni life and employment prospects?
This is SUCH a good question, and maybe one of the most important you can ask in today’s Uni environment!
More and more evidence shows that it is actually outside of the classroom that successful graduates develop some of their most important skills – soft skills. Increasingly, employers are saying that what they REALLY want in students is well developed soft skills (teamwork, problem solving, people skills, etc).
Therefore, not only is getting involved outside of classroom FUN, but it actually goes a long way toward making you more employable on the other side of your degree.
So what kinds of things really work or make a difference? Passion and Experimentation!
a) Follow your passion! Seek out things you enjoy doing. Finding ‘your tribe’ is one of the most important things you can do at Uni. They will be your on-sight “in the trenches with you” support mechanism for the next 3-4 years of your life – so find them by getting involved.
b) Do things that let you get your hands dirty. What we mean is, things that let you experiment, create, express, try, maybe fail, and try again. Trying to create something (even if you fail) is one of the best experiences you can have because it is an PRACTICAL experience – not a theoretical construct like the majority of what you’ll focus on in class. Student Clubs and Societies, Volunteering on campus or in community, and International Exchange all rank highly in building soft-skill development that helps graduates get an edge on the competition!
Pro Tip: There are heaps of opportunities for this in HASS. Make sure you get to know the Current Students section of the HASS website to see all the cool opportunities in the faculty and by the HASS Student Future team.
2. Where do I find clubs that are on offer?
If UQ where a town it would be the 7th or 8th largest town in Queensland. Given that, you can imagine there is a LOT going on – it’s like a small city waiting for you to discover.
The UQ Union supports over 200 student clubs, a large number of which are affiliated with HASS. You can find almost anything you want and if you can’t find it, you can probably create it! Sometimes the best way to shop around is to do so on Market day – when the great court and beyond will be swarming with all the clubs and activities for you to do on campus. Its’ a sight to behold and a quintessential UQ experience, so be there for O-Week!
Pro Tip: Missed Market Day? No worries! The UQ Union keeps a great Clubs & Societies site live to help you find all the clubs you could dream of!
3. What is the best way to make friends at Uni?
Sounds funny, but it’s on everyone’s mind. Your HS friends are awesome and all, but if they aren’t here living your experience with you, there will always be limits on how much they can walk alongside you on your journey through this stage of your life.
Getting out to O-Week and the first weeks of classes and club meet ups are hands down the best way to meet people.
Pro-Tip: If you missed the early semester opportunities (‘cause life) or find yourself needing people-power mid-semester, check out what other opportunities there are for you to find people in HASS through the digital community on Instagram or facebook.
2. Exchange
1. What tips do you have if I am interested in going on exchange?
- Get started early! I know, you just got here… why would you think about going somewhere else. But seriously, the best time to go on exchange is almost always in your second semester of your second year. So to do that, you should get the process going early. Don’t worry, there’s no commitment, so just put in an application early, forget about it and wait for the Global Experience team to hunt you down with deadlines as you get closer to next year!
- There is a lot of support available, even financial! A lot of people don’t think they can afford exchange financially. That may be true, but quite often there are funds available for you to help this experience be part of your reality. Plus short-term experiences are an increasingly popular and affordable option. Either way, check out the Global Experiences site for more details and ask ask ask!
Note: Due to COVID-19 restrictions global experiences are currently on hold in 2021. There may be some opportunities to undertake a virtual exchange or short term local/virtual experience. Check out the Global Experiences site for more info.
2. Can dual degrees or other highly-structured programs go abroad?
Usually, it just takes a lot of advanced planning and may require re-organizing your degree. Again, a great reason to get in as early as possible for an appointment with a Global Experiences Advisor.
3. Employment
Does the Uni provide assistance with preparing for employment? How do I find these opportunities?
Yes, there is an entire central UQ department dedicated to it! More locally in HASS, the Student Futures team helps to make this happen and have lots of information about opportunities for you on the UQ Humanities and Social Sciences Facebook page.
Your Top 3 Questions about Support & Success!
Got questions about succeeding and getting support at Uni? We got you!
1. Studying
1. What’s the best way to start a study group?
Get to know people in your tutorials and classes and shout out. Program and degree specific social media (FB, etc) may be other good places to find people.
2. What tips do you have for getting good grades beyond just studying hard?
In no particular order:
- Love what you are studying – for real!
- Go to classes & tutorials – you’d think this is common sense… but it’s amazing how often it’s not.
- Get to know your lecturers & tutors -- build a relationship, ask questions, show interest. I will pay off, we promise.
- ASK questions – it’s the simplest thing but somehow we feel like we can’t in lectures – where most lecturers would LOVE people to ask questions.
- Know how your degree works – sit in the driver’s seat of your education and know what options are available to you.
- Spend time on campus. No, really, there’s a lot of research suggesting that students who integrate different parts of their lives into their life on campus (learning, friends, clubs/activities, sport, fitness, hobbies, even work) tend to do better. Plus it’s fun!
- Experiment with different styles of study to find out what kind of learner you are
- Ask for help if you need it, as early as possible!
Fun Fact: Research in North America indicates that the most employable graduates aren’t necessarily those with the highest grades, but rather those that sit just below them – the students who COULD have had the best grades if they weren’t too busy doing other things like getting involved and building additional employable life experiences. Kudos to those who can do both!
3. How many hours should you spend studying on each course?
As a general rule, multiply your weekly contact hours for a given course by about two. So if you have a 2 hour lecture and a 2 hour tute each week (4 contact hours) you should be spending about 7-10 hours outside of that on study. Yup… study is kinda your full-time job!
2. Wellbeing & Time Management
1. What are your best tips for time management/getting organised?
Myuq has a great resources on this one, so we’ll leave it to them!
2. Where do we go for assistance if we’re struggling with physical or mental health or just adjustment to Uni life?
3. Technology
1. What are the best sources of information that will be relevant to my life at Uni?
We just happen to have a whole TOP 3 about exactly this!
Pro Tip: Forward your student email address to whatever your preferred personal email address is so you don’t miss out on important things (like invitations for interviews, changes of class locations, deadline or assessment shifts, etc).
2. What are the best apps for Uni students to download?
Aside from the ones you already likely have – Instagram, messenger, facebook, whatesapp, etc., here are a few great recommendations:
UQnav – great for finding your way around our campuses
My OSHC – a great one for international students – OSHC is your medical insurance and the app lets you find the nearest bulk-billed doctors and gives you info you need on different types of specialists, etc.
UNiDAYS – great app that offers discounts to all full-time students across Brisi – gives discounts on almost every student-related purchase you can think of.
Podcast apps – a lot of students find it great to find lectures and talks on various academic disciplines for bus, train and city-cat rides.