Writtten by Cennedi Dally
I haven’t always been sure of coming to university. Before coming to uni, I was sceptical on the idea of living with strangers in a dorm, sharing a kitchen and being so far away from home.
I’ve moved roughly an eight-hour drive from my hometown of Orange NSW.
So, it’s a pretty strange new experience learning to do life so far from everything familiar to me. My goal coming here was to get used to the idea of looking after myself and settle into the university life by getting involved with everything I possibly can.
Basically, just make the most out of this incredible opportunity. I would argue I have done just that so far.
I found in the first few weeks I struggled a bit with homesickness and adjusting to living alone. I was used to having my siblings around all the time at home and I loved working every day.
Here I haven’t yet secured a job despite my efforts, and I can’t just walk into my sibling’s rooms to have a chat. In saying this I was bad at keeping in contact with my family and friends back home.
I tried to focus on what was going on here and found myself forgetting to call to check in. Getting used to a new style of learning was also a huge challenge.
There is not a lot of set routine, other than the scheduled class times on my timetable. The study and work time outside of these set classes are all up to the individual.
Very different compared to high school.
Now, about two months in and I have made the most incredible friendships and connections with the people around me.
I’m a social butterfly so I highly enjoy meeting new people and spending quality time with my friends, having great conversations, listening and learning about everyone’s interests, sharing ideas and finding common ground.
I have gotten involved with social sports and RES activities as well as the RAP council. I am taking one day at a time and making the most of all the pop-up opportunities along the way.
I find most of the social time is spent in the kitchens of my dorm each night where everyone comes together after a busy day to debrief.
This is where the best connections are formed in my opinion. Everyone plays their part in the dorm, as we’re almost a family, working together to keep the place in good nick.
We take turns cleaning and taking the rubbish out. Make sure to minimise crowding in the kitchen while people are trying to cook, for safety reasons.
Sit down for meals as often as possible. It’s a super wholesome experience and I am absolutely loving it!
