Words from the wise: Field advice from Murdoch Alumni

Image ↬ Elizabeth Sanchez

As a student it can be hard to visualise the kind of role you are going to have when you finish your degree.  Questions such as where will this lead me, what kind of job can I get, what will I actually be doing, are commonly raging around in most students heads!

We thought that some advice on working out your path from uni to workplace would be useful to current students, so we turned to our Alumni and asked them if they could offer any insights. 

Meet Magdeline Lum, Murdoch Graduate Bsc. Chemistry, Grad Dip Extractive Metallurgy

Magdeline (Mags for short) Lum is a chemist and metallurgist on a mine site, a writer, a blogger, a science communicator, a volunteer and mentor to school students.

Mags is a lot of things.

Mags says, as a student she didn’t think about it until her final year which is when she started to look online and in newspapers to see what kind of work was available, what kind of work someone with a Chemistry degree could get.

While you don’t have to have a concrete plan in place, Mags suggests at least doing some things in your first semester to figure out if it is in fact a direction you want to go in. 

She highly recommends chatting to the employers at career expos and to sign up for vacation programs in your 2nd year over the summer months.

Mags adds that it’s important in particular if you are applying for graduate positions where applications open a lot earlier then uni graduation dates and the process is quite long. 

This leads into her next hot tip, which is useful to keep in mind not just as a new graduate, but all throughout your career:

Mags admits it can be hard to find mentors and she suggests turning to the internet. She suggests searching for people who have done things – more and more people have blogs, or find people through professional associations and networking functions.

Round up

• Go to career expos/fairs/days, here are a few that happen in Perth:
• CareersExpo  
• The National Careers & Employment Expo 
• The Big Meet

• Find mentors via blogs and Twitter is a great place to find people in your industry and area of interest. Also start a professional profile on LinkedIn, join industry groups and find leaders in your field of interest.

• Check out the Murdoch Career Hub

You might also like to read:

Figuring out what you want to be when you grow up

Find what you love and just do it

Be Friends with us on Facebook for advice, tips and updates.

Our Facebook Friends to the Rescue: Advice for New Students

Image ↬ Jen Collins

If you are new to university, there are plenty of peeps around who can help you out, both with the serious business & the social stuff.

Always remember the Student Advisors who you can find in our Student Centre! They are full of advice for you at all stages of your time at uni. When you need to find anything, when you need help changing units, when you think maybe you are in the wrong course and need to find one that is right for you, when you need to know about credits etc they are there to help you!

If you’re finding your course a bit hard or aren’t sure about an assignment, your First Year Advisor will be more than happy to help! Find them on Facebook & they’ll be able to point you in the right direction!

The next piece of good news is (there's no bad news in this post, FYI) that everyone else at uni has either been in your shoes or is sharing the same thoughts and feelings about being a 'newbie.' 

Our current students are full of tips about how to make it work and make life better at uni. We asked our friends on Facebook what advice they would give to new students and this is the excellence they came back with:

1.     “Find some great friends in your units because they will be your support group. They will understand what you as a uni student are going through and help you and they will become your study group.” Breanna

2.     “Do your readings before you go to the lecture or workshop then you actually know what they are going on about.” Kneecar

3.     “Make a study plan and stick to it! And ask questions!”  Billie-Lee

4.     “You are not alone! If you ever struggle, there are heaps of friendly people ready to help. Murdoch has a great support system. Everyone is super friendly.” Jasmina

5.     “There is so much available to you if you get stuck. Help classes, workshops, the student learning centre, your first year advisor, hell even go and see your lecturer or tutor- they will bend over backwards to help you! Just don't forget to have some fun and set aside some me time - because the last thing you want to do is burn out.” Tegan

6.    “ Join a study group, and if u can't find one create one :) It’s much easier when u share the load with study buddies.” Deb

7.    “ Never let procrastination get the better of you! Keep up with the workload and remember everyone else in uni is going through the same thing, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!” Emily

8.    “ Don't blame the teacher... they didn't write the assignment or sit the exam. You only fail yourself. Study!” Christine

9.    “ It's important to have fun as long as you keep up with your studies and never be afraid to ask for help, if you ever feel you need it!” Vanessa

10.   “Relax and enjoy the ride!” Leah

11. “Do and start your assignments as early as possible. Sounds stupid but you will be surprised how much info is in the unit books, google and the question. Plus you will end up having more time when everyone else is stressing out.” Cassidi

12. “If you need help ask. Meet new people because they help you grow and teach you new things. Time management is most important. Have fun relax and try not to stress too much!” Sharnye

13. “Go to your lectures! It definitely pays off!” Jess

14. “Get into a study group!!!” Emma

15. “Ask questions, there's more support than you probably realise and most of all, enjoy it! This could possibly be the best time of your life and it will go very quickly!!” Alexandra

16. “Meet as many people as you can! There will be so many new like-minded people around you.” Kimberley

17. “Surround yourself with others who are serious about achieving good grades and enjoy the learning process.” Deb

18. “Always make sure that amongst the study there is room for fun :o)” Leah

19. “Always do your best, even if you fail. It’s never the end.” Emma

That’s right, it’s never the end! There is always support for you at Murdoch, don’t hesitate to drop by our Facebook page to ask questions either!

Need more help? Check out these links:

Find your First Year Advisor to help with any course related issues.

Get some quick study tips.

See different ways that you can join in on campus. 

Should you consider a Preparation Course?

MUPC stands for ‘Murdoch University Preparation Course’ and is run by The Murdoch Institute of Technology (MIT).  It’s the same as doing a bridging course as it prepares you for uni study and gives you the qualifications you need for entry if you don’t have an ATAR.

Key points you need to know from this video

• Why you should do a MUPC, for example, if you don’t qualify for OnTrack or need to do some prep units to get into your chosen course at Murdoch.
• That you apply to Murdoch uni straight through MUPC when you have finished. 
• That although you don’t get credits towards towards a uni degree for completing a MUPC, it provides great preparation for courses like Law and for completing foundation units that you may have missed in school – such as physics or math.

We also chatted to Games Art and Design student David about how he came to Murdoch Uni through a course at MIT and how he chose his uni course:

“Every single time I told someone I was studying at MIT they would say, oh so you failed year 12 and I would be like no I didn’t fail year 12, this is my year 12. By the end of that time, I was at that level that the uni wanted me at and I was familiar with the campus already.”

Read about how he did it here. 

Is MUPC the right option for you? You can also explore these options for your pathway into uni:

Why we recommend OnTrack to gain entry into Murdoch
The Low Down on sitting the STAT
You don’t have to be a school leaver to use your ATAR
Using previous uni qualifications to apply for a new course
Is TAFE your Ticket into a uni course?
Breaking up with your ATAR and finding a new pathway into uni
The top question we get asked when ATAR results are released

Why we recommend OnTrack to gain entry into Murdoch

Many students are surprised to learn that they are eligible for the Murdoch Uni OnTrack program. In this video, Nazli explains a bit about what OnTrack is and who is eligible and how you should apply. 

The key points from the video to know

• OnTrack is a 14 week free program that once completed will be used to give you entry into Murdoch.

• You can apply if you are:
• A school leaver who experienced disruption during your year 12 exams; this could be something like moving schools, living in a regional area, or receiving poor advice from your school on getting into uni.

• Non-school leavers who are in a difficult situation such as; you have a medical condition or disability, English is your second language, you have been unemployed for a long time.

• The video also discusses TOP (Tertiary Options Project), which is for students who have had something severe happen during their year 12 studies that prevented them from getting the results they needed to get in to uni.

To apply for OnTrack call (08) 9360 2609 or email ontrack@murdoch.edu.au
To apply for TOP call (08) 9360 6084 or email equity@murdoch.edu.au

If you have any questions, or even if you think your situation may not count, contact our Student Centre and chat to someone and you may find that you are eligible for the program. If not, our lovely Student Centre staff can help you find a way of making your goal of studying at uni come true!

Have you considered any of these pathways into uni?

The low down on sitting the STAT
You don’t have to be a school leaver to use your ATAR
Is Tafe your Ticket into a uni course?
Breaking up with your ATAR and finding a new pathway into uni
The top question we get asked when ATAR results are released

Using previous uni qualifications to apply for a new course

In this video our friendly Student Centre advisor Tanya explains how and when you would use your previous uni qualifications to apply for uni at Murdoch.

Key tips from this video about previous uni study

• Once you start uni you are not locked in! You can switch courses and you can change universities to find the course that is right for you.
• We look at your highest level of prior learning, so once you have done at least two units of uni study we no longer consider other qualifications you may have, such as an ATAR score or Tafe. This also means you do not need to sit the STAT test!
• There is no expiry on uni study, we will consider you for entry forever – however it may not be valid to gain credits or Advanced Standing. 
• If you are switching courses or took some time out of uni and now want to come back and do a different course, you can possibly get some credits toward your new degree if it wasn’t too long ago.

How you should go about applying

You apply through TISC to start Semester 1 and apply using our online form if you want to commence in Semester 2 (Mid year start).

Exceptions to the rule

Courses like Law, Chiro, Vet and Psych honours require a certain level of qualifications, so come and chat to us about this or any other queries you may have about how you may qualify for Murdoch.

Read other students stories about changing courses and changing unis

Jack reckons It’s ok, you are allowed to change your mind.

Christian gives his advice On making changes and being a First Year student the second time round.

If you haven’t done any units at uni you may like to consider these other entry pathways

The Low Down on sitting the STAT
You don’t have to be a school leaver to use your ATAR
Breaking up with your ATAR and finding a new pathway into uni
The top question we get asked when ATAR results are released

Is TAFE your Ticket into a uni course?

It’s super straight forward to apply for uni using a TAFE qualification and this video gives you the run down of it all.

A quick recap of the key points in the video

• You need to have at least a certificate IV from TAFE to qualify, certificate III is not enough.
• If you want to apply for Semester 1 you need to put your application in through TISC – even if you are not a Murdoch student!
• If you want to apply to start in Semester 2 (Mid year entry) then you can apply directly with us using our online application form (and don’t forget to attach your academic transcript!).
• If you have completed at least two units of a uni degree this will override your TAFE qualifications so watch our video on applying using previous uni qualifications.

Don’t have a TAFE certificate? Watch our other videos on other entry pathways that might be your ticket in

Breaking up with your ATAR and finding a new pathway into uni
The top question we get asked when ATAR results are released

Can I use my work experience to qualify for uni?

We get a lot of people asking about applying to university using work experience as their admission qualification.

In this video Tanya from our Student Centre explains what this really means. To be honest, it’s a pretty hard way to get in – you need to have heaps of experience to qualify and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

A few key points from the video that you need to know if you are thinking of applying this way:

• You need lots of experience – we’re talking 10 years plus.
• The experience needs to be directly related to the course you are applying for.
• People who have this level of work experience may be better suited to applying for a Postgraduate or Masters degree rather than an Undergraduate degree.

One of these options may be better for you to get into uni, have you considered these other forms of admission?

Breaking up with your ATAR and finding a new pathway into uni
The top question we get asked when ATAR results are released

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