Tuesday, 31 July 2012

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


  • 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.

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.




Tuesday, 24 July 2012

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: