Using Macquarie's Library

It may seem pretty straight forward to make good use of your university library, but a lot of students don't make the most of it! The Macquarie University Library is amaaaazing for study, whether it's to do some group or individual study. There are so many books, readings, articles, periodicals and more to borrow all at your fingertips. Borrowing is so easy - you can easily borrow items, put them on hold or renew items using your campus card AND you can log in to MyLibrary any time you need to access your borrower information, renew items and check loans, holds and fines.

The convenience of borrowing such a vast range of all the resources you could ask for is just the beginning. The library has numerous facilities for you to use for whatever it is you need! You can book and use computers, book presentation practice pods, book quiet rooms, loan laptops, lock away your laptop and print, scan and copy any documents you need. If you'd like to take a closer, more intimate look at Macquarie's Library and what else it has to offer, you can view Macquarie's online self-guided tour through the Library facilities page, which shows detailed photos and maps of each floor, locations and opening hours of separate sections.

Macquarie University Library Presentation Pods

Remember, the Library is a wonderful place!! The hired security also keep everyone quiet and in order, so that you can get the best out of your study time spent there. We recommend you use it as much as possible!


Reference: Image 1 retrieved from http://www.mbanews.com.au/mba-melbourne-macquarie-university/
Image 2 retrieved from https://clatac.wordpress.com/caul-library-and-learning-spaces-image-gallery/macquarie-university/

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

It's easy to let yourself go when you start uni - you're an independent adult who can make whichever food choices you like, and with plenty of junk food around to give you a quick fix, it may not come as a surprise to you that it's easy to make the wrong choices! Your usual routine is different, without being forced to attend PDHPE and being a part of many different team sports in school. So it's easy and fun to not worry about eating well and getting heaps of exercise, and as an independent adult, there's no one to tell you not to!

However, treating your body like this is actually unhelpful for your studies. Regular exercise improves levels of energy and mood and reduces stress and anxiety. Well, wow! I'm going to be honest, I've never been amazing at treating my body well, but I would never say no to those benefits! Especially during those periods right before big assignments and exams - I would only stress more to exclaim that there was no time to exercise, only time to study! Thats why whenever you're stuck on an assignment, dozing off watching an online lecture, or freaking out at the large amount of content that you just can't seem to remember - get outside for just 30 minutes to go for a quick jog, swim, bike ride or even just a walk to clear your head and drink in some fresh air and sunshine. You might feel like it wont do anything, but it's only good for you and is so much better for your mind than you think! Macquarie also has a Sport and Aquatic Centre packed with heaps of high quality facilities easy available to Students and to the public, as well as opportunities to join in team sports at uni so you can get some exercise, have fun and make some new friends all at once.

Eating healthy, nutritious, balanced meals are also going to help your uni work. Foods that are high in sugar, sodium and caffeine which students often consume when studying; such as coffee, lollies, energy drinks, potato chips and more give you one sudden hit of energy temporarily, followed by a large crash making your body and processes of thinking slow, demotivating you to keep working. However, nutritious foods such as fish, complex carbs, fresh fruit, nuts, legumes, green veggies etc. will give you a steady level of long lasting energy and aid with memory and proper brain function, helping you get the most out of your study and helping you feel good. :)

We know you've been told this all before, but if you put this into practise, it will make a serious difference in achieving your best results possible at uni, reducing your levels of stress, and keeping you feeling your happiest!


Reference: Image 1 retrieved from http://hollylegare.com/exercise/
Image 2 retrieved from http://www.abn.org.au/blog/healthy-food-ideas-tips-save-time-kitchen/

My Experience In A University Society

Written by Sally
Sally is a third year current student at Macquarie University Studying a Bachelor of Commerce with majors in Marketing and Human Resources.

In some of our previous posts we said how important it was to go to o-week and check out some of the societies the university has to offer. If you don't join a society in the first year that's completely okay! there's no rule. No one can force you, but if you were ever curious there's no harm to give it a go because it's a great experience and this is a little bit about mine. Some students join as a member where they get the opportunity to attend activities and events held by that society and some students join to be a part of the team behind those events in that society which is what I did.

I joined a ECFS (Economics, Commerce and Finance Society) in 2014 as a Marketing Intern for the experience. As a Marketing Student myself I thought that joining a society in a position related to my degree that would give myself an idea of what kind of Marketing activities this area involved and as it adds value to your resume. (Some employers like to know how involved you are in university and being in a society is one way to show that!).

In this position I was involved in the advertising ECFS events around campus; board advertising, creating posters, managing social media channels and lecture announcements. It was a demanding role as there was deadlines and targets to be met for each event. It was challenging and took up some time working alongside many other Marketing Interns we were a close knit team who met regularly each week to discuss our progress and advise each other on how we could improve for our next event. If we physically could not meet we would make the time to do group chats online or Skype call each other. Honestly I didn't realise how much time went into being aprt of this team however i was committed to it because i loved what I did and I enjoyed working with the people around me. In the end I believe it was well worth it because of all the people I met and skills gained;

- Time Management
- Organisation Skills
- Communication Skills
- Creative Skills (Photoshop and Editing)
- Leadership Skills
- Teamwork

After a while I chose to leave ECFS as the uni workload was getting too much however I still refer to ECFS if asked in a job interview. It's a great example to show employers what you are capable of.

If you are curious to see what working in a particular department is like or gaining some real professional skills, being in team in a society is a great way to achieve that. Even if you decide to leave afterwards, you get to meet some great friends and connections!

For a list of student societies on campus at MQU follow the link below:

http://mq.edu.au/on_campus/get_involved/student_groups/

Reference: 
Image - http://www.learn2success.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Is-Building-a-Team-Really-That-Easy.jpg

Use Your Free Time Wisely

Some students manage to squeeze their timetable to go to uni as little as possible such as just 3 days a week, that's a whole four days free!! You must think GEE that's a lot of free time left, doesn't even sound like a full time student! You might think that that's a lot of days to sleep in, play games, shopping, catch up with friends you name it! Yes technically that's true, it is important to have some free personal time to yourself and some people like those free days because that means they can fit in a casual/part time job on the side. However, be careful! Although you're at uni only 3 days a week hypothetically, that's not all that's required of you.

To successfully pass all of your units, you must commit a lot of hours outside class! It requires you to take responsbility to allocate time to start on assignments, do homework or go over what you've learnt that week. Espescially for units that are more demanding than others. It is extrmely important to be able to balance out uni, extra study time and your own personal time. It's easier said than done though, its not an easy task to do. If you can though try your best to effectively work out which schedule works for you. 

Such as if you have a break in between classes but you know you work best at uni only, then use that time between classes to go over your homework or assignments (every little bit of time put towards your uni work counts!). Or simply use that to take a small break to grab a coffee or bite to eat and then after class head home and do the work as long as each day you are inputting time to each element that's important; work, uni & personal. 

The end lesson here is to not underestimate the workload that's required of you and how long it takes for you to finish an assignment. You may think oh i have a whole two weeks to do it and then BAM you realise it's due in just a few days.. time sometimes does fly quickly. The sooner you use your breaks wisely or work out which schedule works for you, the less you will be doing all nighters, be less stressed and become a more organised student. 

Reference: 
Image - http://f.tqn.com/y/collegelife/1/W/G/8/-/-/72262734.jpg

Your degree is not everything - other ways to add Value to yourself!

"Degrees are not everything, anyone can get a degree these days"

What defines someone in the job market is not simply getting good grades or a degree. What is seemingly evident in the job market these days is that; yes degrees are necessary for entry into a workplace due to the minimum knowledge requirements a workplace may require, however, how employers seem to differentiate between one candidate to another is not simply just grades and degrees, but the other values or attributes a candidate has to offer for the business.

Look at this article: EY: Firm says it will not longer consider degrees or A-level results when assessing employees

As such; we come to the see the existance of soft skills is very important in developing a candidates experience and nature, and this is important to note when getting a job!

• Why? In interviews you will normally be asked "How have you shown (professional attribute) in the past?" or Have you organised a project before, how did it go and what was the outcome?"

Questions, like above look into what else a candidate has done, to show themselves off to the interviewer/s so that they have a better understanding of the potential employee.

So what can you do to improve your own personal "portfolio" (work on those soft skills) while at Macquarie University?

• Join a Student Society or two, and be apart of their committee to gain skills whie working as a team
• Be a leader; become a Mentor, and lead by example
• Never say no to any opportunity that comes up! There's no harm in trying!
• Networking; develop relationships amongst friends, other students and even Academics! You never know who they know and how they can help you!

All the best!!

Living on Campus

Thinking about living on campus? With accommodation at Macquarie University, we've decided to make life on and off campus easier for you! We have a wide range of living options available for you to choose from that are safe, supportive and fun. You can live in a new fully/self-catered residence, single or shared room, and have access to a range of convenient facilities, all within close distance to campus (walking, driving, commuting by public transport like trains or buses, or even cycling!).

Iglu Accommodation located in Chatswood


Becoming an on-campus student is so simple. First, you explore our different accommodation options, then you can choose the option and style of living that you feel most comfortable to live at, and then lastly just send your application to live at your new home you have picked! It's that easy! Did we mention that we can also pick up International students from the airport for FREE?!

We have many different accommodation options to choose from, including; Dayman Apartments, Dunmore Lang College (DLC), Herring Road Apartments, Iglu, Macquarie Parklands, Macquarie University Village, Private Accomodation, Robert Menzies College (RMC) and Temporary Accommodation. For more information on each of these options, feel free to visit us online. :)


Reference: Image retrieved from http://www.iglu.com.au/student-accommodation/sydney/iglu-chatswood 

Building on mentoring relationships with Academics

An important factor that is normally disregarded is the effective use in communication and use of resources while in University.

What we have found and studies show that there is lack of interaction between students and academic staff.

Our tip for you today is, use the resources that are presented to you. Be engaged with those around you and they may help and support you in the long run.

It is evident now in tertiary education that the relationship beteen students and academics can become purely linear; Academics are only for grades, marks and learning. As much of this is true; the experience of students in tertiary education can be so much more fulfiling. It can be interesting and valuing for a students to create and maintain relationships between academics, as they were also once students before. As such; a mentoring relationship can be aspiring to learn how the circumstances and experiences of one can develop and transform another. i.e.Academic staff can become mentors that help journey and offer advice that can be relevant to a student's life.

Currently in Macquarie University there is the Mentors@Macquarie Program aimed to give an orientation at Macquarie University for all new students.
For Faculty of Business Students; there are two mentoring program intiatives.
The FBE FirstSTEP Mentoring Program; where they dwell in the mentoring relationship between academic staff and students and the Lucy Mentoring Program where female students can be partnered with a Senior Executive Mentor in the corporate world.

As a final note for today; for students who wish to study a Masters Program; who need an academic reference, this could be an additional resource! 
Us at MQunitips strongly urge you to get out of your comfort zone and give a chance to establish a connection with academic staff and not to be scared to ask questions! 

- "Get Amongst It!"