'Step Up', walk out

Oh these international student seminars. Why do I keep going to them? Maybe it’s because I have nothing else to do. Maybe I’m hoping that for once they’ll give me some good information that I can take away with me. Either way, I need to learn my lesson and stop going to them. They don’t really provide me with any new knowledge, and while I am there I can always think of many other things I’d rather be doing.

Today’s seminar was a big one. Scheduled from 9:30am-4pm “Step Up” was sold as an academic preparation program. I understand that I have already had about enough academics in my life to get me through another degree, but I fooled myself into thinking that Australia did things differently and that I would need to know about them before school started. They do things exactly the same. Except instead of A, B, C, D, F grade scale they have high distinction, distinction, credit, pass, fail. This was the one thing I took from the whole time I was there (*disclosure* I couldn’t take anymore and didn’t come back after we broke for lunch. I felt it was the best decision for me at the time.)

So I don’t sound like too much of a negative Nancy, there was a positive outcome to the morning spent on campus. After the introductions, we broke into groups within our faculties or colleges/schools as we Americans would call them. I met and made friends with four other College of Fine Arts (COFA) students. This was beneficial because then I got to talk with others who will be taking similar classes as me. Pretty diverse group we were, one American, one Iranian, one Bulgarian, and two Asians (Singapore and China). A couple of us exchanged numbers which means my phone contact list is growing by day!

I met two American girls as well while I was there. One is from Missouri and the other from California. I ended up going to lunch with them and hanging out on campus after. We swapped reasons for choosing UNSW, Australia, and exchanged contact information so we could find each other again. (More contacts!) They were nice girls and it is always pleasant to talk to some fellow Americans.

The “Step Up” program continues tomorrow and as much as I complain I’ll probably be there, at least, until I can’t stand it anymore.