For Vee Nadalin university is more than just a classroom, it is a community. ‘I have been accepted into other universities but chose Deakin because of how student-driven it is. I came from a rural town and was the first in my family to study at uni. Because of this, I didn’t know anybody in my classes, or what to expect. I have never felt like an outsider at Deakin or that I don’t belong. I always felt supported and was able to handle moving to the city and studying after my gap year.’
I feel like Deakin has a welcoming vibe and the learning environment focuses on improving the experience of students. I don’t feel like I need to compete with the person sitting next to me in class, or that I need to constantly stress about my grade average. I feel like I can really thrive in the supportive Deakin environment. Everyone is there to push each other up and the staff are willing to modify their lecture plan to adapt to students’ needs
At times Vee has experienced difficulties in her course and is grateful for Deakin’s vast support network. ‘I have found PASS sessions to be especially useful in my first year of uni. These are study sessions run by past students whom have excelled in the unit. It gives you the opportunity to further engage in the unit and learn informally. The staff at Deakin are also down-to-earth and very knowledgeable. They understand what it is like to study at university and are always willing to answer any questions I might have. They genuinely want me to do well and are always looking for ways to get students to better engage in the content. Their love for their field is contagious and shows in their enthusiasm to teach,’ Vee says.
Vee recommends Deakin University for ‘focusing on students’ understanding and engaging with the content, rather than achieving a benchmark grade in an assignment. ‘I think this would make us more job-ready because we can concentrate on applying the content we’ve learnt in-depth, instead of learning textbook answers at a shallow level, or learning just enough to complete our assignments.’
Vee Nadalin
Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Psychological Science
