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Students walking around Burwood Campus

30 January 2021

Year 12 graduates! Why you’re well prepared for uni – and how to make a great start

If you graduated from Year 12 at the end of 2020, you may be looking back on your final year of school and asking: ‘What just happened?’

No one expected the year to pan out the way it did, and it’s understandable if you feel cheated out of all the usual Year 12 milestones – 18th birthdays, formals, driving lessons, group study sessions, in-person exams and graduation ceremonies.

While it’s natural to look back on 2020 with some negativity, we’re so excited to welcome you to Deakin, and hope you’re feeling ready for a whole new world of learning, experiences, challenges and connections.

The good news is that you’re already ahead of the game – your year of online learning has set you up for study success at Deakin in a range of ways:

How new student Jesse plans to make a flying start at Deakin

We chatted to recent high-school graduate Jesse, who’s beginning a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science, about her goals for starting uni and how she’ll apply the lessons of 2020 to her Deakin journey.

Deakin commencing student Jesse‘I’m so proud of myself for completing Year 12, especially in the year that we had! I found it very hard to stay motivated to go to my classes and actually do the work.

‘I learnt how to set up a routine that replicated a school day, so I made sure I had breaks and was productive in the allocated class times. This included having set recess and lunch times, and calling friends so we could chat and socialise during our breaks in the same way we would at school.

‘I was hoping to go overseas to do Camp America. But I’m feeling pretty confident about uni, especially since online learning gave me a glimpse into personal management and individual learning.

‘I’m looking forward to making new friends during OWeek and also in some of my classes! I’m hoping DUSA and other social events will help me meet new friends in person.

‘I think on-campus activities will be very important to get a feel of what uni life is like. I would love to come on campus as much as I can, particularly to use the study areas as I can get too distracted at home sometimes!

‘I feel a little nervous, but mostly excited to get into it and have some fun!’

Ready to connect and have fun? Here’s how!

While your first experience of uni may be a little different than in a pre-COVID world, there’s heaps of ways for you to make friends, get to know your new environment and have an awesome time! Make sure you do the following:

Congratulations on becoming a Deakin student – we can’t wait to see you both online and on-campus in 2021!



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