STARTING OUT

Marcus Raty

First-year Bachelor of Engineering student at Griffith University

First-year Bachelor of Engineering student at Griffith University, Marcus Raty shares his experience of the transition to University and how a GAF scholarship has helped ease the way through some of the challenges presented in his first semester.

At first, it was difficult to find a balance between social recreations, housekeeping (like washing, cooking, cleaning and shopping) and my educational pursuits at university. Within a few weeks however, I had created a time management plan which has helped me to make the most of my time. These skills, which were further developed by my involvement in the Griffith Honours College orientation events, have helped me to find time to not only develop great friendships within the university and campus village, but to also get my feet firmly grounded within the first-year fundamentals of my chosen course.

While I have found time to study and organise my course work, it has been harder than expected adjusting to the university experience. The range of teachers and their individual styles took some getting used to after a rural school; however, advancing my knowledge in Physics and Maths and learning about new ideas in Electric Circuits has been exciting and interesting. I am looking forward to the advanced opportunities in the subjects I will study in future years.

The George Alexander Scholarship has already given me many opportunities I would never have otherwise had. Perhaps the most obvious is a chance to live at “the village” at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus. Life on campus has so far been an incredible, character-building experience. The village on the Gold Coast has also been the perfect setting to develop new friendships. The scholarship has allowed me to feel financially secure whilst living away from home and has allowed me to participate in a range of extracurricular activities.

During the first semester, I have become a student representative for the university, helping students like myself explore their options and decide on their future pathway. Whilst I do get paid by the university, the job has allowed me to give back to the university, which has given me many opportunities to further my studies and educational experience through the Griffith Honours College. The scholarship has allowed me to extend beyond the standard requisites of the course and enter the Advanced With Honours component of my degree. Without the support of the scholarship, I would not have been able to focus so strongly on my studies and achieve my very best throughout my first semester of university.