First Year Guide 2021 - UNSW Women in Technology

CONTENTS Hi There!

The Basics

3 4

Your Guide to Enrolment and Courses Rush Hour Hot Tools Best Campus Eats

5 8 9 11

Academics

13

Study Spaces Preparing for Exams How to Make the Most of Note-taking How to Ace Online Learning

14 16 19 22

All About WIT

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Joining a Society Meet the 2021 WIT Team About WIT WIT Upcoming Events

26 28 32 33

Support

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Words of Wisdom Support Services

36 38

Hi There!

From all of us at WIT, welcome to UNSW! You are about to embark on an exciting, challenging and thrilling university journey that is full of opportunities that will develop you personally and professionally.

The transition from high school to uni is exciting, but we know that it can be a bit daunting and overwhelming. That’s where we come in.

This guide has where to find the best feeds on campus, ways you can get involved in student life, advice directly from our team and all the tips and tricks you need to make sure that you not only survive, but thrive in first year!

You will undoubtedly face your share of ups and downs throughout the year and your uni experience, but never forget that this is a journey many others are taking alongside you.

Have fun and embrace the challenges along with the opportunities that come your way during your first year at UNSW!

Best wishes, UNSW Women in Technology

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THE BASICS

Your Guide to Enrolment and Courses Enrolment can be a pain, from navigating times and websites, to what platform your course uses. Here, we break down the resources you will need when you enrol, and introduce you to some of the resources that you will need during your degree progression.

Glossary of Enrolment: A program is a degree, e.g. Bachelor of Information Systems A course is a subject, e.g. MATH1131 Mathematics 1A. Most subjects are worth 6 units of credit (UOC), and you can take a maximum of 18 UOC each term.

An enrolment appointment is the time and date when your enrolment opens for the year, or when your class registration opens for the term. You can find your enrolment dates on myUNSW under “Enrolment Appointments� and will be at different times for people and for different degrees, so get in quick once your enrolment opens to secure your place in the course!

A prerequisite is a course you need to complete before you can complete other courses. These requirements are outlined in the Student Handbook.

A corequisite is a course you can take either alongside or before you take on a particular course. These requirements are outlined in the Student Handbook.

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Resources for enrolment: Student Handbook The Student Handbook is a guide to your programs and what courses you need to take. Use it to find the requirements of your degree, as well as course outlines, prerequisites, and which term(s) your courses are offered in. The Student Handbook is a fantastic resource for degree planning. To find the handbook relevant to your degree, head here: https://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/

myUNSW myUNSW provides information on your enrolment, exams, academic history, and financials. You would have used it to enrol and register for T1 (if you haven’t yet, enrol as soon as possible so you can lock in a timetable that suits you), and you will have to use it each time you register, as well as to swap or drop classes. Here you can also find important dates, information on support services, and links to many other useful resources. Check it out here: https://my.unsw.edu.au/

UNSW Class Timetable Before your enrolment appointment each term, you can view and decide what times work best for the courses you have chosen via the UNSW Class Timetable. accessible here http://timetable.unsw.edu.au/2021/subjectSearch.html The Class Timetable provides the timetabling and enrolment information for every course at UNSW so it is an invaluable resource.

The Nucleus: Student Hub First and foremost, visit The Nucleus to get your ID-card during O-Week! Your ID-card will be essential for your access to a variety of student services, so get it as soon as you can! The Nucleus offers other essential student services; check it out on page 42.

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What happens next?

Check Moodle Moodle is a platform via which your course will be predominantly organised. Your courses for the term will be updated roughly one week before you begin.

On Moodle you will be able to find the lecture recordings, course outline, assessment details, other course resources and information. Your course convenor (the person who organises your course) will often make announcements regarding the course via Moodle, so make sure you check the “Announcements” section often!

Remember, all courses are on Moodle, but not all courses use Moodle as the predominant means to communicate and provide assessments to students (such as most CSE subjects). If this is the case, you’ll be informed of how the course is being delivered via Moodle or email.

Uni-Verse This is UNSW’s official app. It includes your timetable for the term, Moodle content, library services, maps, and contact info, as well as allowing you to join the virtual queue for the Nucleus (click on My Services, then Nucleus Hub).

UNSW Bookshop If you need a textbook for your course, it will be mentioned in the course outline, and most lecturers will tell you if you need to buy it in the first lecture. Any textbooks you need for your classes are guaranteed to be at the UNSW Bookshop, located next to the Business School. For other ways to get textbooks, check out our Hot Tools Page on page 9.

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RUSH HOUR HOW TO GET TO UNI

GETTING YOUR CONCESSION OPAL CARD:

It’s super easy! Jump onto myUNSW and under Online Services click “Concession Opal Card” to apply and have your concession opal card delivered to you.

Your concession card entitles you to cheaper public transport fares than typical adult fares. Opal officers may check your card during your trip, so be sure to have your student ID with you to prove you are a UNSW student!

GETTING TO UNI:

From Central: The light rail from Chalmers Street to UNSW High Street, upper campus (Randwick line) or UNSW Anzac Parade, lower campus (Juniors Kingsford line).

You can also catch the 391, 393, 395, and M10 to UNSW lower campus.

From Town Hall/Museum: M10/M50/392/394/396/397/399 or the light rail.

Other services: Burwood to Bondi Junction via High Street - 400 Leichhardt to Coogee via High Street - 370

LEAVING UNI: To Central: The light rail from UNSW Anzac Parade (lower campus), or UNSW High Street (upper campus near Gate 9), the 393 from Gate 3 (lower campus) or Gate 8 (upper campus), or the 391, 395, and M10 from NIDA. To Town Hall/Museum: M10/M50/392/394/396/397/399 from NIDA.

PARKING:

Don’t trust public transport to get you to your morning lecture on time? See https://www.estate.unsw.edu.au/getting-here/parking-campus for on-campus parking.

You can also try street parking, but keep in mind that it will be a little walk away.

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Here are some hot and useful tools that all students need to make the university grind easier.

Planning and Organisation One of the most useful tools to save class enrolment stress is CrossAngles!

This web app helps you plan out your timetable. Input the courses you are planning to take for the term and it will generate the most optimal timetable, which you can easily rearrange by dragging and dropping as desired. The site also displays current enrolment for each class - but check Timetable for the most up-to-date information.

Check out their website here: https://crossangles.app/

Trello is an organisational tool by Atlassian, and is one of the best ways to organise your work, especially when managing a group project.

You can assign tasks, upload files, keep track of due dates, and more!

Use it here: https://trello.com/en/

LinkUp is an event tracker that collects upcoming society events into one place on their website. It displays events happening now so you won’t miss out, and can help you find new societies.

Find LinkUp at https://linkupevents.com.au/

Notion is another great notetaking tool, where you can write documents collaboratively, plan tasks and group projects, and make spreadsheets, all in one place. It has the added bonuses of easy formatting and integration of other apps.

Check it out via https://www.notion.so/

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Navigation The Opal Travel app is great for planning your trip using public transport and to manage your Opal card balance. Local students can apply for a Concession Opal card on myUNSW.

TripView is another useful app that provides real-time locations and schedules of buses, trains, trams, and ferries.

Having trouble navigating campus?

The Lost on Campus app shows the location and photos of lecture theatres, labs, and tute rooms, as well as giving locations of toilets, microwaves, and vending machines.

Textbooks The UNSW Textbook Exchange Facebook groups are the go-to place for buying and selling textbooks. Some faculties have separate groups.

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StudentVIP and Zookal both have textbook exchange markets where you can buy and sell textbooks. Zookal also has textbooks available for loan.

Best Campus Eats With over 30 food stores to choose from, UNSW campus eats is home to a variety of cuisines ensuring you’ll never go hungry. So, from hearty lunches to the best coffee on campus, here are our picks for UNSW food and drink.

Laksa Delight Located in the Matthew’s Arcade, Laksa Delight offers delicious South-East Asian foods, and of course, amazing laksa!

Stock Market Kitchen For delicious salads (that you can customise), sandwiches, soup, and juices, head to Stock Market Kitchen in Matthew’s Arcade..

Stellini Pasta Bar Located at the Terraces, Stellini is a go-to for a hearty lunch, serving fresh and delicious pasta.

Q-Lounge The Q Lounge in the Quad food court has a variety of well-priced salads, lunches, and decent coffee.

Roundhouse The Roundhouse has great burgers and chips, and is perfect for unwinding with a drink. It also hosts lots of weekly events which you can check out via Facebook or through Arc.

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Coffee: The best places to satisfy your caffeine cravings: Lower campus: Maze Middle campus: Coffee on campus Upper campus: The Little Marionette

Free Food Tight budget? Chances are there’ll be free food somewhere on campus. Facebook groups like UNSW Free Food can help you out - or just follow the smell of a society sausage sizzle!

Microwaves If you’re bringing your lunch from home, here are some places where you can heat up your food: Blockhouse Ground Floor Law Library Ground Floor Red Centre Ground Floor Quad opposite G042 Matthews near food court Main Library Level 2 UNSW Business School (Ground, Level 1 and 2) Due to Covid-19 many UNSW food stores are open for takeaway only, or currently closed. You can check our UNSW’s most recent information on Covid-19 and Food Stores via https://bacs.unsw.edu.au/food-andretail/update-food-retail-response-covid19.

Bon Appetit!

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ACADEMICS

Study Spaces Getting in the zone is essential to acing any exam, and as such, having the right workspace is the key to effective study. Without further ado, here are some of our favourite study spots on-campus.

Main Library Being the most popular study spot, the Main Library has 8 floors that have study spaces is usually open 24/7 to accommodate for your all-nighters). The library also offers other essential student services such as printers, scanners, chargers, computers, borrowable laptops, microwaves, and even a nap area. To sum up:

Level 2 - 24/7 study area, study lounges, eating area, Help Zone (can be used to locate rooms) Level 3 & 4 - Silent study, group study rooms, map collection, postgraduate study space Level 5 & 6 - Study spaces Level 7 - Silent study Level 8 - Study spaces including study pods

ks on most Pro tip: Main Library allows you to eat smallbesnac n on Level 2 eate levels, but larger meals like lunch can only Currently, students can reserve individual spaces on Level 3, 4 and 7 (silent study).

To maintain social distancing practices group study rooms in the main library are currently unavailable. For more information, including opening horse head to: https://www.library.unsw.edu.au/study/services-and-facilities/main-library.

Business School The Business School is a popular study spot, especially among commerce students, so it can get quite busy! It has lots of benefits such as powerpoints at nearly every table and microwaves on every floor.

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Ainsworth Ainsworth has three levels for study and is home to the CSE labs, which you can use if there are no classes running during that time. Your student ID card is used to access the labs, so make sure you have it on you! A timetable of the classes can be accessed here: http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~give/Timetables/labs/current/.

Law Library The study spaces in the Law Library are vibrant yet cozy, known for their iconic purple colours. Currently, you cannot book rooms here, however, once social distancing practices are no longer in place, the booking service will resume , via https://roombookings.library.unsw.edu.au/

Science and Engineering Building (SEB) Just opposite MCIC, if you’re someone who needs a lot of peace and quiet to study, try the new Science and Engineering Building! There are two floors available for studying with plenty of tables and powerpoints.

To get there, go into the Hilmer building and take the lift down to Level B, or enter from the stairwell through the automatic doors in the glass doors of SEB.

CATS Rooms Walked up and down the campus and still can’t find a good spot?

Try finding an empty CATS room for some silent study. Check the timetable on the door first to see if the room is available.

With COVID-19 in mind, there are multiple hand sanitiser stations around campus as well as signage to show you where you can sit to maintain social distancing requirements. You may also have to scan your student ID to get into some of these study spaces, so be sure to have it with you!

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PREPARING FOR EXAMS Exams are the absolute bane to every university student, especially in the first year when you are still trying to get settled in. But don’t worry! Here, we provide you with tips on how to ace the exams, materials to bring, and what to expect.

Once you get into the weekly swing of university, there are two major exams and assessment blocks in the term: 1) Mid-Term Exams: typically occurring in Week 5 - 7 depending on your course. Note: During week 6, most courses have a flexi-week, which is a week where no classes are held to give students the opportunity to revise and prepare for exams.

2) Final Exams: the final exam period can be found in the UNSW academic calendar. These are generally the last form of assessment for courses and have the highest weighting.

WHAT SHOULD I DO TO PREPARE FOR THE EXAM PERIOD? Organisation is key.

At the beginning of the term, check out your course outlines for assessment dates.

These contain a great overview of the different forms of assessments that you will need to complete to ace your course. Make note of these dates in your calendar or diary to avoid future confusion and to ensure early exam preparation.

Throughout the term, stay on top of your notes! Although courses are online, make sure you stay on top of your lecture content and revision during the term. Binge-watching lectures the night before your exam is not an effective way to study (even though it happens to the best of us).

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Get in the zone.

Set a time for how long you want to spend on each course, and what you want to achieve in each study session. This is a great way to track your study, and helps you feel fulfilled after studying during a hectic exam season!

Find a local library, visit the study spots on page 13 or, if you’re studying at home, a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed. Put any distractions away so you can focus and get your studying done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Remember, many of the study methods and techniques you used in high school will still be highly relevant at uni. If you’re looking for some new ways to take notes, check out page 19.

You are not alone!

Talk to your mentors, tutors or lecturers, try group study sessions, or use the resources provided by UNSW. Your course will offer a variety of free academic support services, so find out what services your faculty offers and use them!

WIT also offers end of course revision workshops that anyone can attend (such as COMP1511 and INFS1609), follow us on Facebook for updates! Our website also has blogs and podcasts on acing study and exams to support your success.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT IN EXAMS? Carefully read over the details of the exam provided by your course convenor or in the course outline - the types of questions, the content covered, and the length of the exam - you don’t want to be surprised on the day! In particular, make sure you know the exact time and location of the exam which you can find on myUNSW. Your UNSW ID card is mandatory for every in-person exam, so make sure you bring it!

Also ensure that your stationery is in a clear pencil case and if you choose to bring water, make sure it’s in a clear, colourless water bottle with no label.

Check other materials you will need to bring to the exam such as pencils, rulers, pens etc. If you need a calculator for your exam, make sure you have a UNSW approved calculator by getting an approval sticker from the Nucleus or your School’s Student Centre well before the exam.

See student.unsw.edu.au/exam-approved-calculators-and-computers for more info.

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WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN AN ONLINE EXAM? Many exams may be held online due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Your course convenor will make an announcement via Moodle (or other platform that your course is using) to give you the details of your exam such as precise time, length of the exam, and how the exam will be run.

Most courses will have you do the exam online via a Moodle quiz, or set a time-frame for you to submit answers to a platform. Use this checklist to prepare for online exams:

Let people you live with know when you have an exam so you will not be disturbed 1 hour before the exam begins, set up for your exam in a clean, quiet place so you can focus Have water, tissues, pens, paper, and your calculator (if applicable) ready If you have an open book exam, order your notes and other resources by topic. If you can, print them off so that you can easily utilise them.

Sit down 5-10 minutes before your exam begins, relax, and take the chance to be calm before you start your exam

HOW DO I TRAVEL TO AN IN-PERSON EXAM? Plan your route beforehand, especially if the location of the exam is unfamiliar.

Public transport is particularly busy during exams so make sure you leave at least 30 minutes earlier than usual.

In-person exams occur on campus or at the Royal Randwick Racecourse. The location of the exam can be viewed on your myUNSW profile in the exams timetable section, make a note of these and plan your route before the exam date.

If your exam is in Randwick Racecourse, there will have plenty of signage around and there are staff members there to help you navigate the area so no need to panic if you aren’t sure where to go!

Once you’ve completed your exam, you will have to wait for your result. You can find out when you’ll receive your total course mark via https://student.unsw.edu.au/results.

Above all else, rest up well for exams and do the best you can!

You got it!!!

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Note-taking Effectively, Professionally and Academically As a first-year student, you will be attending a variety of classes such as lectures, tutorials, and labs, where you may be confronted with huge amounts of information from your lecturer and tutor. There will be times when you will be struggling to write as quickly as your lecturer is speaking, and you could potentially be missing out on important material! Being a first-year student can be challenging in many ways.

There is more work to do and content to study, so it is vital that you are able to manage your time and commitments efficiently. While many lectures and presentations are recorded and shared with the attendees, note-taking is still a necessity, so here we explore how to take notes effectively, professionally, and academically.

How many times have you been in a class and struggled to write quickly enough? Or missed important details because you were busy writing something else?

In every lecture and tutorial, students face the daunting task of extracting and remembering the most important information, so note-taking can be an effective way to reinforce what you’re learning. Additionally, it’s more efficient to learn and capture the important information when you're hearing it for the first time, instead of spending more time reviewing a recording of it.

“Acquiring the habit of note-taking is a wonderfully complementary skill to that of listening.” - Richard Branson, English business magnate, investor, and author.

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Do's and Don'ts of Note Taking Do: Identify the speaker’s purpose Write down the main points, essence, and notable facts that would be hard to recall on your own later Save time using abbreviations Organise your notes and prioritise important points, use bullets, highlight, underline and capitalise appropriately Use arrows to show how concepts are connected Create easily identifiable symbols such as stars to identify action items etc.

At the end of the lecture or meeting, summarise the main messages into one to two sentences to reinforce your understanding of the material

Do not: the everything Write down aker says lecturer/spe on tay focused Multitask. S the speaker with the Experiment n or presentatio s of your note organisation notes while taking

TOOLS FOR NOTE TAKING Online note-taking and organisational tools such as Evernote and OneNote are popular and effective tools used to organise their notes, manage tasks, and archive the notes that are no longer needed. If you own an iPad, a popular app to consider using is GoodNotes. These programs allow users to gather notes and information in a variety of ways — from traditional writing, audio, and video recordings, to storing complete webpages.

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Popular Note Taking Methods Outline Method This method organises information in a structured and logical manner and becomes an excellent study guide.

Use simple bullet points and hierarchy (have a main heading and bullet point below the heading). Use toplevel bullet points for the main points and lower level bullet points for the details.

Cornell Method

Divide paper into 3 sections. On the top of your paper, you’ll have two columns with the left one being the cue column and the right one being the notetaking column. Underneath the columns, you have a section for the summary where you summarise the key point using your own words. During the lecture, you add notes. After class, you add questions or cues related to the summary bullet points on the right. Then, you write a summary of the lecture below.

Mind Map Method This method allows you to make new connections between ideas by highlighting important facts, showing the structure of a subject and its important individual parts. This is an ideal method for when you need to think creatively. Write the topic at the center of a piece of paper. Then, add tree limbs with topics and subtopics.

Flow Method

The goal of this method is to learn the material once while sitting in class. Create your mental image of the subject on paper. Organise it spatially, including arrows to connect concepts and ideas.

Charting Method This method is ideal when you’re learning about chronological events. Identify the topics that will be covered in the lecture. Then, draw columns and write the headings based on the categories. During the lecture or tutorial, write down words, phrases, and main ideas into the appropriate category.

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HOW TO ACE ONLINE LEARNING Undeniably, we are being faced with new challenges everyday that test our persistence, determination, and resilience. Our most recent challenge is online learning. Being shoved into a new learning environment that you are not used to, and have not been in before can be difficult. How do you meet people? How do you succeed in class? Here, we unpack success to online learning so that you can thrive in an online learning environment.

Every student has different techniques to succeed academically. The way you learn is different to the way your peers learn. As you read through, you will see techniques that resonate with you, whilst others may not be as effective for your learning style. Here is what we at WIT, not only from personal experience, but from thorough research, have found can help you become a successful student studying online.

Meeting people The hardest part of online learning is not being able to have the same trivial interactions with people that you normally would before your lecture or tutorial begins. These are some ways you can still meet people: Almost everyone goes to the first lecture.

Take the opportunity to flick through the participants list and if you see anyone you know, reach out to them!

Join the group chat for your course.

Almost every course will have a group chat via Messenger, you can either ask your fellow peers if there is one yet during your lecture break, or after the lecture before everyone leaves.

Alternatively, you can ask the UNSW Discussion Group on Facebook, if there is a group chat for your course. If there is no course chat, offer to make one - many students will be grateful!

Take the leap in your break-out rooms or groups.

Break the ice and introduce yourself! Something as simple as “Hey everyone, I’m ___, how are you guys finding uni?” is a great way to start conversation and meet people in your course.

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Great minds think alike.

If someone has asked a question similar to one you had online, or a question you found interesting, find them on Facebook, and reach out to them to discuss the course!

Make the most of your in-person interactions.

Some courses will do hybrid learning, where you come to campus for your labs. If this is the case for you, make the most of the opportunity to meet new people, whether it’s introducing yourself to the person on the lab bench next to you, someone you meet outside your tute room, or even someone sitting next to you in an in-person help session.

Persistence Starting off, your online university experience may be difficult, so your willingness to tolerate new problems, and ask for help when you are stuck on problems will be invaluable. Do not make unnecessary excuses to miss work, not utilise the resources you are given, and leave your lectures until the week before your exams.

Hit up the discussion forum On Moodle (or whichever similar platform your course uses) there will be a discussion forum for you to ask questions. Use this forum to ask questions if you’re stuck on a problem, or have any questions about the course and exams. A fellow student or a staff member will answer your question, so do not hesitate to ask!

Set goals at the beginning of the term Set yourself goals for each course, and even for uni-life. Research shows that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down, so do not just think about them, write them up, stick them on your wall, and make it your motivation to persist through the term!

An Environment You Can Learn In Everyone’s home environment is different, so this will vary depending on what works best for you, and how you can adapt your study space.

Keep it clean Online learning can cause clutter across your desk, whether it’s paper, books, plates or the inevitable collecting of cups, the list never ends. Make the time after each lecture, tutorial, or study session to spend five minutes cleaning your desk. Not only does it create a better learning environment but gives you a few minutes to breathe, and get away from your screen.

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Eliminate distractions Set an exact time you intend to work for, and stay focussed for the entire duration of your lecture, tutorial, or study session.

Don’t flick to computer games, instead leave your phone off, and be determined to get as much out of the session as possible.

Shake up your study environment If you can, take a study session at a local cafe, the library, or even just outside! Being in the same place all term can make your study space a boring place pretty quickly, so shaking up where you study every now and again can help you stay motivated and enthusiastic.

Time-Management It’s a big one, and links heavily to eliminating distractions. One of the greatest benefits of learning online is that you are in control of how you spend your time, so you can finish easier content faster, and harder content with more time. To effectively manage your time: Create a weekly planner Write your lectures, tutorials, and labs in. Add in your regular extracurriculars, and then set times to study that you know you can stick to, even when you want to go to sleep. Another alternative for busier, less-regular schedules is to create a planner each week.

UNSW has planners available through this link: https://student.unsw.edu.au/long-and-short-term-planning or you can use your Outlook calendar!

Make a note of your major assessments and exams throughout the term Most courses will release their examination information two weeks before the exam, however the course outline will still provide what week your assessment will be in and what content will be tested, so you can start tailoring your notes from the get go! For more exam tips see page 16.

Make time for yourself If you end up in the loop of staying at your desk all day, going to bed, and waking back up to get on your laptop, online study will most likely become very draining very quickly. If you want to be able to achieve your goals, do your best, and succeed online, make sure you give yourself time away from the screen to relax and refocus.

Good luck, and all the best for your online learning experience!

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ALL ABOUT WIT

Joining a Society Societies are at the heart of uni life, a great place to meet like-minded people, and come across amazing opportunities.

Why join a society?

Friends

Interests

Societies are great for finding new friends and building lasting friendships with people who have common interests. Not only that, but you will be able to meet up again through society events!

Getting involved with a society through joining a subcommittee team is great for developing a range of skills. WIT’s subcommittee applications are open now, apply through Facebook or check out our website!

There are over 300 clubs at UNSW, relating to education, culture, hobbies, and everything in between - so there is guaranteed to be one that relates to your interests, and somewhere you can gain new experiences.

Skills Career

Career-related societies like WIT can help you develop career skills and connections with industry, through workshops, networking nights, and more. Check out page [How WIT can help your career] for more details.

Join via SpArc and Facebook to become an official member of WIT now!

What is a subcommittee?

Societies have an executive team that run the society and its portfolios (it’s different teams). In addition to the executive team, societies will open subcommittee recruitment at the beginning of the year to allow people to join the team and be more involved in what the society does.

Joining a subcommittee is a fantastic way to become involved in a society, develop your skill set, and engage in a variety of opportunities. At WIT, there are a number of portfolios that you can be involved in, including Human Resources, Externals, Events, Marketing, IT and Education.

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How do I join a subcommittee?

WIT’s subcommittee applications are open now!

Check out our Facebook page and our website!

Whether you want to engage with sponsors, inspire others, or work towards exciting and ambitious goals alongside like minded people, being part of WIT’s subcommittee will be the beginning of a range of opportunities for you! Learn more about each portfolio’s role on our Facebook page.

What is the application process?

Fill out the written application form available via Facebook and our website. This includes questions about why you want to join WIT, and may have portfolio specific questions.

If your written application is successful, you will receive an email letting you know, and an interview will be organised either in person or online. Often the executive of the portfolio you have applied for will be at the interview.

Some time after the interview, you will get an email to let you know if you have been successful!

Follow us on Facebook for more advice on doing well in your application for subcommittee!

Want to learn more about the WIT experience? Check out our Chat and Chill podcast with 2020 Executives and Subcommittee members!

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Meet the 2021 Team Gabrielle Younes Co-President Degree: Bioinformatics Engineering/Adv. Science (Pharmacology, Statistics) Likes: Stress baking & eating, bouldering, starting random DIY projects that I never finish Favourite thing about 1st Year: Being able to make friends and meet new people from a range of different degrees!

Dream vacation destination: Italy Biggest pet peeve: Hearing people chew

Vivian Wong Co-President Degree: Actuarial Science and Commerce Likes: Learning languages, travelling, playing piano Favourite thing about 1st Year: A new beginning, a time to embrace opportunities and really discover who you are.

Dream vacation destination: New York Hidden talent: I am fluent in 5 languages, but I have only been speaking in English since I arrived in Sydney

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Victoria Yu Secretary Degree: Information Systems Likes: Swimming, travelling and eating Favourite thing about 1st Year: Meeting heaps of new people and navigating through university Dream vacation destination: Almalfi Coast Hidden talent: Being able to nap anytime anywhere

Connie Shi Treasurer Degree: Commerce (majoring in Marketing) and Information Systems Likes: Videography, designing, gaming, playing with my cat!

Favourite thing about 1st Year: Meeting like-minded people!

Dream vacation destination: Japan Guilty pleasure: Reading cheesy romance mangas/comics

Georgie Mansfield Education Executive Degree: Chemical Engineering/Science Likes: Venus Fly Traps, the beach, the rain Favourite thing about 1st Year: Meeting heaps of people!

Dream vacation destination: Turkey Biggest pet peeve: Christmas songs

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Jane Wang Events Co-Executive Degree: Commerce/Information Systems Likes: Classic Novels, embroidery, cafes!

Favourite thing about 1st Year: The enthusiasm and spirit that everyone in the cohort possessed - there are so many opportunities available!

Dream vacation destination: Sweden Guilty pleasure: Binge watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Nishmi Kapoor Events Co-Executive Degree: Commerce/Advanced Science Likes: Playing guitar, hiking/camping, learning new skills Favourite thing about 1st Year: The amount of people I met and the friendships I made. I met most of my closest friends in first year!

Dream vacation destination: Maldives Guilty pleasure: Cheese

Srija Mukherjee Externals Executive Degree: Software Engineering Likes: Badminton, reading mystery novels, watching sci-fi thrillers Favourite thing about 1st Year: Meeting and making friends with so many amazing and inspirational people.

Favourite vacation destination: Kerala, India Guilty pleasure: Doing Buzzfeed quizzes when I really should be going to bed

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Claire Yu HR Executive Degree: Commerce Likes: Eating out with friends, when my online shopping arrives nice and early, playing 2048 unironically Favourite thing about 1st Year: Meeting an eclectic range of people :) Dream vacation destination: Greece Biggest pet peeve: Mixing 'your' with 'you're' up

Alana Hua IT Executive Degree: Software/Biomedical Engineering Likes: Drawing, bonding with friends, reading webtoons Favourite thing about 1st Year: My favourite part was being able to make a bot that played a card game!

Favourite vacation destination: The Snowy Mountains Guilty pleasure: Online shopping

Vy Kim Nguyen Marketing Executive Degree: Bioinformatics/Biomedical Engineering Likes: Photography, playing video games, lifting weights Favourite thing about 1st Year: Meeting new people and making friends!

Favourite vacation destination: Vietnam Guilty pleasure: Eating chocolate truffles

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About WIT UNSW Women in Technology (WIT) is a network of over 2300 students that aims to empower, unite, and upskill female students within STEM as we encourage diversity within the technology industry.

At WIT, we are proud of our diverse and positive environment, providing exclusive resources to develop our members that cater from first to final year. Whether it’s personal, academic, or social, we want our community to become the best version of themselves.

Weekly blogs exploring tech related to current events, innovation, lifestyle, and professional success Podcasts featuring industry professionals Our all new video series Annual Careers Guide.

Additionally, we offer events to help you succeed including course revision workshops, technical development, and professional development, check out page 33.

WIT is supported by

Join us through SpArc, connect with us via our social media outlets, and stay up to date with the latest opportunities for you to succeed.

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WIT EVENTS

At WIT, we’re dedicated to giving you opportunities to upskill and meet new people in technology, whether it’s other students or industry professionals. Check out our upcoming events and flagship events below!

Upcoming Events Exec Meet and Greet + LinkedIn Photoshoots (T1 Week 2) Make an impression on our very own executive team before subcommittee applications and get your own professional LinkedIn photos taken in preparation for your professional career.

Start-Up Panel (T1 Week 3) Hear from the hottest start-ups as they relate what they do, what professional life within the self-starter sphere is all about, and get your burning questions answered!

Internship Application Series (T1 Weeks 5-7) Take this chance to up your application game before you apply for internships! Hear from industry professionals as you receive feedback on each stage of the recruitment process.

Resume Workshop (T1 Week 5) Mock Assessment Centres (T1 Week 6) Mock Technical Interviews (T1 Week 6) Mock Interviews (T1 Week 7)

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Flagship Events International Women’s Day (T1 Week 4)

A celebration of the achievements of women in STEM and a welcome to female students into the industry

Empowerment Mentoring Program (T2 Week 1)

WIT’s Empowerment Mentoring Program is a program to equip and empower our participants with professional skills, confidence and meaningful industry connections as they navigate university and their careers by pairing them with a company mentor as well as providing professional development workshops such as Excel Workshop, Personal Branding Workshop,etc.

Case Competition (T2 Week 3-4)

The Case Competition allows participants to combine their business acumen with knowledge about the technology industry to present a business solution to the problem posed.

Hackathon (T2 Week 5-6)

WIT’s largest annual event allows our technical members to challenge themselves and showcase their skills by creating a product through coding, where they will demonstrate their products to our sponsor companies’ representatives.

Diversity Panel Intervarsity Dinner (T3 Week 4)

A casual dinner hosted by student societies from different universities that both celebrates the achievements of women in STEM, welcomes female students into the industry, encourages an attitude of equality amongst both male and female students as well as providing students with the opportunity to network with industry professionals.

Data Analytics Competition (T3 Week 5-6)

An opportunity for students to apply their technical and data analytics skills in a competitive environment, helping students to learn valuable skills in statistical analysis and programming.

Annual Networking Night (T3 Week 8)

WIT’s largest networking event, the Annual Networking Night will give UNSW students the opportunity to valuably connect and network with industry professionals coming from WIT sponsors, giving them the opportunity to ask any burning questions!

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SUPPORT

Support Services

Services to keep you motivated

Starting out university can be overwhelming for anyone and everyone.

But there are many ways that UNSW staff, services, and students that you can reach out to in order to help you on your uni-journey In this section, we outline facilities provided by UNSW that you can visit or call to get the right help for you. Whether you're facing academic, financial, or personal difficulty, UNSW provides a range of services to help you out

Health UNSW Health Services Services provided: GP and specialists Location: Kensington campus, ground floor of East Quadrangle Building Website: healthservices.unsw.edu.au (online appointments)

UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Services provided: Free and confidential services including counselling, stress management, and mood management Location: level 2 of the East Quadrangle Building Website: counselling.unsw.edu.au (Drop in or online appointments)

Disability and Illness Equitable Learning Services (ELS) Services provided: ELS works to ensure that disabilities and health/mental health concerns don't impact your studies, through assistive technology, adjustments to exam conditions, and other services.

Website: student.unsw.edu.au/els (Online contact)

Financial UNSW can provide financial assistance to students in several ways, including interest-free loans, payment plans, and scholarships. Help is also available from government schemes such as Commonwealth assistance and Centrelink payments.

Website: student.unsw.edu.au/finance The SRC also provides support for special groups, including safe spaces and collectives.

Website: arc.unsw.edu.au/voice/src/src-spaces.

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Legal

ARC Legal ARC offers legal advice and advocacy services to help students in their next steps should a situation require legal action.

Whether it’s renting, work, or legal basics, ARC has support to cover you in all these areas Location: Level 2, Arc Precinct, Basser College Website: https://www.arc.unsw.edu.au/help/legal-information

Academic

The Nucleus: Student Hub Looking for more information about your course, administration, or other student queries? Check out the Nucleus Student Hub, UNSW’s central student service.

Location: First on the right at the Main Library entrance Website: https://nucleus.unsw.edu.au/en

Student Support and Success There are advisors available on campus as well who can help you learn about time management or how to reference appropriately, get help with coursework, special consideration, and academic standing. You can also take English Language conversation classes or get help with developing healthy study habits.

Website: https://student.unsw.edu.au/advisors

Student Academic and Career Success To help the transition from university to the workplace, UNSW Student Academic and Career Success offers workshops and opportunities for students to increase their employability and connect them with career building opportunities.

Location: UNSW Morven Brown LG66, East Wing, Quadrangle Building Website: https://www.careers.unsw.edu.au/

International Students UNSW provides support and services to help international students transition into life at UNSW, including an airport pickup service, cultural mentoring, and development programs. They also provide support for families of international students.

Website: https://www.international.unsw.edu.au/support-for-students

Indigenous Students Nura Gili is the Centre for Indigenous Programs at UNSW, providing support, study spaces, and tuition programs for Indigenous students.

They also run community outreach programs and other activities.

Website: https://www.nuragili.unsw.edu.au/

LGBTIQ+ The Ally@UNSW Network aims to ensure that UNSW is a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTIQ+ students and staff, as well as providing transition support, referral services, and awareness training.

Website: https://www.edi.unsw.edu.au/students/lgbtiq-inclusion

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Some Final Words of Wisdom “Take the plunge!”

Your uni experience is what you make it! It may be daunting, but overcoming the fears and challenges is what will help you learn, grow, and succeed.

“Don’t panic!”

Everyone’s journey is different, and we all learn different things at different paces. Don’t be discouraged by the success and failures of others, but take the opportunity to develop yourself.

“Get organised and stay organised.”

Make your notes throughout the term, and trust us, you’ll thank yourself come exam time.

“Find your people.”

Having friends who study the same degree as you makes it easy to share resources and notes, line up your timetables, or just vent about your latest assignment.

Joining student societies is a great way to find your tribe.

“Keep in touch!”

Finding people you gel with takes time, so put in the effort to keep up friendships. It will be harder to maintain friendships than it was in high school since you won’t see them every day, organise meetups and stay in touch!

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“Get involved!”

Societies are a great way to meet people with common interests, develop your skills, or build your network. Go to events or join WIT’s subcommittee team- applications are now open!

“Make time for yourself.”

It can be fun and fulfilling to take on lots of extracurriculars, but make sure you still have downtime!

Be sure to not sacrifice the important things like family, sleep, or other obligations.

“Find a mentor.”

Society mentoring programs can help you find people who have been in your shoes. Older students can also provide invaluable advice and resources to help with your studies and career, making first year a lot easier! Stay tuned for WIT’s Empowerment Mentoring Program openings to develop your career!

“Remember that you’re not alone.”

Everyone is in the same boat, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. Talk to peers, older students, or use UNSW’s Support Services.

Last but not least,

“Be yourself” It’s an obvious and cliche saying, but it’s vital to remember. Being genuine is not only how you will find like-minded people, but is how you will get through tough situations, no matter how unsure you feel.

Good luck, and enjoy your university experience!

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