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CURRENT STUDENTS

Student Life

Student life at UNSW is much more than just attending classes. There are so many other things which you can do to make your time at University, a fun and worthwhile experience. With a huge range of services, support and activities for our students, UNSW is a great uni experience. Check out the above video to find out more.

You can also use the links on the left of this page to find out about first steps to starting uni, as well as accommodation, managing your study and developing your skills; money matters; student support; social life and religious centres.

Student life
It’s not all study, study, study. Find out about clubs, gigs and student support.

Student Profiles

	Ashleigh Dind \| Medicine "I'm on a research placement at Liverpool Emergency Department this year so my typical day means I wake up at 6:15am and have a speedy bowl of porridge; 6:30am drive to Liverpool; 7:30am attend the Trauma Audit Meeting where Emergency Physicians discuss a patient case and question each other's treatment decisions. 8:00am start work on my research project at my desk; 11:30am morning tea and Respiratory Grand Rounds where we chat about swine flu amongst the array of more common problems and listen to case presentations before learning about different treatment options; 12:30pm Listen to medicine ground rounds on the hot topic of the week; 2:00pm lunch provided by a drug company sponsor; 2:30pm decide whether to get back to work or go home and rest up to prepare for my next clinical shift in the emergency department." Somehow, Ahleigh also finds time to play with the UNSW touch football club!
	Dave Matthews \| Media & Communications "UNSW is a friendly atmosphere and very laid back and you have room to do your own thing. The sporting department is professionally run and extremely helpful toward my athletic endeavours, and the school of Arts and Social Science is also understanding of my sporting commitments." "I am interested in computers and making computer generated artworks and anything creative, and heard the UNSW program was more tailored toward that than the other universities I was looking at. I'm planning to go full time with triathlon, but would like to pick up some part time work as a freelance animator or short film maker."
	Hannah Higgins, Chemical Engineering "While I had heard of the University of New South Wales, it was only at the beginning of yr 12 that I actually began to investigate what it had to offer. Coming from Victoria, I had not previously considered the option of leaving my family and going interstate but the more I heard about UNSW and the opportunities it could provide, the more I wanted to attend." "I was first attracted by the outstanding reputation of the programs offered, particularly in my chosen field of engineering. However on visiting the university in person I was quickly won over by the campus itself. I love the metropolitan feel of UNSW and the fact that it is so easily accessible to both the city and the beaches, providing amazing lifestyle opportunities as well as a great education."
	Angela Kintominas \| Combined Arts/Law "UNSW is a dynamic and young university; we are not willing to be bound up in tradition and conservatism. Teaching styles and curriculums are constantly on the move and student feedback and opinion is an important part of the process. Our law faculty was the first in Australia to provide small classrooms and Socratic teaching style methods. I like the strong social-justice focus that UNSW provides, particularly in the law program." "I chose UNSW because I felt that it was the best place I would find ongoing academic support. I was offered a very generous scholarship upon choosing UNSW, and as a Scientia Scholarship recipient my academic support has been taken very seriously; I am given with a personal mentor from my faculty to whom I can take various academic enquiries, questions and difficulties to discuss in a one-on-one manner. Similarly, through this scholarship program I have been able to secure support across my faculty more broadly, and I am able to submit requests about flexible degree options and I am able to put my hand up to be a university and faculty representative and ambassador."
	Scott Kneller \| Combined Engineering/Commerce "I chose UNSW because of its world-renowned engineering faculty and the support the university provides for elite athletes. UNSW has a convenient location in Sydney, the atmosphere, support for elite athletes, clubs and social organizations and the university community. UNSW places a greater emphasis on providing facilities to improve the university experience encouraging participation in numerous aspects of Uni Life including sport and support for their athletes, learning development and multiculturalism." "I chose Civil Engineering because the profession provides a varied career path and endless possibilities with societies increasing urbanization and environmental challenges. This profession allows for an opportunity to travel and experience the world and what it has to offer. I spent the first semester as a member of Baxter College part of the University's Kensington Colleges, which was a great experience and community to be part of. During semester 2 my main emphasis will be with the UNSW Ski Team."
	Ted Richards \| Commerce "I'm originally from Melbourne and I studied at Melbourne University for a few years and then transferred up here. I chose UNSW because of its good reputation, and central location with good facilities, the banana bread at the cafes is good too. Playing AFL professionally takes up most of my time. I'd like to pursue a career that mixes my studies with my football experiences and get into sports marketing. I believe that a commerce degree will give me a good understanding of the business world to prepare me for work post my football career. I've always liked business studies, but studying different fields has allowed me to see which areas I prefer over others. It seems business statistics isn't one of them!"
	Patrick Horsley \| Medicine "UNSW is one of only a handful of universities that still offer undergraduate medicine and has a reputation as one of the best universities for medicine in Australia. Coupled with this, being from Canberra originally, UNSW's central location (in Sydney) means that friends and family are still always only a relatively short bus ride away. I live in a college (New College), which is fantastic fun. So UNSW was really a winner on all fronts for me. I love the location - only a short bus ride from the city and a short walk to the beach, which is fantastic in summer." "University brings a lot more freedom and less structure. This means you can be more flexible both in terms of what you study and how you study it. I play basketball for the university, and my college, use the gym regularly and have been involved in college productions. I also took a trip to Mongolia last year with the Habitat for Humanity society to volunteer building houses. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life."
	Gabrielle King \| Commerce, Rural assistance, AAA, Bex Lexcen Sports Scholarship recipient "UNSW is a much newer university than some of the other Australian universities, so its culture is quite fresh and open to new ideas. The campus is also very vibrant and full of energy." "The Sports Program is fantastic and offers lots of support. The campus is lovely, and living in Basser College (part of The Kensington Colleges) is an amazing experience. I have always had an interest in Maths and Economics, and the Actuarial major offered in the Commerce degree fitted these criteria perfectly. I moved from Northern NSW to Sydney to attend University. This meant a lifestyle change from small country town to city, but it's one that I have found to be very enjoyable."
	Luane Rowe \| Industrial Design "UNSW has a beautiful campus and great university life. The campus grounds are beautiful - I love the lawns and the trees. It has a wide variety of courses and vibrant university life. I love design and I wanted to know all about a product right from concept to manufacturing to marketing. Industrial design offers so many career paths I would love to do work overseas in a design company to get some experience. Maybe then I would move on to work in the packaging industry."
	Leon Oriti \| BE Electrical Engineering "I chose to move interstate to UNSW purely because of its great reputation as the best engineering university in Australia. The staff, students, course layout and facilities, which I believe cannot be rivaled by any other institution in the country. The BE Electrical Engineering was the program which I thought would give me the tools to make the biggest impact on the world."
	Bradley Jackson \| Surveying & Spatial Information Systems "I heard UNSW was the best university to study engineering at in Australia. I also really liked the campus and its location within Sydney. And I heard the Kensington Colleges was an excellent place to live." "We start projects from scratch doing all of our own field work, calculations and reports to a near professional standard. I thought it would be a lot harder, but with all the resources available and lecturers quite happy to help, it's doable."
	Amy Loughman \| Science/Arts "The best part of my program was being able to try out a lot of different courses in first and second years before being locked into a major - subjects at uni are very different to how I imagined while in high school!" "I chose Science/Arts for its flexibility and the fact that I could study a broad range of areas while still having the opportunity to do Honours and Masters in psychology afterwards. I think the best thing is to realise that one is seldom locked into a certain program or major and that it certainly does not represent a direct path to a single career. You can go many ways with any degree; it depends more on your changing interests than your childhood dreams." "I chose UNSW because of the high quality of standards across faculties, but particularly in science and psychology."

	Ashleigh Dind \| Medicine "I'm on a research placement at Liverpool Emergency Department this year so my typical day means I wake up at 6:15am and have a speedy bowl of porridge; 6:30am drive to Liverpool; 7:30am attend the Trauma Audit Meeting where Emergency Physicians discuss a patient case and question each other's treatment decisions. 8:00am start work on my research project at my desk; 11:30am morning tea and Respiratory Grand Rounds where we chat about swine flu amongst the array of more common problems and listen to case presentations before learning about different treatment options; 12:30pm Listen to medicine ground rounds on the hot topic of the week; 2:00pm lunch provided by a drug company sponsor; 2:30pm decide whether to get back to work or go home and rest up to prepare for my next clinical shift in the emergency department." Somehow, Ahleigh also finds time to play with the UNSW touch football club!
	Dave Matthews \| Media & Communications "UNSW is a friendly atmosphere and very laid back and you have room to do your own thing. The sporting department is professionally run and extremely helpful toward my athletic endeavours, and the school of Arts and Social Science is also understanding of my sporting commitments." "I am interested in computers and making computer generated artworks and anything creative, and heard the UNSW program was more tailored toward that than the other universities I was looking at. I'm planning to go full time with triathlon, but would like to pick up some part time work as a freelance animator or short film maker."
	Hannah Higgins, Chemical Engineering "While I had heard of the University of New South Wales, it was only at the beginning of yr 12 that I actually began to investigate what it had to offer. Coming from Victoria, I had not previously considered the option of leaving my family and going interstate but the more I heard about UNSW and the opportunities it could provide, the more I wanted to attend." "I was first attracted by the outstanding reputation of the programs offered, particularly in my chosen field of engineering. However on visiting the university in person I was quickly won over by the campus itself. I love the metropolitan feel of UNSW and the fact that it is so easily accessible to both the city and the beaches, providing amazing lifestyle opportunities as well as a great education."
	Angela Kintominas \| Combined Arts/Law "UNSW is a dynamic and young university; we are not willing to be bound up in tradition and conservatism. Teaching styles and curriculums are constantly on the move and student feedback and opinion is an important part of the process. Our law faculty was the first in Australia to provide small classrooms and Socratic teaching style methods. I like the strong social-justice focus that UNSW provides, particularly in the law program." "I chose UNSW because I felt that it was the best place I would find ongoing academic support. I was offered a very generous scholarship upon choosing UNSW, and as a Scientia Scholarship recipient my academic support has been taken very seriously; I am given with a personal mentor from my faculty to whom I can take various academic enquiries, questions and difficulties to discuss in a one-on-one manner. Similarly, through this scholarship program I have been able to secure support across my faculty more broadly, and I am able to submit requests about flexible degree options and I am able to put my hand up to be a university and faculty representative and ambassador."
	Scott Kneller \| Combined Engineering/Commerce "I chose UNSW because of its world-renowned engineering faculty and the support the university provides for elite athletes. UNSW has a convenient location in Sydney, the atmosphere, support for elite athletes, clubs and social organizations and the university community. UNSW places a greater emphasis on providing facilities to improve the university experience encouraging participation in numerous aspects of Uni Life including sport and support for their athletes, learning development and multiculturalism." "I chose Civil Engineering because the profession provides a varied career path and endless possibilities with societies increasing urbanization and environmental challenges. This profession allows for an opportunity to travel and experience the world and what it has to offer. I spent the first semester as a member of Baxter College part of the University's Kensington Colleges, which was a great experience and community to be part of. During semester 2 my main emphasis will be with the UNSW Ski Team."
	Ted Richards \| Commerce "I'm originally from Melbourne and I studied at Melbourne University for a few years and then transferred up here. I chose UNSW because of its good reputation, and central location with good facilities, the banana bread at the cafes is good too. Playing AFL professionally takes up most of my time. I'd like to pursue a career that mixes my studies with my football experiences and get into sports marketing. I believe that a commerce degree will give me a good understanding of the business world to prepare me for work post my football career. I've always liked business studies, but studying different fields has allowed me to see which areas I prefer over others. It seems business statistics isn't one of them!"
	Patrick Horsley \| Medicine "UNSW is one of only a handful of universities that still offer undergraduate medicine and has a reputation as one of the best universities for medicine in Australia. Coupled with this, being from Canberra originally, UNSW's central location (in Sydney) means that friends and family are still always only a relatively short bus ride away. I live in a college (New College), which is fantastic fun. So UNSW was really a winner on all fronts for me. I love the location - only a short bus ride from the city and a short walk to the beach, which is fantastic in summer." "University brings a lot more freedom and less structure. This means you can be more flexible both in terms of what you study and how you study it. I play basketball for the university, and my college, use the gym regularly and have been involved in college productions. I also took a trip to Mongolia last year with the Habitat for Humanity society to volunteer building houses. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life."
	Gabrielle King \| Commerce, Rural assistance, AAA, Bex Lexcen Sports Scholarship recipient "UNSW is a much newer university than some of the other Australian universities, so its culture is quite fresh and open to new ideas. The campus is also very vibrant and full of energy." "The Sports Program is fantastic and offers lots of support. The campus is lovely, and living in Basser College (part of The Kensington Colleges) is an amazing experience. I have always had an interest in Maths and Economics, and the Actuarial major offered in the Commerce degree fitted these criteria perfectly. I moved from Northern NSW to Sydney to attend University. This meant a lifestyle change from small country town to city, but it's one that I have found to be very enjoyable."
	Luane Rowe \| Industrial Design "UNSW has a beautiful campus and great university life. The campus grounds are beautiful - I love the lawns and the trees. It has a wide variety of courses and vibrant university life. I love design and I wanted to know all about a product right from concept to manufacturing to marketing. Industrial design offers so many career paths I would love to do work overseas in a design company to get some experience. Maybe then I would move on to work in the packaging industry."
	Leon Oriti \| BE Electrical Engineering "I chose to move interstate to UNSW purely because of its great reputation as the best engineering university in Australia. The staff, students, course layout and facilities, which I believe cannot be rivaled by any other institution in the country. The BE Electrical Engineering was the program which I thought would give me the tools to make the biggest impact on the world."
	Bradley Jackson \| Surveying & Spatial Information Systems "I heard UNSW was the best university to study engineering at in Australia. I also really liked the campus and its location within Sydney. And I heard the Kensington Colleges was an excellent place to live." "We start projects from scratch doing all of our own field work, calculations and reports to a near professional standard. I thought it would be a lot harder, but with all the resources available and lecturers quite happy to help, it's doable."
	Amy Loughman \| Science/Arts "The best part of my program was being able to try out a lot of different courses in first and second years before being locked into a major - subjects at uni are very different to how I imagined while in high school!" "I chose Science/Arts for its flexibility and the fact that I could study a broad range of areas while still having the opportunity to do Honours and Masters in psychology afterwards. I think the best thing is to realise that one is seldom locked into a certain program or major and that it certainly does not represent a direct path to a single career. You can go many ways with any degree; it depends more on your changing interests than your childhood dreams." "I chose UNSW because of the high quality of standards across faculties, but particularly in science and psychology."