Late night assignments, morning meetings: Charlotte's UNSW Online journey

"Being able to study in a way that you can feel empowered around your own schedule... I think that's critical for an institution."

Published on the 30 June 2026

Explore UNSW Online programs

Charlotte Mellis with a group of Labarganyan women

'Student Spotlight' is where we hear directly from UNSW students.

We'd love to hear about your uni experience and your stories of growth and resilience, so we can share it with the wider student community.

Submit story

Returning to UNSW for a new postgraduate journey

Everyone's educational journey is different. Most tend to go straight into university from high school, while others might take a gap year.

For Charlotte Mellis, an Economic Consultant with over a decade of experience working across APAC nations in tech, education is an ongoing journey of continued learning and improvement. Fascinated by the influence of international finance, she's been part of several business projects involving female leadership, local Indigenous communities and the federal government bodies that focus on sustainability and enhancing human quality of life. It goes without saying that she's always pushing herself forward to bigger and greater things.

Having graduated from UNSW in 2024 with a Postgraduate Certificate of Economics, she decided to return to the University to complete a Master of Financial Technology through UNSW Online as her next challenge.

"I really wanted to go further down the path of applying more practical finance knowledge to my industry, and I've worked in tech for over a decade," she explains. "I thought the combination of the two made [for] a beautiful marriage [and] I really enjoyed my initial experience at UNSW with the Economics degree."

This time around, though, it was the flexible learning aspect of UNSW Online that really appealed to Charlotte, who is juggling several other projects with being a mother to two children at the same time.

"The hexamesters [and] the fully online autonomous learning is absolutely my style," she says. "[I'm] a mother who's also a professional and living in a more rural location. So it was a no-brainer to return with UNSW, especially because the Business School is the number one in Australia.

"[I'm] a mother who's also a professional and living in a more rural location. So it was a no-brainer to return with UNSW, especially because the Business School is the number one in Australia."

Charlotte Mellis
UNSW Online Master of Financial Technology postgraduate student

"I think it is [also] a reflection of where the world is right now. Everyone's got things to do, something to juggle. Being able to study in a way that you can feel empowered around your own schedule and how that's going to enhance whatever mission you're on, I think that's critical for an institution."

Another positive aspect to learning via UNSW Online is the relevance of the course content. Not only is flexible learning a boon for busy people, but students can also expect their course content to be up-to-date and relevant to industry standards.

"Everyone [in my tech start-up course] unanimously said it was refreshing to see that all the content was really up to date within the past month," Charlotte recalls.

Charlotte with Labarganyan women as part of a multi-year consulting partnership.

The appeal of UNSW Online and real-world relevancy

The UNSW Online postgraduate student experience is considerably different to the undergraduate student life. Whereas undergrads are typically on site each week and are generally deeply woven within the campus community through clubs or sports, UNSW Online postgrads are juggling other responsibilities and generally work studies around their own schedules.

For Charlotte, this not only complements her lifestyle and learning style, but she thinks it is also a reflection of the world right now in terms of being empowered to work things around your schedule.

"Everyone unanimously said it was refreshing to see all of the [UNSW Online course] content being up-to-date within the past month.

"You're not watching videos from 2023. You're not learning about topics that are irrelevant in an age where information is rapidly changing."

Charlotte Mellis
UNSW Online Master of Financial Technology postgraduate student

"[I'm a] breastfeeding mother, yet I'm submitting an assignment due at midnight," Charlotte laughs. "But I have a love of learning, and I really find that the way in which the degrees with UNSW are delivered online does not stifle that."

As she soothes her seven-month-old baby to sleep, Charlotte notes that flexibility isn't just a big positive for UNSW Online postgraduate students. As UNSW Online follows hexamesters, she believes that this has allowed for information to stick around in students' minds better.

"For me, [hexamesters] has allowed information to be more potent and efficiently digested, that all happens without things becoming stale," says Charlotte. "I often found within semesters that by the time you're doing your exam, you're like, 'I can't even remember the first week!'

"If you think about agile methodology, you're moving fast and if you're not, you fall behind. So by the end of a semester, particularly within tech, the information may not be relevant or reflective of the industry that's perpetually evolving. The hexamester is a game-changer, but also the ability to flexibly learn and digest content in your own time."

In addition to the course content, Charlotte notes how UNSW Online has helped her time management skills develop further as it requires students to be self-motivated.

"When I was on campus, you're turning up to class to see what's next," she explains. "When all of the information is online for you, it's up to you to take it. They coach you through [how] to engage online, [so] I definitely think time management has improved because of the delivery and bite-sized pieces."

The most surprising aspect, though? The constructive interaction with classmates online.

"Interaction is a really cool part, I think I interact more now than I ever did on campus," Charlotte laughs. "Whether it's the degree, the postgrad nature or the online aspect, people seem to be really willing to engage meaningfully and are intentional about networking."

Staying motivated and words of wisdom to future students

Having worked on several major projects for over a decade while balancing her postgraduate studies, Charlotte's motivation remains as high as ever. Her secret? Just do what you love, it really is that simple.

"If you enjoy something and you can see the greater goal, if there is an outcome beyond what you're doing, the tough work doesn't feel so tough," she says. "If you are interested in and looking to touch on something that makes you feel uncomfortable, then that's a really sweet spot to be in. Because if you can wrap your passion and what you're naturally good at around something highly technical, then you really can achieve unique things."

With the completion of her Master of Financial Technology, Charlotte is stoked about reaching the finish line. Upon asking her to reflect on her UNSW journey (so far), she says "just sticking it out to the end" is a major accomplishment.

"The neural pathways I've now built around learning and completing a complex task have become so pleasant that it's not even a cortisol-driven experience," she says. "It's actually something that I find really enjoyable and deeply satisfying. It removes many of the procrastination roadblocks, so it's almost like a bio hack to my own mind to enjoy the study to the point that I no longer have the apprehension or anxiety around submitting an assignment."

With UNSW Online being a viable pathway for those wanting to enter (or re-enter) the student life, Charlotte has nothing but supportive words for any future postgraduate students who are weighing up their options.

"Don't be afraid to fail because enrolling in itself, attending one session in itself is unlocking a new experience," she says. "Learning that can help shape your perspective around areas of your life that are seemingly irrelevant to the course material."