When you first start uni, you'll probably hear your lecturer mention their office hours in week 1...but what are they actually for? What can you talk about? How can they help with your coursework?

Our PLA host, Helia, sat down with Dr Abdul Razeed, from the Sydney Business School, and Assoc Prof Nial Wheate, from the School of Pharmacy to ask these questions, and theorise about the secret tunnel under the Quad. Want to know more? Listen now!

When preparing to study at an Australian university, students from a non-native-English-speaking background are taught to focus on developing their ‘Academic English’ skills to best succeed in their learning environment. Once they commence their study in Australia, they soon discover how complex it is to understand and communicate in English on a day-to-day basis – from colloquial language to unique Australian slang, to the nuance of tone, pronunciation, and body language, and how this can be received by the people you’re speaking to.

In this episode, our host, Zakwan, sits down with fellow PLA Helia, and Avin from the Centre for English Teaching, to discuss the difficulties faced by students from non-native-English-speaking backgrounds and what support is available for students looking to develop their empathetic English skills.

Uni life is tough, especially after COVID! You have to adjust to on-campus life, make friends, balance your course workloads, pass your exams, and still somehow manage to sleep and eat. It's not surprising that mental health is impacting so many students!!

In recognition of R U OK? Day, PeerPod is back with an all new episode about managing your mental health at uni. Our new host, Helia, sat down with the amazing Professor Ian Hickie, from the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Centre, and Batyr Student Ambassador Risha to share their advice, experience and resources to help set you look after your mental health and get the best out of your time at uni!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

- The Brain and Mind Centre - https://www.sydney.edu.au/brain-mind/

- Innowell - https://www.innowell.org/

- This Way Up - https://thiswayup.org.au/

- Headspace - https://headspace.org.au/

- Head to Health - https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/

If you're having a hard time with your mental health, and you need support, you can reach out to:

- Lifeline - Call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14

- NSW Mental Health Line - 1800 011 511

- Head to Health pop-up services -1800 595 212

- BeyondBlue - 1300 22 46 36

- Suicide Call Back Service - 1300 659 467

Have you thought about how you'll succeed in moving into work from uni?

The transition from university into the workplace is a process not many people give attention to, even though it is one of the most significant changes a person can go through.

For the final PeerPod of 2021, we sit down with Tina from the Careers Centre and Tanzin, a University of Sydney Engineering and Information Technology Alumni, who now works for Australia's largest steel making company. Tanzin shares with us her story of transitioning from uni to work and everything in between you need to know.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

-Finding jobs: https://www.sydney.edu.au/careers/students/finding-jobs.html

-Writing a job application: https://www.sydney.edu.au/careers/students/applying-for-jobs/writing-a-job-application.html

-Interview tips: https://www.sydney.edu.au/careers/students/applying-for-jobs/interview-tips.html

-Careers Centre contact: https://www.sydney.edu.au/careers/contact-us.html

Australian Universities strive to create an inclusive community for all students, but are their strategies working?

In a special edition of PeerPod, Devanshi is joined by a co-host, Nicholas, from the University of Technology Sydney, who has worked as part of a collaborative project team exploring this issue. They're joined by Damien, a Sydney-based international student from Vietnam, who reflects on the intentions of his University's inclusion practices and how they have impacted his experience living and studying in Sydney.

This episode was created with the support of Antara Narayan (UTS) and Victoria Bonilla-baez (USYD)

October is Mental Health Month, so we sat down with two counsellors from the University's Counselling and Psychological Services about what to expect when you attend your first appointment, as well as discuss some of the reasons why people hesitate reaching out to a support service, and what other services are available for students.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

University of Sydney Counselling and Psychological Services: https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/counselling-and-mental-health-support.html

The Pomodoro Technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNBmG24djoY

This Way Up: https://thiswayup.org.au/

Adjusting to uni life can be tough; and feeling connected to your university community is now harder than ever - so what does it take to overcome these challenges and build a faculty culture that brings people together?

We sat down with Nikki and Sam, from HealthSoc, and Angelina, from SASS, to explore how faculty societies work to enhance student life and the university experience, as well as uncovering what it takes to be a leader!

Imagine you are the creator of your career story. It is true no one can live your life better than you; it can only come through you. So how would you craft your own professional narrative? It all starts with self-awareness.

In this episode our PLA Devanshi sits down with Tina, from the University Careers Center, and Amy, a fourth-year Law and Commerce student, to have a close look at what is self-awareness and the opportunities that are available for us to learn more about ourselves in the context of Career Development.

Career Development is a journey, it requires you to live fully through every moment of discovery. At the same time this is not a lonely process and today you will discover the possibilities and services to support you in your solo journey. All you need is your commitment to yourself to start the exploration.

https://www.sydney.edu.au/careers/

Ever feel like your study effort isn't quite giving you the results you want?

Learning is different for everyone, and working out how you learn can be tricky when you don't really know where to start.

PeerPod is here to help! Our PLA Devanshi sat down with second-year Law-Commerce student, Jacob Thai, and third-year Medical student, Sebastian, to talk through their strategies for maximising the effectiveness and efficiency of their study.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Sebastian Pirie's Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/SebastianPirie

Forest App - https://www.forestapp.cc/

Pomodoro timer (web browser) - https://pomofocus.io/

Uni can be really intimidating, especially if you have no one close to you who can help you to prepare and let you know what to expect. With so many young people being the first in the family to go to uni, Australian universities have only recently started trying to understand the unique support needs of this growing cohort, and there's still a lot of work to do.

In this episode of PeerPod our host, Devanshi, is joined by Victoria and Jenae, first-in-family students from the School of Social and Political Sciences, who share with us their experiences as first-in-family students, including the struggles they faced, the resources they utilised and the need to better engage first-in-family students to better develop support for their unique needs.

Jenae is in her third year of a Media and Communications degree with a major in Politics. She identifies low SES, rural and is the first in her family to go to University.

Victoria is a graduate of a Bachelor of Art and Social Sciences and an Anthropology and Psychology Project Facilitator.

Additional resources:

First in Family: http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/

Helping first-in-family students students navigate their university 'journey': https://educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au/teaching@sydney/helping-first-in-family-students-navigate-their-university-journey/

University of Wollongong's First Generation Students Initiative: https://www.uow.edu.au/student/support-services/first-gen/