This blog was written by Semester 2 Storyteller Shubhi.
University has taught me a lot but some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned happened outside the classroom.
Here are a few things I wish someone had known to tell me when I first started at La Trobe:
Whenever someone asks for university advice, the answers are usually pretty similar: stay on top of your assignments, don’t leave everything until the last minute, go to your lectures.
But after spending the last few years at La Trobe, I’ve realised some of my most memorable moments have come from experiences beyond my assessments. When I look back, I don’t think about deadlines or exams first. I think about the people I’ve met, the events I almost didn’t go to, and the opportunities that completely changed my university experience.
So instead of sharing another list of study tips, I thought I’d share a few things that made my time at university more meaningful.
1. Don’t rush home after your last class
I know it’s tempting. Sometimes all you want to do is head home, put on comfy clothes and forget about university until tomorrow.
But if you can, stay back every now and then.
Go to a club event. Stop by the Agora if something’s happening. Check out a workshop hosted by one of the university teams. Grab the free barbecue (or gelato if you’re lucky). Even if you only stay for half an hour, you’ve stepped outside your normal routine.
Some of my favourite memories happened because I stayed on campus a little longer than I planned.
2. Get involved in something outside your course
For me, it started with volunteering with the La Trobe Leaders Program during Orientation.
I signed up thinking it would just be a fun way to get involved but it ended up showing me a completely different side of university. I met students from all kinds of backgrounds, worked alongside staff, and got to see how much happens behind the scenes to create the community we experience every day.
That one opportunity eventually led me to becoming a Senior Leader and now a Student MyLaTrobe Storyteller. None of those roles were part of some master plan – they simply came from getting involved and staying curious.
3. Make time to learn things your degree won’t teach you
University isn’t only about what’s written in your course guide.
Some of the sessions I’ve enjoyed most have been personality development workshops through Campus Consultancy run by Josh Farr in collaboration with La Trobe Leaders Program.
They’ve made me think differently about confidence, communication and believing in myself. Those aren’t things you’ll find in every textbook, but they’ve been just as valuable throughout my time at uni.
4. Give campus time to feel familiar
I remember arriving at La Trobe and thinking the campus felt huge.
Now I’ll be walking to class and bump into someone I volunteered with, wave to friends across the Agora, or have someone smile and say, “Hey, I’ve seen you in one of the La Trobe reels!”
It still surprises me every time.
Those little interactions slowly made campus feel less like somewhere I studied and more like somewhere I belonged.
5. Remember that your university experience doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s
It’s easy to compare yourself with other people. Someone’s landed an internship. Someone else has joined three clubs. Another person already knows exactly what career they want.
I definitely didn’t have everything figured out – and honestly, I still don’t.
I’ve learned to follow what genuinely interests me, and somehow that’s led me to opportunities I never expected, from volunteering and leadership roles to sharing stories as a Student Storyteller.
There’s no perfect way to do university.
Looking back, the best parts of my time at La Trobe weren’t the things I had to do – they were the things I chose to do.
So, if I could leave you with one piece of advice, it’d simply be this: make room for life outside your timetable.
Stay back for the event.
Talk to someone new.
Join the club.
Say hello to the person sitting next to you.
You never know which ordinary day might become one of your favourite university memories.
And if you happen to see me around campus – probably with an iced coffee in one hand and on my way to wherever I need to be next, come and say hi. I’d love to hear what your favourite part of La Trobe has been so far.