I thought uni would be like this…
This blog was written by Semester 2 Storyteller, Niharika.
Before starting university, most of us build a very detailed picture of life here without ever actually experiencing it. Some of it comes from siblings, some from friends, a concerning amount from TikTok – plus the classic warning, “university is completely different from school,” offered with zero further explanation.
Naturally, you arrive with assumptions. That support is only for emergencies. That career planning is a problem for future you. That once you’re enrolled, the hard part is over. My fellow students and I were no exception.
So, I asked around about what people believed before starting at La Trobe, what they actually discovered and what they wish someone had told them sooner. Here’s what we found…
Myth 1: Career planning is a final-year problem
Vicky thought career events and workshops were basically reserved for second or third years – the “mature” students who’d already sorted out what they were doing and just needed to network their way into a job.
Turns out that’s not how it works. Career Ready sessions, employer events and mentoring are open from semester one, and networking from the very start plays a bigger role than most first years realise. Vicky just assumed he wasn’t senior enough to show up yet.
Turns out you don’t need seniority to start networking, just curiosity.
Vicky, La Trobe student
Myth 2: Support is only for when things go really wrong
Tiffany assumed support services were something you turned to only once things had properly gone wrong – failing a subject, a full-blown problem. Nothing in her life felt “serious enough” to justify going.
Turns out that’s not how it works. Study support isn’t a last resort – you can book in to plan out your semester in advance, sort your study approach before classes even start, and adjust as you go, rather than waiting until you’re behind to ask for help. And it’s not just study skills either – the same goes for wellbeing, careers, accessibility and financial assistance.
You don’t need a crisis as your entry ticket.
Tiffany, La Trobe student
Myth 3: You have to physically drag yourself to campus for everything
Palak was convinced that if she wasn’t on campus, she basically didn’t exist to the university. Timetable clash – go in. Fee question – go in. Career appointment – obviously go in. She was having a full crisis about logistics for absolutely no reason.
Turns out most of it doesn’t need a trip anywhere. Counselling, academic support, career appointments and general queries can be sorted through ASK La Trobe over email or phone, and subject coordinators are just an email away for anything specific to your unit.
Half my questions could’ve been one email – I didn’t need to go anywhere.
Palak, La Trobe student
Myth 4: Enrolling is the finish line
This one’s mine. I genuinely thought once I’d picked my subjects and enrolled, that was it – the hard part was done, and everything else was just showing up and hoping I’d picked right.
Turns out I didn’t even know the basics. I had no idea you could still change your enrolment until the second week of classes or withdraw from a subject that wasn’t working out, let alone where to actually do it. Figuring out my study plan, when subjects were offered, what order things needed to go in – completely lost. ASK La Trobe sorted the first layer of confusion, and student advisors are there for the more in-depth stuff.
I didn’t know enrolling wasn’t final until week two, would’ve saved me so much overthinking.
Final findings
This unofficial study of my friend group produced one clear result: almost everyone starts university carrying at least one myth. Maybe you think everyone else already has friends. Maybe you think support is only for emergencies. Maybe career planning belongs to some distant, more organised version of yourself who has their life together – spoiler, she doesn’t exist yet either.
In reality, no one expects you to have it figured out immediately. You learn it by asking questions, checking the pages you’ve been ignoring, and realising many people around you are just as lost as you are.
If there’s one thing we all wish we knew sooner, it’s this: you don’t have to wait until you feel completely lost before looking for support, connection, or opportunities.
University might not turn out exactly the way you imagined – and honestly, that might be the best part.