Business As Usual

The Monash Business School student blog has a new home: www.business.monash.edu/blog

Continue reading stories from students about their university experience, as well as articles from academics and industry leaders with their own tips and advice.

See you there!

Undoubtedly, one of the significant benefits of going to Monash University is the welcoming social environment. There are so many established programs that aim to welcome first-year students in particular, such as the BusEco Peer Mentor Program. The program consists of mentors, wise and experienced students, and mentees, new students entering university. My group, which consisted of three amazing mentors and around eight to ten mentees, met regularly every Thursday for an hour to discuss any issues, questions and general life ponderings we had.

Looking back, I really appreciated this initiative because not only were the mentees able to feel comfortable to talk about anything in an open environment, but we also developed strong bonds with each other. Whether it be complaining about group assignments or going on HSP runs together, we always had each other’s backs. As well as this, I learnt a lot about how university works, study tips, course advice and extracurricular activities. Our mentors (shout out to Ronnie, Carmen and Gupreet!) definitely facilitated our transition into university life, and guided us through any problems or dilemmas we had, which definitely enhanced my personal university experience.

It’s been a week since the official closing ceremony for the BusEco Peer Mentor Program. The ceremony included an afternoon tea with scones and tea, as well as a heart-warming speech from Alison Richardson, the coordinator of the Program. While it’s quite sad to see the program end, I know for sure that the bonds we made will last for years. As the “Ancora Imparo” motto says, “I am always learning” and the BusEco Program will irrefutably contribute to every mentee’s learning experience.

One of the biggest challenges as a first year student, in my opinion, is to put yourself out there and dive into completely new opportunities you’d never had a chance to experience during your high school years. In particular, professional networking events are probably the most daunting opportunity for first-year students, especially me. Nonetheless, I’m a strong believer in giving everything a go, so today I had the insightful opportunity of attending the first Ernst & Young Game Changers Club event for 2016.

The aesthetically-pleasing building located in the heart of Melbourne CBD was enough to impress me, especially the breath-taking view from the 23rd floor of the EY office. The program for the event, however, inspired me the most. The topic of today’s workshop covered global challenges. It made me realise the importance of diversity and methods through which we can tackle global challenges. In addition to this, we had the opportunity of engaging in a Q&A panel with three EY employees who each had very different career experiences, showing that “any two experiences at EY are never the same”. Following this was the networking session, where we talked to a diverse range of professionals in various streams, including consulting, tax and finance transactions. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to listen to first-hand experiences in the workforce.

The event was not only engaging and impressive, but also inspired me to potentially work in an organisation that integrated global relations. It spurred my motivation to work even harder for my goals and aspirations so that one day, I can also be a game changer.

So to all you first-years (or high-schoolers), I strongly encourage you to get involved in your degree (or university life) as soon as possible. Whether it be joining a student society or going to networking events, there will always valuable lessons and experiences waiting for you! In other words, don’t be afraid and always strive to change the game!

Hello! My name is Jessica and I’m currently in my first year of A Bachelor of Commerce, which I am doing through the Scholars Program. After experiencing my first semester of a few Commerce units, I’m hoping to transfer to Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Actuarial Science – still undecided on my major.

I am definitely enjoying the freedom university has to offer. I have engaged in a few extracurricular activities held by Non-Residential Colleges and the Monash Photography Club; I am also a subcommittee member of the Monash Actuarial Student Society.

Outside of university, I love cooking, watching MasterChef, exploring the nooks and crannies of Melbourne and doing arts and crafts projects (although very rarely).

University has been an amazing experience for me so far, and I’m looking to providing informative and entertaining blog entries for you all!

Today is the last day of Week 11… meaning that next week is Week 12 and the last week before SWOTVAC! I don’t really know what to expect of these end of semester exams as a first year, since I’ve never completed one before, however I have started preparing for them (whether I’ve started early or late, I’m not too sure)!

For anyone out there that’s looking forward to uni in the future, it’s good to understand that studying for exams at university isn’t simply regurgitating practice exam after practice exam. Instead, it’s also about learning how to apply the concept to new situations, especially in Microeconomics! At university, you’ll be lucky to have past exams available to you, so you’ve got to ensure you’ve got a sound study regime, especially since keeping to your study habits from high school won’t exactly yield the best results possible.

My study techniques vary between my two degrees. For my Biomedical Science subjects, I’m mainly creating questions based on lecture slides and answering them using lecture slide or textbook material. However for my Commerce subjects, I’m mainly thinking of examples of how to explain certain concepts, or just going over videos explaining the concept.

Of course, everybody has their own study techniques and I can’t say that mine are perfect. However, I’ve been trying to experiment with what works and what doesn’t to make the most out of the time left to study for exams.

With exams coming up in three weeks time, what better way to procrastinate than to think about what I’m going to be doing for the upcoming break xD

As soon as I finish my last exam on the 17th of June, I’ll be making my way to catch up with my friends since university is draining most of us. We have already scheduled a dinner meetup during SWOTVAC, however I think we also need time to cool our heads!

My break, though, won’t just be consisting of catching up with friends, getting back into exercise or watching the latest sitcom, I’ll also be doing some volunteering over the break as well as heading over to a mid-year retreat! During the semester, I was lucky enough to be elected as a Subcommittee Member of the Economics Student Society of Australia, and during the break, the whole society is planning on heading to a mid-year retreat (location hasn’t been finalised, but I’m super excited to be planning it right now)! It should be a good stress-reliever, whilst we develop closer bonds with other committee members.

On top of all of this, I’m also getting my wisdom teeth pulled out over the break, which I’m definitely not looking forward to. But at least getting my wisdom teeth pulled out sounds better than finishing off this last essay for one of my subjects… or is it? Either way, I guess it’s back to work for me! #Week11Struggles

As many people have stated before me, Monash University offers many opportunities for students, however it is up to the individual to apply for such experiences. One particular opportunity I was able to experience finished last week on Thursday, where my team and I presented at the Campus Finals for the UBS Investment Banking Challenge at their office in the CBD!

Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but the fact that we had made it to Campus Finals in itself was an extraordinary feat for a first-year team! Our team was made up of solely first-year students and we had never taken any finance subjects at university before, so we were at a big disadvantage from the start, yet we somehow managed to make it past the Heat Round and present at Campus Finals. Most participants were at least in their third year, so it was definitely a great feeling to meet older students as well as network with bankers from UBS after Campus Finals too.

Looking back at my experience with this competition, I can say that I enjoyed every moment of it despite the late nights that my team and I were working on the competition whilst understanding the basics of valuation too. It took us longer to implement things into our presentation, but our hunger for knowledge and our perseverance carried us to the end.

I highly recommend prospective students when entering first year to take on board the opportunities presented, especially competitions! It’s a great place to meet new people and to learn something new and interesting without the constraints of university (except for due assignments, of course). Just remember to have no fear when applying for opportunities :)

It’s Monday night and here I am sitting at my desk typing away at my laptop.

Work has been piling up as university has gone by, but I still can’t comprehend that we’re in Week 11 now. It’s such a scary thought knowing I started university not that long ago, and here I am, almost finishing off my first semester of university!

This first semester has been a rollercoaster for me, yet I have enjoyed every bit of it. Whether I’m joining clubs (I’m now a part of the Economics Student Society of Australia) or learning new content in my degree, the experience of university life has definitely opened my eyes to what Monash has in-store for me in the future!

Though I’m not looking forward to the upcoming exams (I’m looking at you, 6pm exam), I’m definitely looking forward to the break, where I can catch up with my friends and finally relax. I should also catch up on sleep during the break, too, since I’ve slowly turned into an owl during this semester!

Hi there, my name is Henry and I’m a first-year student studying a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Biomedical Science double degree. For my Commerce degree, I plan on majoring in either Economics or Finance.

As of now, I am an Access Monash Ambassador and I’m also a part of the Non-Residential Colleges. I’m definitely looking forward to involving myself and taking advantage of all the opportunities at uni!

In my spare time, I enjoy being active by playing basketball, cycling and tennis. I also enjoy going for long runs around my neighbourhood!

Fridays are possibly the longest day of the week for me. There are (almost) back-to-back lectures from 11am to 6pm – I guess this is the price for having two days off. However, I do love Fridays as I have two one-hour breaks, and I use these breaks to study, and to also catch up with friends and have a bit of personal reflection time.

On this particular day, I found myself musing on how exciting this semester has been. In fact, I found myself contemplating on how bizarre and unexpected 2016 in general has been! After all, there’s a surprise Australian election in less than two months, Donald Trump’s chances of becoming President are increasingly higher and Leicester City won the Premier League this year.

Anyhow, it’s time to get back to class – back to business as usual :D

Today began a bit unusually - I found myself reflecting and pondering on life at Monash at 4:30 AM (yes, you read that right!). I had committed myself to an all-nighter in order to finish an accounting assignment. I had actually gone over the word limit and it’s literally taking me more than five hours to reduce my essay by 200 words! As a result, I learnt several lessons this morning:
1) Try to finish your assignment earlier. All-nighters actually really suck!
2) Don’t think “oh I can always edit later, the main thing is I’ve done it.”

However, on this particular morning (as I am taking a break from doing the assignment; I gave up on sleeping altogether as I have classes at 8 AM) I also realised how fortunate I am to have been selected as an Ambassador for Monash Business School. Words simply cannot express the array of extracurricular activities I have been involved with through the Ambassador Program. Some of the biggest perks include a camp at Portsea before the semester (three days of gorgeous scenery) and building a large network of new friends.

A more recent opportunity was speaking and helping out at the Big Data Day, a brand new initiative by the School, which aims to engage year 12s who are interested in pursuing a career in business statistics, econometrics or actuarial studies. With the increasing demand for specialists in quantifying risk and uncertainty in business, there is an increased interest in the actuarial profession. Through this event, I met old classmates from Melbourne High School and had the chance to speak about Monash Business School to a lecture theatre full of students.

On top of the Ambassador Program, I am also a committee member of the Monash Actuarial Students Society, a commerce club run by students aiming to maximise cohesion and engagement with actuarial studies outside of the classroom environment. We have fortnightly meetings to plan activities and events throughout the year.

This year, as the Events Director, I have had the opportunity to work closely with the executive committee members of the club to ensure that our events run smoothly. The most recent of these events was the club’s flagship event, Corporate Cocktails (held last Thursday), and this was a spectacular night where sponsors and students - ranging from first year undergraduates to final year postgraduates – networked, ate and drank.

To top a fabulous night off, several of the members (including myself), journeyed to a nearby shop to purchase a Halal Snack Pack in tribute to the latest online fad.

One thing I found myself reflecting on early this morning was the abundance of leadership opportunities that Monash has to offer.

Just yesterday, for example, I had the privilege of attending the second Dean’s Student Representative Forum. This is a series of forums held by the Head of the Monash Business School and other faculty executive staff, where selected students have the opportunity to voice any thoughts and concerns regarding a range of issues. It’s also an opportunity to network with senior Monash Business School staff and the added bonus of free food! 



This year, I’ve also had the privilege of meeting renowned individuals such as Christine Nixon, Julian Burnside, John Brumby and, most recently, the CEO and co-founder of Bakers’ Delight, Leslie Gillespie. This has been made possible through my involvement in Monash’s flagship leadership program, the Ancora Imparo. The process involved in applying for this prestigious program was highly rigorous and nerve-racking, but I vividly recall the ecstasy I felt when I received my letter of acceptance!

Involvement in the program has also included a three-day residential component in one of the most scenic locations in Victoria, and networking with a diverse range of leading personalities at Monash. Ancora Imparo leadership seminars are typically held on a Tuesday night at the start of every month and our next one will be held in the week before the exams, but hey - it’s an excellent opportunity to meet awesome people, listen to an awesome speaker and eat awesome food. Would you pass that up?!