La Trobe in 2022: A guide for new and returning students.

With face-to-face O-Week and classes returning in 2022 after a long 2 years of awkward breakout rooms, we at Rabelais feel it necessary to provide helpful information and suggestions for things to do on campus for all students at La Trobe. Whether this is your first time stepping on campus or if you’ve already had thousands of coffees at Graffali’s, there will be something here for everyone.

First things first, make sure you download the ‘Lost on Campus’ app on your phone. Navigating the 235-hectare campus can be quite daunting as a new student, but this brilliant app will make sure you aren’t late to a lecture because you spent 20 minutes running around like a headless chicken trying to find the correct building.

Now that you know how to find things, you should make your way to the Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary. This surprisingly little known and underused wildlife sanctuary is an aspect of La Trobe that helps make it the best university campus in Melbourne. Walking through it can be both meditative, clearing your mind and putting you at ease, as well as productive, allowing you to think about a plan for an upcoming essay or re-visit all the research you’ve done in your head. The twilight tours they offer are also fantastic, with an opportunity to see all kinds of Australian nocturnal wildlife if you like animals.

Getting involved in the social aspects of student life is another thing that can be quite daunting, however I encourage you to get involved in a club that interests you or go to an event that you think you may like. Even as someone who originally had the mindset of just completing my degree and not worrying about any extra-curricular events and activities, I’ve come to view it as an essential part of the university experience and some of my best friends have been made at La Trobe. This campus has a wide range of clubs and societies, ranging from clubs oriented around degrees and study fields, to sports and other hobby clubs, to political clubs. Rabelais will be releasing another article soon on clubs and societies at La Trobe, and we implore you to check out https://www.latrobesu.org.au/clubs/search where you can find the contact information of many of them. Now that we are easing back into face-to-face learning most will have much planned for students.

Furthermore, I recommend taking the opportunity to converse with your lecturers and tutors now that we are back in face-to-face learning. While simply making sure you are going to class, doing the readings, and completing assignments is the bare minimum that will get you the grades you want, your lecturers/tutors will very often have extra insight on various topics that you will not have been aware of if you hadn’t taken the time to talk to them for a couple of minutes before or after a class. Don’t be afraid to also discuss with them any problems you are having related to the completion of set work. All lecturers want you to do well in their class, and most will help you by making any adjustments/amendments that need to be made as long you give them time.

If you are having troubles relating to enrolment, your degree etc then Ask La Trobe is the place to go, however if it is urgent I would advise either calling them or visiting them in person rather than emailing. Due to the heavy influx of emails Ask La Trobe gets they will often take multiple days to respond. If you are experiencing issues that you feel require student representative assistance, the La Trobe Student Union is what you are looking for, with students working in their Welfare Department, Residential Department, Queer Department, and many others to help you with any related issues you may be experiencing.

For anyone interested in culture and world affairs, La Trobe holds a ton of insightful and engaging events through the ‘Ideas and Society’ and ‘La Trobe Asia’ programs. Previous events have included seminars with former prime ministers as guest speakers. These programs also often release informative articles on all thing’s society and culture.

We at Rabelais hope you have an enjoyable time as a student in 2022, whether new or returning, and will keep you updated as the year goes on with news relating to university life and much more.