Group Vlog

 

Hi guys, Welcome to our last post for this blog.

We hope you like the short video blog we have created for your enjoyment.

The overall objective of our blog topic was to provide fellow Mq students, teachers and visitors with some useful facts about places to visit, things to do and where to go for help on campus. As we described in our first blog post, as we are all currently Mq uni students, we felt that this particular topic was something of common interest. This short video aims to provide some guidance for viewers in regards to some of the places we have mentioned in our previous posts.

Firstly, we take you down a part of Wally's Walk - one of Macquarie University's most known walkways. After a brief introduction of our group members, our video aims to take you on a short tour around campus. From one of the many cafes where you can grab a "Cheap Eats Deal", to "MUSE/Student Connect" for all your queries and student needs, to the "Well-being Centre" for any mental health or counselling needs, to "Ubar" for a place to hang out and chill, to the "Library" where you can study, relax and read; and lastly, to the "Numeracy Centre", for all those Mathematics students who may need assistance. These are simply a few of the places mentioned in our blog and we selected the ones we thought may be most useful to our fellow students and viewers.

In regards to everyone's contributions, all the activities and places to visit mentioned in our blog posts have been individually selected by each of our group members. As the six of us are currently undertaking different degrees in varying fields, have different interests, hobbies and personalities, it was easy to come up with a broad scope of ideas for our blog. We hope you thoroughly enjoy our little video and use our blog to assist you with student life at Macquarie University.

The Music was sourced from IMovie.
Camera work by Sarah and Devon

On behalf of us all,
Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkdZlh-aGOE

Finding your space: Where to study or relax in Macquarie

-E6A: the foyer of E6A is an excellent area to study or use any kind of technological device,
with excellent wifi connection and power points with all the seats, it is perfect for long study
sessions as well as sitting around and relaxing on your own. However, it is a rather small area
and fairly popular, so getting there early is your best bet for securing your space.

-MUSE baseline: personally I prefer the basement, however the upstairs section is just as good.
with plenty of beanbags and space to relax, baseline is one of my personal favourite spots to get
away and be on my own, whether it is to study or just to procrastinate. Pick up a beanbag, get into
a corner and get comfortable. Just make sure to get in either early or late in order to get a spot.

-The fields outside campus hub: On a sunny day, there simply isnt anywhere better.
Although it is an excellent spot, issues arise when it is raining or cold or, given
the weather recently, most likely both. Bring along some friends and relax in the sun or even get
some study done with minimal distractions and beautiful surroundings.

Macquarie Sports Centre & Sports Field

Macquarie University provide students with various choices of sports and fitting programmes. The Uni has two main hubs for doing sports. 

The first one is Macquarie University Sports and Aquatic Centre, which lies northwest to the main buildings of the Uni, near Culloden Rd. Generally, it is a one-stop sport and fitness hub that can fulfil your most active need regardless of age or fitness levels. It contains a Health Club, two swimming pools(one 25m long, another 50m long), Sport Clubs and squash courts.The operating hours are 5:30am - 10:00pm from Monday to Friday, and 6:00am - 7:00pm for Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. The price is quite fair, $67.50 for 3 weeks, including unlimited swimming, Gym plus 100+ classes (inc. Zumba, Yoga, Pilates and more) New Weights Area, Touch Screen Cardio and so on.

The second one is Macquarie University Sports Fields. It is located near the junction of Culloden Rd and Talavera Rd. It is about 5 minutes to drive to there from the Uni. The main programme provided here are footy, rugby, soccer and tennis, which the Sports and Aquatic Centre could not provide due to the limit of place. It contains 3 Oval ground for footy and rugby, two square field for soccer and 12 tennis courts( including 3 Australian-Open-Standard hard courts and 4 clay courts). For the tennis courts, it costs at most $20 per hour as appropriate. For the others, they are free to use unless there're games or training programmes .

Roger

Sleep: and why you need more of it

As a very important part of life and healthy living, sleep and a proper sleep schedule is even more important during the formative years of our adulthood then anywhere else. as I sit here at 2.00AM writing this post, I was thinking, why is it that university students more than all other people have terrible sleep schedules or simply choose to live on little if any hours of sleep, it seems like a very large culture of lack of sleep and late hours study/leisure time is forming and it is not only unhealthy but also unintelligent.

As a blogger for a student lifestyle blog, my tip for today is to simply tell you to slow down, relax, and have a nap, instead of following the common student lifestyle go against the trend, be smart with your sleep and your body because setting up these trends for the future is so important. So naturally here I am, ironically, at 2am telling you all to go to sleep, the more energy you have, the easier study becomes, the easier study becomes, the closer you are to getting a degree and finishing university.

Caleb

Tips for Cycling in Sydney

There is no doubt that Sydney is a cycling-friendly city. As a cycling fan, I can feel it. From high quality roads for cycling throughout the whole city, to top-classed air conditioning.From the courtesy behavior shown by car drivers, to the large number of people who do cycling. It has been a pleasure since I started cycling in Sydney. About 6 months' experience, I have come up with some tips and suggestions that may help you cycle better here in Sydney.

1. Safety first. Make sure you are equipped with a cycling helmet every time before start riding. Also, make sure your bike is equipped with flash light when cycling in poor light conditions, so that drivers are able to distinguish your position and track. These are not just tips, but a rule every cyclist has to follow.

2.Complete components and apparels are required if you want to achieve better training effect. Cycling glasses prevent your eyes from small sand and ash, which indirectly make your riding safer. Cycling jerseys and bibs always make you cool, comfortable and aerodynamic. Cycling shoes and pedals can improve your pedaling efficiency remarkably.

3.Using software and apps to plan, analyze and improve your cycling. Personally, I recommend Google Maps, Strava and Garmin Connect when doing cycling. Google Maps provide you with road and traffic details nearby, which can be used to plan your own route. Strava gives lots of information about other cyclists' performance in the same city which is a good comparison. You can also join the Clubs in Strava to meet some cycling pals. Garmin Connect is a powerful cycling analysing system. By using Garmin cycling computer, all of your cycling data including distance, time, average speed, calorie consumption, alttitudes and every route you once rode. Fully use the functions of apps would result in a better cycling experience.

Roger

Macquarie Library

Macquarie library is built in 2011. The before one library is MUSE now. The new library contains 1 million books, magazines and reports. The library has five floors. Next, the blog will introduce the facility in the library.

On the first and second floor, students can borrow and go through the books. After the scanning books and student ID card, you can borrow the books out of the library. Besides, there are several presentation rooms which are used for students can discuss their assignments together on the first floor. Moreover, the library also offers some computers to let students use. However, sometimes too many students want to use the computers and presentation rooms, the amount of computers and presentation rooms are limited. Therefore, the library provides the booking service on the Internet for the students to make sure they can use the facility efficiently. The third and fourth floor is used for students to self-study. The fifth floor can be used by the postgraduates.

The library is not only for the students to study, it also provide some other service. Our library also offers the printing, copying and scanning service, which is convenient to students. At the front door, there is a place for students can buy some food and drink. The students can save time to study. The library opens every day time in the semester; you can enjoy the process of studying in Macquarie library.

Jackie

FAME Festival

FAME Festival: Food. Art. Music. Entertainment.

FAME Festival showcases and offers food, arts, music and entertainment at Macquarie University. It runs for two days 14 – 15 October from 10am and aims to build a community for Macquarie University students and staff.

Entry is free. Just bring some money for food and drinks and other services. FAME Festival is not restricted to just Macquarie students and staff, so you can bring family and friends to the event! Everyone is welcome!

Major events include international film screenings at the Film Fest. Sit back and enjoy your afternoon watching the movies Film Fest has to offer at the Movie Theatre in the Campus Hub Building (Level 3).

If you’re a foodie, head to the Central Courtyard and line up for food trucks to satisfy your hunger!

 If you’re looking for something more wild, put on your brightest fluro and head to the Fluro Party at Ubar, featuring headliners Joel Fletcher and Bombs Away!

These are one of many events that are offered at FAME festival. For more information, check the Macquarie University website.

Take this opportunity to participate in this event, as it’ll help take away the stress from studying in these last remaining weeks of uni!

The image is from http://http://www.mq.edu.au/on_campus/get_involved/fame_festival/.
Michael

Watching Films In The Event Cinemas

It has been three years since my last cinema experience. Although I have maintained an average of watching one film a week, those are all watched on my notebook. So it's time to refresh my deadening routine of watching film and try something new. I browsed lots of information of the films that will be shown recently, and found a pretty good one. The Martian directed by one of my favorite directors Ridley Scott may be one of the best films this year in my expectation. I know that the only cinema nearby is the Event Cinemas in Macquarie Centre. I firstly want to have a check on the schedule, ticket fees etc.. Here comes the tips, a good way to check all the film details is to download and use the Event Cinema App. However, if you want to book a ticket, it's not the best choice to book online since extra fees apply. The best way of course is to buy a ticket directly from the counter. I decided to watch the move in 3D The Martian since I have never experienced a 3D film before. Unfortunately, I didn't take my student ID with me, but it doesn't matter, the conducter still gave me a student ticket which is a little cheaper than the adult ticket, thanks buddy! To be honest, I have to say that the film didn't meet my expectation from the film itself to the 3D performance. However, it is still a good feeling when you totally exposed to the huge screen and stunning Dolby audio which you are unable to copy at home.

Roger

Making the best of your study time: 5 tips on how to make your study time more efficient and easy

1- Do it on the train
as hard as it is to do, the train is likely the best time to get that last minute tut question done or catch up on some lectures.

2- Minimise distractions
if studying isn't your thing and procrastination is more your style then youtube is the devil. Stay away from the computer and do your study somewhere with a minimal amount of distractions in order to keep yourself focused and studious.

3- Read your textbooks
it might seem obvious but it's almost absurd the amount of people you see without their textbooks. It might be heavy and unreasonably expensive but it'll save your life more than just once. Definitely worth the purchase.

4- Keep a good sleep schedule
as a student your sleep schedule probably isnt great, it is very important to stay awake and refreshed for your study time. Look up tips and tricks that can give you a healthy amount of sleep as well as a decent amount of time awake.

5- Talk to others
strike up a conversation! you could be standing next to someone who is a genius in the exact field you are studying. Go out of your comfort zone!

Caleb

Uni Nights @ Strike Bowling

Macquarie Centre provides Macq students with endless food choices, activities, cafes and leisure – especially since it has been newly refurbished, there are many great places to visit and things to do. Being less than a 2 minute walk from campus and connected to the interchange, Macq centre is the most convenient place to visit before, during and after a day of uni. There are so many things to do and places to visit with great perks for students. Strike Bowling in particular, offers bowling, gaming, laser tag, private karaoke rooms and gaming along with their kickass cocktail bar and cheap drinks. As we mentioned previously in our post ‘5 ways to save money as a Student’, this really is the ultimate venue for cheap, fun and exciting entertainment. 

Strike offers Specials and Promos that vary every day – but their Cheap Tue$day$ are really great for uni students! On Tuesdays from 5pm onwards, they hold a Uni Night at Strike that offers $10 unlimited bowling, laser tag, karaoke, pool and ultimate pong when you show your student ID! How good is that! This is ridiculously cheap compared to their usual prices of 1 game for $12 | 2 games for $20 during the day. Bowling is great for team bonding for group work and recreational activities with your friends and/or co-workers, so go and experience it for a measly $10!! Additionally, you can get $4 Coronas and house spirits & basic specials such as $4 for 20 chicken wings if you’re hungry. Keep in mind, as they serve alcoholic beverages you must be over 18 to enter the venue after 9pm! 
Go and enjoy what Strike has to offer!

Sarah.

Numeracy Center

For some students math, statistics and physics are difficult. Therefore, this blog will introduce the Numeracy Center to you, in order to solve these problems. The Numeracy center can offer a free drop-in service. If students have some math problems, they can just go straight to the Numeracy Center to ask the tutors to help you solve them. There is a classroom where is located at C5A 225, inside the tutors and students will discuss the academic problems. There are several tables and chairs to accommodate your study. However, everyone has their own timetable, so the tutors will not stay at here all the time. The below timetable is the tutor can help you in the classroom this semester. In the classroom, you can ask the teachers the questions which are out of the range of the lecture, and the tutor will also be enthusiastic in helping you. The Numeracy Center also offers weekly workshops for some 100-level courses. If students do not understand the lecture, they can take part in the free workshop. It is also beneficial for students to study their courses. In addition, the Numeracy Center offers the preparatory courses at the beginning of semester. If some students are worried about their basis of math, they can choose the free course to help them study. Moreover, if you think you are busy at this time, you can also download the on-line resources from them. 

Jackie

Student Accommodation

Need a place to stay?

If you are looking for a place to stay while studying at Macquarie University, there are two places in mind – Iglu Chatswood & Macquarie University Village.

Iglu Chatswood

Iglu Chatwood is located alongside Chatswood railway station. It is only a 10-minute train ride to Macquarie Uni, which makes it convenient for Macquarie students. Iglu Chatswood is a fully furnished living space, wireless internet, with a variety of communal spaces providing students an unsurpassed living experience. It provides a wide range of recreation and study spaces, regular student events and 24 –hour support and security. So you’ll be able to make new friends and feel safe! For those wanting to shop, Chatswood provides large shopping malls such as Chatswood Chase & Westfield shopping centre! There are also plenty of eating options to suit any student budget, including the Mall Market on Thursdays and Fridays!

Iglu Chatswood is located: 73 Albert Avenue, Chatswood 2067 NSW

Macquarie University Village

Macquarie University Village is just as appealing! It’s located on right on campus, so you’ll never be late to your classes!  They have a great range of apartments to choose from, each one of has its own ensuite bathroom and wireless internet! Just like Iglu Chatwood, they have trained staff available to help you meet new people, with studies, and have security patrolling the site to make you feel safe.  At Macquarie University Village, they provide exclusive resident events such as: themed parties, movie nights, sporting competitions, lessons on exam techniques and essay writing, multicultural food festivals, cooking classes and resume writing workshops! – Which is perfect because uni life should be balanced!

Macquarie University Village is located: 

122 Culloden Road, Marsfield NSW 2122

Michael