Thoughts of an Unstable Mind.: Murdoch through my eyes. (10 things I've found and Love!)

Oh Assignment three, you couldn't have come at a better time. Actually I lie, you've come at the worst time I could possibly think of! Its week 12 and you want to know 10 things I love about the institution I study at that has imposed several assignments on me and expects me to complete them in two weeks!?! (I assure you if you read that sentence several times it will soon make a lot of sense) Well assignment three, despite the misery associated with Murdoch at this time of the year (last minute assignments and exams etc.) I have managed to come up with a list of ten things I like about my university. But I think it’s a little unfair to just give you my opinion so here’s a little video of what other students like about Murdoch:

So what do I love? Before I stated that this was going to be hard... but I lied. Every day I go to uni with a smile on my face and if I come home upset it’s usually due to motion sickness from the train ride home. Here are the ten things that make my day three days a week (I go to uni Monday through to Wednesday, best semester ever!).

Farm Animals – Students who were at uni on Thursday would have noticed baby farm animals in bush court for Stamp Out Stress Week. But these are not the animals I am talking about. I am referring to the horses and sheep once hidden away from us only to be discovered when the bus route was moved. I bet vet students knew that there were animals at Murdoch but if you’re a media student like me then you were none the wiser. Now every morning on my way to uni I get see sheep and horses. It really does make my day. Animals are just so content with life, you know lying around and eating grass all day... they help make Murdoch a stress free environment.
The Bookshop – Those who know me would understand that I am a stationary-a-holic. I love pens, pencils, highlighters with post it notes attached, fancy paper, awesome note books and basically anything you will find in a stationary store. To accentuate my point I spent $120 at office works the year I started uni (I just couldn’t walk past that $10 highlighter with post it notes... absolute genius!). So you could imagine my excitement when I found an actual book store with actual stationary at university. When I get bored on my breaks, sometimes I like to go to the bookstore and browse... it has become a favourite past time of mine.
Exercise – When I get home from uni my mum will usually be like what are you eating? You should go for a walk tomorrow! You don’t do enough exercise! Oh but mother... I’ve just climbed over 4 flights of stairs today, and my classes are on opposite sides of the campus. Therefore mum I actually do a lot of exercise. To demonstrate the walk from the bus stop to bush court, which I walk every day I attend uni, here is a quick video:

I would also like to add that the route from the bus stop to uni used to be a lot easier. It was moved this year to be behind the university creating a longer walk route.
The Guild Shop – There are several reasons why you will fall in love the guild shop. Firstly, it stocks a wide range of chocolate, lollies, and assorted drinks. Secondly, it sells Murdoch University merchandise such as jumpers and mugs. Thirdly and most importantly it has second hand books. The second hand books sold here are priced according to how well kept they are. If you don’t mind a bit of wear and tear then you will pick up a bargain, these ones are usually the first to go as their the cheapest. Take it from me, before you head off to buy a brand new book check out the guild shop first. I have found a ton of cheap second hand books and saved a lot of money in the past two years, it’s totally worth it.

Oh and I should add you can buy phone credit, remedies (for headaches etc), non overpriced chewing gum, use your ATM card, apply for a smart rider, and many more student essentials.
The Asian Food Van – Oh man this one is obvious. Trust me, as soon as you get to Murdoch all you will hear is how awesome the Asian food van is. I had heard so much about the Asian food van but I had never been before. I tried it for the first time last week and you can see a slide show of the experience below. I’m not much of an Asian food fan but I do like honey chicken and know how to appreciated nice honey chicken, and oh boy was the honey chicken at the Asian food van good! It was so totally awesome that as soon as I left the place I was asking anyone I talked to “have you been to the Asian food van? Isn’t the Asian food van awesome?” I now have plans to take a group of three of my friends there next week.

This is a slide show of my first visit to the Asian Food Van.
Hands On – I love that at Murdoch we can get hands on with our degrees. Last semester I did a radio unit where we were placed into groups of three and required to put on a live radio show once a week. This unit was so challenging and presented problems we would encounter in real life. For those studying Journalism there is a unit which requires you to put together news stories as if you were in a real life newsroom. There are also several degrees that offer work placement units. I do okay at theory work but I feel more confident when I’m able to practice something as opposed to talking about it, and Murdoch allows me to do this.
Library Cafes – The cafes in the library are the best meeting places and I guarantee you will spend a majority of your free time here. Sometimes I will go to the cafes by myself and study, and I actually get stuff done! There are other times when I will meet with a study group I have an assignment with, and then there are times (usually the best) when I will meet some friends and talk. Sir Walters is my favourite as you can always find a table to sit at, unless its winter and then it’s pretty busy. It also has a TV and I’m usually in the cafe when Ellen DeGeneres is on, who I love. The other cafe is on the first level as you walk in and is called Kadjininy Cafe, otherwise known as the one you can’t pronounce. In both cafes there are outlets for your laptop and you can get a $2 small coffee if you have guild discount, both of which are very handy.
The students – Living so far from Perth I was a little unsure how I would go with making friends so far away, but I did just fine. I made friends in my first week that I still see in my classes today. I’ve also met a ton of students studying different degrees through the friends I took to uni with me. Another thing about Murdoch students is that a lot of them are from around the world. We have a high number of international students, and these are the most interesting people you will meet. They give you insights into the world that you don’t see on the news or read about in the papers.
Easy access – I live in Mandurah and every time anyone from Murdoch hears that I get the whole “OMG! How do you get here every day?!” spiel. And I always reply with, “well... it’s not that hard really”. Thanks to the train line I have a 5 minute car ride to Mandurah station, a 40min train ride to Murdoch station and then a 15 min walk or 5 min bus ride to Murdoch University. In fact, I bet I have an easier time getting to Murdoch than some of the students that live in Perth!
The Secret Garden (or Peace Garden) – There is a neat little Chinese style garden basically in the middle of nowhere, well maybe not the middle of nowhere... but it is right next to classrooms and it’s kind of secretive. You can’t really see it from the walk way and have to go down some stairs to get a clear view. In fact it’s so secretive that the other day my friend said to me “Murdoch has a waterfall!” I was like err? Really? Where? And then we went to the secret garden, and I was like oh yeah I know this place!! My favourite part about this place is the waterfall. It’s so pretty and magical... I could just watch the water flow all day. I have plans to grab lunch from the Asian food van and go sit by the waterfall... that day is going to be awesome.