I must be growing up

Yes, this is another post about University... in the same day.

This semester I am doing five units, four of which I have decided to do on campus. Four units in considered a full time heavy work load, so five is just ridiculous - but I really want to graduate on time (I withdrew from two last year due to illness) so this is what I have to do!

I have also volunteered to be a student mentor, which is part of an award winning ECU Psychology program. I have elected to be a mentor to around seven first year psychology students who study externally. I will send out weekly emails with hints, tips, and other information which I consider to be important. I will also have to answer any emails they send my way, which could involve finding out information if I am not qualified to give an answer. I believe that the transition into University study is difficult, and because I have studied half of my units externally, I understand the different problems these students will face compared to students studying on campus. At the end of the semester and the mentor program I will receive a certificate of participation, and I may be eligible to receive a letter of recommendation. This certificate will help me get into Honours and Post Graduate courses.

Finally, I have discovered how much I have matured because of a very simple decision. I found out that one of my on campus units involves a group presentation at the end of the semester, and instead of changing the unit to external study (to avoid public speaking), I have decided to go with it and stay as an on campus student, and ultimately face my fear. I may regret this the day of the presentation and want to crawl up and die, but I think I will feel a sense of accomplishment once I have done it. I definitely envy those people who don't have a fear of public speaking, and I don't think I will ever feel comfortable speaking in front of more than five people at one time, but maybe I will learn how to fake it really well!

Hopefully I don't burn out this semester! Fingers crossed.