Why I Chose Griffith University  

Griffith University’s Open Day is being held at the Gold Coast, Nathan and South Bank campuses on Sunday, August 12, from 9 am to 2 pm. Come and see what the University has to offer, including a variety of societies and clubs, informative and engaging seminars regarding the different Schools, and of course, all the freebies! 

As Open Day approaches, masses of anxious Year 12 seniors face their toughest decisions yet: Which University do they go to? What do they study? Where is the best food options on campus? Having faced all these concerns myself, I’m here to reassure you that it is not as daunting as it seems! As a current second-year Psychology and Law student, I thought I’d explain my reasons into why I chose Griffith and how Open Day helped me to explore my study options.

The Double Degree – something I hadn’t initially considered  

When Griffith’s Open Day came around, my initial plan was to do a straight Law degree. Whilst I wanted to pursue Psychology, I performed stronger in Legal Studies during high school, and so I thought that I was destined to be in Law only (speaking with Law lecturers at Griffith’s Open Day further cemented this!). Until I went to the Psychology seminar and was told about double degrees. Double degrees allow you to complete two single degrees at once, at a quicker pace than doing two individual degrees. Having heard this, I knew instantly that I wanted to do both Psychology and Law, and two years later, here we are!  

The Diploma of Languages

When I stepped into the Campus Heart for the first time, I saw a giant banner, with the words: ‘Interested in learning a language? Check out our Diploma of Languages today!’. This inspired me on the day to pop into the language seminar, where I learned I could do a Diploma of Languages on top of the degree I’m completing, all at once! As someone who loves Japan, and has studied Japanese for 6 years already, I jumped at the chance. Now, two years later, I have the plan of completing my Diploma in the future and graduating both the Diploma and my double degree all at once, something I never would’ve realised had I not attended Open Day! 

The friends you have (and will make!)  

One of the scariest things about graduating high school is the fact that everyone’s path is different, and usually, you think you’re alone. I was lucky to find that I wasn’t! At Griffith Open Day, I found that a lot of my fellow classmates were also planning to go to Griffith. That reassurance that I wasn’t going into classes completely alone in my first year was one of the best aspects about Griffith, in my opinion! Two years later, I mix my schedule up, so sometimes I choose classes that I know my friends are in, and other times I don’t; meeting new friends that you can pair up with during lectures and tutorials is one of the best parts of Uni life!

The Societies!  

One of the aspects of University that I had no clue about prior to attending Open Day was the clubs! Griffith has an elaborate selection of different societies and clubs, open to everyone interested. They range absolutely anywhere (from languages to sports, to even a board game club!) and can cater to anyone’s degree! For me personally, I immediately fell in love with the Law Society at Open Day and have supported and participated in their variety of competitions and events ever since! Not only are clubs a great way to get to know people and do some quality networking, but in some instances, they’re great for resume-building too! (Like running for President, or competing in competitions, etc.)  

Some people start out their University life with no idea what to do. For me, Griffith’s Open Day was my first time ever going to the Nathan campus and experiencing Griffith University as more than just a poster in the streets, or an advertisement on the internet, and it was completely nerve-wracking. My tip? Find something about the University that makes you comfortable and stick with it. Whether that means branching out and making new friends on campus, or investing yourself into a society or club, or even joining the plentiful Facebook pages that pair curious first-timers together! The answers you seek to life’s biggest answers start at Open Day – you would be crazy to miss it!  

 

By Ami Goeree