Uni is back for academic year

LA Trobe University students celebrated their return to campus last Wednesday.

Semester one kicked off on Monday and many on campus said they’re hoping to have consistent face-to-face classes this year.

The university also welcomed 100 international students to its Bendigo facility, a number higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

Civil engineering student Pradhen Chopra, who arrived in Australia just two weeks ago, said he is keen to get started at the same university as his older brother.

“I’m feeling excited, I’ve just come here for the first, it’s a cool university I’m having a look,” he said.

“I think it’ll be a great experience; I’ve heard a lot about this university, the graduate employment rate and all that stuff, it’s a good university.”

After completing the last two years of high school via remote learning, first year physiotherapy student Mikayla Tunley said she is excited at the opportunity to make new friends and connect better with her teachers.

“I’m thrilled to be on campus, have the opportunity to have face-to-face classes and do some hands-on work, rather than being at home like previous years,” she said.

“I feel like we’ll be able to engage more with lecturers and classmates.”

Returning for her second year is dental science student Joey Ong, who moved up to Bendigo from Melbourne as the campus offers the only undergraduate dental course in the state.

Having never been to regional Victoria before university, she said she now lives on student accommodation and feels at home.

“It felt like a community here in Bendigo, coming from Melbourne we didn’t really know what it would be like,” she said.

“We were told it’s a regional town, a rural place, but it actually feels really homey.

“Everyone’s really comfortable with each other you really build a sense of community. My friends who study in Melbourne have really huge campuses and big cohorts as well, they don’t really get to make a lot of close friends.

“It was my first time coming to Bendigo the day I moved, and I really liked it. I was really excited to come back to uni. My friends are from all over, interstate as well.”