Select the headings below to find out more.
Your military experience has given you discipline, a strong work ethic, and an advanced level of time management skills to take on the challenge of university life and study. That doesn’t mean that it will be easy but that you will be better able to cope if things don’t go to plan. You might find navigating the unfamiliar territory of tertiary education’s procedures and policies confusing, and some veterans report that fitting in with school-leaver first-year students can be awkward at first.
It’s expected that for every hour of face-to-face time in your unit, you will need to spend one hour of study in your own time.
So, to put this another way:
Full-time students study four units per semester.
However, research has shown that students typically take three times as long to do tasks that their lecturers expect. So, while this is not always the case for every week, you will need to plan to spend time alone and in your study group working on your assignments, completing lab reports, writing up your notes for revision, and other tasks.
As a veteran, you have access to support services that can help you negotiate deadlines, discuss the workload, and negotiate your study around your work commitments, you’ll have early access to the timetable to better manage your commitments, and many other options.
This is a serious consideration as the cost of study is not just the course fees. These other costs can include childcare, transport and parking, loss of income due to working less, even something like buying more take-away meals because of time pressure. None of these things are insurmountable problems, and good planning and organisation can adjust routines to minimise the stress.
Many universities have a transparent fee structure that looks something like this:
These fees are for tuition only. They don’t include additional expenses such as the Student Services and Amenities Fee, textbooks, materials, equipment, or living costs.
Education is invaluable, but paying up front isn’t always possible. It’s important to know there are many ways to fund your studies, including government assistance, scholarships and income support. The Student Services in your university will be able to advise you about these options.
Universities are very large institutions, and it is easy to feel lost both physically and socially. They are probably not like anywhere that you’ve been before. You are very much left to manage your own time and study yourself. No one follows up to ensure you attended a lecture or have done the homework. You are responsible for your own time management and are expected to meet the due date listed on very assignment. If you need help, you are expected to ask.
You will need to learn to use the library, and the staff there are helpful. They also often run workshops to help you with many of the tasks involved in being a successful student.
Participating in social activities, like the orientation day or week or class social events, can help you meet people in your course, introduce you to a student veterans club or society, and find your way to the support services available on every campus.
University life is not as regimented as the military environment. As a student you will be encouraged to speak up, ask questions, and generally participate to the full in all your classes and other learning activities.
The dress code is casual, and so is the form of address between everyone. While you will naturally address your classmates by their first names, you will also address your teaching staff and any other people that you meet on campus by their first name with the usual respect that you would use in any context.
It can be very easy to lose track of all the work that you will have to complete. Assessment is a critical part of your learning, and it is designed to keep you on track so that you meet the learning outcomes for the unit and achieve a pass.
A typical full-time load is four units each semester. Each of these units has numerous weekly and major assessment tasks, and sometimes these deadlines coincide. This is where your time management skills and ability to work to a deadline will help. Your lecturers will not follow up to make sure that you submit on time, you are expected to be an independent learner.
It is essential that you submit on time for many reasons, but here are a few:
Without a doubt, when you undertake study at university, your whole life will change. Study is a long-term commitment, so recognising this change and planning for it is essential. You will need to make a plan that prioritises the essentials so that you can mitigate risk. You will need time for your studies, your partner, your children, extended family, friends, and yourself. Your study is always going to be a priority, and that must be done outside of your family time as you cannot count “working on your essay” in the family room as “family time”.
Your military experience has already given you a tried and tested method of planning and prioritising what needs to be done. Such a plan could include making a weekly and half-yearly calendar that is visible to the whole family and where everyone can enter their commitments.
Here is a suggestion of what this could include:
Whatever you come up with, make it work. Your study will ultimately enhance your life, open up employment opportunities and expand your possibilities. It is worth every bit of the sacrifices that you make, the time that you commit, and the frustration when things don’t always go to plan. When you challenge yourself in this way and achieve your academic goals, you can feel immense satisfaction that you will carry with you into every aspect of your life.
This is a sample of what the organisational structure in a university can look like and may vary between unis. Although the structure is typical, each university has its own variation of these roles and responsibilities. You’ll be able to see the org structure at your university when you start.
As a general outline, a university is usually structured as follows:
The university’s CEO, they play a pivotal role in shaping the direction and success of the university and reports to the Board or a Senate.
The Provosts are senior executives who provide academic leadership and report to the President. They manage a variety of portfolios including academic leadership, administrative oversight, strategic planning and administration, external (government, industry engagement and international relations).
DVCs hold positions of significant responsibility, serving as a key member of the university's executive leadership team. Each DVC is responsible for their own portfolio for example, education, Student Engagement, International Relations, Research, and so on.
Pro Vice-Chancellors have smaller portfolios than DVCs and manage smaller areas.
The COO, who reports to the Vice Chancellor, plays a critical role in ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of the administrative operations, HR, Buildings and Properties, and supporting its mission and strategic objectives, and fostering a positive and productive campus environment.
Oversees all financial operations and usually reports to the Vice Chancellor.
The Faculty Dean plays a crucial role in driving academic excellence, fostering research and innovation, supporting student success, and advancing the mission of their faculty within the broader context of the university. They provide strategic leadership, administrative oversight, and advocacy to ensure the continued success and growth of their academic unit.
Service2Campus developed collaboratively by the Australian Catholic University and RSL Queensland under the Veteran Wellbeing Grant 2022-2023
