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Bachelor of
ARTS by Lee Perkins
Hello you brooding, arty souls!
Congratulations on plunking yourself into a
degree full of diversity, choice, expression,
a whole heap of reading and writing, and a
much, much smaller heap of class time. It
is a common misconception that us Arts
students have it easy – half the class time of
other degrees, much less content, no labs or
practicals, and study consisting of reading,
writing, and debating.
With the existential crisis of philosophy
subjects, the growing suspicion that you may
or may not be in the matrix after a semester
of political science, and that terrifying point at
which words no longer sound like words after
studying linguistics, the day-to-day of an Arts
degree can go toe-to-toe with the hardest of
them!
What on God’s green Earth is a credit
point?
I didn’t figure out exactly how the Arts
course structure worked until I had to nail
down my major, which was three weeks
ago – true story. I swear I am still somewhat
experienced enough to talk about this… In all
seriousness though, it is the most confusing
part of any Uni course. Essentially, an Arts
degree consists of 300 ‘credit points’, being
points you gain from doing subjects. Each
subject is typically worth 12.5 points and is
categorised as either a Level 1, 2, or 3 subject
(levels referring to years 1, 2, and 3). You
have to complete a certain amount of credit
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Summary notes: These are still a thing.
points within each level to complete your
degree.
Major: This is your specialisation, your focus,
your STRENGTH. It is what you will devote
the majority of your credit points towards,
eventually showing up on your academic
transcript. For example, “Lee Perkins,
Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Applied
Linguistics.” You can complete a single or a
double major. Refer to the Bachelor of Arts
handbook for more information, and consult
a Course Advisor at Stop 1 if needed.
Minor: This is your secondary specialisation.
You don’t devote as many of your subjects to
this (6 at 75 points), and it doesn’t show up
on your graduation certificate. For example,
my Major is Linguistics, with a minor in
Philosophy.
Breadths: This is something unique to the
‘Melbourne Model’ and is either enjoyed or
despised by undergraduate students. These
are subjects from another degree that Arts
students must complete at least four of
(50 points) to, well, provide ‘breadth’ to their
learning. For example, in my first semester, I
did a Fine Arts (Music) subject!
Research, aSsIgNmEnTs, TIME
MANAGEMENT, UGGHHHH!!!
Readings: Your arts experience will centre
around one question: “Have I done this week’s
reading?” These can span from one page
to fifty, can either be incredibly interesting
or incredibly boring and will have a large
effect on your ability to participate in class
and compose provocative responses. Each
student has their own way of completing (or
not completing) readings. I try and complete
a reading right before the corresponding
class, that way the content is fresh in my
mind and all I have to do after class is write
summary notes!
Where to now?
Unless you are a world champion speed
reader, I can guarantee that you are not going
to enjoy sifting through literally hundreds
of pages of readings and lecture notes.
SUMMARISE.
Lecture notes: There are a thousand and
one ways to write and structure your lecture
notes. I strongly recommend spending your
first couple of weeks trying out different
methods such as good old fashioned pen
and paper, programs on your laptop such
as OneNote or Word and simply sitting,
watching, and soaking it in!
Assessments: The majority of your
assessments will be essay-based. Different
subjects and disciplines will favour different
essay styles. Most tutors will tell you off the
bat that university essays are nothing like
the ones you wrote in high school. They are
right. Especially in the first year, you are not
going to have a clear idea of how to write an
essay for a subject. Ask your tutor what they
expect first. Luckily, most tutors will also give
you feedback on an initial thesis statement
and essay summary. Mine your tutors for
as much information as possible – it’s why
they’re there!
In arts, you don’t have to choose your major
until second year, so go absolutely NUTS
choosing your subjects! You never know
what may inspire or surprise you so, if a
subject looks interesting, take the plunge and
see where it leads you!
Being surrounded by thousands of other
highly motivated students at uni can lead
one to question their own intelligence and
ability. Different students have different ways
of dealing with this kind of stress. I remind
myself that the fact that I am passionate
about a subject trumps my marks at the end
of the day.
Arts is a wonderful degree because it allows
you to access and express so many different
perspectives and grow your own voice
alongside them. So dive in, don’t hold back,
and follow what you are most interested in!
My first year goals
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