“I really didn’t think I could do something so cool.”
Susie’s uni comeback was so much bigger and better than she imagined.
Coming from an academically selective high school, Susie felt compelled to jump straight into university. Still just a teenager, she moved herself a long way from home to Sydney, to start a degree. “I felt all this pressure not only from moving out of home for the first time, but like jumping straight into that uni environment. I don’t think I was ready for all of that. I wasn’t in a really good financial place either, so I had to work. I just kind of had to survive.”
It was too much and she dropped out after two years. Failing uni took a sledgehammer to her confidence. After a few years, she thought about returning to uni but still wasn’t sure it was for her. UTS College was the perfect solution. She reasoned that even if she decided she didn’t want to do university at the end of it, she’d still get a diploma.
“UTS College met me where I was at. Everyone was incredibly nice, and the learning material eased you into more difficult, complicated stuff.”
Food and friendsSusie’s confidence returned with every piece of work as the year progressed. She remembers a particular design project where she needed help from a bunch of different people. “During this project there were moments I didn’t feel like I could pull it off. I felt like my vision was so big and I needed other people to help me.” She needed a model, a camera, someone to help her take photos, help with the lighting, and some friends for moral support.
“When I saw the project come to life, I was so proud. I felt so much love for my friends, for the amount of effort they put in.”
Proud day
That project became a zine Susie exhibited at the UTS Zine Fair. The friends who helped her with it were all people she’d met at the College. With more intimate classes, instead of big lecture halls and tutorials, Susie saw the same people every day. She says that made connections happen more easily and also helped her form a routine.
She surprised herself when she first took on a leadership role in a group project. “This type of collaboration is really important because not only are you doing it throughout your university degree, but it’s also setting you up for the industry.”
Susie gained more than just skills and friends at UTS College. She also achieved impressive results. So of course, she didn’t stop at the diploma. She’s now at UTS on her way to graduating with a Bachelor of Design.
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“When the first results from UTS College came back, I first started thinking oh wait, I’m actually quite smart!”
Placeholder captionSuzie's Takeaways
For Susie, UTS College was a low-risk way back into study after being knocked down by a first attempt at uni. She would walk away with a diploma regardless, even if she didn’t continue to a degree.