Orientation Day

Assalamualaikum

Believe it or not, PhD students also have their own Orientation Day. And today is for the Uni Melb Research Grad students Orientation Day. Well, out of all orientation days that I have to attend in the past, I found that I am eager to attend to this particular one. Maybe it is because this will be the last orientation day for my academic life as a student. I escaped my Master orientation day at La Trobe last time and I don't want to miss out this one. Why? Well I realized that I missed a lot when I did not go the LTU orientation day especially in making new friends. And I redeemed that today! Yeah.

Although I did not exchange contact details with them, it is good to get to know few new people in the campus. To learn from people around you is something that I believe in. There are lots of things that need to be learned in life and I can't possibly learn all of that myself. Thus I have to learn it through people around me.

I learned a lot today. Especially on how to become a good, matured, graduate research student. It takes a lot of thinking and planning of what you want to do rather than waiting for your supervisor(s) to give orders to you. It is your research! You have to take it seriously. Something that need to be learned by yourself during this 3-4 years journey. No classes, no exams, no assignments! Unlike the undergraduate studies where you just need to do things that you were told. Nothing else. Just put a little bit of thinking on the thing you were asked to do (i.e:assignments), that's it! 

But being a research student, you have to think from the beginning till the end. Supervisors are there just to guide and get you trough it. They use their expertise and capabilities to help us. But it is up to us to ensure that we learned what we are supposed to learn during this journey. There were two talks given by the students and the one particularly stuck in my mind was given by Lilian. When she talked, I can see her passion in her research area. I want to have that passion too. Insha Allah, one day I will be like her. Confident and in love with my research.

Well basically nobody says that being on this road is going to be easy but it will be an interesting one of you steer your wheel properly. There will surely be lots of bumpy roads ahead but insha Allah with guidance and perseverance the journey will be fine. Just remember I am the 'driver' not the passenger and my SVs are my co-pilots. Insha Allah I can!!