Balancing study, work and fun at College: Olivia Eagles

I'm a Curtin Student studying a Bachelor of Arts, Theatre and Screen. I used to live in Bunbury but now I live at St Catherine's. Coming up as a regional kid, it definitely was a hard decision to make of where I was going to live. I chose a residential college because I'm living this independent life but I also feel supported.  Our rooms are professionally cleaned weekly, there's food provided for us. And it's so easy to make friends of course.  

I think it's really good while you’re working hard at uni to always have friends there for you . Out of all the other colleges, St Cat's feels like a big family. At St Catherine's, there is a smaller ratio of RAs to students here. You really get that quality time with someone in your wing, whos been here before you and can give tips for adjusting to life away from home. Our RAs also host lots of social events and activities every week.

We also have the dining hall, which can be overlooked sometimes but it's a really good chance to just put your phone away and meet new people, eat with your friends and have a chat about your day. It's like a big happy family that eats together.  

Living at St Catherine's has given me the opportunity to balance my study with time to do what I love. There are lots of different events to cater to different interests, whether that’s competitive sport, music, art classes, movies nights and more.  

St Cat’s also offers a variety of different programs for all our residents here. One of them is Dandjoo Darbalung, which focuses on supporting Indigenous students throughout their studies and providing a space for cultural learning for non-Indigenous students.  

We also have a mentoring and tutoring program at College, where you can either receiving tutoring for a unit you are taking, or if you got high marks in a unit you can sign up to be a tutor and get paid for helping other students.  

We also have other programs running through our Centre for Youth Innovation, such as entrepreneurship and self-development courses that are available to all residents. These can basically help you prepare for life after uni and entering the workforce. St Catherine's is not only about living on campus and studying, it's also about making sure we are career ready for the future.  

Moving away from home as a regional kid was really hard for me, but living at St Catherine's definitely made the transition easier, so I would definitely recommend it.