News Archive

For this issue Prospects spoke to two students who are studying different courses within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.

Fiona Kelly is a fourth-year Agricultural Science student. We asked her tell us about her course and why she chose to study it, life as a uni student, what she plans to do when she graduates, and what advice she has for anyone considering what to study at university...

I am from a farm, so have always been interested in agriculture. I moved to Perth to study at UWA, but living in Perth wasn't much of a change for me as I had been at boarding school in Perth for the previous 5 years. I enjoyed shifting into a house because I was able to do everything for myself; however I did miss out on a few social activities as most of my friends were living at college.

I chose to study agriculture at UWA because the course is science based, so we gain an insight into the principles behind agricultural practices.

Agriculture encompasses a wide range of fields, and one aspect of our degree which I have liked is that we don't have to pick one particular aspect to specialise in; we are able to do units from each of the disciplines if we like, or alternatively we can pick all of our units from the one discipline.

We have been on a number of fieldtrips throughout the degree. I have found these very useful as it has allowed us to put the theory that we have learnt in class into practice in the field.

In third year I was involved in a career mentoring program where we are paired up with a mentor in our chosen industry. Through this program we gain an inside perspective of the industry and begin networking and getting to know people in our future industries.

I was a member of the ag club (now known as SNAGS - society of natural and agricultural science) and have been to a number of the social events such as sundowners and quiz nights. This is a great way to get to know more people in the faculty, especially those from different year groups.

When I finish my degree I hope to shift to the country and find a job in the field of agronomy.

My best advice for anyone thinking of going to uni is to do something that you really are interested in and will enjoy; this makes the uni experience much more enjoyable and makes the hours you put in to the degree worthwhile.