What It's Like to Study Business at Western Sydney University

In this article, WSU student, Ryan O’Toole, takes us through what it’s like to study at Western.
Register for Western Sydney University’s Open Day: Sunday 27 August, 2017.

I’m a second-year Business student at WSU, and I’m really loving it.

While being educated by business professionals in key concepts and theories, you also learn how to manage your workload and produce quality content. This is great, because your interests and passions may change, but those skills will remain.

When I selected Marketing as a major, I thought it would be about advertising, which is my main interest. I soon learned that there is much more to marketing – but found great interest in these topics, too. When I discovered I could take on an advertising-specific major to complement my Bachelor of Business, I was really keen!

In fact, within the Bachelor of Business, you can major in a range of disciplines outside of the business stream. This gives you complementary areas of expertise, making you an even more highly sought-after graduate!

Interested in Psychology? Sweet – you can major in it. Want to learn Japanese? No worries at all.

SO, WHY WSU?

As an HSC student, there was a lot of pressure to decide on a degree that would lead to a career.

Some students knew their interests, and had begun selecting courses fairly early on. I didn’t know what I wanted to do until August, which was roughly a month before the University Admissions Centre (UAC) asked for our preferences.

I decided on marketing because it interested me when I studied it in Business Studies. Then, I began to look at universities and private colleges in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane that were offering business degrees.

Western Sydney University was one of the seven institutions I shortlisted. Western sent me a letter explaining that if I selected them as my first preference, I would be given early admission providing I obtained an adequate ATAR.

I enjoyed the sense of security in a course that WSU provided, and selected them as my first preference. Western Sydney was in my sights due to convenient location, a variety of class availabilities, and amazing educational facilities, such as the large library and peer mentoring sessions offered to students.

WHAT’S IT LIKE DAY-TO-DAY?

Business at WSU on a day-to-day basis has changed a lot since I started my degree.

When I began, I was going to lectures and tutorials at the Parramatta South campus. At the beginning of this year, WSU opened their new Parramatta City campus – conveniently located next to Parramatta Station.

On the new campus, tutorials are held in studios, which have tables specifically designed to assist with working in groups and teams. It’s pretty cool. Each table has a large computer on it, which tutors can utilise in a variety of ways to assist the learning experience.

One of the appealing things about WSU is being able to begin your major in the very first year of your course. This meant I instantly began learning about the part of business that interested me most, while still completing core units of the Bachelor of Business degree.

The core units also helped me discover interests in other areas, such as management and finance. So it’s a really great mix – you get to study what you’re most passionate about right away, but there’s also some flexibility there.

Register for Western Sydney University’s Open Day: Sunday 27 August, 2017.

HOW ARE THE FACILITIES?

In short, they’re very impressive.

The Parramatta City campus provides areas on every level for students to work collaboratively or individually. These areas can be used for personal study. Alternatively, students can get assistance with their units through the Peer Assistance Study Sessions (PASS) program.

Online facilities, such as vUWS and the WSU Library Database, can be accessed through the desktops provided on campus.

The Student Central has also been re-designed to improve efficiency. This is achieved by getting students to leave their details on an electronic kiosk, which sends a text message to notify them that assistance has become available. Very state-of-the-art.

THE ACADEMY

And then there’s The Academy of WSU, which offers advanced degrees for high-achieving students. You can get into The Academy if you receive a 90+ ATAR, of if you do really well whilst studying at Western.

Joining The Academy is free. It’s designed to challenge students – to think differently, to become leaders.

I have a number of friends in The Academy, and they tell me about the perks all the time. To name a few:

• You can get a Bachelor of Applied Leadership and Critical Thinking through eight additional units

• Exclusive study zones for Academy students (particularly good when it’s busy around exam time!)

• A range of extra workshops for personal/professional development

• Special events and networking opportunities with industry leaders

• Opportunities for extra experience both domestically and internationally

It’s cool, because the program is personalised. That means you can choose what extra stuff you do (whether it be academic, community-focused etc.). Of course, all of that looks amazing to potential employers.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As a Business student, I feel that Western Sydney is working to prepare all students as best they can for the workforce. I mean, WSU even emails students throughout the year with part-time job offers that are relevant to their studies!

And depending on unit selection, you can achieve industry-specific accreditation from leading institutions, including CPA Australia, Australian Property Institute, and the Australian Human Resource Institute.

Units are taught by business professionals with first-hand experiences in all different sections of business. They use this experience to educate the next group of future businesspeople.

The structure of the Bachelor of Business is also effective. It helps students see all areas of business, in order to prepare them for a variety of roles and challenges they’re likely to face. That’s something I’ve really enjoyed in my degree thus far.

Overall, I really love being a Business student at Western Sydney University – especially with the new campus and tutorial structures. Each semester, I get better at time management, and my quality of work improves. WSU truly provides a great experience; I’d recommend Western Sydney to any student with an interest in business!

Register for Western Sydney University’s Open Day: Sunday 27 August, 2017.

Learn more about Western Sydney University courses.