Stephanie McColl

Stephanie McColl discusses the benefits of the Bachelor of Science and her journey into the Master of Science (Earth Sciences).

Stephanie McColl

The Bachelor of Science is a very good course both for people who know what they want to do, and for those who are unsure. It allows you to have some freedom in first year to try different subjects, but not be concerned that second and third year are not specialised or will not cover your area of study as in depth as other courses.

I did not know exactly what I wanted to study coming out of school so the opportunity within the Bachelor of Science to try subjects from different faculties was very appealing and I quickly realised that Earth Science was for me!

I think any other degree at any other university would not have let me find my love of geology. The lecturers and staff in the School of Earth Sciences are absolutely amazing and being part of the school as a postgraduate student now has been a great experience. The University and the School of Earth Sciences have supported a very meaningful personal journey and I think the very accepting culture of the University allows everyone, regardless of their background or interests, to go on this journey. It has a great community atmosphere and it is has genuinely helped me find who I am, even if that does sound very cliché.

The Master of Science (Earth Sciences) is an amazing program where you get to interact with different Victorian and Tasmanian students through coursework subjects. There are still plenty of fieldtrips for the subjects and you do get choice in what subjects you want to complete.

The frequent fieldtrips throughout my Bachelor and now in my Masters are definitely a highlight. They allow for a much more in depth understanding of what you are learning and they really force you to put your knowledge into practice. I have made many great friends and got to know the teaching staff very well through these excursions as well.

To be able to analyse a rock and, in doing so, retrieve the history of the earth, its tectonic evolution, its environmental evolution, is just amazing. I don't think I will ever not be in awe of what rocks can tell us. I do enjoy the chemistry and the very practical aspect of geology. Being out in the field and thus being able to convert pure science into practice is really exciting. Geology is like detective work, in a very sciencey way. It definitely challenges you to bring all aspects of your knowledge together to solve a problem.

The University and the School of Earth Sciences have supported a very meaningful personal journey and I think the very accepting culture of the University allows everyone, regardless of their background or interests, to go on this journey. It has a great community atmosphere and it is has genuinely helped me find who I am, even if that does sound very cliché.

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