About 100 new university students from the Gympie region will embark on the next chapter of their education journeys this week when they attend USC Orientation.

Orientation Day at USC’s Gympie campus on Wednesday 20 February will help the future nurses, teachers, accountants, psychologists and social workers to transition to university.

They will join in a range of social and academic activities – from the nitty-gritty of academic writing and program information sessions to market stalls, live music and even a free lunch.

USC Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Joanne Scott said Orientation would equip the region’s newest cohort with knowledge and skills to get their studies off to the right start when Semester 1 begins on Monday 25 February.

“It is also a chance to introduce themselves to their lecturers and tutors, meet other students and discover the sporting, social and cultural groups they can connect with on campus,” she said.

“A major focus is familiarising students with the free wellbeing services they can access at USC, including counselling, study support and practical help with accommodation, finance and budgeting needs.”

The Orientation program at USC Gympie will continue Thursday with a series of academic and study skills workshops, including time and task management, note-taking, assignment analysis and research.

Interest in tertiary study locally continues to grow, with the additional 101 students taking the total number of students studying at the Gympie campus in Semester 1 to about 250.

Nursing Science is the most popular degree with more than 30 future nurses starting the three-year program.

A small number of students have also enrolled in USC’s new Diploma programs, offered for the first time in 2019.

The full-time, one-year diplomas in Business Innovation or Social and Human Services are stand-alone qualifications that offer direct entry and up to one year’s credit into selected USC degrees.

It is not too late to study at USC in 2019.

— Clare McKay