Kaustav from Singapore, Studying Commerce
When I first came, I thought because they are Senior Residents, I have to treat them with fear and respect, so I couldn’t be open with them and I’d always have that barrier with them, as Senior Residents not being friends. But I could not be more wrong. Over the past three years, and I have seen a few teams of Senior Residents. All of them fantastic people, very good friends, you can refer to them at any time.
Kaustav from Singapore, Studying Commerce
Kaustav's Experience:
Hi, my name is Kaustav, I’m from Singapore, I study a Bachelor of Commerce, I’m in my final year. I’ve been at NCV since 2017, and I am in my final term of degree.
I have a funny story for when I was applying for NCV. I started applying in about September of 2016, but as of February of 2017, I had no place to stay, and my degree started at the end of February. On the first of February, a friend of mine tells me “bro, there’s this place called NCV, check it out”. I checked it out, 3rd/4th of February I applied. Before the 7th I had gotten an email confirming that I’ve gotten my place, from the Dean. Within another few days, I have my interview with the Dean… I prepared for it as a job interview, [but] it was just asking me as a friend was asking me how I was. It was extremely comfortable, and extremely reassuring, I couldn’t wait to come and meet the Dean...
When I came here from Singapore to Australia, it was a new land, I was expecting to meet new people and make new friends, but I did not know exactly how it was going to happen. In my first days at NCV, I got a newsletter saying there is a Welcome Dinner. I went and I met my first group of friends on the second day in Australia, the friends who I’m still friends with three years later, I met them on the second day because of NCV. After that, every Tuesday NCV has social supper where people from each floor meet up and just discuss what’s happening, cheering people up and making friends.
The first thing when I applied to NCV, because I didn’t know anyone and didn’t have any friends, I chose to stay in a studio...By the time I had made some friends, we decided to stay in an apartment, where I’m currently still staying. The best thing about NCV, which is common to both studios and apartments is that NCV is the only accommodation on campus that has air conditioning...Apart from that, the thing about apartments and studios is that there is an ensuite toilet...and as a guy who loves his privacy, that was among the first few things I wanted in my accommodation for university.
When it comes to an apartment, you can stay in a five room or six room apartment. If you know people you can ask the Dean and the Dean will put you up with your friends. Even if you don’t, I’m currently staying with a few people who I didn’t know before, but again during the suppers you can meet your friends. And you have a living room in the apartment so you can meet them there as well.
When I first came, and I met the Senior Resident on duty, and she was very helpful because I was new, and she had to show me around. The following day, where there was the Welcome Dinner, I met the Assistant Dean [who manages the Senior Resident team]. Each and everyone one of them was really helpful. Obviously when I first came, I thought because they are Senior Residents, I have to treat them with fear and respect, so I couldn’t be open with them and I’d always have that barrier with them, as Senior Residents not being friends. But I could not be more wrong.
Over the past three years, and I have seen a few teams of Senior Residents. All of them fantastic people, very good friends, you can refer to them at any time. One thing is the simple stuff - that if you’re locked out of your room, if you’re missing something, if you need some help setting up your room, Wi-Fi issues, you can contact them 24/7. But apart from that, if you just feel like talking with someone to share your feelings, experiences, or just one of those days, you can hit them up and each and every one of those Senior Residents will respond to you in a very positive way.
At a frequent space of time, NCV would organise a lot of community events… We also have a lot of sporting events. We have an NCV and NC Master’s Cup, where the best of NCV and NC play in a few sports and the combined winner of all those gets the Master’s Cup. Also we have sports [on] Saturdays, where every Saturday we would pick up one sport or another… sometimes it’ll be table tennis, football, cricket, basketball, frisbee. But being in my final term of my degree here in three years, I would definitely be sad to say goodbye to UNSW… but compounding to this sadness is the fact [that] I’m going to be leaving NCV... it will be one of my most cherished moments.