1913 School Magazine

Dec., 1913.

.GIRLS' GRAMMAR SCHOOL MAGAZINE.

19

Life at a University, . ,~BNJ~' a s~:~ru1~;~,:~:;r ~~;. ::;;e~~; , than those spent at a Uni- " versity. At the Sydney Uni- '. versity there are affiliated .colleges, where students attending. lec- tures at the University mas live-three for men and one for women. All cours'es are open to women, and !h.oug~ there .are :;tt present no women attackmg .Engmeermg or Law, there are many takmg Arts and Science and about :21 in Medicine. When I was at school, my idea of a Ur:tiversity wa.~. a very hazy, and cer- tamly a verymcorrect 'one. I think I imagined it was rather like .a very big school, where one went to continue and ~pecialise in subjects one found interest- mg, and there was a degree at the end ·.of it. I But a U~iv;ersity life does not merely mean a .hfe of stu~y-that is only a part of . It. There IS the social side which is quite as important. . ' We have a Women Graduates' As- : soc~at~on ,and also a Women Sports' As- socIatIon. The former every woman stu- · dent has to join, and the latter nearlv everyone joins from choice. . . At the h~ad of the Women Undergrad's. IS a PreSIdent, elected yearly by the women , sfudents , and there is a com- mittee whose work it is to choose sub- jects for debates, which are (l·ften very exciting. .Hockey and tennis are played with VIgour, and the clubs hold their own in the competition matches. Rowin a is possible, but is not so popular, as ~the University is not near the water. But schoolgirls will he most interested in life at College, The first term the new student, the 'fresher,' usually feels a little out of · things. .She is a 'fresher' for ' a whole · year, but at our .College she does nOt have a bad time at all-though in the first term she has her room "souped." and in the third she has to perform at · a supper-party given by the d'eparting students . . The. last three years Jhe freshers, Instead of performing separ-

a:te~y, have chosen to act a play of theIr own composition. This vearit was a rather bloodcurdling melod'r:ama entitI~d "The F.resher'~ F_olly." Really: the fust year student IS a very nappy person, after she has recovered from any homesickness she may have felt. · and. has got u~·ed t6 college ·life. . GIrls may hke to have some idea of an ordinary day in CoUeg!e. Dressing- hell at 7.15, and a rush for the baths Bl'(>akfast at 7.50. First we hav~ prayers, Jhen br.eakfast is br9ught ,in and rut on a SIde table, and we all; help ourselves. Lunch is served in the same way. After breakfast we all ,separate and attend lectures at the University or woi'k in our rooms or on the . b'alc~.nies . Afternoon tea is in the common-r'oom' fro~ four till about half-past five. GIrls who have not lectures in the afternoon play tennis, or amuse them- selves in some other wav. Skatina on the top balcony was a favourite form of exercis·e this year, and all sorts of means were devised to lessen the s·everity of the falls. Probably the on- loo~ers h~d the best of the game. . Dmner IS at 6.30, when the Principal ~Jkes . _all students to be present; and m wmter, there usuallv follows a dance in the common-room · until 8 o'clock. In the long ~mmmer evenings, students ~troll about the lawn, gradually separat- mg to go off to Lheir rooms to work or to talk. Then at 9.30 there is a general move fo~ sUIl~er, which w.e have in the Ilantr-y. WIth prIde. There IS one on'each floor ~nd they are the ,most frequented place~ In College. On the gas ring there we do any cooking we want, and we al- ways get our own supper, usually tak- ing it in turns-bread, butter, and a jug of milk being put in each pantrv. ~Vhen the call is given, we all assemble In the pantry, sit on the floor, and thoroughly enjoy ourselves, talking hard about ,everything. Then we . sep'arate, and go to bed. . Sometj~es, jf there is a good play on, or :;t good ?pera , we make up little parhes. •rnakmg ourselves early .tea in the pantry before we go. . Every year, in Second Term, we have our :annual dinner-Xmas. dinner, as 'it