Health information and advice

Mental health

University isn’t all sunshine, rainbows and late morning lectures. Sometimes it’s more like a downpour of exams, or cloudy from exhaustion with a chance of infuriating group assignment. Roughly 1 in 5 Australians will suffer from a mental health disorder each year. And uni students are even more likely to be affected. In fact, 4 in every 5 students report feeling stressed or anxious. So chances are the topic of mental health is going to come up in your time here.

To help prepare you, we’re breaking down stigma and the facts of what you need to know. Here, you can do everything from learn how to identify potential warning signs in yourself and others, to understand and action what happens next when you need help.

Unlearn It

University is a place of learning, but while you’re here it’s good to do a little unlearning too. 

So what do we mean by unlearning? Well, humans start learning things from the minute they enter this bizarre world and some of those lessons are more helpful than others. The things you learn in school are usually very useful, but it’s the little lessons we pick up just by moving through society that are worth reevaluating. These lessons include things like which people hold power in the world and which people don’t, and what’s normal and right versus what is abnormal and wrong. 

By the time we leave school, we pretty much already have a PhD in what society expects of us based on our race, gender, ability and sexuality. If we stop to think about these things, we’ll find that a lot of it is quite harmful, fuels inequality and violence, and is mostly just plain old wrong. 

This is where Unlearn It comes in – a series where we look at different learnt attitudes in our society and begin to unpick them to make our world (or at least our campus) more respectful and inclusive. 

Sexual health and respectful relationships

Your sexual health is just as important as any other aspect of your wellbeing. Especially while you’re here. Because there’s great news: university is often a time for sexual exploration. The not-so-great news: it means students are at a higher risk for things like un-safe sex, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexual assault and harassment.

We’d like to make getting frisky a little less risky, so we’ve created these pages to talk about all things sex and sexuality. Learn about the services available if you need support dealing with things like the morning after pill or an STI check. And what you need to know if you’re sexually active (or would like to be). Safe sex. The legality of dick pics. What consent is. What consent isn’t. (Hint: a ‘no’ always means no. No more to it.) We’re putting it all to bed.

Nutrition and healthy living

The vast majority of Australian uni students have an inadequate diet. It’s just too easy today to opt for salty, fatty and sugary foods rather than fruits or vegetables. Consider the 2-minute noodle: beloved dish of students the world over. Delicious, lacking in cost, cooking time and yet also… you guessed it, nutrition. They say you are what you eat, so if your entire diet consists of stuff like quick noodles, you may well be in hot water.

You see, lots of studies show poor nutritional and exercise habits can negatively affect your body and mind. And the latter you really need for university. So we’re here to help. Ever wondered what to cook, how to cook or ‘ugh, do I really have to cook?’. Here, you can find the recipes, tips and guides to help you get healthy, served up on a silver platter.

Feeling a bit more adventurous? Check out our Swinburne student recipe bible, featuring a selection of everyday, affordable meals, prepared by students for students (no fancy blenders required!). 

Alcohol and other drugs

Booze is to Australian culture, what tea is to the British way of life. Popular, offered as a courtesy and regularly used as an emotional crutch. It’s the most widely used recreational drug we have. Australian universities are no exception. Although student consumption is on the decline, they’re still likely to binge like it’s the last season of Stranger Things (and more likely to be harmed by it too).

If you’ve indulged yourself in alcohol or any other recreational drug you’re probably familiar with shorter-term side effects like vomiting, bangin’ headaches and having no idea what happened last night. But the long-term effects are serious and can’t be cured with Panadol and a day in bed. So we’re cracking the lid off what you need to know before your next night out. Here you can explore everything from the basics of drugs and alcohol to the more complicated stuff, like what to do next when having a good time gets out of control.

Bike safety

Cycling is a terrific way to get around Melbourne: riding a bike is great exercise, it’s inexpensive to get started, and it’s a fun way to explore near campus and beyond. Cycling can also be combined with public transport if your destination is further than you can peddle.

As a cyclist, you can reduce your risk of injury if you’re involved in an accident by wearing a helmet (which is compulsory). Dressing in bright colours can increase your visibility – remember that you’ll be sharing the road with other vehicles, including cars, buses and trams, so you must understand and obey the road rules. (Make sure you know what a hook turn is… Even some life-long Melburnians struggle with that one!) You might need some dedicated kit too, like lights, and consider learning some basic bike maintenance to keep you safe and on the move.

Ready to get on your bike? Great! Swinburne’s Croydon and Wantirna campuses have lots of free bike parking. At our Hawthorn campus, you can access secure bike lockers as well as bicycle repair stations with tools to do basic repairs. Stay safe and enjoy the ride!