Surviving on a Student Budget

Living on a budget is one of those skills that usually goes with being a student.  Centrelink allowances and casual employment generally don’t lend themselves to lavish lifestyles.  The Student Wellbeing Officers speak to many students who are experiencing financial hardship or just having trouble keeping up with financial commitments.  Attached are some tips on how to save money (or at least avoid overspending) along some resources so you can track your money and feel more in control of your finances. You will also find a link to somewhere you can get help if you do find yourself in financial trouble.

If you’re worried about your financial situation, please reach out to the Student Wellbeing Officers and we will see if we can help.  We don’t want to include too many links on this page as they often become obsolete but we can help you find resources if you need to.

Young People and Work

Many students will be entering the world of work for the first time.  Every person employed in Australia has rights and can expect to be treated fairly by employers. It’s important to know what your rights are so that you can go into employment fully informed.  If you feel you are not being treated fairly, you will find some resources on this page that may be able to clarify your concerns.  If you would like to talk about your employment situation then consult with a Student Wellbeing Officer.  We are not have all the answers but we can certainly listen to your concerns and then guide you towards expert help or information.  We also have contacts in the Apprenticeship Support Workers who are also located at Box Hill Institute.

Getting Started

The best thing you can do to be a successful student is to follow that old saying – begin as you mean to go on.  Set yourself up for success.  As Student Wellbeing Officers we see a lot of students who get off track with their studies.  One mistake these students make is that they drift into study without clear planning or they leave it too late to reach out for help.  Some of the best things you can do is to set up a timetable incorporating your classes, homework, work, sport, social opportunities, extra time when assessments are due and SLEEP.  To help you get started in the best way possible we have attached a checklist to guide your commencement in your course.

Health, Lifestyle & Mindset

Prioritising your health and wellbeing is an important factor in achieving academic success. A healthy lifestyle which includes regular exercise, proper nutrition, rest and adequate sleep will have a positive impact upon your mood, cognitive functioning, memory and concentration. Many students struggle to maintain a balanced lifestyle which includes health-oriented activities due to the various pressures they face. Irregular schedules, money worries, stress, work commitments and other factors can take their toll on your health, leading to unhealthy coping strategies. Refer to the attached document and follow the links for more information about self-care and lifestyle considerations to help you to maintain optimum health for endurance, productivity and study success.

Health, Lifestyle and Mindset (PDF)

Personal Organisation and Time Management

As a tertiary student, it is inevitable that you will be juggling multiple responsibilities. Study, work, family, health, recreation and social events are all things that are likely to place demands on your time and attention, and the challenge of ‘keeping all your balls in the air’ can leave you feeling quite overwhelmed. This is especially true of people who are new to tertiary study, or who are returning to study after a long break. Effective use of organisation strategies will help you to feel more calm and in control, so that you are no longer scrambling to finish tasks at the last minute. Refer to the document and other resources below for some ideas as to how to organise your time and maintain balance in your schedule. 

How to Succeed as a Student

Whilst we might naturally assume that the key to achieving academic success is to work harder, often better results can be achieved by working smarter, that is, by applying effective strategies to your learning, your study methods and your lifestyle. The document and links below provide an overview of some of the habits, strategies and lifestyle factors which are known to contribute to successful academic outcomes.

Managing Stress

As a student, it is likely that you will experience a certain level of stress at various times throughout your course. The need to keep on top of a heavy or fluctuating workload and the pressure of assessments can be identified as potential stressors – and on top of this, many students are juggling multiple responsibilities whilst living on a limited income. A certain level of stress is normal and can actually enhance performance, but when it becomes overwhelming, it can be detrimental to your health, your productivity and your capacity to focus and produce your best work. Whilst it would be unrealistic (and perhaps not even desirable) to remove stress altogether – there are ways to manage it so that it does not impede upon your capacity for academic success. The document and link below provide an overview of some effective stress-management strategies.

Staying Motivated

It’s natural to begin your studies with great sense of enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn all that you can, however staying that way throughout your course can be a very difficult task. As the initial excitement of starting something new starts to wear off and the regularities of life begin to take hold, it’s normal for us to experience natural peaks and troughs in regard to our motivation. These low points can cause us to start losing concentration in class, put off completing work or begin to lose interest entirely. Maintaining our motivation is a challenge that we must face every day (some days more successfully than others!) but there are some things you can do to help meet this challenge. The document and links below provide some simple but useful strategies to help you to stay motivated and successfully complete your studies.


Last modified: Wednesday, 20 January 2021, 10:05 AM