St Mark's | College Life | What Students Say

Student Testimonials

Jordan Gray

The decision to move to St Mark's college was probably one of the greatest decisions that I have ever made.  Growing up in a rural South Australian country town, my transition from Loxton to Adelaide was an exciting but daunting stage in my life.  Leaving a close community and a caring family, I knew that relocating in a completely new and different environment was never going to be easy.  I wanted to make sure that I gave myself every opportunity to be successful with my tertiary studies while also enjoying myself in the process.

Upon arrival at St Mark's college, you are overwhelmed with the rich sense of community.  There are over 230 students with diverse backgrounds from all over Australia and the world, who are all in the same situation as you are.  While friends from home who chose to live in flats and houses were always complaining about being homesick or bored, I experienced neither of these two problems.  The college lifestyle is so exciting and invigorating that I don't know how I would have survived without it.

St Mark's College has provided me with a solid foundation on which to build the rest of my life.  I now have a large social network, and some great friends that I will always remain in touch with.  Academically, the support provided by tutors, and fellow students taking part my course, has allowed me to maintain results that I am extremely happy with.  Being notorious as the sporting college of Adelaide, I also thoroughly enjoy playing a wide range of sports throughout the duration of the year. 

I was fortunate enough to be elected onto the college student committee as the male sport secretary in my second year, and have really enjoyed the challenges and responsibilities that this position has provided me with.  In fact, this is just one example of the opportunities that St Marks provides to help you develop into a more independent, assiduous person.

The college calendar is so full of activities, that time seems to fly by, and you forget what boredom actually is.  Weekly pub nights, garden parties, football celebrations, balls, quiz nights and golf days are only a few of the countless events that take place during the year.  Although it may appear that you wouldn't get time to study, the lack of other chores such as cleaning, shopping, budgeting and cooking enables you to find a healthy and efficient balance between work and ‘play'.

One of the greatest things about St Marks is its location.  Nestled between the night-life and shopping of O'Connell Street, and within a 10 minutes walk of Adelaide University, you get the best of both worlds.  I have lived at St Mark's for over 3 years now, and am yet to buy a car.  There just isn't a need, everything is walking distance away.

The grounds of St Mark's are both comfortable and attractive, and provide you with a somewhat ‘country' feeling.  The grass tennis courts are a great place to relax in the sun, or just kick the footy with your mates.  The college gym is a facility that is a personal favourite of mine, allowing me to keep fit amongst all of my other time consuming commitments.

I was a Floor Tutor last year and I really enjoyed helping a group of first year students settle in to College life. This year I am President of the College Club and this is a great challenge to lead an energetic committee who are totally driven to make College life a lot of fun.  I love this place that I now call home, and I am making the most of living in this community with so many friends.

 

Rhi Pulford

I honestly don't think I would be able to get through university without college. Not only does it make my study life so much easier and more bearable, but the social, cultural and sporting activities it provides mean I always have something to look forward to.

College has really helped me from the very beginning, making what might otherwise have been a difficult move (from my home in Darwin to university in Adelaide), a seamless transition. Since then it has assisted me with, and enriched, almost every aspect of my university life...

It's so convenient to live at St Mark's - it's ten minutes walk from university and the city, and if that's not close enough there are shops, pubs, etc in North Adelaide - only five minutes walk away. We are provided with all of our meals, internet and phone access, a gym...you name it, so I really don't find myself needing anything outside of college.

In terms of study, the college has a huge library and provides tutors for all of the disciplines. As well as using these resources, I also frequently seek advice and guidance from other students here who are further into the degree than I am - they're always happy to give assistance. In addition to helping me get through my degree itself, I think living at college has placed me well for the future in other ways. With 230 students and a strong old collegian's society, St Mark's is a great place to network, and the networks I have established here will definitely be valuable beyond my study life.

Aside from being convenient and easy, college life is also good fun! St Mark's is particularly lucky in that the College Club Committee, the governing student body, has a lot of say in what happens around the College. This means that the social, cultural and sporting activities/events are run by students... who know how to have a good time! There is always something happening here, ranging from a party, pub crawl, or ball, to an arts evening, ‘port and talk', exhibition, quiz night, play or an inter-college sport. The College caters for everyone's interests, and if there is something you are passionate about that isn't covered by the various events/activities, it's easy enough to start it up yourself.

I would recommend St Mark's to anyone undertaking tertiary education. It has helped me through my studies, set me up for the future, and provided me with some of the best memories and friends I will ever have.

 

Isaac Liau

In the past 3 years that I have spent in Adelaide, the opportunity to experience collegiate living has played a really important role in shaping the way in which I have adapted to life both at university, and in a new city. Being originally from Sydney, one of the most daunting aspects of the decision to move down to Adelaide to pursue studies in the field of Dentistry was to move away from the comforts of home, friends and family. Having said this, the sense of community at college was so strong and inclusive that I had no problems in feeling welcome, right from the moment I stepped into college straight off the plane, and met my friendly floor tutor.

College has given me the opportunity to get to know people both within my course, and external to it. To get to know people from a broad scope of backgrounds, and with varying interests has allowed me to gain a wider perspective on things, and more importantly, to forge lasting friendships. In fact, some of the best and most memorable memories I have of college are not from fancy events or functions, but from the times spent in the company of my mates (and a good movie) on a Friday night.

Whilst St Mark's has a thriving and supportive social environment, one of the greatest resources here are the different types of support available academically. In my first year, I found the assistance of our Dentistry tutor, a fourth year student at the time, to be invaluable in helping me adjust to university study as well as providing more practical pearls of wisdom, especially come exam time! In addition to this, the support of peers within my year has also been fantastic, whether it be from printing off lecture notes for you, stopping you from sleeping in through that 8am morning lecture, or getting together and forming some "dynamic" study sessions to plow through some past exam papers.

From a more practical point of view, living at college is also very convenient, without at all impinging on my feelings of independence. Little things like an efficient housekeeping service, or the knowledge that no matter what, a hot meal always awaits you at the end of a busy day, eventually stack up into a lot of extra time to work, play and unwind.

Amidst all of the hectic schedule at uni, the College gym has proven to be a great stress reliever, not to mention one of the best gym facilities that I have ever seen outside of a fitness club. This accompanied with inter college sporting events that pull the whole college together have ensured that I never end up buried too deeply in the books.

Throughout the college calendar are events that range from being highly entertaining, such as Arts Evenings or Plays, to mind-enriching, such as Port and Talk's with their guest speakers, to being just plain fun, like the weekly pub night or occasional pond party.

On the whole, I have found the experience of living in college to be highly enjoyable, providing me with a sense of balance whilst at the same time assisting me in my academic pursuits. I would definitely recommend it, because so far, it's been an absolute blast!

 

Katie Bahr

I remember staring at the plane gateway in tears before I first came to Australia in 2004 wondering, "What could have possessed me to move so far away from everything I know?"  I left my closest friends and the home I'd made for myself at Uni in the States thinking I would never feel fully settled for the next six months.  Within my first two days of arriving at St Mark's, during which the Equity Officers drove me and the other internationals to Henley Beach and the College Club Committee took me to help work on the then-unfinished Gas Truck,  my fears of displacement proved completely unfounded.  From the moment I stepped on to St Mark's campus there were scads of students eager to make me part the college life and traditions.  St Mark's provided me with so much more than room and board; it gave me a chance to plug straight into a social group (something vital for any student away from home), it afforded me opportunities to play sport in the High Table Cup, to hear lectures from local dignitaries at its Port and Talks, to let loose every Wednesday at Pub Nights, and most importantly, to make friends that last a lifetime.

I'm sure every college promises to give its students all the experiences I just mentioned which will broaden and mature them, but in my case, St Mark's really has changed my life forever.  Since the first semester I spent here, I have returned to Australia two times, in 2005 for work experience and from 2007-2008 to gain a Masters Degree, and I've lived at St Mark's on both occasions.  There's nothing more comforting when you move to the other side of the world than to know you have a community you can instantly contribute to and that will instantly contribute to you.  Both times I've returned, though the faces have been different, the strong spirit and camaraderie of St Mark's men and women have remained the same.  St Mark's has been pivotal in making me think of Australia as a home, so much so that after I finish my degree, I'm considering becoming a permanent resident (of Australia, not St Mark's unfortunately!).  

 

Andrew Schwartz 

Looking back I can confidently say choosing to attend St Mark's College was the best decision I ever made.  My college years were the best time of my life and in my five years at college not only did I make an amazing group of friends from all over the world, but I had an unbelievable range of personal and professional development opportunities. I found the College staff to be very supportive as I transitioned into life in Australia, and once I had settled in they were very keen to help me get involved in areas that interested me. Over the years, I became a Commerce Tutor, participated in various operational committees, became significantly involved in the marketing efforts of the College, and even helped design the new website, all before my 24^th birthday!

I would most definitely recommend St Mark's College to a university student, as I feel no other university residential accommodation option offers the location, convenience, beautiful heritage grounds, and fantastic social life that are the hallmarks of the St Mark's College experience.