Noor Syuhada Shamsul
Bachelor of Environments: Urban Design and Planning

I chose the Bachelor of Environments because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something completely new. Coming from a science background it was interesting to look at things not from a completely quantitative point of view. In the end I found studying things like design was extremely rewarding and enjoyable.

I decided to major in urban planning because I wanted to understand how the urban environment influences us and how we, with all our intricacies influence it. How the design of places can sometimes influence the way we think or even what we do. Ultimately, I think it’s important to understand these things to maybe try and apply it in reality, to hopefully improve ourselves in some way.

My favourite subjects were Urban history and design studios. The former because I’ve always liked history and that I strongly believe about leaning from it, as clichés as that sounds. The latter, because I find it a very fast paced and stimulating subject that makes you learn how to deal with stressful deadlines and at the end of the day (semester) you have a collection of work from it that you can truly be proud of.

My advice to new students is Don’t be lazy! Especially with studio subjects. Also, sleepless nights are never fun but at least if you’re doing work at 3am in the architecture building, you’ll know you’ll have people there equally as tired, so it’s not so bad.

I am looking forward to… Taking what I have learnt in Australia back home to Malaysia. We have many issues regarding the urban environment that has to be met, and I look forward to contributing my knowledge and skills into the field of urban planning there to help mitigate if not solve these issues.

NOOR IS NOW DOING GRADUATE STUDY

I chose to do graduate study in Urban Planning because It gives me a chance to hone in on my major and develop critical skills specific to it. Also, a Master of Urban Planning is required if you want to be an accredited planner.

It’s very different studying at graduate level. You can definitely see a change in the students at this level. I find people more engaging, motivated and more willing to learn, rather than just sitting back and going through uni without trying. This provides an amazing environment for learning, which I think is one of the better things about studying in a master’s level.

In my Masters I am looking forward to Learning, not just from the lecturers but from my fellow students as well. Many of them don’t necessarily have an undergrad in urban planning and I think this mix of students is critical for developing a broader outlook on a particular topic when we are discussing it in class. I think narrowing your skills is a good thing in masters as it enables you to specialise, but I think one’s thinking must be open and have a broad understanding of subjects from different perspectives.

What inspires you at Uni? The lecturers and tutors. It always seems much easier to understand or be motivated to learn or work when the person teaching you is also motivated.