Ryan Snell
Bachelor of Environments: Landscape Management

I chose the Bachelor of Environments because it was a new and unique course that allowed me to develop breadth  and depth of academic knowledge about environmental sustainability. The University of Melbourne was always a first preference and goal since the start of my VCE studies.

I decided to major in Landscape Management because since a young boy I’ve always had a passion to understand our surrounding environment and manage it with economic, social and environmental considerations. The Landscape Management major has developed my knowledge on a diverse range of ecological and conservation academia.

My favourite subjects were Rivers, Hydrology and Ecology and Childhood, Youth and Identities. Rivers, Hydrology and Ecology was the most challenging subject thus far. It combined in-depth knowledge of hydrology, geology and ecology to understand how rivers function. The work load was immense but the satisfaction after completing the subject was worth it. Childhood, Youth and Identities was a breadth subject that mainly consisted of sociology. This subject and other breadth subjects allowed me to develop a range of different skills and understandings of the world. This world view is becoming a priceless asset for everyday life and future aspirations.

To me, studying at the University of Melbourne meant an opportunity to become a leading student in landscape management. It has developed both my academic and life skills to prepare me for future endeavours. Overall, my time at the University of Melbourne has been engaging as well as enlightening.

My advice to new students is to make sure you balance university with other life activities. You must balance social, work and family activities with university demands as well as making sure you look after your health and wellbeing by eating well and exercising. It can be a tough time but must always remember to sometimes take a step back and just enjoy the moment.

I am looking forward to working for a leading corporation in managing and protecting our natural resources. Working for an organisation will be an exciting challenge. Learning to be competent with presentations and conducting meetings as well as managing environmental projects are exciting goals to look forward to.

The BEnvs helped prepare me for a complex and fluid society that needs today’s citizens to be both academically minded and display strong emotional intelligence in order to learn to adjust to environmental constraints. The BEnvs has given me a diverse range of skills that will allow me to be a competent and knowledgeable employee able to make a positive contribution to the global community.

Five words that sum me up are: outgoing, happy, approachable, competent and diplomatic.

My personal motto is: set goals, work hard, have fun.

RYAN IS NOW DOING THE HONOURS YEAR

I chose to do honours study in Landscape Management

because I wanted to be able to manage my own research project and add to contemporary literature on a specific field. The process is helping to improve my project management skills and personal development enormously.

Its different studying at honours level because you are facilitating your own learning. If you do not stay on track throughout the year you can be left behind or will struggle to produce a good research paper. However, the learning process is rewarding both academically and personally.

In my Honours I am looking forward to spending time out in the field collecting data from a pristine environment. Also the idea of writing the final paragraph of my thesis and being able to read through a year’s worth of research will be exciting.

What inspires you at Uni? Studying at a leading university with some of Australia’s top academics. It inspires me to continue to strive to be one of the most successful landscape managers I can be.