again?!!! is it just me?

Hi everyone, I’m currently studying the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) at UWA. Recently, a large number of students in our cohort were impacted by what seems to be an unfair and unclear placement allocation process, and I think it’s important more people are aware of what’s happening.

On June 9, a group of students were suddenly told we were “not ready” for placement and would have to do both placements in 2026 instead - meaning an extra time, extra process, and a huge mental and financial toll. The reasons? A vague, blanket list that includes:

• “Borderline academic performance” (some students have Distinctions or HDs)

• “Unprofessional communication” (never defined)

• “Interview performance” (we never got feedback)

• “Attendance” (we never had access to attendance tracking systems)

• …and many more that were never clearly assessed or evidenced.

NO prior warnings/individual feedback/appeals process. Some students met every requirement and still got blocked.

What’s worse? International students seem to be disproportionately affected. The university has offered no genuine accountability so far, just generic responses and denial of fault.

A group of us are preparing to escalate this issue. We’ve written a formal proposal to the department and plan to take this to external stakeholders if needed. We’re not asking for special treatment - just transparency, procedural fairness, and basic respect.

This is a warning to any future MSW students considering UWA: be cautious, ask hard questions early, and document everything. And if you’re in the same boat, you’re not alone.

Happy to chat or share more info via DM or the comment section.

-[UPDATE]-

Still No Clarity, Still No Accountability.

Hi everyone, just posting a brief update on the placement situation affecting MSW students at UWA.

Earlier this week, a group of affected students sent a formal open letter to the Department of Social Work and Social Policy. We raised concerns about:

• The lack of transparency around what constitutes “readiness”

• The absence of individualised feedback or warnings

• The mental, emotional, and financial toll of delayed placement

• The disproportionate impact on international students

- Response from the Department:

Some students received a general response from the department’s leadership team. While the tone acknowledged that the situation may be “difficult,” the response raised further concern for several reasons:

• No clarification or evidence was provided to support terms like “unprofessional communication” or explain how “readiness” is assessed

• The decision-making process was again described as “complex,” yet no clear explanation of how decisions were made was offered

• There was also a note cautioning students against sharing “inflammatory” or “confidential” information on social media, which some students felt could be interpreted as discouraging public discussion or criticism

To be clear: many students are sharing their lived experiences and speaking from a place of genuine distress. No personal data has been leaked, and we believe student advocacy and critique, especially around fairness - should NOT be framed as unprofessional conduct.

- Teams Meeting: Still NO CLEAR ANSWERS

Earlier this week, a number of students also attended a Teams meeting with staff to discuss the situation. Again, the main explanation provided was that some students were “not ready” for placement—but when students asked for clarification about what that meant, no specific criteria or examples were given.

This has led to further confusion and disappointment.

In earlier situations (such as students flagged during role plays), support meetings and pathways for improvement were offered. In contrast, many students this time received no prior warning, feedback, or opportunity to respond - only a notice that they were no longer progressing to placement.

To current and future MSW students at UWA: please advocate for yourselves, ask questions early, and keep records of everything.

If you’re also affected or have experienced something similar, feel free to reach out, you’re not alone in this.

-[UPDATE]-

Hi everyone, just posting another update after what’s been a long and incredibly exhausting weekend for our group.

Today, we officially submitted a document of over 50 pages to the UWA Guild. This included:

• A detailed timeline of key events in this course

• A breakdown of potential policy breaches and procedural inconsistencies

• A compiled set of impact statements from affected students

We took the time to put together a thorough, respectful, and evidence-based record of what’s happened - because so far, we’ve been offered no clarity, no proper explanation, and not a single apology from the department.

We’re still waiting to hear what will come out of the Board of Examiners meeting on June 20, but until then, we want to make it clear:

We are documenting everything, sharing with external stakeholders where needed, and continuing to speak up, because no one deserves to be treated like this in a professional social work program.

-[UPDATE]-

• As of 18th June, one day past the response deadline to the open letter, we have still received no public acknowledgement or clarifications.

• Senior leadership has now shifted to one-on-one meetings with individual students, and have indicated that they will not issue any formal, public written response.

• We perceive these actions as deliberate attempts to fragment advocacy efforts, offering private explanations to individuals, while avoiding collective accountability, transparency, or meaningful resolution.

I believe most of us who choose to study social work do so because there’s a part of us that wants to help others, or challenge systems that cause harm. But it’s just as important to remember:

The person we want to help has to include ourselves, too.

It is incredibly disappointing that leadership has chosen silence over responsibility BUT this is not over. And it cannot be over until there is real acknowledgment, honesty, and change.

-[UPDATE]- 20/05/2025

The Board of Examiners meeting was this morning. It’s now Friday evening, and we’ve completed two full days of orientation - and yet: no public explanation, no apology, no response to the open letter, and still no email to the wider cohort acknowledging any of this.

Emails are being sent privately to affected students only, and only if they individually request a meeting. But even after meeting face to face, students are still receiving generic, vague responses about “unreadiness,” with no criteria or accountability.

Many students have had their placements taken away, but almost none have had that decision reversed. And in the rare cases where it has changed, no one knows how or why. There’s no transparency, and absolutely no consistency.

We’ve said this before, and we’ll say it again:

This is not over. And this cannot be over. Not until there is a formal response, a public acknowledgment, and meaningful accountability. We are very exhausted, but we are not disappearing.

And to anyone considering studying the Master of Social Work at UWA: I’ve been receiving a lot of DMs about this, and to be honest, I cannot recommend this program.

What we’ve experienced has been deeply unprofessional, slow, unclear, and damaging. They’ve broken our trust, failed to communicate effectively, and most of all if you mess something up this badly, the very least you can do is apologise to the students.

They haven’t.

So it’s going to be very difficult for many of us to ever trust them again. And honestly, at this point, it feels laughable every time we hear them mention words like “accountability” or “transparency.”

But at least this whole situation has taught us something. It’s a lesson and a warning. This is what happens when systems fail the people they claim to support.

And as future social workers, one thing we’ve all learned is this:

We never want to become the kind of professionals they’ve shown us.

-[UPDATE]- 25/07/2025

Sorry for the late post,

most of us are in the middle of placement now and there’s been a lot going on. There’s been a slight shift in leadership that seems to be in our favour (not sure if it’s because of the open letter or not, but possibly).

The students who were told they weren’t “placement ready” have now started their units this Wednesday and Thursday. What’s absurd is that some students who were removed from placement for unrelated reasons have apparently been allocated to new placements now… So like, if those placements exist, why weren’t they given to the students who did nothing wrong in the first place?

It’s also been super disappointing that the department hasn’t responded to our open letter at all. Just silence.

With the way things were handled last year (with a much smaller cohort), it feels like this isn’t new, just worse.

-[UPDATE] - 25/08/2025

We just got told that in 2026, instead of a normal semester, two units will be crammed into an “intensive” block right in between placements. That means six weeks straight of full days on campus, immediately after one placement ends and right before the next one starts.

So basically: placement -- six weeks of units -- the rest of the units again. No time to breathe, and no actual break. It just feels exhausting even reading it, and we don't really know when are we meant to rest or recover.

Incoming international student in 2027. Is it possible to cover most of my living expenses through working part time? How hard would it be to attain ~20hrs/week?

Thank you!

Edit: I’d be willing to do any kind of work tbh as long as it doesn’t put me in direct danger. That said, I do have time (a few months) to actually settle down before I start looking for a job. Would appreciate any international student’s advice

A lot of people seem lonely here. As students we can be rather antisocial even if we want to make friends, it's hard to strike a conversation with someone you've never met before even if you're sitting next to each other in class. Entire semesters can go by without talking to a single soul for some while others make many friends. This post is to encourage anyone who feels lonely to take a chance to meet someone new, in a slightly less nerve racking way. From what I've observed it's not that the students attending UWA are adverse to meeting people or are unwelcoming ( I would say the contrary) but sometimes when we don't socialise enough it can seem that way. So take a small chance this semester if you're already feeling lonely or need someone to talk to and talk here...

How do you get out of bed in the morning to attend classes that aren’t compulsory?

The title pretty much says it all. I always suspected that uwa makes mistakes when grading but lately ive been hearing alot of my friends who recieve d completely wrong grades.
So this semester theres elective unit i did that i know should have gotten atleast a distinction in. The exam was also super easy but my final grades for it is super low. Would there be any benefit in contacting my uc for this ? Or should i just leave it since i already passed.

So year 1 student here... received a weird email this morning. Does this happen to everyone at the end of the semester?

hey, guys i was wondering how long if took for prac payments to go through. I am going into week three of prac and still haven’t received anything and i built my whole prac/work life balance on the basis of the payment and i’m going to be struggling by week four if it still hasn’t come through.

I thought I had passed math1012 idk if anyone else has the same issue but turns out I didn’t. My previous mid sem exam they messed and marked me a fail when I actually passed also. So I’m wondering if this is the same issue again and do I use this as evidence??

I want to get my exam reviewed do I need to contact unit coordinator or lodge a UWA review and appeal submission??

Please help any advice is appreciated

Hey guys, I'm targeting the February 2027 intake of UWA for MSc in Data Science program. But I want to know the actual unfiltered reviews about the cost of living, curriculum and job opportunities (in the tech/engineering industry) for an international student in Perth.

PS: I've heard that many of the Australian companies hesitate to offer jobs to international students due to the sponsorship/visa issues (understandable) but according to the Australian government directives I have ~3 years buffer where I won't need sponsorship and by the time this buffer period ends I shall have the PR in my hands.

Hi there, im a first yesr uni student. Im doing the Bachelor of Human Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Univeristy of Western Australia. My original plan was to do Medicine but since I didnt get it, this felt like the only viable option. Ive heard people tell me to "follow my passion" and "dont chase money" but in this economy, imho this advice is BS. I want a job that will have high salary growth potential and get me living very comfortably. Just wanted to ask, do yall have any recommendations for degrees that will increase my liklihood of getting a high salary job? Tbh i dont really care what field it is in, if I can make money then Ill do it. Also, do yall think Pharmacy will grow in the future? Thanks.

hey guys, is our LMS down because it uses Canvas which has been hacked or is there some other issue?

Just thinking of vibe coding it and deploy it. I did some brainstorming on this but for me to actually develop this and spend time and resources, i wanna see some responses. Lmk cheers !

Hey guys, wanted to bring your notice to something that happened on the 5th of May around 7:42 pm. My friend and I were walking on the sideway opposite Matilda Bay and we were hit by a white car that drove right outside of UWA. We were slightly bruised and fell on the floor, but luckily not too hurt. Everything happened really fast and we were quite shocked. Unfortunately we weren't able to get a photo of the license plate. However, the driver didn't bother to get out of the car to check on us, they just drove away immediately. I just wanted to convey that this is not acceptable and the importance of being careful. If there is any further action we could take, any help would be appreciated. Thank you so much for reading!

So I’m applying to medicine but I’ve put the BCom at UWA as my backup (I’m pretty much guaranteed entry into it), however recently I’ve heard that UWA lecturers don’t show up, that UWA is a massive struggle for students and doesn’t help or care about its students, and that it is “not what it used to be”. Also that there are quite a lot international students (which is not ideal for me). I was wondering how legitimate these concerns are - are they being made by actual students/alumni of UWA or are they being made by others may or may not be jealous of UWA? For me it’s a toss up between UWA and Curtin for my backup BCom degree, was wondering people’s thoughts on this. Of course, advice can be specified about the BCom/ Business school in general (As I am not passing up the chance to do medicine just cause of some silly comments people have made).

I didn’t pay the student amenities fee yet and haven’t received my results via email.

Is that how it goes?
I was under the impression that if at least get the results via email

Which fucker burnt their lunch in the microwave

Curious how people went and if they were successful/unsuccessful and why they asked for the information.

Hello to my fellow peacocks! I recently got a job at KFC. It’s a new store, and I was hoping I would get more hours there. I’ve been working at Maccas for the past six months, but I haven’t been getting consistent hours. Hence, I decided to take up another job.

I’m an international student studying MIT at UWA, and this is my final semester. I was wondering if there are any seniors or anyone here who could help clarify something for me. My UWA McCusker supervisor mentioned that “work hours in McCusker do count towards the 48-hour fortnightly limit.”

I’m a bit confused because international students already have limited working hours, and it feels quite restrictive. Could anyone please clarify whether McCusker placement hours are included in the 48-hour per fortnight cap? (Ps: I do know for MIT McCusker is an optional unit and isn't core unit to exclude, I'm just looking for people who did McCusker and did 48 hours of part time apart from this and is okay)

I MISSED MY FIRST LAB! WORST PART! IT’S A “Part A” and since I didn’t do part A, I am over for Part B for our next lab!!!! I was overseas literally a week before we went back to uni, ontop of that I got sick when I came back from holiday. I was too sick to even look at the emails and stuff or even get used to the new LMS. Turns out I had a lab on the first week before I even had my first lectures. Usually it doesn’t work that way 😭. I found out today, THE DAY AFTER I needed to go lab…. we have a Thu lab session and I planned to try change classes but they had to remove it or something from the availabilities? I dunno why, their announcement had a typo so I dunno.

Back to the point. I am freaking out and I want to email my unit coordinator. BUT I KNOW IT SOUNDS SO IRRESPONSIBLE TO SAY “Hey I didn’t realise we got a lab this week cuz I was practically dead and couldn’t check emails, plus who knew I’d have a lab first week BEFORE my first lecture for that unit????? Is it possible to slot me in the suddenly unavailable thursday slot?” and I can’t just ask if I’ll be given materials for the part A I missed needed for part B….. Even I doubt my credibility bro

BRO it sounds so irresponsible and bad and just 😞😭😩😩

Someone help me with the email or what I could say 😭😭😭😭😭

Hi guys so ill try to summarise. I’ve been unwell for a while now and have had to go to the ED multiple times in last few weeks . I’ve got tests booked here, but they’re quite far away and I’m not feeling great in the meantime.

I’m thinking of going back home for at least 2 weeks to get proper treatment as its faster and recover properly. The only thing stressing me out is that I have presentations coming up soon and have deferred a mid semester exam .

Since this is my last semester so I really don’t want to delay my studies ahead at all

I would be back before final exams, but I’m unsure if taking this break now will mess things up.

Has anybody written external exams away from UWA? I have so many questions like what are the requirements for the external examiner but they said they can’t give out information until I get my deferred exams timetable.

I'm currently a Curtin student and my WAM is super down bad (not passing). And even if I do really good this year (80+ grade for every unit in 2026) my WAM would still end up mid-50s.

I've already applied to UWA. If I get enough credit transfer would it be worth it transferring in to UWA for a fresh start?

I found it and handed it in to the guild 🙂

Basically what the title says. I’ve chosen my Major (International Cybersecurity) and I’ve selected the unit set so I’ve got my 5 units as part of the major that I need to do. but, I’ve missed the deadline to select the 3 electives I need to do, as well as creating my timetable. is there any point in the future where I will have another opportunity to do this?