After spending a transformative gap year working at a boarding school in England, Poppy Bagshaw faced a decision that many Tasmanian students grapple with: should she live at home while studying at university, or embrace the college experience?
For Poppy, the answer was clear, and it wasn't what many expected.
The Decision: Independence Over Convenience
Despite being enrolled at UTas Launceston, and Launceston being her family’s hometown, Poppy made the unconventional choice to move to Jane College in Hobart and study remotely. It's a decision that raised eyebrows but made perfect sense to her.
"I was planning to go to Sydney Uni. Move completely, mainland, everything. Then I disappeared to the UK for a year, and I was like, I want to be closer to home, but I still want to go to a college," Poppy explains. "Once you've moved out of home, you can't really move back."
Her gap year in England had given her a taste of independence, living on a different continent, being self-sufficient, managing her own life. The prospect of returning to her childhood bedroom simply didn't align with who she'd become.
"I love my home, I love my house, I love my family. I just knew it would have driven me insane to be back," she says candidly. "I lived so independently last year. I was living on a different continent with one roommate. I was very self-sufficient. Moving back home, I would have been so frustrated at losing a bit of independence."
The financial comparison was also compelling.
"Sydney Uni and Sydney accommodation is just so expensive," Poppy notes. "I knew my brother Elliot had a great time at Jane.” Elliot's three years at Jane had set the example. "He loved it, he still has great mates from Jane that he's living with."
“We know it's reliable, you get fed. In the end, it would be financially way easier for me to go to Jane than to the mainland."
The Online Learning Challenge – And How Jane Solved It
Poppy is a first-year Bachelor of Primary Education student from Launceston studying online through UTas.
Studying online presents unique challenges, particularly for self-discipline and structure. Without scheduled classes to attend, it's easy to lose motivation or fall into unproductive patterns. This is where Jane's support system became crucial.
At the start of the year, Poppy sought help from Nick, Jane's Dean of Academics. "I went 'I'm online, what am I supposed to do? How do I pace myself?’ Because you don't have a schedule at all!" she recalls.
Nick's advice was transformative: "Don't ever study in your room."
Poppy took this to heart. "My desk is never used in my room. It's just storage," she laughs. "He's like, 'Change your study spots.' So I do a little bit in the morning, somewhere, then go somewhere else. I'll normally study in the library."
This separation between living and study spaces has been essential. "My room is where I sleep. I try and separate the two here at Jane, but at home, I would just sprawl, my mum would probably get very mad because I'd just sprawl out across the kitchen table," Poppy admits.
Building Community in an Online World
One of the most significant advantages of living at Jane while studying online has been the social connections, something often lost in remote learning.
"Even if people are studying my course online, I still have met multiple friends in my course because I've been in tutorials," Poppy says. But her friends who live at home while studying are having a markedly different university experience. "They don't go out as much, but for me, there's always something going on at Jane."
"I know a lot of people who live at home don't go to as many events or they go to one uni event, which is still good, but they're like, 'this is the first big event' and I'm like, 'Wow, I've gone to a solid 20 Jane events,'" Poppy says. "I'm a social butterfly. I love it. I love going to Jane events. I love even going to lunch. Just going and chatting to someone in the Dining Hall or even just knowing I could knock on someone's door. For me, that is my dream."
This was something she desperately missed during her gap year.
At Jane, the community extends beyond the college walls. Through sports and social events, Poppy has built friendships across other colleges like Christ, Fisher, and Hytten Hall. "Through sports, you start talking to them, and then you also gain those connections, like at Toga Night and O-Week you meet new people, or like Uni nights on Wednesdays, when all of us go." People living at home while studying don’t have these opportunities.
The Traditional University Experience, Reimagined
With limited on-campus interaction at modern universities, Jane provides the traditional university experience, something increasingly rare in today's education landscape.
The catered accommodation removes daily stresses that would otherwise distract from studies and social life.
The Verdict: Would She Recommend It?
When asked whether she'd recommend college living to Hobart locals or others in their hometown, Poppy's answer is unequivocal.
"Always," she says simply, when asked if she'd recommend college living. "I’d always recommend going to a college. Jane's great because you get fed and have the academic support.” For online students especially, she sees it as essential: "If you're online, I recommend somewhere else to live other than home so that you can get a community."
Looking back on her first year, Poppy has no regrets.
"I wouldn't trade the experience that I had this year for living at home. I'm very thankful that my parents let me have that opportunity, because it was something that I wanted to do so badly."
Looking Ahead
Poppy is staying at Jane for her second year, continuing with online learning and preparing for her teaching prac. With the support of Jane's academic team, a thriving social life, and the independence she craved after her gap year, she's found the perfect balance.
Poppy’s story challenges the assumption that local students should simply live at home. Sometimes, the best university experience, even in your home state, means creating distance, building community, and embracing the structure and support that college living provides.
As Poppy discovered, studying online doesn't have to mean studying alone. With the right environment, it can mean the best of both worlds: academic flexibility and a rich, connected university life.