Why Nikita made a big move to study biomedicine at VU

When Nikita Bhandari moved from Sydney to Melbourne to pursue her studies in biomedicine, VU was her number one choice. Now, even during the unusual experience of remote learning, Nikita is achieving great results thanks to VU's Block Model.

"When I planned my move to Melbourne, I applied for biomedicine degrees at several unis, but VU offered me my preferred course first. I didn't wait for other offers because I knew I wanted to be at VU. I felt the VU Block Model was an exciting change to the way tertiary education is taught.

I'm really benefiting from the Block Model – it means you just do one subject at a time. You also get to know your teacher and your uni friends better as the class sizes are small. Friends at other unis are finding it challenging to study four subjects at once, especially towards the end of the semester with all the exams and assignments due simultaneously.

I also work as a student ambassador and student mentor thanks to the timetabling, which allows more time away from uni.

While we're studying remotely, I'm still working as a student mentor via Zoom's 'drop-in' system, and tutoring independently as well.

I love discovering unexpected things about the human body, and learning from different expert teachers for each body system; including pathophysiology and immunology.

During summer I did a pathology course, in which I performed venipuncture and collected blood – I can't stop learning!

I'm really looking forward to returning to face-to-face classes, when we begin our unit conducting a research project with an experienced mentor."