Couch Conversations - University of Wollongong

Connect with students from all campuses, countries, study areas and walks of life in these informal, fun and inclusive chats with your peers.

Register for a session

About Couch Conversations (CC)

CC sessions are informal, fun and inclusive chats with your peers.
Sessions are held in small groups, with the aim to make everyone feel comfortable and heard.
CC connects students from all campuses, countries, study areas and walks of life.
Whatever your motivation, whether it's to share experiences, develop cross-cultural relationships, practice your English or hear about tips and tricks for work, study and play - everyone is welcome!
A few student and staff facilitators will be there to simply guide the conversation if required and give it a bit of structure.They can sit back and let the conversation flow, or they can help if there's a topic you'd like to talk about or an activity to help get you started.
Each session will go for approximately an hour (60 minutes).
You can drop in and out as you need to.

Session details

CC sessions are held at various times throughout session, both online and in-person at Wollongong campus. You can join in one, or a lot – it’s your choice.

Register online

Join the conversation

What to know what an online session is like? Check out this video!

Couch Conversations introduction (image)
"Laughter during the session"
Student: You go, all good.
Student: I was saying, all good, thank you Sarah. Yeah, just quiet a lot of things on the to-do list which I’m obviously ignoring.

Friends from all campuses & all countries (image)
Student: How about you guys? Um, I have like 50 million things to do on my to-do list, and I’m just kind of hiding it behind my laptop so I can’t see it.

Pets, Netflix & taking a break (image)
Student: Yeah I kind of feel like I’m in the same boat as Ana, just so many things to do and no time to do it at all. But then I feel like I do sometimes have time and I just watch Grey’s Anatomy, so I need to get my life together and sort that out.

You’re on mute (image)
Facilitator: Do you have a dog in the background?... You’re on mute.
Student: Yes, he’s got the sock and I’m trying to [get it back]. This is Nelson, he’s very playful.
Facilitator: Very cute.
Facilitator: Hi, Nelson!
Student: Any other Netflix suggestions? I am open to everything.

Tips & tricks (image)
Facilitator: Because everyone’s got experience, what would be your top tip for someone starting this semester or beginning remote learning? Something for them to look out for or to start working on now so that they’re not falling behind in a couple of weeks’ time.
Student: So, what works for me is to have a big note / to-do list in front of my desk so whenever I sit here watching a Netflix series, I can look at it and go into the good trap that oh my god I still have to do that. So that it still kind of helps me to do stuff a little bit more than I used to, so I have a big paper there like ‘assignment is due on this date, stop watching this show and start working’, so that pretty much works for me. I think constant reminders are going to help because you have the choice to postpone things now, so yeah, that's pretty much it for me.
Student: I would say, don’t forget to do breaks and not just breaks when you are again watching Netflix which is exciting and relaxing, but also breaks when you go outside and breathe fresh and air and maybe walk or do some exercises because it is very tempting to stay at home.

A little social interaction (image)
Facilitator: [I know] it’s a bit weird to start with to connect through this way, but I think that it’s nice to then see people’s faces. Yeah, I don’t know how everybody else is feeling.
Student: Yes, it’s really nice to see you all because after a long time we are meeting like in such a platform, and yes it’s really great in this new semester.

Couch Conversations introduction (image)
"Laughter during the session"
Student: You go, all good.
Student: I was saying, all good, thank you Sarah. Yeah, just quiet a lot of things on the to-do list which I’m obviously ignoring.

Friends from all campuses & all countries (image)
Student: How about you guys? Um, I have like 50 million things to do on my to-do list, and I’m just kind of hiding it behind my laptop so I can’t see it.

Pets, Netflix & taking a break (image)
Student: Yeah I kind of feel like I’m in the same boat as Ana, just so many things to do and no time to do it at all. But then I feel like I do sometimes have time and I just watch Grey’s Anatomy, so I need to get my life together and sort that out.

You’re on mute (image)
Facilitator: Do you have a dog in the background?... You’re on mute.
Student: Yes, he’s got the sock and I’m trying to [get it back]. This is Nelson, he’s very playful.
Facilitator: Very cute.
Facilitator: Hi, Nelson!
Student: Any other Netflix suggestions? I am open to everything.

Tips & tricks (image)
Facilitator: Because everyone’s got experience, what would be your top tip for someone starting this semester or beginning remote learning? Something for them to look out for or to start working on now so that they’re not falling behind in a couple of weeks’ time.
Student: So, what works for me is to have a big note / to-do list in front of my desk so whenever I sit here watching a Netflix series, I can look at it and go into the good trap that oh my god I still have to do that. So that it still kind of helps me to do stuff a little bit more than I used to, so I have a big paper there like ‘assignment is due on this date, stop watching this show and start working’, so that pretty much works for me. I think constant reminders are going to help because you have the choice to postpone things now, so yeah, that's pretty much it for me.
Student: I would say, don’t forget to do breaks and not just breaks when you are again watching Netflix which is exciting and relaxing, but also breaks when you go outside and breathe fresh and air and maybe walk or do some exercises because it is very tempting to stay at home.

A little social interaction (image)
Facilitator: [I know] it’s a bit weird to start with to connect through this way, but I think that it’s nice to then see people’s faces. Yeah, I don’t know how everybody else is feeling.
Student: Yes, it’s really nice to see you all because after a long time we are meeting like in such a platform, and yes it’s really great in this new semester.

Conversation starters

What reality TV is helping you unwind after study?

We all have our guilty pleasure when it comes to TV - Bachelor in Paradise, Farmer Wants A Wife, Ninja Warrior - what's yours? Maybe you've found a new series to binge on Netflix (Tiger King is proving hard to beat though!). Sometimes it's an essential part of a study routine - finding a good show to unwind to.

Where are you dreaming about travelling?

We may not be able to travel right now but we can certainly share where we have been and chat to each other about where we want to go! Maybe someone in the chat lives in a country you want to go and can give you some ideas for the future.

Anyone been missing the Aussie beaches in iso?

Have you been getting back to the beach and the outdoors lately now restrictions have started to ease? Where have you been getting your fresh air fix - bushwalking, swimming, surfing, running, something more adventurous?

Share something special about your culture

Tell us something we may not know about where you are from and the amazing culture that comes with it! The most exciting thing about us connecting is our access to such diverse and wonderful people - let's make the most of it by sharing those fun things that make our countries of origin unique.

Get in touch

If you want to know more about Couch Conversations, our team is here to help.

student-programs@uow.edu.au