Everyone loves free stuff, right? Well Pfeiffer gives so much free stuff to us, so enjoy it and hope it continues.

I've been in Perth for two days and it has hit hard that life isn't free. Pfeiffer kind of makes it seem like it is, but it isn't. Big universities will try to suck your bank account dry any chance they get.

So here’s a list of things that you shouldn't be taking for granted our wonderful, little, private school.

1. Free Wi-Fi!

This is the biggest luxury, I swear.

I figured I wouldn't have to buy an international SIM card or buy a phone over here in Australia. I would just use the school’s Wi-Fi.

Wrong.

All throughout flights and the first few days here I was using Verizon’s (bogus) $10 a day plan for international call/text/data. I planned to use it (almost) every day until I figured out what I was going to do about this no Wi-Fi/SIM card/phone situation.

I have only recently discovered that select areas on campus have free Wi-Fi, which includes the library and some study rooms around campus. That just means no more scrolling through social media before bed, because there’s no Wi-Fi in the flats (unless you want to pay loads of money for 1 GB a month, which isn't much at all.) So next time you want to complain that Pfeiffer’s Wi-Fi sucks, just be glad that you have Wi-Fi for free and that it’s available everywhere on campus.

2. Free laundry

It’s $3 to use the washer and $3 to use the dryer per load. Suppose I do laundry once a week for five months. $6 x 4 weeks = $24 a month x 5 months = $120. I could do a lot with that $120 dollars…

3. Central air and central heat

There’s no central heat here. In the winter months, you better have lots of nice, fuzzy socks and eight blankets, because the small space heater they give you just doesn't get the job done.

4. Free cable

No such thing here at Murdoch University, and probably not at any other big university either. There’s no point in anyone even bringing a TV here unless you bring a DVD player and your whole movie collection along with it.

5. Bringing our cars to campus

It’s about a 20-minute walk from one side of campus to the other. Maybe longer.

I also walked 1.7 miles to Kmart to get some essentials for my room and food. I had so much stuff that I took a taxi back, but nobody wants to pay taxi fares. It’s like walking from Pfeiffer to Food Lion, which is not very common.

So don’t ever complain again about walking to the post office, South Side. Enjoy your personal transportation, because buses and trains are confusing if you don’t use them religiously. (Yes, I got lost in Sydney trying to navigate their train system. No, there wasn't a Platform 9 ¾, unfortunately).

6. Free printing

Yeah, we complain about our free printing being cut down to only a $20 credit per semester, but it’s actually pretty reasonable. It’s to cut down on the waste that people would leave in the library. Here and any other university really, there’s no such thing as free printing. Your balance from the start is $0, and if you want to print anything in the library, you better load your account with some money beforehand.

Also be glad that we have Jane Freeman. You can print there any time of the night. Here, the library closes at 7 p.m., and to my knowledge that's the only place to print. Hopefully this semester teaches me not to procrastinate!

7. Relationships with professors

I haven’t started classes yet, but this school has over 14,000 people, and I can bet that there will be a pretty large group of people in my Organic Chemistry class. The chances of me forming a relationship with my professors or asking if I can “turn my homework next class” is probably slim to none. Speaking of homework, there’s no such thing here. It’s all tests and papers. This is going to be a long semester of self-teaching and late night study sessions.

8. Free tutoring

This is pretty incredible for our university to pull off. Most of the time it has to come out of the individual’s pocket to be able to have a tutor. That’s not common.

9. The café

I know, I didn't want to go there, but I did. We have about two meals a day in the café, but those meals are all-you-can-eat buffet style. I get $900 for the semester to use on food. Granted, that money can be used in the cafeteria, the grocery store or local shops. But if you think about it, $10 a day on food for 90 days (roughly three months) -- I’m going to run out of money on that card unless I plan my meals and budget perfect.

10. Free gym

I just want to bring The Knapp over here with me so I don't have to pay $150 this semester to use the gym. Enjoy The Knapp. Take advantage of The Knapp. Love The Knapp and all of it's free glory.

There are so many things that we take for granted at Pfeiffer, and I urge you to take a second to appreciate all the small things we are given.

We may have small rooms and crappy café food, but honestly that’s a small price to pay when all these little bills add up. So be appreciative that Pfeiffer is so good to its students.