Study Abroad testimonial
Study abroad was always something that I was interested in doing since I started out at Nottingham. I decided to apply because it looked like an amazing opportunity; I spoke to people at the study abroad fair and everyone’s experiences were so positive. It was a great chance to do something different, meet new people, travel and enhance my CV in the process. I chose to go to the University of Queensland in Australia.
I didn’t feel anxious about going until just before I left, mainly concerning the fact I was leaving home for a whole year. I was also worried about finding somewhere to live, as I decided to wait until I was out there. However, as soon as I arrived, all of my worries disappeared, I didn’t feel homesick once and soon found somewhere to live.
As soon as orientation week and university began, I felt completely at home. I joined the exchange society and straight away made friends from all over the world. The society organised events like weekend trips and nights out; it was so easy to meet new people, and everyone wanted to make the most of the experience. We would go on weekend trips to nearby islands, beach towns and went camping in national parks.
University life there was really good, the campus was beautiful and I liked that there were more seminars and coursework and less exams. I was also able to do modules that weren’t available at Nottingham and I even enrolled in a marine biology course where we were able to go on a trip to Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, which was amazing.
The experience I gained from my year abroad has been hugely important. I was able to develop many transferable skills like independence, people skills, confidence and adaptability to new situations. I was able to travel all around Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. I volunteered in a Fijian school for four weeks, which was a great experience and really rewarding.
If you’re considering studying abroad, I think that it is definitely worth applying and has been one of the best experiences of my life.