Ekas (Sem 2, 2022)

My Exchange at Monash University

The 360 programme was very exciting as I was waiting for this opportunity for years. They had a very easy procedure and the communication was really seamless aswell. I was allowed to ask any questions that came into my mind and they would have an answer. The first time that I arrived in my host country I felt like home as it was not much different from NZ. They had similar way of living and similar stores. It felt like home as I did not travel much further.

My accommodation was very neat and tidy, it was exactly like it was shown in photos. I got to check in straight away and then went shopping for my studio apartment. The accommodation had a lot of orientation week activities going on so you could get to meet people who were living close to you. They also hosted heaps of lunches and dinner together for all the halls people which was very nice. Orientation at the university however I found could have been more better. As not much as going on, they did have stall around the uni but not alot of people attending them. I hoped to meet more people during orientation but that did not happen. This could also be because we didn’t research enough so maybe that would have been helpful.

The teaching at the host university was very self-taught, I found it quite different to NZ. As we have lectures that give us content that we have to learn but my host university usually wanted us to study and research on our own. The cost of living was much cheaper in Australia in terms of groceries and rent. I got to make a lot of new friends out of campus, which helped me get to know more local places and go out more often in the city. So I would differently recommend going out of your way to make friends out of uni and halls. Life on campus was seamless. It was very easy to get around as I lived on campus.

The highlight of my exchange was for sure the people I met because they are my forever friends and family. Something that was quite challenging would be getting used to it at the start, you will feel overwhelmed the first few weeks but you need to know that it will be all fine. I would definitely recommend any student to go on exchange its a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity which you will never forget.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

Group work.

Would you recommended any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

More group work.

What are your top tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

Make friends as soon as you get here be part of a lot of clubs explore out of uni.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

Independence is key.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

I went to Sydney to view the fireworks for New Year, which was quite nice as we drove 10 hours from Melbourne to Sydney.