Hi I’m Edgar & I’m a second year Economics student at the University of Surrey who has just returned from a Study abroad semester, in Australia at the University of Sydney.
To begin this blog, I think its only fair to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that the IEO outgoing team put in to allow students such as myself to undertake such amazing experiences. If I’m going to sum up my time in Australia in one word it would be – lifechanging. I know it’s a cliché, but to state it any other way would be downplaying it. Truthfully, when I first saw my application was accepted I wasn’t really that nervous. About a year ago today I was a typical Surrey student just getting along with my degree, working intermittently at a local golf course & enjoying a classic night out at rubix at every opportunity! Fast forward a year & I’m now a typical Surrey student just getting along with my degree – but with memories that will last a lifetime and friends from all over the world.
I moved out to Sydney in late July 2022 without a clue on how I’d do out there by myself, the other side of the world and 9 hours ahead of my friends and family back here in the UK. I had distant cousins that my mum stayed with 33 years prior who knew I was going out there but truth be told I had no idea who they were. My second night in Sydney and my First night in university halls, I met an English person from Sheffield and I made an effort to become friends with her & through her I met some of the most incredible people I have ever known. In our accommodation, there were actually about 15 English study abroad students in the same boat as me. Most of them knew at least one person as they all came from pretty much three universities – Edinburgh, Bristol & Manchester. We quickly formed a group & about two weeks later we had booked our First trip out to Airlie Beach (Whitsunday Islands)
USYD (Sydney uni) is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, priding itself on its 54th status in the world university rankings. This meant that the university study style was slightly different to that of Surrey. For most modules across the board, they take attendance each week & base 5% of each module grade on this. Meaning that my time travelling around Australia was slightly limited. Coupled with this, the modules I took had 1, 3 & 5% exams at other points in the semester, as well as midterms. In actual fact, I thought this was a good system as it forces students to engage and stay on top of their university studies. This didn’t stop us exploring a number of Sydney’s 100 beaches & incredible scenery it prides itself on. If I have to name a favourite, it would have to be Little Manly Beach, just a 20 minute ferry from the city centre, Circular Quay.
Following the semester’s conclusion in Late November, a number of us went up to Cairns and travelled down the east coast, stopping off at Port Douglas, Cape tribulation & The Daintree Rainforest, Magnetic Island, Airlie Beach (again), Noosa Heads, Australia Zoo, Byron Bay & Brisbane. There is not one place on this itinerary I would not recommend, we got to see wild saltwater crocodiles, plenty of kangaroos and wallabies, Echidnas (basically hedgehogs), and most proudly, wild cassowaries!
To round this off, I really can’t say a bad word about my time down under, as much as its difficult with the 9 or 11 hour time difference – watching football and speaking to family was tough – but perspective of living in the most beautiful city in the world and in such an incredible country, allowed me to overcome that.
I cannot recommend Sydney enough, you’ll meet so many incredible people from all over the world, experience amazing wildlife, beautiful scenery & above all come back with a naughty suntan! Even my gingerness couldn’t prevent that – it may or may not have gone already however after 6 weeks of being home.
Take this opportunity, in no circumstance will you ever be able to take 6 months (or a year) out of your daily life to go and live an absolute dream.
