My year abroad has really helped to develop me as an individual

Why did you decide to study abroad?

"I decided to go abroad to gain experience of living in another country that I wouldn't normally have the chance to experience. The study abroad scheme has the potential to increase my employment potential in the future. Studying abroad can help to develop key skills such as adaptability, confidence and resilience which employers look for in graduates."

What are the benefits of studying abroad?

"Studying abroad has really helped to develop me as an individual. I am much more confident and able to adapt to new situations having lived away from home in a new country. Living in a new country gives you a different perspective and allows you to be much more open minded and accepting of new cultures, as the way things are done and how people act can be very different to at home. Living so far away from home also makes you more independent and not so dependent on things that you were always familiar with. Moving to a place where you might not know anyone at all can be really daunting but it helped my self-confidence and enabled me to make lots of new friends."

What did you enjoy most about studying abroad?

"I really enjoyed being able to experience living in Australia, having never even visited Australia before. Trips to the beach with my room mates and open water swimming in the nearby lakes watching the sun go down were definitely memories I will not forget. My college, where I stayed, had a great program of social events so which I had a great time attending. Whilst I was abroad, I got involved with a local triathlon team and this was a really good way of seeing the local scenery (and wildlife!) on my bike. The courses which I studied at the University were also really interesting, the support I received from tutors as an overseas student was excellent."

What were your top 3 highlights?

"Running the Adelaide marathon, going to the AFL grand final in Melbourne and feeding a kangaroo!"

What would you say to someone who was thinking about spending a period abroad?

"Do it! Take the opportunity because you don't know when you might get to live abroad again! It is an amazing experience and can seem a bit surreal but you will learn so much about life in another country and yourself."

What would you like to have known before you went?

"The time difference can be a bit of an issue! Ten and a half hours in front of the UK means that if you have an emergency or get home sick you have to wait to speak to someone back at home."