Interview with Cody Vaughn, GlobaLinks alum in Australia
GO: Why did you decide to study abroad with GlobaLinks in Australia?
Cody: I decided to study abroad in Australia because I wanted the chance to get out and explore the great big world beyond my small-town home in the Midwestern US. I also wanted the chance to explore and learn the skills of independent life in an exciting new, yet somewhat familiarized setting (i.e. Westernized in the case of Oz.)
Australia was the perfect place for me because it offered the perfect versatile balance of wild adventures, big city life, hometown neighborhoods and amazing University life. I’m not completely confident with my foreign language skills, so Australia was prime as an English speaking country, plus everything about it just makes it a pleasant place to live.
I chose Australearn because my school was acquainted with their program and they offered amazing helpful services and adventure opportunities that I would never have been able to successfully organize on my own. So far the experience has been everything that I could have ever possibly wanted and more!!
Cody visiting Austalia's famous Blue Mountain range
GO: What made studying in Sydney a unique and special experience?
Cody: This experience has been very special for me because I have had the fortune to be able to make friends and travel around this wonderful country. I live in Sydney, which has beaches, bustling city life, simple residential centers, quick easy access to scenic, peaceful, and beautiful natural beauty at parks and national wildlife reserves, a crazy hopping downtown, and a wonderful University with its own culture and events to experience.
I have easily been able to travel to all these different locations, as well as father away towns like Cairns and Melbourne all because this country has a uniquely special travel-friendly culture. Another special experience about my studies have been making friendships and strong bonds with colleagues and people I’ve met with whom I share common interest. These friends have shown me around, treated me, and made this whole experience such a wonderful adventure.
Cody making some new friends!
GO: How did this experience impact your academic development?
Cody: In many ways, I will take a lot from this experience. First, I will take home new skills and wisdom about living independently and being a self-sufficient mature individual. Just by simply taking the initiative and actually leaving the country for the first time, I’ve proved to myself that going out in the world is in no way unachievable. I’ve grown up, learned more about the world all around (by meeting people from literally everywhere in the world and just simply by getting out), and I gained a renewed zeal for life.
Professionally, I look forward to this being an indispensable asset to which I can speak about in future educational and employment opportunities. I have gained globalized knowledge which immensely helps in my field of study (as well as practically any other,) and I have a better taste of what the international job market looks like now – it is possible to get jobs or go to school elsewhere in the world!
Finally I have learned how different institutions and countries approach academics differently. I have learned new skills toward independent study, explored my interests intellectually, and figured out just what learning styles work for me in the future. This will be great to take back home. In almost every way possible, this experience has impacted my life and is playing a large part in the person I am becoming for the future. And trust me, it is ALL impacting positively.
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This semester I decided to study abroad at the University of New South Wales and it is a decision I absolutely do not regret! I would recommend this school for a few reasons; the main three positives I want to highlight are location, versatility, and pleasantness.
UNSW is in a prime location because on any given day, one can take a 10 minute bus ride from campus to the heart of downtown, take a scenic 20 minute walk down to the beautiful Coogee beach, or drive up north for about an hour to visit the breathtaking Blue Mountains and rainforest – all straight from campus! If you study here you’ll likely live in one of the adjacent neighbourhoods that would put you possibly even closer to these locations! (However, there are many, many available options such as living on campus, as I am doing and am absolutely crazy about.) Another great thing about the location is that no matter if you’re a small-town, simple-pleasures kind of person, or if you’re a hustle & bustle urbanite, you’ll be able to feel totally comfortable. The campus is right in residential areas where you can feel secluded and safe, like you’re at home, and really close to the busiest commercial area in Australia, where there is always some event going on and you’ll never run out of places to see and things to do. Personally, I love the mixture of both atmospheres because I come from an extremely small town in the Midwestern USA, but I’ve always craved the city life, so this location is prime.
A great thing about UNSW is its versatility. What I mean by this is that no matter what type of experience you want to get out of University life, you will no doubt be able to find it at this school and in the greater-Sydney area. The student population is extremely diverse and multi-cultural, so one is able to learn vast amounts about the special unique culture of Australia, as well as pretty much everywhere else in the world. I have personally met people from countries I did not even know existed, and by now probably have a connection with someone in almost every region of the planet. The social scene is very versatile, offering many student organizations and opportunities to meet new people, and if one sets their mind to it, it is very easy to search the internet on any given weekend and given countless activities hosted by the school’s various clubs and offices, as well as the myriad activities hosted by organizations in the neighbourhoods of Sydney. Academically, UNSW offers the most majors/fields of study of pretty much any school in Australia, and practically all the programs are top-notch. I am personally a Psychology and Communications major and I feel confident that even though I’ve been afforded the luxury of taking some electives and having an enjoyable class experience here, that simply having UNSW’s title attached to my résumé will be a great asset to my future prospective pathways. For the sake of this review, trust me when I say no matter what you’re into (or even if you don’t know what you’re into and what to find out,) that UNSW will allow you to continue enjoying it and explore it even further – academically, socially, and intrapersonally.
Finally, I thought I’d mention the pleasantness of studying here overall. While I must say after travelling some and meeting so many people that almost the entire population of Australia seems happy and agreeable, I believe this particular community of UNSW in the Sydney area has a certain enjoyability about it that I was never able to find back home. I have had the fortune of being able to live on-campus in a community full of internationals and about 90% native Aussies, and I have never felt more accepted and actively involved with my peers as I do now. I’ve learned so much about the people here & abroad just from making friends and they have pretty much gone out of their way to make sure that I enjoyed my time here. The community is great, and the natural geography is even greater.
In about 3 short months I’ve been in ocean reefs, on the sunny coastline, in the snowy mountains, in the desert, lost in an expansive bustling downtown, in the craziest night-clubs, in peaceful gardens, and so, so, much more. A lot of these opportunities were thanks to the specific location of my school, the specific people I’ve met here, and the unique trips offered by the offices of UNSW alone. I really recommend studying here, and going abroad overall, good luck!