University of the Sunshine Coast Review

My name is Justine Fry, and I am an undergraduate student from Pennsylvania in the United States of America. I studied abroad at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) for a semester starting in February 2023. While I was at the university, I studied business related courses as I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting at my home institution. One of my favorite parts of the trip was meeting so many wonderful people from different countries. I stayed at Varsity Apartments which houses both international and Australian students. This helped me make friends and connect with other students who may have been in the same situation as me. Varsity Apartments is one of the student accommodations, and the students are lively and always up to make new friends.

The courses were taught differently than I was used to, as a lot of the learning is done independently; however, this made traveling easier. The university has various clubs that allow you to get involved and make friends on campus. A popular spot on campus is the student guild. This is an organization that holds weekly events for students that range from free dinners to movie nights and silent discos. One of my favorite events was the movie night at the pool. We were able to swim and there were snacks provided. The university offers connect weeks where events are held, and these were fun for students to meet each other. Some days there were market stalls on campus for students to browse. One day there was an international connect day with a picnic lunch and koalas on campus. There were food trucks some of the days, which adds to the variety of food offered at the University. There are various spots to grab a bite on campus, and my favorite was Café C. You could grab a cup of coffee and a quick snack before heading to class. There is also the Brasserie, which is the main dining option, and it offers meals and other quick food options. I attended the Sunny Coast Christian Student club which allowed me to connect with people who had similar religious beliefs as me. The club offered multiple meetings a week and other fun activities off campus. We would go to the beach and play volleyball, there was a camping weekend, and other fun activities. It was easy to connect with students and both students and faculty are eager to welcome you to the university. The location of the university makes it easy to catch a bus to the beach, but it also allows you to quickly catch a train to Brisbane or a flight to Sydney or the Whitsundays. I was able to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef which has always been a dream of mine. A couple of friends and I flew up to Proserpine (Whitsundays) and got a shuttle to take us to Airlie Beach. We spent a couple of days there, which was relaxing and beautiful. One of the days we took a boat tour out and snorkeled the reef. It was amazing and something I will never forget. I recommend going out to the reef if you get the chance to study at UniSC or just visiting Australia!

There can be a lot of options when picking a place to study abroad; however, Australia offers a variety of city life to rural exploration. If you want to visit a city, it is easy to get a train or flight to Sydney. The beaches in Australia are beautiful and will not disappoint. Overall, the University of the Sunshine Coast was a good fit for me, and I encourage you to look into it if you are wanting to study abroad in Australia.