Study in Australia: Western Sydney University

I had to be at university three days per week. From Monday to Wednesday I had to attend lectures and tutorials. I loved it. The time spent at the campus and in our library was very enjoyable for me.

The next two days I spent preparing all of the schoolwork for next week and being with my friends in our student village. We used to have BBQ every week or have fitness sessions in our common areas.

After all the studying and writing essays, weekends were reserved for fun. I used to travel around Sydney, spend time at the beach, or around the Opera house.

Coming to study to a new university was definitely the most challenging part. Australian universities have a completely different system than my home university has. It was very overwhelming at first, but I took some time to get oriented and understand everything. After that it was easy.

All of the international students were in the same situation and we helped each other by sharing tips with one another. Moreover, the university was ready to help us anytime we needed it.

I think I grew up a lot in those six months. Not only intellectually, but also personally.

This semester opened many doors for me, showed me new opportunities. and significantly widened my perspective. I now have many new friends from all around the world and I have also gained many skills that are going to be beneficial for my future career.

After a number of years at my previous university, I was eager for a change to a new and different environment, but one I could feel sure I would feel comfortable working within.

I think working here - and working in the field generally - has made me more creative, able to explore out of the box solutions more, and remember to always put the student first and at the center of everything we do. We're that kind of university and now I'm that kind of person!

A former student who returned from the program to his home in the United Kingdom wrote to me a couple of years down the track to say that, while he didn't have an appreciation for it necessarily at the time, he is blown away by what the opportunity of going on exchange to Australia did for him - academically, socially/personally and for his employability.

He said that now he can't help but divide his life into 'before exchange' and 'after exchange' - and he's become a zealot for global study among his friends and family members! I really loved this story because in its simplicity it embodies everything we know to be true about studying abroad.

Western Sydney University is unique in that it offers students an authentic Australian experience they can't find in many other places. We are the heart of multi-cultural Australia, with over 140 national and cultural backgrounds represented in Greater Western Sydney.

I am especially proud of my team-members' multicultural heritage - which includes team members from Cantonese, Brazilian and Australian Aboriginal backgrounds - and how global we are in our outlook!