“I always wanted to go to Australia. When I was a child, I watched a lot of Australian TV shows and I always knew I’d go, whether it was to go on holiday, or to work.

“I am from Luxembourg, where it’s common for students to go abroad to study. I went with my high school to a study fair in Luxembourg and there were so many stands, so many different universities from different countries presenting themselves. And then I saw the Study Options stand showing Australia and New Zealand and thought, well, I could just go and study there.

“I did apply to other universities in Europe, but that was plan B, C, maybe even Z! I applied to five universities in Australia and they pretty much all accepted me.

“I decided to accept my offer from the University of Sydney. I arrived in Sydney about three weeks before Orientation, to settle in and sort out my apartment. My dad came with me to help with everything. I had been worried about where to live, it’s difficult to make those decisions from the other side of the world. Stefan at Study Options recommended I go for student accommodation, at least for the first year, and so I am at the Student Village. It’s not directly run by the University, but it is linked to it, so there are lots of students here. I have a one-bedroom apartment, which I’m happy with. It has a cute balcony and I have plenty of space and privacy.

“Orientation Week was full on. In Luxembourg I went to a high school that only had about 400 students. It’s a special high school for athletes, and we didn’t have anything like the events that run during Sydney Orientation, because everyone already knew everyone else from sport. But here it’s important to go, to make friends, get to know people, to engage. I also recommend attending the sessions where they explain you how the different university systems work! Then I walked over and over the campus, first with my dad, then with people I met during Orientation, just to get my bearings because the campus here is huge. Once I got my timetable and the locations organised, I made sure I could get to all the places where I have courses, lectures, tutorials, whatever. I feel as though I’ve familiarised pretty smoothly and pretty fast with the campus and student life.

“I’m studying a Bachelor of Science majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. It is very interesting being able to choose my units and design my own course, something I wasn’t able to do in the Luxembourgish school system. Here, though, I have so much freedom. You can tailor the course depending on what you like and what you want to do. I decided to go for biology and chemistry. Then they insist you do degree core units, those are compulsory. That is mainly data science or statistics, things I’d never done before. So I took them in the first semester. You don’t know if you’ll like it or if you’ll hate it, so just try the new things first! I had the space to choose another unit. A faculty advisor recommended I take three science modules then an elective from a totally different field, something I’m interested in. I chose project management, which is something you come across in pretty much all companies, in sorts of different industries and roles. But it’s also just helpful in life, in terms of picking up skills to help you organise big projects generally. I like the way that study here is personalised, that you can pick and choose.

“Outside of study, I’m an athlete, I play basketball. In Luxembourg I went to a high school that is specifically for student athletes while I was playing for my local club and the national team. Here I got the opportunity to represent the university team and compete with a local club in Sydney.

“It’s a different style. They have different terminology, different rules. It took me a bit of time to get used to, but I have to say that Australians are very professional in sports. All the facilities, the coaching, the staff, it’s very, very professional – more professional than I was used to back home! Here you always get three staff at practice, even if only five girls are practicing. They coach, help out and talk to us about upcoming games or events.

“At the university it’s similar. You’ve got the manager, the physio, the head coach and assistant coach. And even when we have small events, like a tournament at the beginning of the semester against other universities in Sydney, they still make a big effort – lots of students came to watch, there was a commentator, free drinks, free merchandise. It was all very professional. I think that attitude makes sport especially attractive in Australia, because they make a big thing of it.

“It’s a nice environment to be in generally. I think as an athlete, it’s easier to meet real locals and find a community. Especially when you do team sports, you are in a team, it’s kind of like a family. You meet these people twice a week and then again at the weekend. So you hang out with them quite a lot. And at the beginning, when you’re new to a country, new to university, it’s good to have an immediate community.

“It takes some time to adjust, to get to know people well and to find the flow with them. But after a couple of weeks, you’re in the team. Australians are very kind and very laid back. I’ve got a teammate who lives a few minutes away from me and she always gives me a lift to practice or to games. So we get to chat all the time, which is nice.

Lara’s top tips for applying to Australian universities

1. Start early, make sure you don’t have to rush and do everything at once because it’s a lot! Get your acceptance organised and your place confirmed as soon as you can, because until you do that you cannot apply for your student visa, and without that you can’t book a flight or confirm accommodation. So start early, so you can have your visa early, so you can do all the other steps in plenty of time.

2. Don’t just look at a university from a perspective of ‘oh, it’s a beautiful campus’. Really look at what they offer for student events and the student community. Also, look at whether you like the city. Every city offers a different lifestyle and has a different vibe. Find the one that fits yours.

3. Find your connections! Before I arrived in Sydney Stefan at Study Options put me in touch with another student who had applied through them, Marie, and she’s now one of my closest friends here. We met up during Orientation and have been close ever since – we see each other every other day at the university, even though we do totally different courses.