“Hi, I’m Sam and I’ve just finished my first semester at the University of Adelaide. Deciding to study abroad was tough – leaving friends and family in the UK – but I definitely feel I’ve made the right decision. I decided to study abroad because I wanted to try something new and exciting (and the weather is better!) The processes of applying was surprisingly easy – Study Options were a huge help and made it all fall seamlessly into place.

“The most important thing I think I did was decide to live in college (residential hall). I am at Lincoln College. Colleges are really important for helping you settle in and feel at home, and for making sure you are in the right place to do the right things at the right time – like enrolling for courses! When I arrived in Adelaide I knew no one and the college basically threw people at me, making sure I had a great base of friends who are all super friendly and supportive. At all the Colleges associated with the University of Adelaide there are lots of great organized events, especially in O-Week (Freshers Week) but there is a themed night at least once a week – so make sure you bring fancy dress costumes. Recently there was a jungle-themed party (I went as a penguin). There are also Battle of the Bands nights, where a band from each of the five colleges compete to win the crowd.

“College isn’t just about parties; the colleges also compete against each other at sport. The photo above is the Lincoln College Aussie Rules team. Along with parties and sport college is very helpful academically with tutors and great support systems to help you make the right academic choices.

“But enough about life in College, the University of Adelaide has a very good support systems for international students. We internationals are required to be at uni a week early for International Orientation. This is very important – if you’re not living at college this can help you find a place to live, find people to live with, get an Australian SIM card sorted and so on. There is also a team here at the University that can help international students make the right decisions when it comes to picking electives (non-compulsory subjects) and help you if you are struggling academically.

“My course (biomedical science) so far has been working out really well. In first year it is pretty much a standard science degree though I am studying four different subjects: Biology, chemistry, economics and history. Economics and history are both electives, so subjects I chose because they interest me, but you can choose from any course in the University so long as you meet the course’s prerequisites. I find this system to be really good and it is something that it is not really found at UK universities.”

What Sam has to say about the help he received from Study Options…
“Study Options were really helpful in helping me decide what course to do, where I could do it and what my best options were. They’re also very helpful during the application process, helping with forms and making sure paperwork gets to the right people at the right time. I don’t think I’d have ever made it to university abroad without them.”