Hi my name is Bekah and I am spending the fall semester of my junior year studying biomedical engineering at UNSW in Sydney. It’s been about a month and a half since my arrival and I feel like my time here is already flying by. UNSW operates in trimesters so in order to take a semester’s worth of classes in the fall one takes 1 class during their winter break term and 3 classes during the actual trimester. Since the winter break term begins during full time student’s term 2 finals week, it’s mostly exchange/study abroad students who end up being in these classes. Since the first 4 weeks are spent only in one class with other exchange students it’s a nice adjustment period spent with people going through similar things as yourself.
During this first month I only needed to go to campus once a week so I had some time to do some exploring around Sydney. One thing that quickly becomes apparent to anyone new to the country is the deep connection with nature here in Australia. Living right near the beach it’s hard to find a time where people weren’t surfing during daylight hours. From snorkeling at Shelly Beach in Manly to hiking from waterfall to waterfall in the blue mountains, there is no shortage of beauty here. For those studying at UNSW in the future, definitely look out for the Funner Summer events hosted by ARC during breaks since they are usually to places like Jervis Bay, the Blue Mountains, and Port Stephens and are usually only $20 AUD for international students or sometimes even free (make sure to get tickets right when they go on sale because they sell out fast!). I was able to meet people from all over the world attending the Coogee to Bondi walk and Jervis Bay day trip in my first couple of weeks here on these trips!
I have had an amazing first month here and am very excited to do even more exploring during the rest of my time here!
Rebekah Muldoon
Fall 2024
GW Exchange - University of New South Wales (Sydney)
School of Engineering & Applied Science
Biomedical Engineering Major