Australia – Lancaster Linguistics Abroad

Something very different about studying in Australia is the fact that we have a 3 month holiday over the Christmas period. This is the summer holiday like we have from July-September in England – but from November-February. It’s a bit of an odd feeling, but it’s a perfect time to go travelling, especially seeing as everyone back in England is busy with university.

During November, I spent some time with friends in Australia, before heading back to England for Christmas. It was lovely to be back at home, but as soon as all my family/friends had gone back to work/university, I didn’t have much to do. At the very start of January, however, I ventured back over to the Southern Hemisphere to join a 3 week tour of New Zealand with GAdventures’ ‘Best of New Zealand’ tour.

My time in New Zealand went by faster than I could ever have imagined. Visiting both the north island and the south island, our 21 days were packed to the brim with activities. From completing many 5:30am hikes, experiencing Maori culture, and visiting Waitomo Glow Worm caves, the north island was an amazing 7 day experience. I could definitely have spent double the time there if I had the opportunity.

With 14 days on the south island, I decided to be a bit more adventurous with the activities I chose to do. So…in Queenstown, I completed my first 15,000ft tandem skydive! It was the most amazing experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone! Other than skydiving, I was able to go dolphin watching, visit a seal colony, and go zip-lining on the world’s steepest zip-line.

The whole journey was a whirlwind, but I would do the whole trip again in a heartbeat!

DCIM100GOPROG0028124.

Hi everyone,

I thought I would start this off by telling you a little bit about myself and ANU, why I chose to study in Australia, and what my experience here has been like so far.

So without further ado, my name’s Niamh and I’m currently doing the second year of my English Language and Linguistics degree at (you guessed it!) the Australian National University (aka, ANU). The ANU is situated in Canberra, and is only a 3 hour drive from Sydney (or, a 50 minute flight), so it is an ideal location for travelling all across the country, and further afield. The university itself works in a similar way to Lancaster in that it has a collegiate system. With 8 colleges to choose from: ranging from catered to self-catered, shared to ensuite, and on-campus to off-campus, there really is an option to suit everyone. I, myself, chose a shared catered college on-campus: Ursula Hall (which I will talk about in my next blog post).

I chose to study abroad for a variety of reasons – some of which are more cliché than others! Here comes the cliché… From an early age, I always dreamt of studying in a different country, experiencing a different culture, and meeting new people. Yes, I told you it was going to be a bit cliché. Further though, the fact that Lancaster offers such an inclusive program, alongside such a broad selection of host universities, really helped make such a big decision so much easier.

But why Australia?

Last year I went on holiday and travelled along the East Coast of Australia. I had so many incredible experiences, and everyone was so welcoming on my travels. From this point, I had a gut-feeling that Australia was the place for me. Having researched the ANU itself, the courses it offers, and the accommodation that was available, there really was no doubt about it: this is where I wanted to go. Plus, the Australian National University has been ranked number 22 in the world (yes, the WORLD) according to the QS Top University Guide: so, what’s not to like about that?

I have been here for almost 4 months and my experience so far has been nothing short of amazing: the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and the actual studying isn’t too bad either! I have absolutely no regrets about coming to Australia, studying at ANU, or living in Ursula Hall, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone considering going on exchange.

turtle

Tag: Australia

Student blog: Niamh – “Christmas Holidays”

Student blog: Niamh – “From England to Australia”