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Just before my semester abroad, I associated Australia with a lot of nature, the outback and beautiful beaches. I did not expect to find one of the most prestigious universities in the world there, especially in the field of business. So in order to ensure I had a pleasant stay in the new country, I avoided developing concrete expectations in advance which helped me to be as open as possible to the many surprises and experiences that such a semester abroad offers.
The first time I saw the city of Melbourne, I was blown away. It is beautiful, vibrant and has a lot of attractions; I finally understood why it won the “most livable city” award for 6 years in a row. The city offers a serene ambiance, with many green parks and trees, nature reserves, attractive restaurants, cafes and bars. Melbourne is a big dynamic city with a vast transport network which makes it easy to move from one place to the other. For example, from the city center to St. Kilda it took only 30 minutes by tram. This way Melbourne offers all the advantages of a big metropolis and beach life at the same time.
As already mentioned, the University of Melbourne is one of the most distinguished universities in the world. This becomes particularly clear when looking at the many courses available for the students in every faculty. For our obligatory courses, I chose to enroll in Finance and Management, and for the elective course, I decided to go for “Australia in the Wine World”, which I highly recommend. Here I had for the first time the opportunity to get an insight into another faculty with another subject.
The size of the campus at the University of Melbourne was remarkable. We had access to a fitness centre with a swimming pool, a football field, as well as the union house with many different snacks, restaurants and even a supermarket. The many buildings on the campus that were built in an older architectural style were also very inspiring and make the whole campus look even more appealing. The campus also hosted a lot of events on a daily basis, something that I found to be fascinating. For example, every Tuesday there was a weekly market where local food and handmade products were offered. In addition to that, there were events almost every day by different student initiatives, where a relaxed “come together” was possible with music and a barbecue.
Besides our studies, we had plenty of time to travel around. So we used the free weekends to go on shorter road trips or take flights to cities like Sydney and Perth. For example, we visited Philip Island for a few days, where we received surf lessons and later went to the Wilsons Promontory National Park. During our semester break, I used the time to fly to Indonesia for a week.
In conclusion, I was excited to get the opportunity of studying abroad as it enabled me to experience a different lifestyle and university, as well as being a part of a pulsating student life. That’s why I can only recommend this amazing study experience to all students!
Frankfurt School gGmbH
Adickesallee 32-34
60322 Frankfurt am Main
29 September, 2018