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Semester 2 at UQ
By Serena Graham (The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) By the start of semester 2, I was feeling much less of a tourist, and Brisbane felt more like home to me. I went into this semester feeling a lot more relaxed now that I already knew my way around, and it was a lot less scary than the start of semester 1. Time had flown so fast, I couldn’t believe that I only had four months left, so I tried to make the most of my remaining time down under. I scheduled my classes so that I was only in uni three days a week, which meant I could regularly…
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Summer Holidays Down Under
By Serena Graham (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) P.S. … This blog post is about my summer holidays in Oz (December 2014 – March 2015). I’ve been extremely busy in the past couple of months so I haven’t had the chance to upload it until now! As the semesters in Australia start in March and July, I’ve had to do semester 2 first and then semester 1, which means I had a three month gap in between semesters. During this time, it was really hot and at times got to around 40 degrees. I seriously regretted choosing a house without air conditioning! Over the holidays I did a bit of…
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New Zealand + Fiji!
By Chiara Davies (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia). During the summer holidays and over Christmas, I thought I’d make the most of my time on this side of the world… time to visit New Zealand AND Fiji!!!! I’ve been lucky enough to visit some incredible places around Australia so far, but there’s so much to say about all of them that I’ll have to save those for a different post… THE TRIP: We flew to Queenstown, New Zealand, immediately after our end of semester exams to be greeted by the surprisingly cold sunshine – I had adapted to Australia’s heat a lot more than I thought I had! The temperature dropped…
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My first semester at UQ
By Serena Graham (The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) I wrote this blog just before Christmas but totally forgot to post it – sorry it’s late! So it’s the end of my first semester here at UQ and it’s been amazing. Time has flown so fast I can’t believe I’m nearly half way through my year here. It’s summer now in Australia and temperatures have reached up to 40 degrees, which was quite unbearable. I’ve had such a busy few months, and have been lucky enough not to experience homesickness (thanks to Skype it’s so easy to get in touch with everyone back home!). So here’s an update of everything…
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Australia 2014
By Kate Bowmar (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) So, for one of my final blog posts I have made a video that summarizes what studying abroad in Australia and at the University of Queensland is like. Most of these pictures and videos were taken on field trips with the University and on five-week trip of the east coast. I hope that this is helpful for anybody wondering about whether to go to UQ/Australia or not, and to anybody who is doubtful, please go! You will have the best time of your life! Kate Bowmar
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East Coast Road Trip (1)
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Australia) My last five weeks in Australia have been spent doing the classic East Coast road trip. On this trip I travelled the whole length of the Australian East Coast from Cairns to Melbourne, stopping at about 10 places in between. In this first blog, I am going to tell you all about the first leg of my trip, from Cairns to Brisbane.. Cairns – Two days after my final exam at UQ, myself and a friend flew to Cairns to begin our road trip. Cairns is the most northern city in the state of Queensland and about a two hour flight from Brisbane.…
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UQ Examinations and the Final Month!
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Australia) Hey guys, So, it’s been a while since my last post as I have been extremely busy finishing my Ozzie life, packing up and moving home! I thought I would backdate my posts and write about my final month at UQ. After getting back from mid-semester break on Fraser Island and the Great Barrier Reef (which I wrote about in my last blog post), I only had one month left at UQ. Unfortunately, this final month was mostly spent cramming for the four finals I had in November! In contrast to Manchester, UQ lectures only finished one week before final examinations started,…
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MID-SEMESTER BREAK!
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Australia) So with only a month left at the University of Queensland, Australia, I thought I would update you guys on what I have been up to in the past month. Firstly, I just wanted comment on how fast a semester abroad goes. For anybody wondering if they can manage 6 months away from home, YOU CAN! A semester abroad goes buy in a second and you will be wishing you were away for longer (trust me, I’m currently wishing I was in Oz for a year!). So my advice to anybody who just isn’t sure about whether to go abroad… please do!…
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Month No.1 at The University of Queensland!
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia). So, officially a month ago today, I had my first class at The University of Queensland, Brisbane. The initial differences between Australian university culture and Manchester were quite striking, so in my second blog I’m going to describe the differences between the two, and also let you guys know about all the other amazing stuff I have been up to. Key differences between UQ and UoM UQ start some classes at 8am and studying Biology means I am in these classes! UQ has no ‘Fallowfield’ – most students live at home or in shared houses that are spread all over the city. For…
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Arriving in Brisbane – Hostels, Exploring and Housing!
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia). So a week ago today, I was boarding my first solo flight from Heathrow to Brisbane, Australia. Therefore, in my first blog post I’m going to talk about my experiences and what I have been doing over this last week! Leading up to my departure I tried to keep myself very busy – I was lucky enough to be at Wireless festival the weekend before leaving for Australia, which was the perfect way to finish my time in England (until Christmas) and say a tearful goodbye to all my friends and family. My main worry about my time in Australia is being homesick and missing my…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
