Student Bloggers
Australia Highlights
Date
January 20, 2025
My name is Katelin Magyar, and I studied abroad in Australia during the fall semester of my junior year. Studying in Australia was completely different from anything I had experienced academically and socially.
From snorkeling on the great barrier reef, doing field research on Heron Island, and working in a lab, many of the classes I enrolled in were hands on and included completely unique experiences. For example, taking a field trip to Heron Island where I snorkeled and explored the Great Barrier reef, examined real-life individual medical studies, experimented with HeLa cells, and many more. Many of the classes I took focused on actual problems throughout Australia, rather than hypothetical situations, and used the work we did in class, to discuss future options and to help better visualize the issue. Along with the classes, I met a diverse group of friends. I met people from India, China, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, China, Taiwan, England, Amsterdam, and Germany. I got to work with a diverse group of students and experience cultures from all over the world.
Meeting this wide variety of people opened my eyes to a plethora of foods, customs, ideals, ways of communication, and experiences. By meeting these people, I was shown
many different parts of Australia and its sites. For example, I was shown the Figure 8 pools, the Blue Mountains, the Opera House, Wollongong wilderness, and the botanical gardens. I learned about their different terms and slang, along with the different foods and games they play, my favorite being the “Tim Tam Slam” activity.
Studying abroad in Australia shifted my perspective on world issues, how they are handled, the different Australian customs and traditions, and interacting with people. The entire experience helped me open my mind to new ideas, new ways of thinking, and better understanding the different parts of the world. I believe that given the opportunity, everyone should study abroad, as it has helped me learn from every experience, good or bad, and grow from it.