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3 Feb 2010 15:25:16
Australian students Lisa Perkovic and Ingrid Lamb swapped Sydney for Bedfordshire to experience university life in the UK - and loved it.
The media and communications students arrived from the University of Sydney in September for just one term. Despite their short time here they made the most of their stay in Bedfordshire.
Ingrid said: “I’ve really enjoyed being in the UK. It’s very different to Australia, but that’s why I wanted to go on an exchange, to experience new things. I was surprised how different it is but I’ve really enjoyed the change.”
Lisa added: “The University of Sydney is a lot bigger than Bedfordshire, but there is much more of a community feel here and the lecturers know your name. In Sydney you sometimes feel like a number.”
The students had the choice of several universities and chose Bedfordshire because of “its excellent media reputation.”
Lisa added: “The facilities here are amazing compared to what we have in Sydney. Very few universities we looked at had a dedicated media facility like Bedfordshire, which made our decision an easy one.”
While here Ingrid has written for The Blend and has joined several sports teams including netball, korfball and swimming. Lisa, who wants to be a travel writer, went to stay with a Cornish family in St Erth to experience what UK life is really like and has made use of Luton’s airport to fly to several European destinations.
The modules they studied here will count towards their second semester back in Sydney. The academic year in Australia is slightly different to the UK. The first semester runs from March to June and the second from August to December.
The pair also found the social life here to be a welcome change. In Sydney many students live at home. Ingrid said: “Here in Luton you are right in the thick of everything. It’s a lot easier to join sports teams and get involved with everything.”
The university exchange came about after senior media lecturer Janey Gordon met a counterpart from Sydney and suggested that some students should make the transfer. Lisa and Ingrid are the first students to travel from Sydney. The favour will be returned soon with some Bedfordshire students flying out to Australia.
Lisa and Ingrid return to the University of Sydney next month, with fond memories of their time in Bedfordshire.
Lisa said: “I hope our experience will show future employers that we have taken the initiative by going overseas. We have also made good contacts if we want to come back here to work.”
Latest news» 2010» February» Students come from Down Under
