If you approached me in Poland, when I was a begging high school student and told me that I would be studying in London and would take my exchange programme in Sydney, I would have thought that you clearly confused me with someone else. Most of my life I have been doing things within my comfort zone but I was lucky enough to be surrounded by inspiring, successful people that influenced my decision to apply to Westminster. I cannot thank them enough as it was the best choice I have ever made. Arriving to London and attending the university in the heart of the city has helped me realise that anything is possible. Once you start challenging yourself and succeed in your goals, you want to see how far you can go. In my case, it took me all the way to Sydney.
Why did I choose Sydney?
For me it was a simple choice. All my life I have been living in cold countries, therefore sunny Sydney was more than a dream come true for me. But when I actually arrived to Australia, soon I realised that Sydney has way more to offer than just a nice weather.
First of all, University of Technology Sydney was pampering me and other exchange students from the first day. I remember exactly, that I moved into student housing on 14th of February, as that is when the Valentines party was taking place. Very quickly I found out that I was not the only exchange student… but there were over a 100 of us!:)
Imagine, meeting people from all around the world that are having the same goals as you do, simply to experience the culture of the city, to party and to travel… Those people became my second family in no time. We were great support for each other over the next half a year. We were looking after one another, organising trips and spending holidays such as Easter together. Although we only knew each other for a few months, we experienced a lot together and I can definitely call some of those people friends for life.
The university and the city itself went beyond my expectations. I was really impressed with the range of services and initiatives that UTS offers to their students. During study weeks the university organised free yoga classes, meditations, massages and even freshly grounded coffee to help us release the stress before exams 🙂 Regular events like free breakfast twice a week, music festivals and banquets are other examples, which show that UTS is way more than just a place to study. The teaching system in Australia is also very similar to the one in the UK therefore I did not have any problems with understanding how the educational system works. During the semester I had mid term exam session and final session that enabled me to distribute my learning evenly and achieve great results at the end.
I was really thrilled when I found out that my university campus and student housing were located in the heart of the city. We could walk to such amazing places like Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, Botanic Gardens or China Town and not spend a single cent on transportation.:) Sydney is a great cosmopolitan city offering more entertainment, shopping, and sightseeing than any other place in Australia. If you are there, you should definitely explore its beautiful parks, experience its vivid nightlife and take a coastal walk at Bondi or Manly. Sydney was also named world’s best festival and event city. We had a great time participating in such events like Chinese New Year, Vivid Festival of Lights, Holi Festival or Mardi Gras. This city is a place unlike any other I’d been before. I love its cultural diversity, its climate and most importantly, the people. I’ve realised that while traveling will take me to new places, it will also broaden my knowledge. I loved arriving in Sydney, with the next semester being an open book and an opportunity to explore, live and learn. It was really exciting to build up my own feelings of what ‘Sydney’ means to me.
About me:
Urszula Nowicka
BA(Honours) Business Management with Marketing student, currently doing her final year at University of Westminster.
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Wow! seems like you had a lot of fun there:)))
[…] “Imagine, meeting people from all around the world that are having the same goals as you do, simply to experience the culture of the city, to party and to travel… Those people became my second family in no time. We were great support for each other over the next half a year. We were looking after one another, organising trips and spending holidays such as Easter together. Although we only knew each other for a few months, we experienced a lot together and I can definitely call some of those people friends for life.” Urszula Nowicka BA(Honours) Business Management with Marketing student, currently doing her final year at University of Westminster. She studied in Sydney […]
That sounds great hey, wish you the best.