Everything had fallen into place
- UTS Study Abroad and Exchange
- Aug 4
- 5 min read
Daisy Lomas, A25 Global Ambassador
Autumn 2025 Exchange Student, Bath Spa University
Bath, England
I remember sitting on my couch when I got the email that I was accepted into the UTS exchange programme. Honestly, it felt like everything had fallen into place. I spent the rest of the year imagining what my life would look like when I got to Australia, with every Uni assignment I handed in feeling like I was a step closer to UTS.
I feel like people tend to romanticise the idea of a place and ultimately disappoint themselves when it doesn’t turn out exactly how they hoped it would, but I can confidently tell you that experience did not happen to me. I know this because right now I’m looking at the Pinterest board I made before I left and I’m comparing it to the pictures I posted whilst I was in Sydney, and the two are identical.
Don’t get me wrong, I had to put in a ton of effort to make that experience happen, but I would do it all over in a heartbeat to re-live the first time I stepped foot in my own apartment overlooking the city. The first time I sat in a UTS lecture hall, the UTS library, or even saw that ever-adorned UTS Building 1, are all moments I will never let go of, because it was in those moments where I realised that I was in the right place. As soon as I stepped foot on the alumni green and looked up at this huge place filled with knowledge, I knew I was exactly where I needed to be. Where I wanted to be. I wanted to do, see, and be everything I always dreamed of, and that is exactly what I did.
The big moments for me were not hard to come by, which is understandable when you are lucky enough to live in Darling Harbour and a leisurely run to the Sydney Opera house is a part of your morning routine. To be in the presence of such a beautiful city is one thing, but to have the opportunity to live there, to really immerse yourself in its culture, is something I will always remember.
I can confidently say that going on this semester abroad has fundamentally changed who I am. Some of my favourite things I did in Sydney were:
Watching the sun set over the Sydney skyline from the ferry back from Manly
Travelling to Noosa and feeding kangaroos at Australia zoo (what?!)
Diving under waves at Bondi beach with my friends
Trying every single restaurant in Chinatown
Drinking wine at the Opera house bar
Doing the Bondi to Coogee walk weekly
Snorkelling at Shelly beach
Being an exchange ambassador
During my time at UTS I was encouraged to enjoy every class, meeting people from all over the globe whilst learning in a completely different way than what I was used to. Having the opportunity to undertake education in Australia has forever changed the way I work, because I had to adapt my approach to reading, researching, analysing and writing to succeed in my classes. I have always thoroughly enjoyed studying but I didn’t expect to develop such a love for engaging in my classes, where my opinion and perspective have been both challenged and encouraged. I am deeply grateful for every person I was able to meet at UTS. I know my education here wouldn’t be what it is without the myriad of conversations I had with you all.
Studying in Sydney gave me more than an expanded education; it gave me the chance to live by myself for the first time. In the week leading up to my 25-hour trip across the globe (which was both the scariest and most exciting commute I’ve ever taken) I started to feel kind of crazy. Am I seriously going to the other side of the world by myself? Doing a semester abroad is such a unique experience and I felt so nervous because I didn’t know anyone who I could talk to about how I was feeling. So, like any decent 21-year-old, I looked online to find others who had been through the experience and could maybe give me some insight. Amongst the chaos of packing up to move myself to a city as far from home as I could possibly get, I found comfort in watching YouTube vlogs by exchange students who were sharing their experience online. Once I got to Sydney I knew that I had to document my time abroad and I did this in the way I felt inspired to; creating vlogs on YouTube and posting pictures of my exchange on Pinterest.
I had so much time to explore the city, study topics that I loved, and to be creative, that I spent hours every week figuring out how to edit and create videos that showcased how I was feeling in that moment. My channel, Daisy Does Vlogs, is one of the things I am most proud of. Not just because of how fun it was for me, but because I gave myself time to be creative. Watching back those videos makes me feel like I am right back in those moments in Sydney, and I am so glad that I didn’t wait until I had better skills or more interesting conversation to start creating, because I have learnt so much from simply documenting being myself. I hope that someone out there is looking to my vlogs for comfort before their exchange.
Every day felt like an adventure, with such a beautiful and diverse landscape to explore. I could spend my morning reading in the botanical gardens and finish my day playing cards with friends watching the sunset on the beach, navigating a city filled with opportunity.
Aside from occasionally forgetting my travel adapter to charge my laptop, I can’t name anything bad about my experience. There are not a lot of people who get to say they have studied at a university that changed their perspective, even fewer who get to study at 2. If you are reading this and are undecided on if you should apply to UTS, let me decide it for you. Do it. Nothing has ever made me feel more like myself than living and studying in Sydney and I can guarantee it will be the time of your life, just like it was for me. The version of me that I found in Sydney stays with me, motivating me every day to always strive to be that confident, inspired, grateful person I became. I wish someone would have told me to put my trust in myself and not in my nerves. At least now I know that the reason it felt like everything was falling into place, is because it was.
Connect with me 😊:
Pinterest: https://pin.it/8vrGiQXss
Instagram: @Dlomas_
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/daisylomas