Norway to UTS: My Experience
My name is Kristin and I am a study abroad student from Norway. I am here for one semester and it’s been an amazing and educational experience. Life at UTS has been really different from my home university, but because of all that UTS has to offer new students it has been surprisingly easy to adapt.
The subjects are structured significantly different at UTS compared to what I’m used to. Here the subjects are split into two separate parts: lectures and tutorials. I have found this to be great for keeping up with the subjects. Since you must work with the subject continuously it prevents you from falling behind. In addition, the tutors have been able to give alternative explanations to topics which has made learning easier.
The best choice I have made is to live in UTS housing. Since I moved here alone I wanted to meet a lot of new people, and UTS housing has provided me with great opportunities for exactly that. At the beginning of the semester, there were plenty of get-to-know-each other activities, such as speed dating and barbecues. At these events, you got to meet plenty of people in the same situation as you. Floor parties were also a wonderful opportunity for me to meet my flat mates and all the other people I was going to live with for the rest of the semester.
I have also taken advantage of the many Sunday trips that UTS arranges in and around Sydney to discover and get to know this huge and wonderful city. I recommend you take advantage too. Even throughout the semester there were many activities, such as all the different parties and the fantastic free food events (pictured below)!
UTS offers an amazing variety of clubs and events that you can join. I went to a rugby game arranged by ActivateUTS. The West Tigers provided me with an awesome experience and a great introduction to Australian athletics. With buses and great guides, UTS has made it exceptionally easy for me to get to events and learn and discover new things.
The incredible diversity and professionalism of all offers from UTS have made adapting to life in Sydney almost completely effortless!
I hope you enjoy your experience as much as I did!
Kristin
Norway