When I tell people that I am studying overseas, I usually get a “raise eyebrow” expression. Surprise? Shock? No clue. Some of my friends study overseas. Mostly smart-ass ones who are there on scholarships. Hoho. So I used enviously bid them goodbye at the airport. Thinking that it would be heaps of fun living in another country. That was till I went overseas to study. Oh boy. Was my mindset soon to change.

I am writing this post from the point of view of an International Student studying in the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia. Perhaps if you plan to study overseas, this post is for you.

I aim to provide an insight into what factors to consider before going overseas, why I went overseas and how this overseas experience has affected me and my future.

Why study overseas
Well to put it bluntly, my grades (though above average) were not good enough to be accepted into the universities in Singapore. Or at least, those universities that I applied to, namely, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and National Technological University. I did not even consider going overseas to study as an option. I only managed to enroll into the University of Melbourne a month before the mid-year intake was due to enter. So the stress and sadness of going overseas hit me hard, and came as a big surprise to me. I never imagined that I would be rejected by the local universities, as I thought my grades would be good enough. Which is why, I am very against studying in my local universities as I am still sore at being rejected. This might sound silly and childish. But another country’s university took me in when my own country rejected me and saw my grades as bad.

My previous achievements in school and work experience were not even given a glance. I was not even granted an interview. I took the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test)s and obtained an above average score, to prove that I was worthy of at least an interview. But nothing. Hence the sheer disappointment when I was forced to leave my country to further my education.

I strongly believe that being a Polytechnic (Poly) graduate made my chances of entering a local university even slimmer. For if my Poly grades has been converted to that of an A’Level candidate’s grades, I would definitely have been able to enter a local university.

Why I chose the University of Melbourne (UniMelb)
Australia was near and a common destination for Singaporeans going overseas to study. It is not that far from Singapore (7hr 15min flight) as compared to the other destinations, United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (USA). Furthermore, university fees in Australia were cheaper that UK and USA. I also had friends studying in UniMelb. My Dad was very concerned that I had friends in UniMelb, I guess he knew that overseas, you only have your friends to count on.

So why UniMelb and not other universities? Well, I considered the two top universities in Australia. UniMelb and Australia National University (ANU). UniMelb was ranked higher than ANU in terms of teaching Information Technology, plus I heard that ANU was located in a very isolated and boring location. I like living in the city, though I rarely participate in the nightlife. ANU also seemed better poised to teach Humanities as compared to Science.

UniMelb also gave me one and a half years of exemptions, which would mean that I needed to study for another one and a half years before completing my degree. Without honours. I would need to apply separately for honours towards the end of my degree. That would mean an extra year.

ANU only gave me one year of exemptions.

So UniMelb here I come!

How I find studying in UniMelb
I like that the lecturers and tutors are really friendly. If you have any, ANY questions at all, feel free to ask them. A large percentage of students at UniMelb are international students, but the percentage of international students in each course varies. I know that the percentage of international students is very high in Commerce, around 40% or so in Information Systems (IS), very few in Arts.

The university is really pretty. There is a mixture of old and new architecture. I am glad that I am studying in a new building. Though I love and appreciate the architecture on the old buildings, the inside of it is well…old, not really my kind of studying environment. After all, I am an IS student. It is always about being the latest and newest.

Thankfully I have not have had any administrative problems *crosses fingers*. My friend had a heck of a time dealing with an administrative problem that she had. It was not a pleasant experience for her and she felt that the problem was not properly dealt with.

I did join the Photography Club at UniMelb for one semester in my second year. It was fun and the people were rather nice. I do regret not getting to know them better and going on more activities with them. But I felt that I would learn more from the club if I had a SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. Those big and semi-professional cameras. Which is why I chose not to join the club in the first semester of my third year (that I am in now). I will rejoin the club when I purchase my SLR, provided I obtain it before I graduate.

How I find living in Melbourne
Melbourne being a city, closes later than its quieter suburbs. I am still finding it hard to adjust to the slow pace of life in Australia. I find the city to be quieter than the pace of life back in Singapore. Shops here close as 6pm on normal days, late night shopping on Friday/Thursday (I can’t recall which day) is 9pm. Madness! In Singapore, our late night shopping is 12midnight! On normal days, shops close around 9pm!

I love the warm and friendly service here. In general that is. I have been ignored before, but those occasions are few and far between. I have had service staff chatting with my friends and I, one even invited us for a private makeover event, even though we had not bought anything!

Melbourne has a really diverse population. Many different nationalities mingling together. Which is why you can get many different types of food here. Even authentic Chinese food. As a general rule of thumb, Asian establishments tend to close later. With so many nationalities, there are special supermarkets that cater to Asians. So no need to worry about not being able to obtain Asian spices or food, you can always find them here. At prices that are not that steep either!

Do I regret going overseas to study?
Well….yes and no.

No because I have learnt SO MUCH from studying overseas. More about what I have learnt later.

Yes because I miss my family, friends and Gerard (my very supportive boyfriend) a thousand times over. That I am unable to be there for them. I also miss Singapore, and have actually become that bit more patriotic. Strangely enough.

But honestly, I think this experience has done me a world of good. So more YES and No.

What I have learnt from studying overseas
Gosh. SO MUCH.

I have learnt to keep track of bills, account, budget and manage my finances.
I have learnt the effort that goes into managing a household.
I have learnt to stock a house, grocery shop, organise and manage a house.
I have learnt to adapt to a different culture and mindset.
I have learnt to do things myself (eg, go to the market, shop)
I have learnt self-motivation. It is easy to choose not to study and instead have fun.

Basically I have learnt to live like a poor student. Plus all the headaches that comes with having your own house, cooking for yourself, living by yourself, paying your bills and sticking to a budget. Added to being in a foreign country and adjusting to the culture here.

I have been told that I seem more mature, just after one semester. *ego plus plus* Haha.
But do remember that everyone’s experiences will be different. I know that I am costing my family a pretty hefty penny, so I make it a point to live on a budget. I do not club, watch movies or go out much. My life is school, home and my soon-to-be volunteering at the museum. Grades are my top priority. While I would like to immerse myself in as much going-ons that Melbourne has (eg Coldplay and Pink concerts).

What are my plans after graduation end of this year
Initial plan:
Apply for Honours, complete Honours, apply for Permanent Residency (PR) in Australia. Work till my PR expires in 5 years (I think). Go back to Singapore and work. Further my studies in another country.

I wanted to earn as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. Australia does pay a higher salary than Singapore. Though Australia has a higher standard of living, I planned to live as low a standard of living as possible and save the most that I could, then head home. My friend said that I sounded like a ‘foreign domestic worker’. Haha.

Revised plan:
Apply for Honours, complete Honours, head back to Singapore. Work in Singapore. Further my studies in another country.

I really missed Singapore. After talking to Gerard, he convinced me that living in Australia and on a low budget, would make me feel miserable. The higher salary would be scant comfort to me. Besides he missed me, but that is besides the point. I wanted to save up for our house, you see. So it would benefit both of us. Anyway, we (plus every adult I talked to) decided that it would be important for me to obtain an Honours (hello paper chase), so after my Honours, I decided that I would go back to Singapore.

Current plan:
Apply for Honours, hope I don’t get Honours. Head back to Singapore and work for a few years. Head overseas to further my studies.

Haha. How my plans have changed! All within…6 months! Basically, I really REALLY wanted to go home. When I came back here, I realised that Australia was not that great a place to study IS. Any place that does not have unlimited and fast Internet is a no-go for me. Besides I figured that since I was going to further my studies in another discipline, why waste time studying Honours in a field that I did not intend to start a career in?

I planned to start working in the field that I was going to further my studies in…Education. I love and will always love Information Technology (IT). Which is why I chose to study this degree. But I dislike working in the IT industry. It does not fulfill nor enrich my life. Hence the change in discipline.

So that’s that. I hope that this post will be of use to someone out there. I welcome any questions that anyone might have! =)