by Christalyn Tan

Currently on a semester’s exchange at Western Sydney University, third-year communication student Christalyn Tan chats with her friend, Jacob Loh, a computer science freshman who is curious about exchange

Jacob

J: Hey, haven’t heard from you in weeks! So what’s it like to study in an Australian uni?

C: I love how classes here are shorter haha. In total, I spend around seven hours in class – half of what I’m used to in NTU – although that’s also because my exchange uni only lets me take four mods. In NTU, I usually take five.

This means more time for me to get used to living here, go out and travel, and still be able to complete my assignments.🤭

J: Okay, that’s nice. What kinda classes are you taking? 

C: All four of my modules are related to advertising and public relations. It’s interesting to learn about these fields in the context of Australia.

While conceptualising an advertisement for my ‘Advertising: Creative’ module, I found out it’s common for locals to grab drinks in the ‘arvo’ (slang for afternoon), other than at night, which is more common in Singapore.😲

Meanwhile, in my ‘Crisis Communication’ module, I analysed the communication methods used by an Australian consulting company. I learnt that Facebook Messenger is more widely used than WhatsApp in Australia, unlike in Singapore where it’s the other way around.

Welcome Day at the Western Sydney University campus.

J: I see. What about the uni culture there?

C: Something I observed, and was also told by a local friend, is that people tend to stay close to their circle of high school friends, so it may seem like they put less effort into getting to know others in uni. But of course, I wouldn’t generalise it that way.

My uni doesn’t have many sports, clubs and societies, so without those platforms, I can also see why it’s harder to make new friends for those who actually want to. 

J: Hmm that’s really different from NTU. Just entered uni, and I’ve already made so many friends from orientation and hall events…

How do you make friends then, especially as an introvert?😲

Watch me set sail with new pals.

C: I got to know other international students from the uni’s networking sessions and Welcome Day. Afterwards, all the people on exchange just started introducing whoever they knew to each other.

I also stay in my campus village (like NTU halls), which hosts community dinners where you can mingle with other residents. Btw, the dinners are free, very shiok. 😇

J: Ah okay, any tips on how to make friends? And FREE DINNERS??? 😱

C: YEAH! I think the most important thing is to trust that other exchange students are just like you and also looking to socialise, so don’t feel paiseh to reach out to them first. 🤝🏽

Even if they don’t reciprocate, you never have to meet them ever again, so there’s nothing to lose. After you meet them for the first time, remember to be proactive and intentional – a friendship isn’t built from a single text or outing.

Finally, always be open and accepting of others’ cultural differences.🫡

J: Nice, glad things worked out for you!

C: Yeahhh… during my first month, I was seeing new faces almost every day, which did get tiring. I’m glad I did though, because I’ve met some truly amazing people 🫶🏼

J: So did you guys travel together?

C: Yeah, we went to the Whitsundays, Tasmania and Melbourne!

J: GEEZ WHAT SICK VIEWS

C: RIGHT???

J: Oh, but how was it like to go on trips with new friends? Was it hard?

C: It was all right actually. From the start, we did talk about places we wanted to visit, so we could start planning early and get reasonable prices for flights and stuff. I would say that domestic flights are surprisingly expensive here though. If you or a friend can drive, it’s cheaper to rent a car and take a road trip.

Apps like Wanderlog and Splitwise are also good. Wanderlog makes collaborative itinerary planning easy, while Splitwise helps to automatically split the costs for a group.✨

J: Everything sounds great. But how’s Sydney? That’s where your uni is?

C: My school campus is in Parramatta South, which is a little outside of Sydney city.

J: Any snakes or spiders come and get u yet? 👀

C: HAHAH THANKFULLY NOT. But wild cockatoos come to my apartment balcony looking for food now and then. Kind of like the monkeys in NTU lol. Other than that, Sydney’s been pretty nice! 🤍

Meet these frequent visitors to my balcony. 

J: Hahah they’re cute, you should make them your pets.🤪

C: It feels like they already are! 😅

J: Now I wanna go for exchange too. How do u apply for it and when do u go?

C: There are usually two windows of opportunities per year. I applied at the start of this year to do my exchange in the first semester of the current academic year.You have to “bid” for your preferred university within 2 tries, listing up to three uni options each time.

If you fail to get even your third choice uni, don’t worry, NTU will assign you a university that will be a good match.

Here’s a tip – having good grades will help you get your top choice!👍🏽

As for when you can go, I think it depends on your course, but most people go in Year 3.

J: Woah okay. I gotta work hard consistently from now on then, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.🤧

C: Hahahah yeah, exchange is definitely one of the biggest highlights of being in NTU 💯

The world is your classroom 

Jet off to study, work, or even volunteer in over 30 countries. Students can take on long or short stints at international universities and organisations through various NTU programmes.     

This story was published in the Sep-Oct 2023 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.