Matthew Hogan
7 March 2016: With international experiences and new perspectives on offer, students flocked to the University of Canberra's Study Abroad Fair late last month.
Eight countries and 15 universities were represented at the fair on the UC Concourse, with visiting students, recently returned exchange students and embassy staff on hand to answer questions.
Elspeth Richardson had just returned from 10 months abroad in Japan, where she undertook an immersive 10 month program at the University of Ryukyus in the county's southernmost prefecture, Okinawa.
The Bachelor of Education (Secondary Teaching) student said she is an advocate for cultural education as it allows a greater understanding of the world.
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Student Elspeth Richardson took part in an immersive 10 month program at the University of Ryukyus in Japan. Photo: Vanessa Lam.
"There's a Czech proverb that says 'for every language you learn you gain another soul' and I feel like humanity is so wide and vast that we shouldn't be living inside a box," Ms Richardson said.
"You need to get out of your comfort zone and experience something from someone else's shoes."
UC International staff member Alex Hewitt helped organise the fair and he drew from his own experience of studying abroad while he was completing his Bachelor of Science in Psychology/Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science at the University.
"I went on exchange to the University of Guelph in Canada in 2014, and I had an incredible experience over there," he said.
"It was hugely eye-opening and I really got a lot out of it. From there I did a few short-term programs, one in Singapore and one in North America."
He said the fair is a great way to allow curious students to see how far they can take their studies and learn about the international universities UC partners with.
"Employers love seeing international experience on the resume; at the end of the day, it's really something good to add, especially when you think that you're graduating with however many hundred other people with the same degree as you," Mr Hewitt said.
"It's a really good way of setting yourself apart from everyone else and showing that you've got the initiative to go out there and throw yourself into a new environment."
The Bachelor of Sports Science Honours student added that scholarships and federal funding have made it easier than ever for students to study abroad.
Newly-arrived Canadian students Julia Crane and Laura Van De Walle had already noticed similarities with the exchange programs at UC and from the uni they travelled from, the University of Guelph in Ontario.
"It's very similar to here in that there were representatives and exchange students, who gave us all the info we needed. It's an easier process than what it first seems," said Ms Crane, who is continuing her landscape architecture studies in Canberra.
Ms Van De Walle said the program also allowed her to escape the arctic air that dominates the Canadian winter.
"We're skipping the cold, which is kind of nice, and we're just over on the other side of the world, so it seems exotic and interesting, and there's some really good programs here," the English/psychology student said.
Head to the University's Study Abroad website to find out more about exchange programs, upcoming information sessions and funding opportunities.
