Studying at the Sunshine Coast

“I was very unsure about where I wanted to go and study abroad. I was considering the USA for a long time due to the major support system around Athletics as well as hearing all the great stories from other students who had studied in the USA before. I decided to get in contact with KILROY as I was unsure about what kind of options I had, including applying for student funding and scholarships. I got in contact with Elisabeth from KILROY and she asked me whether I had ever thought of studying in Australia. I started looking at several universities that Elisabeth recommended for me and immediately fell in love with University of the Sunshine Coast (USC). I managed to get in contact with my now current coach in pole vault, Ray Boyd, and I was advised by him to apply for University of the Sunshine Coast as the team were training several times a week at the USC track. Elisabeth from KILROY helped me with my application for USC, my visa application and eventually my student funding. Not long after, I was approved to study at the university and the Sunshine Coast was going to be my home for a semester of my life.”

"I applied to study for 6 months at USC, also known as a study abroad semester where you can choose any introductory subjects that you want to study and eventually receive academic credit when you go back home. Not surprisingly, I quickly fell in love with the Australian culture and way of living, which made it an easy choice for me in terms of deciding where I wanted to study my bachelor’s degree. USC is a top ranked university when it comes to teaching and I could not picture myself studying anywhere else while competing and training professionally. After three months of studying at University of the Sunshine Coast, I was convinced this would be the best decision of my life and started looking into bachelor’s degrees. I had always dreamt of working with crime or in the police force and therefore decided to apply for a three-year Bachelor in Criminology and Justice. I was quickly accepted and was able to gain credit from the courses I had already done during my first semester and transferred them into my Criminology and Justice Degree which made the remaining length of my degree only 2.5 years. I was extremely happy with how easy it was to apply for USC and I am now currently in my 3^rd year and expected to graduate next year."

"Choosing to study in Australia without a doubt been the best decision of my life as I have made so many life-long friendships with people from all over the world, seen a completely different culture and learned so much about myself while living abroad. You develop so much as a person and learn how to become more independent and outgoing, especially because Australians are so friendly and easy to approach! The Australian lifestyle is relaxed, adventurous and exciting to be a part of, something you start to notice after having lived here for a while. The nature around the Sunshine Coast is something I had never imagined existed, as it is exotic and has a wildlife of its own! Being surrounded by kangaroos while studying at the campus, exploring so many different locations and being able to travel all over Australia makes me understand how incredibly lucky I am to be able to study and live here at the same time."

“In addition to studying at USC, I am a part of the High-Performance Student Athlete program (HPSA) which enables me to combine my study and sport at a much higher level. The support program here at USC has really helped me balance my sport and education, which I believe has helped me a lot through their support services, sport clinics and financials. This opportunity also allowed me to gain a part-time position at the USC International office, where I have been working part time as a Project Assistant and Social Media Manager for the HPSA program. Throughout my work, I have been able to assist other international students about inquiries they might have, such as how to get involved with sporting organisations, gain work experience and get the most out of their studies abroad.”

“Studying at USC has so far been the best decision of my life and I am glad I chose to study abroad and get to experience this country to its fullest. Choose USC, you won’t be disappointed!”