Tertiary education is a valuable and enriching experience that countless individuals embark upon around the globe. As a fresh faced high school graduate who had lived her whole life in Canberra, I suddenly found myself Melbourne bound when I received an offer in 2010 from RMIT University to study Professional Communications. I deferred my studies for 12 months to take a gap year and gallivant around the world, which would come to be the best year of my life.
For those of you who have had the opportunity to travel, you will understand me when I say there is nothing better than having your eyes opened to some of the world’s most incredible and humbling landscapes and communities, and no funnier memories than those nights you stumbled through a foreign city with new friends or old friends. As soon as I was back in Australia, I knew I had to find a way back overseas as quickly as possible.
Enter RMIT’s Education Abroad Office (EAO). One sunny market day in Bowen Street, I stopped to have a chat with some representatives of the EAO. They kindly explained all of the opportunities for overseas mobility that RMIT offers. I decided that a student exchange had my name written all over it, and I hurried home to look at their website and learn about the 150+ partner institutions I could attend.
After attending an information session, I lodged an application. The process was tedious and long, but I was determined to grab this opportunity with both hands. A few anxious and excited months later, I was offered a position at City University in London, England. I will be starting my six month exchange in September, and I cannot wait.
You can all come to London with me too, because for the next few months I will be using this blog to write about my exchange experience. I’ll be telling you all about the differences of student life abroad, the trials and tribulations of a penniless student, and the adventures of this travel-bug-bitten girl. Just be warned that there will be plenty of whinging about the British weather to ensue.
If you want to learn more about RMIT's exchange opportunities, check out the EAO's website here.
Emily Malone
