Hi, my name is Grace and I’m a third-year chemistry student currently on exchange at McMaster, Canada. I have finished my first semester and I’m eager to start my second. I have experienced so much since being here and honestly this kind of opportunity is a once in a lifetime that I believe everyone should take!
So far this year I have managed to go on residentials to Algonquin National Park and many individual trips too including Banff, New York and even The Bahamas! (look at photos below)
I have managed to do all this, maintain good grades, and meet some incredible people who I will stay friends with forever. You get the chance to pretty cheaply go to places you would never really get the chance to go if you were back in the UK. Also, having things planned and making the most of your study abroad really helps with the homesickness- which honestly (I love my family) but I only really felt maybe once or twice.
It’s so important to see this year as an experience to learn and connect with people but also to travel and experience a different culture and lifestyle as this is just as important to your development as an adult and a young professional as quantum mechanics is.
Tip- Make sure to work and save as much as you can the summer before coming so you have plenty of spending money.
Algonquin
This was a 3-day canoe trip with the university outdoor club which was physically challenging but incredibly rewarding! We cooked our own food and camped in the Canadian wilderness which was truly epic! GO ON THIS TRIP if you can as you will not regret it.
Banff
This was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. My breath was taken away on every hike. These are photos from Lake Louise and the Big Beehive hike.
New York
I mean New York doesn’t really need an introduction… it was amazing. You could get here easily from McMaster (by plane or overnight coach) and this trip really got us in the Xmas mood. We saw all the main sights and will be an experience to remember.
The Bahamas
Christmas on the beach was strange but wonderful. I would swap white sand for white snow any day! When else would you get to do this for an affordable price? If you get to go, make sure you don’t miss Junkanoo on Boxing Day!
When leaving for my study abroad in Australia someone said “gosh, you’re so brave!”, and I remember feeling very bewildered by the statement; was I brave? Up until that point, all I had thought about was the excitement for a year in the sun, surfing and BBQs. In all the chaos I had not stopped to comprehend that I was travelling further than I had ever travelled before, to a country where I did not know a single person. Maybe I was brave. Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely experienced my fair share of surfing, sun and BBQs in the 5 months spent here so far, but homesickness and culture shock are the less glamourous aspects of studying abroad that I have experienced during my first semester here.
Renting a boat on the Yarra River
Culture shock
I was warned about potential culture shock before departure, but in my naivety, I presumed that an English-speaking country would feel like a ‘home away from home’, and that the shock would be minimal. This was an oversight on my behalf. English being the native tongue has been extremely helpful but this is not to say that the culture in Aus is the same as the UK. One thing that particularly struck me was the difference in Uni culture. I was expecting the same ‘student body’ that I experience in Sheffield, where everyone lives in the same place, goes on the same nights out and you can’t go further than Crookes Valley Park before bumping into someone you know. Therefore, when I arrived in Australia and discovered that living on campus at uni is rare and the vast majority of Australian students commute, my vision of the same ‘student life’ evaporated. This was very disconcerting at first because I was suddenly plunged into a completely novel university experience. Yet, it soon transpired that different doesn’t equate to worse and the Australian experience is better in some ways. For example, everyone living at home means that the library is often emptier and trying to find a seat during exam season isn’t the less fun version of musical chairs that occurs every January and May in the IC. It also meant that the on-campus accommodation (where I stayed during my first semester) was mostly occupied by exchange students making it really easy to meet people in the same position as me.
Another thing that unsettled me at first was the sheer size of Australia. Where I lived in first semester was an hour out of Melbourne CBD (what the Aussies call the town centre), so every time I wanted to travel into the city, I had to undertake a journey equivalent to travelling from Sheffield to Manchester. I do have to count my lucky stars, however, because the public transport here wipes the floor with Northern rail. Now, of course, adding an hour commute onto plans that I make feels normal, and I have come to enjoy the peace of a train journey. It does make me appreciate how everything in Sheffield is walkable though!
Sydney Opera House
Homesickness
I arrived in July, and once the novelty of being here wore off it was around September; just as everyone went back to Uni in the UK. This hit me harder than expected, and I am ashamed to admit that I was longing for a roar Wednesday whilst soaking up the sun in Melbourne. Watching my old housemates move in with each other again, whilst I was on the other side of the world gave me fomo like I had never experienced before. Of course, when I came to my senses, I realised that it wasn’t seeing Roary in the queue that I missed, and it certainly wasn’t the crowd at Foundry, but the people that make Sheffield such a special place. This kind of homesickness hit me in waves, and I found that missing people from home and uni was going to be one of the hardest parts of being here. As much as I miss my family and friends, I know that they will be there when I get home. As for anyone concerned about homesickness and is hesitant in applying for somewhere so far away, homesickness is hard, but what would be harder is knowing that you passed up on the incredible opportunity that Sheffield offers to study abroad because you were afraid of saying some temporary goodbyes.
Melbourne at night
Tips on combatting homesickness:
Regularly ring people from home. Once I got into the swing of things with the time difference, I came to learn which time of day was suitable to call people. For example, my mum often rings me on her lunch break at work, which tends to be around 11pm for me. Seeing a familiar face over facetime seriously gives a much needed ‘boost’– I always feel refreshed after a chat.
Surround yourself with people. Making new friends was more difficult than I thought it would be; I really had to make the effort to put myself out there which was draining at a time where I’d just moved here and was already feeling fragile, but it definitely pays off and I have met so many people here who have taught me so much. The advice I was offered before coming out here was to not stick with just exchange students, but I have found them to be the most welcoming. It is also extremely comforting to have people around you who are going through the same thing and experiencing the same emotions as you. I really don’t think I could go through this experience without their support.
Make sure to continue doing the things that you love. For example, I joined my halls netball team, and purchased a piano keyboard from Facebook marketplace. Doing the same activities here as I would at home instantly made me feel more settled.
Maybe I was brave to come out here all by myself after all – it has been harder than expected, but it has absolutely been worth it. Some of the experiences I’ve had in Australia, and some of the friends I’ve made will last a lifetime. My advice for anyone unsure whether or not to take the leap of faith and apply for somewhere so far away from home: it will be hard, and it will test you, but you will come out of the experience changed for the better and I cannot recommend anything more. I cannot wait for next semester when I can do it all over again.
Global Opportunities 