Although it may seem a bit daunting at first, I highly recommend studying abroad to anyone

As part of my Biology with a Year Abroad degree, I got to spend second year at the University of Queensland in Australia. Since England was already a foreign country for me (I am from the Netherlands), I was used to living abroad, away from family and friends.

Although it may seem a bit daunting at first, I highly recommend studying abroad to anyone; it broadens your perspective, gives you the chance to meet people from all over the world and discover new places, and it creates limitless opportunities.

I can’t think of a better location than Australia to study biology. The courses I took at the University of Queensland offered many field trips to unique and biodiverse locations, which set the perfect background for conducting research projects to develop my experimental design and data analysis skills.

The courses were complementary to some of the first year modules I had taken in Sheffield, but some of them were completely new to me. Many of my lectures taught me about the flora and fauna unique to Australia and I got to take some courses related to marine biology.

I can’t think of a better location than Australia to study biology. The courses I took at the University of Queensland offered many field trips to unique and biodiverse locations, which set the perfect background for conducting research projects to develop my experimental design and data analysis skills.

Eline Van Aalderink

BSc Biology with a Year Abroad

Even though the courses definitely were harder compared to my first year in Sheffield and the work was often demanding, every day still felt like vacation.

I had so many amazing experiences and learnt a lot, not only about biology but also about becoming independent, discovering new cultures, and hearing about life views of people from all around the world. The year abroad therefore did not only allow me to develop myself academically, but also personally.

In my free time I undertook countless spontaneous road trips to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast with my friends, went to parties and events by university societies, travelled around the country and volunteered for a number of research projects and as an animal care assistant for a koala sanctuary and, of course, had the occasional Australian barbecue.

All in all, I would recommend taking a year abroad to anyone interested in broadening their academic and general life perspective. In fact, I would recommend it to anyone looking to have a life-changing year and an unforgettable experience!