MEET MATT
Matt, a Civil Engineering major, studied abroad in Sydney, Australia during Spring 2017.
IF NOTHING ELSE, DON’T FORGET TO PACK:
Essential beach things like sunglasses, hats, and bathing suits.
ON SECOND THOUGHT, YOU CAN LEAVE AT HOME:
Sunscreen. The sun is very different in Sydney, so they have a specialized sunscreen that does a lot better than ones you get here.
WHERE TO LIVE:
Maroubra or Coogee. Both are close to UNSW campus. Coogee is more of a nightlife, where Maroubra is good if you’re interested in surfing.
BEST PLACES TO EAT:
I never had a bad experience with any local places, but I will say I did not have a good hamburger anywhere so watch out.
BEST PERSONAL HIDEOUT:
The end of the Bondi to Coogee walk in Coogee has a lot of benches in a park and it is very peaceful.
FAVORITE PLACE TO STUDY:
UNSW library was pretty good.
MUST-TRY LOCAL DISH:
It’s not that foreign for Australian Pizza is interesting just because of egg on a pizza.
BEST PHOTO OP:
Anywhere in the blue mountains
BIGGEST FAIL:
Plenty of times, I took the wrong bus trying to get to class.
BEST PURCHASE:
Personally, I bought a surfboard so that I did not need to rent, and that forced me to go surfing more.
MOST INTERESTING CLASS:
MSCI0501
BEST PART OF THE PROGRAM:
The program does a lot of events for you to meet other people studying abroad.
MOST MEMORABLE TRIP:
I camped in Mount Solitary in the Blue Mountains, and it was beautiful.
BEST LOCAL EVENT/HOLIDAY:
They had a vivid light festival where everything around the harbor was lit up and very cool.
FAVORITE LOCAL WORD/SLANG:
Something I still say is “no worries” as a response similar to “no problem” or “forget about it.”
IF I COULD DO IT OVER AGAIN…
I would try to find different housing. I was in a rented home with other foreigners, but not other students so it was annoying to not have that outlet to also meet people.