Studying in Australia, Part 1️⃣

G’day～ Good morning, I'm Alice. Lately quite a few friends have asked me about going to university back then, how I immigrated to Australia, and what the whole journey has been like for me, so I thought I'd write it all down while it's still fresh in my mind.

First, a bit about my background: I finished high school in Taiwan, did one semester of university (in an unrelated major), then took a leave of absence and came to Australia. I first entered on a tourist visa to visit family, and later went to a study-abroad consultant, learned about language school courses, and switched to a student visa onshore. My mindset back then was: I want to leave my parents and live on my own, and if I'm going to learn English, I'm going to learn it as well as I can. If I could stay and do a university degree, even better. I was at language school for about eight months, and spent most of that time in IELTS prep classes. Once I'd picked the university and program I wanted (QUT, nursing), I had a study-abroad agency lodge my student visa application.

Since I'd only done one semester of university, QUT didn't recognize me as having a year 12 qualification, so it first gave me an offer for foundation (a preparatory program). Foundation runs for two semesters and is mostly basic English, training speaking and academic writing. There was one biology subject and, I think, basic math too (and basic math really is very basic). The biology was basically what you learn in high school, just taught in English. Originally the COE QUT issued me was foundation-EAP2-EAP3-bachelor, but I found out there was a diploma I could do instead. I like subject-specific classes more than English classes, and it meant I could graduate earlier! So I switched to the diploma of health science without a second thought. The entry requirement was IELTS 6 (note, though, that there's no language exemption anymore).

Most students in the Diploma of health science are nursing students, and it also runs over two semesters. Once the diploma started I could clearly feel a bit of a university atmosphere: the assignments and classes were deeper and more specialized than in foundation. There was anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, practical lab classes, nursing-related law and ethics, and of course academic English classes too. The practical classes teach the skills you'll use on placement, starting from the simplest. In first year that includes how to wash your hands properly, how to take vital signs, and all kinds of nursing assessments. This class is stricter about attendance, so don't skip it unless you really have to! I was really happy to make some close friends in the diploma. Some classes had quizzes, and it was thanks to my friends drilling through the whole question bank that I could just freeload～ Just kidding! What I want to say is that the diploma is a great place to make friends, because everyone has a similar background as international students and can help each other out. Good friends can support each other at university all the way to graduation, and even into work later on～

The diploma at QUT has no placement, but it gives you credit for the first year of the bachelor's, so if you pass, you go straight in as a second-year bachelor's student～

In the next post I'll talk about my undergrad life during the pandemic～ This is my first post, and I hope it gives those of you about to study abroad or getting ready a tiny bit of peace of mind. If there's anything else you'd like to know, feel free to leave a comment～