Housing at Bond University

February 23, 2017

While studying abroad at Bond University this semester, I am lucky enough to be placed in on campus housing (due to the huge number of incoming students from both exchange programs and native Australian’s on campus housing was very limited). I am also lucky enough to be able to room with a friend of mine who I had travelled over here with, saving me from having a potentially nightmarish room mate (the horror stories are real)! While here, I’m living in a shared standard dorm room with an ensuite bathroom. The dorms here are relatively similar to those in America, however there are some wonderful perks that I’ve found here. Namely, here at Bond if you live on campus there is a cleaning crew that comes once a week to change your bed linens, clean your bathroom, and empty your trash cans for you. Additionally, the laundry for those students located on campus is completely free which means I’ve been doing it a lot more often than twice a month and not letting it pile up in my room (crazy, I know). Also, due to the drinking age over here only being 18, alcohol rules in the dorms are incredibly lax. There’s only one rule about the size of the bottles your alcohol is consumed in, and that’s only due to potential glass breaking issues. All in all, the on campus life here has me pretty spoiled, and has only contributed to my love for this exchange opportunity.

In terms of meeting other students here at the university, it has not been too difficult .The orientation activities offered to the students really allowed for bonding between all of the international students, and the native Australian students as well. Additionally, there are trips and events happening all of the time that make it easy to get out and meet people. In terms of meeting people in my classes, the class sizes here are relatively small (no more than 40 or so students per class), making it easier to meet fellow students, and making me much more comfortable about speaking up in class. Also, the fact that over half of the new students at Bond University are international or on exchange makes for easy topics of conversation about where people are from and why they’ve chosen to come and study at this school. The majority of people here are very outgoing and eager to meet new people, which has been incredibly nice. Overall, the atmosphere here at Bond has been very welcoming, and I look forward to seeing what else is in store!

Claire Celestin

I am a premedical student interested in pursuing medical school after I obtain my undergraduate degree, and in my past few years at Northeastern University, it seems that I have gotten stuck in a routine of sorts. My days consisted of classes, volunteering, and studying in Snell library until I could not hold my eyes open anymore. Although all of this studying did allow me to maintain a high GPA, I have begun to feel trapped. Growing up, I had always dreamt of traveling, exploring, and immersing myself in different cultures and ways of living. I wanted to join the Peace Corps, build houses with Habitat for Humanity, and volunteer as a medical provider in impoverished countries. These are all things that I still want to do. My post graduate plans all point towards medical school and becoming a health care provider where I intend to serve not only those in the United States, but most importantly those areas where good doctors and health care are hard to come by. I believe that this study abroad opportunity will be a stepping stone into my future of world travel. I intend to take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to me while I am abroad. I will say yes to sky diving, snorkeling, and hiking into beautiful sunsets. In between all of that I will also try not to scream when facing Australia’s notorious gigantic spiders. I hope to travel around Australia every chance that I get, take surfing lessons, wake up in time for the sunrises on the Gold Coast, and still ace all of my exams. I intend to say yes to all of these experiences and more and upon my return I then want to share my experience with other students like myself. I want to show other students like me, who are afraid to push the rigid boundaries of pre medical studies that it is okay to take a break from the pressures that they have set upon themselves.