What to expect, when you’re expecting to attend Bond!

Ahead of any big life decision, the flood of mixed emotions – feeling excited and anxious – and all the unanswered questions can be overwhelming. Hailing from Mumbai, India – Anjan shares some insights into the experiences of some of her fellow Bond University peers while studying on the Gold Coast in Australia.

I still remember my first day here; nervous, stressed, scared and mostly, excited. So, I spoke to a few international students at Bond about the one thing we all got excited about and feared at the same time when planning to go overseas to study in Australia. How different is it really going to be? Does living in Australia mean Kangaroos will cross the streets with me? With all the relevant (but absurd) questions we have, I decided to give you an overview on what to expect when planning your educational journey to Bond, straight from your future fellow students!

“What I found interesting about Bond is the fact that people do actually live on campus. This might seem to be a stupid answer, but at my home university in Germany, you won’t find any buildings where people live on the campus. All the buildings are used for classes, meetings and so on. I really enjoyed that I could get ready and run out of my room in the Accommodation Centre and get to class in less than 5 minutes.” – Olga Litvin, Germany

“I am originally from a small Swiss town called Arzier. The Gold Coast is a huge city with a diverse and huge population with great Australian weather, laid back people, and with a culture that has almost no similarities to my hometown. Arzier and the Gold Coast are two different worlds, and I’m lucky to have experienced both.” – Rob Sheppard, Switzerland

“Leaving Indianapolis, Indiana for Bond University on the Gold Coast, Australia has been a dream come true. Uniting myself with different cultures from around the globe, soaking up the warm sun every day, and getting the best, most unique educational experience possible has made my dreams, a reality.” – Mandrea Weber, United States of America

“My hometown is Bandung, the second biggest city of Indonesia. What makes Bond different from all the universities in my country is the limited number of students in the classes, which increases the individual interaction between the students and the lecturer. Also, the unlimited help that comes from Bond to all their students is what makes it stand out from all other universities.” – Bunga Agnew, Indonesia

“The people are definitely friendlier on the Coast!” – Charlot Daysh, Norway

“The Gold Coast is quieter than my hometown in Miri, Malaysia. Most shops close by 5!” – Ha Xin Zhe, Malaysia

“The different types of people and the diverse cultures are what makes Bond worth it. The quality of life and the vibrancy of the place are so much better than my hometown. I wish I had come for longer than a semester.” – Pramod Buyopati, India

“Well, my bucket list is pretty long and pretty expensive too! However, so far, I have been successful at interacting with the most adorable kangaroos, cuddling a cute koala, jet skiing in the waters, hogging on lamington cake, visiting Sydney, spending a beautiful sunny afternoon on a champagne yacht and most of all, falling in love with Australia. I do plan on visiting Melbourne and The Great Ocean Road, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, spending an afternoon at Bondi Beach, and visiting the Blue Mountains, attending Stereosonic in Brisbane and eventually skydiving!

I’ve met some of the most amazing educators here, people who taught me in my first semester and who still remember my name at the end of my degree. The personal attention you receive and the connections you build are some of the best features of being able to study at Bond. Bond is always going to mean a lot to me; I’ve met amazing people, people I’m able to call family, I’ve experienced things I never could back home and most importantly, I’ve learned.” – Devika Gupta, India

“Australia was everything I expected and more! I literally had to pinch myself every day for the first week, because I still couldn’t believe I was actually here. And as I travel around, I fall more and more in love with this place. I recently discovered Snapper Rocks and so far, it is definitely one of my favourite places. I love that it is not as commercialised as the others – it just has this calm feeling about it.” – Celeste Simpson, USA

I hope these Bondies have helped reduce any anxiety and butterflies you’re feeling and that you’re more confident to study at Bond University and its beautiful campus that thousands of us get to call home.