Katelyn | Australia

Katelyn Means is a UW junior who traveled abroad during the spring of her sophomore year. Katelyn was a study abroad student at the University of Queensland in Australia! Because UW does not have an exchange agreement with The University of Queensland, Katelyn worked with a Program Provider, AustraLearn, to set up her study abroad.

Katelyn enjoyed the University of Queensland’s “beautiful campus,” and described her courses as “challenging but manageable.” Because of the vast array of class options when studying abroad, Katelyn recommends that you “figure out your class schedule before you go.” During her time in Australia Katelyn lived in Urbanest Student Housing Accommodation, which she suggests to other UW study abroad students!

One of Katelyn’s best memories from her semester abroad is spring break. During the break she I traveled to New Zealand and toured the South Island with a tour company called TopDeck. During the trip she met “some amazing people” and saw a lot of sights she could have never found on her own. She also went skydiving, which was the icing on the cake of her trip!

Katelyn’s biggest challenge during her study abroad semester was the homesickness that she experienced during her first month in Australia. However, she says that her homesickness was “small in the grand scheme of things.”  When asked how she dealt with the homesickness, Katelyn said, “I would either talk to my other study abroad friends or call my mom! Home is only a phone call away!”       
    

Katelyn provides the following advice to UW students preparing to study abroad: “Make an effort to connect with the locals.  A lot of study abroad programs have you teamed up with Americans when you get there. It is great to have these friends and to relate to and hangout with, but also make sure you make an effort to get to know the locals, so you can truly experience the culture and what the country your visiting is really about!”          

If you are planning to travel to work with a Program Provider or to travel to Australia please feel free to contact Katelyn at kmeans@uwyo.edu.