Arcadia Australia

Student Interview: Michael Hwang

PROGRAM: University of Melbourne, Computer SCIENCE

HOME SCHOOL: University of Virginia

Why did you choose University of Melbourne?

I chose Melbourne uni because it's in Melbourne, the city I wanted to go abroad to, and it's also regarded as the best university in Australia and one of the top universities in the world.

What was the most challenging aspect of your transition from American college life to Australian Uni life? (how did you overcome them?)

Going from a small university town to a big city with a mix of all different types of people. At home, everyone at uni lives in the same general area, next to campus while at Melbourne uni everyone lives in different parts of the city meaning it takes more effort to both get to campus and also to meet up with friends. This meant I needed to plan things out more in advance than I usually do back at home.

What did a normal day or week look like for you?

Go to a tute (tutorial) Monday afternoon, Tues off, tute at noon Wednesday then work on a weekly lab afterwards, either go out a few times during the weekend or travel somewhere. Went to the gym 4-5 times a week since it was right next to where I lived.

What was your favorite excursion with Arcadia?

Grampians, got to pet a wild kangaroo and go absailing (which I didn't think I'd be able to do at first).

What was your favorite experience in the classroom?

Seeing one of the resources we used in my history of violence tutorial come from one of my home Uni's (university of Virginia) researchers.

What is one thing that every student studying abroad should do?

Do things you've never done and never would have thought of doing, and also try to truly immerse yourself in the different country through fashion and your day to day activities.

What will you miss about Australia? 

The beaches, nature and scenery.

What are your plans after you graduate?

Try to travel for a few months then work in tech.

Why would you recommend Uni of Melbourne to other students/ what kind of student would you recommend for Uni of Melbourne?

I would recommend melbourne uni for other prospective study abroad students who want to be able to explore Melbourne and Australia since the way that the education system is set up at Melbourne uni allows for a lot of free time, which is good if you want to be able to travel around.

How did Arcadia have an impact on your experience?

It introduced me to Wahaj.