Articles by Julia Halverson - Tasmania, Australia
August, 2005
As I settled down into my airplane seat, I was immediately struck by the friendliness and generosity of the Australians and New Zealanders around me. I had just boarded a 12-hour flight to New Zealand, with the ultimate destination of Tasmania, Australia, and already I was making friends. The university professor to my left had advice about the school system and things to do during my brief stay in New Zealand, and the high school student behind me was full of suggestions for places to visit on Australia’s east coast. I have now spent nearly two weeks in New Zealand and five in Tasmania, and have found that the people I’ve met are a key part of what has made my experience so wonderful.
My arrival in Tasmania was not nearly as smooth as I might have hoped. First I missed a connecting flight from Sydney to Hobart, and had to instead catch an indirect flight that put me in Hobart a few hours later. With no time for phone calls, I knew I would no longer be met at the airport by a university representative. Fortunately, I had some Australian money on me and was able to catch the shuttle bus to campus, where I met a very kind administrator who drove me up a colossal hill to the accommodation office. Once there, the director informed me that he had over-booked the university apartments and that there was no longer any space for me, as he had promised weeks before. After speaking to some other students, I opted to check out the University Union houses that were scattered about town, and eventually found one with which I fell in love. I’m now living with Australian and American flatmates in downtown Hobart, close to the waterfront and in the midst of all the historic buildings, parks, and monuments, and I couldn’t be happier. Sometimes it seems that things really don’t work out for a reason!
Since those first few days, my transition has been considerably easier. I have made many interesting international and Australian friends in classes and out on the town, and have become good friends with my flatmates. I’ve already done a bit of travelling within Tasmania, and this weekend plan to visit the Tasman Peninsula and next weekend the Bay of Fires. As far as “uni” goes, my environmental studies and ecology classes are similar to those at Davis, except that my professors threaten to mark our papers down for using American English spelling! Just one more thing to get used to in the land Down Under…
September 2005
People often say that Australia is pretty similar to America, but in terms of the school system, it definitely is not. At UC Davis I study Environmental Biology and Management, taking classes in biology, ecology, resource science, and environmental policy. Here at the University of Tasmania (also known as UTas), I am enrolled in an environmental science semester program, with class subjects that are similar to what I might take back in Davis. “Uni,” however, is a completely different experience from “college” back home.
First of all, my classes are small. One of my classes has only 15 people! My “lecturers” (who do research and are equivalent to our “professors”) know everyone’s name, and like to poke fun at the students who arrive to class late. On the whole, the lecturers are dynamic and passionate about teaching, a combination that usually makes it easy to stay awake during class. They are also extremely approachable and friendly, always willing to help students with questions or simply chat about their research, Tasmania, or life.
As for the classes themselves, most of them are much more hands-on than the classes I’ve taken at Davis. My Evolutionary Biology and Biogeography class, for example, had a five-day excursion in which we studied invertebrate biogeography across a well-known Tasmanian faunal break. In my Behavioral Ecology class, I am involved in a seven-week group research project studying mate selection in zebra finches. Next week for Antarctic Ecology, my “practical” (lab) consists of going to a nearby beach to monitor a local penguin population. The practicals are not only hands-on and fun, but also useful. Since coming to Tasmania I have learned how to use at least six new software programs, for everything from mapping to modelling to programming. My knowledge and confidence in my ability to properly analyse and present data have increased enormously in my time at UTas.
The “assignment and assessment” scheme here is also quite different. For one thing, I don’t have any exams until finals. What they lack in exams, however, the classes more than make up for in assignments: all of my classes have two to four major essays or practical reports. All assignments are to meet a certain word requirement and to cite only primary sources. As far as assessment, Australian unis don’t give letter grades; instead, they report a percentage. The marks are significantly lower than those given at UC Davis – here, an 80% is known as a “high distinction,” equivalent to our A. High distinctions are normally only given out to the top one or two students in a class!
Overall, I definitely work harder for lower grades over here. But at the end of the day, I’ve definitely learned more and enjoyed it more. Not only that, but at the end of the week, I can go off and explore Tasmania if I’ve completed my assignments, since I don’t have to study for any exams just yet! Maybe I’ll have a different viewpoint come exams week, but for now, this school system suits me perfectly
November 2005
Without a doubt, the hardest part about studying abroad is leaving. Two weeks ago I completed a four-month environmental science semester program in Tasmania, Australia, and the last thing I wanted to do was say goodbye to my home-away-from-home. Tassie, as Australians affectionately call the island-state located to the southeast of the mainland, definitely stole my heart during those four short months.
Tasmania is home to some of the friendliest, most genuine people I’ve ever met. Everyone says that Australians are laid-back and friendly in general, but in my experience I found this to be particularly true in Tassie. I made some great friends during my stay, at least three of whom I will be showing around California next year! As far as the location itself, Tasmania is truly a unique place. You can drive across the island in less than four hours, but the diversity you will encounter during that short time is astounding, with regards to both the biotic and abiotic elements. Luckily for me, Tasmania seems to be made for the outdoor enthusiast; opportunities for recreation abound. I did everything from backpacking to rock climbing to camping to surfing and more. I also saw countless animals in the wild and in wildlife sanctuaries, including kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, echidnas, koalas, and of course, Tasmanian devils. For one of my classes I even got to study Little Penguins in the wild!
My uni, the University of Tasmania (UTas), was fantastic, and the UC Education Abroad Program was top-notch. I took four classes, all of which transferred directly to UC Davis to give me credit for my major. Group work and field trips were plentiful, allowing me to meet and befriend my Australian classmates. I also got to know all of my teachers on a personal level, and would often stop by their offices just to say hi when their doors were open and I was in the building. In general, my UTas experience had a much more personal feeling than my UC Davis experience, and I actually found that school interested me more as a result. The classes and teachers weren’t the only good things about UTas; the uni also had the occasional free barbeque, live music, or Uni Bar event. “Disorientation Week,” the week following Orientation Week, even combined all three into what was basically one big, week-long party!
While it was incredibly difficult to leave Tassie after my program ended, my departure has brought me to one of the best aspects of studying abroad: traveling. Since I missed out on the Davis summer to come to Australia at the beginning of July, I now get to spend two months enjoying summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Right now I’m traveling up the east coast of Australia with my brother and various friends. I spent today hiking in New South Wales’ Blue Mountains and experiencing the rural flavor of the nearby town of Katoomba. Two days ago I enjoyed Frisbee on the beach and then a true Aussie barbeque with friends of friends in the coastal town of Wollongong, just south of Sydney. One week ago I drove down Melbourne’s Great Ocean Road to see the Twelve Apostles and other sights. My heart may belong to Tassie, but the rest of Australia is also a pretty spectacular place, and I would recommend this country to anyone interested in studying abroad. My Australian experience has been one crazy, awesome ride, but studying abroad is definitely all about the journey, after all! For now I’m just holding on tight and enjoying what Australia has to offer
