Study abroad

My name is Reona Matsumoto and, as you might gather from my name, I am Japanese. I usually introduce myself in the following way: “I’m Reona. Yeah, like Rihanna but with an O.”

I was born in Singapore, and grew up mostly in Tokyo, apart from a few years spent in Shanghai because of my father’s job. I have spent most of my life in Asia and this is my first time here in the UK, for my year abroad in London. 

I’m halfway through my first semester in New York and midterm season is finally over until the spring. I can now take some time to reflect on the classes that I have taken over the past three months.

On a typical Wednesday morning I emerged from my dorm, after a long night of studying. I was jarred out of my sleepiness by a chorus of shouts sounding across the yard: “It’s Bernie Sanders!”

“Your year abroad will be amazing!”, “you’re going to love it!” and “I’m so jealous”, everyone says when wishing you well on your year abroad.

This was no different for me, yet everyone skims over the reality of starting at a foreign university, and the challenges that this entails.

The US, UK, Canada and Australia are four of the most popular countries for students to go to university. They are home to some of the highest-ranked universities in the world and the countries themselves are attractive destinations for students in terms of quality of life and employment prospects. 

This month, I have been working up to dealing with something that I hate more than anything else – moving.

I’m not moving yet but I’m probably going to need to leave my lovely apartment next year. The third year in the doctor of veterinary medicine programme is at the Camden campus, about 90 minutes west of Sydney. I was planning on staying put and sharing transport but that isn’t looking likely so I’m starting to investigate moving closer.

The number of international students wishing to study in Canada has grown since May 2017, new research has found.  

The International Student Admissions Service (ISAS) polled 1,700 students in August and September 2017 and found that 62 per cent of respondents listed Canada as their first choice. In a similar poll carried out in April and May 2017, only 27 per cent of respondents placed Canada as their first choice.

I’ve been in New York for just over a month now and I'm continuously finding new things that surprise me. 

The heavy workload of each of my classes has meant that sometimes it is difficult to explore the city. It’s easy to be caught up in the bubble of university life but I try to get off campus at least once a week. 

It can be easy to think that mental health provision in universities is failing students and that little progress has been made, but in reality, universities around the world are beginning to understand that early intervention is the best tool in tackling mental health conditions in students. Universities are introducing innovative ways to help students identify and understand mental health symptoms and are improving access to services in ways that make students feel more comfortable. 

I recently headed out to Berlin for a couple of days, aiming to explore some universities, speak to some students and find out exactly why students love studying in Berlin. It turns out that there are a ton of reasons why the German capital is so attractive to students.