Choosing the Ideal Study Destination

It’s been a year and half for me in Australia, time has flown by in this beautiful country. It feels like just yesterday I was at home in India researching where I wanted to do my masters. As my search began the big questions that needed answering were: Where in Australia? Which university? Which campus?

These questions plagued me for almost a month and I found myself in a bit of a rut. I was split between Adelaide and the Gold Coast for a long time, for me then there wasn’t much difference in the cities, but I realised later I was wrong. Both of the universities I was considering were great, well reputed and ranked highly for my course.

Good advice

That’s when my mother stepped in and said, “you don’t do too well in very cold weather, I would suggest you choose the Gold Coast”. That’s when it struck me, I was making the same mistake that most international students make, which is to look at things just from the perspective of my education. 

There are so many aspects to ponder upon apart from the academics when you decide your study destination. It's very important that you consider things like the weather, the cost of living, the lifestyle, public transport, infrastructure, job availability, cost of accommodation, and the culture of the city. After all, the city you choose will be your home for the next two to three years or more, so ignoring these things and just looking at it from a university point of view might leave you yearning for more when you finally start living there.

Ticking all the boxes

I am now very proud and happy to say that I took my mother’s advice because the Gold Coast ticks all the above boxes. It’s not just a party or holiday destination, it’s a city very well equipped to suite a student lifestyle. The moderate weather, great public transport system, recreational options and affordable prices for accommodation and food make it the perfect spot for a student to embrace the Australian coastal lifestyle. Needless to say, the universities located here have some of the most gorgeous campuses and are also very well ranked in the world. Organisations like Study Gold Coast and Gold Coast Student Hub also make sure that students get all the support they need and provide many opportunities to engage in the local community.

So don’t make the same mistake as I did when choosing your study destination, do your homework by looking into every aspect of what a city offers both in education and lifestyle. Then you may find your new home provides you with so much more than you ever could have expected, as the Gold Coast does for me. 

*Soham Pandit is studying Hospitality and Tourism at Griffith University.