Old Boy Jesse Sia (2020), pictured, is a 2023 recipient of an Overseas Study Scholarship for Old Boys. He recently attended the University of Liverpool and has penned the following recollections of his experiences.

I arrived in Liverpool at the start of September after 2 months of travelling Europe with my mates from Australia. Nervous but also excited it felt strange being somewhere so far from home and alone out of my comfort zone.

When reflecting, this experience was life changing, meeting great people from around the world as well as experiencing a different culture than back home. I was also surprised about the number of Aussies doing an exchange in Liverpool which made it feel a bit more like home.

Classes in Liverpool were relatively similar to QUT but with a lot of spare time on my hands, the workload felt easier and lighter. Each week consisted of one lecture, and one seminar per fortnight. In terms of assessment, I chose subjects that only had assignments, which took stress out from needing to study for exams.

I stayed in Tudor Close accommodation which was several dormitories consisting of all international students. My dormitory was all boys, all from different countries which helped in meeting new people and making connections. Other dormitories had mixed rooms with plenty of Aussies around. Each dormitory had a kitchen and three bathrooms between 7 people. In addition, the location of the accommodation was right on campus, opposite the gym and next to all my classes which was helpful. Liverpool is also a very walkable city, and my accommodation was about a 10-minute walk into town which made life easy. In terms of shopping and site seeing.

Life in Liverpool was quite similar to Australia, with a big nightlife and sporting scene throughout the city. Most weekends everyone would go out, so it wasn’t hard to meet new people and find people to have a good time with. The pubs and clubs are a great time. I ended up attending a few football games at Anfield to watch Liverpool play, which was an amazing experience and atmosphere. The university campus also has nice cafes and pubs with good prices for students.

The best part about doing exchange in UK or even Europe is the close proximity to other countries. I was lucky that I had close friends doing exchanges in other parts of England, Scotland, Prague and Italy and we all visited each other and caught up on a few weekends. We even all flew to Paris for a weekend which was nice seeing a few familiar faces after time away from your mates. The University of Liverpool also provided trips throughout the UK to international students on the weekdays and weekends.

I would 100% recommend any Churchie Old Boy to undertake an exchange program in an overseas environment. Stepping outside your comfort zone on the other side of the world is an eye-opening experience and while it may be scary, there plenty of people in the same boat and the support received from both the Churchie Foundation, QUT and University of Liverpool was amazing. The journey was a great way to meet new people, enjoy a different culture and experience a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This year Churchie Foundation is again awarding the Overseas Study Scholarships for Old Boys. Applications are now invited from Old Boys and current Year 12 students wishing to attend colleges or universities in the UK or USA. The application process will close on Friday 31 May. To find out more information and/or apply for a scholarship, please click here.