My name is San Yu Sophie Chan, after studying local schools in Hong Kong from Primary 1 to Form 5, I have decided to study abroad in Townsville, Australia with the help of AAS Education.

I moved to a boarding school, Townsville Grammar School at the beginning of 2023 to begin my Year 11 and 12 of the Australian high school education. I studied 6 QCAA subjects, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, English, Mathematical Methods, and Physics.

I picked Townsville Grammar School for its outstanding academic performance, which aligns with my goal to enter one of the undergraduate Medicine courses in Australia. I have set my sights on Monash University’s Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine. In the future, I wish to work as a Doctor and hopefully specialise in Emergency Medicine.

As an adventurous person keen to learn about different cultures and environments, the notion of overseas education has always been on my mind. The pluralistic culture in Australia is very appealing and being a popular site for Hong Kong overseas students also means there is good support for students like me. Additionally, Australia puts a heavy emphasis on being well-rounded and encourages their students to grow both personally and academically. It is something that resonates with me and I find this synergise very well with my learning style.

AAS has played an important road in my journey to Australia. Studying overseas is no easy task, especially with visa application, looking for a suitable school, and getting used to new environment as an immigrant. During the progress, AAS has provided helpful information on all things visa-related, sorting out the application and documentation. It was AAS’s recommendation for me to study at Townsville Grammar School, which turned out to be a good decision and a huge part of my successful admission to Monash Medicine.

If there was anything that really surprised me about Australia’s Education Culture, it would be the amount of freedom you were given to explore your own path. I often felt encouraged by the school to seek out unique experiences beyond the classroom, such as participating in UN Youth Evatt Competition, one one-day training program at Townsville University Hospital, and volunteering for the Sony Foundation Australia. They promote the spirit of “Studying smart and effectively.” Instead of spending hours reciting textbooks, the school equip you with different study skills such as Active Recall and Spaced Repetition, utilising metacognition to help you study better with less time. A healthy school-life balance means that you would be able to make the fondest memories with your close friends and cohort during school, especially the senior years. If anything, the school actively encourage and empower you the make the most out of your time.

My tip for aspiring overseas students would be “Don’t hold back.” You made all the efforts to study in a foreign country, embrace the new environment, and don’t let your anxious thoughts (I too worry a lot) limit your experience, the sky is the limit if you are willing to put yourself out there, talk to people, learn more about them, about Australia, about their culture.

You would be surprised at how people are also curious about yours too. Another tips for
those who does not speak much English outside of school (like me), don’t be afraid to ask people to repeat! Or repeat yourself! I find talking slowly helps a lot, people can hear you more clearly this way. Bare in mind that this will take some time to get used to, speaking English primarily can be challenging but also rewarding, there are so many cool words and phrase you can learn!

To me, the most valuable thing I have learned from studying overseas is perspectives. This is something you can only acquire through experiencing it yourself. Being an overseas student mean you get to absorb the best of both worlds, your home country and your foreign study destination. The Australian Education is like a breath of fresh air to me, although no easier than Hong Kong, it challenges me to learn new skills, both academically and personally. As I have mentioned before, I resonate with how the school teaches you study skills that apply to just about every subject, this is something I can carry with me even after high school. To be able to explore new frontiers and grow alongside friends from all over the world (Australia is very international) will always be something I cherish and I credit these experience for helping and motivating me to get into my dream course.

As Shakira would say, try everything!