Hello again! As I settle into my 3rd week here in Sydney (almost halfway through!), I want to tell you all a little bit more about my classes, internship, and overall experience I’ve had so far in Australia.
My time in Australia has been very exciting so far! I live in an area called Kensington, which is where the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is located. I live in apartment-style housing on UNSW’s campus with 6 roommates (one is even from Pitt!). My new neighborhood was pretty quiet for the first 2 weeks as the UNSW students had just wrapped up their final exams. However, now it is pretty lively as the students are back for the new term! The Australian academic calendar is the opposite of ours, and their summer vacation is during December and January. It’s odd seeing such a lively campus in the middle of June, whereas Pitt’s campus is probably very empty this time of year!
My classes are held at the University of Technology Sydney campus, about a 30-minute ride on the LightRail, similar to Pittsburgh’s train system. Since the program is only 6 weeks long, I have 3-hour classes twice a week, which is quite different from what I’m used to in a regular semester. However, my classes are only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so by the time next week rolls around, it feels like I haven’t had class in forever! Another big difference is the fact that there are only 9 people in my class! There are only 60 people in total doing this program (with 20 being from Pitt), but this was still a shock! I’ve really enjoyed how the small class size has allowed us to dive deeper into topics that interest us and really engage more deeply with the course and our instructor. This vastly differs from my larger and shorter classes at Pitt. Though I enjoy these classes, I’ve found it hard to achieve the same kind of learning experience that I’ve found here in Sydney!
We have also gone on 2 field trips so far. The first was to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), located in Moore Park. This was only 10 minutes from my housing. The building and grounds were filled with history, as parts of the building have remained unchanged since the 1880s! This is because the building is mandated to be historically preserved by the government. The SCG was established in 1854, making it one of the oldest cricket grounds in the world! It was amazing to see all the history in the building and sit where cricket legends sat years ago. We even got to learn how to play some cricket, which is one of the most popular sports in Australia! Our second field trip was to the Greater Western Sydney Giants Stadium. The Giants are an Australian Football League (AFL) team about an hour train ride west of Kensington. AFL, or “Aussie Rules”, is considered a mix of soccer, rugby, and Gaelic football. It’s such a unique and interesting sport, and the most popular game in Australia, similar to the NFL in the US. While AFL is the largest sport in the rest of Australia, rugby is more popular in Sydney. Because of this, the Giants were only established 15 years ago, and their facilities are much newer. It was interesting to see the differences between the historic Sydney Cricket Ground and the newer AFL Giants Stadium.
Sydney Cricket Ground
Learning how to play cricket like true Aussies!
My internship has also been going well, but my internship placement actually ended up changing when I got here! This is not extremely common, but it happens sometimes due to various reasons. Thankfully, my supervisor has stayed the same, and I am now interning at a sports consulting company called Regista Sports Management. They are a small management consulting service to small businesses, offering solutions to brand identity, sales, marketing, and operations. The company was founded by my supervisor, and most customers and clients are found through his connections from his previous work in the sports sector. They don’t have a physical office space, so I work remotely with other interns for most of the week. However, we all meet my supervisor together in Sydney’s Central Business District about once a week. So far through my internship, I have been working on creating digital marketing strategies for some clients. I’ve been analyzing the client’s social media and webpages to see where they have opportunities to improve their digital presence. I’ll be meeting with one of the clients in person for the first time later this week! This role definitely requires good communication skills, especially as I am in a client-facing role and need to be able to effectively work with the clients. Time management is also very important. I’ve found that though Australian workplaces are more laid-back compared to those in the US, supervisors tend to give you more responsibility. Many of the other students in this program have said similar things. Because of this, having good time management, prioritizing tasks, and meeting deadlines consistently is important.
Sydney’s Central Business District
Overall, these past few weeks in Sydney have been great! Through exploring this city, adjusting to a new academic and work environment, and gaining hands-on experience in sports marketing, I’ve already learned so much! These experiences have helped me grow both personally and professionally, and I am excited to see what the next few weeks hold!