Katherine M

• What are you studying?

  Civil Engineering with International Studies

• If you are an international student, why did you choose to study in Australia?

  As much as I love the UK, the weather can be a bit depressing, so the prospect of a year in Australia was very inciting! I also come from a small town which is very green and flat, so I wanted a change of scenery. With all of the skyscrapers, beaches, rain-forests and oceans, Australia is a great place to live in. The educational system here is brilliant and the lifestyle is even better, people work really hard but also have a lot of fun too!

• Why did you choose to study in Melbourne?

  I really liked the idea of studying in Melbourne because it is so diverse, there are people from all over the world and there are a lot of students. Wherever you are from you can always find someone from home and probably even a restaurant which sells familiar food. The people here are very welcoming and interested to make friends and learn about other cultures. And the city itself is great for coffee, artwork and very hip markets. It may not be the warmest Australian city but the warmth of the people make up for it!

• What is your favourite thing to do when you are not studying?

  I really love to draw architectural sketches, so I often grab a coffee and sit and draw in the city for a few hours. I sometimes listen to music or other times just listen to the sound of the trams, people and street performers. It really allows me to be in the moment and appreciate my surroundings. It makes me smile to look back at my drawings and I like to send them back to my family and friends as a snapshot of my life in Melbourne.

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

  I love being in the city and I as a Civil Engineer I would love to work on designing and constructing a high rise building. It is amazing how skyscrapers can go up in a few years and I would love to be part of the huge team who makes that happen. It would be so satisfying to walk down the street and think ‘I helped to build that’.

• What is your favourite thing about being a student?

  I really like the flexibility of being a student, as you can work when is best for you. This gives me free time to do things I enjoy and also work as a Resident Leader at Iglu. I love meeting other students so this is an ideal job for me, as it is very social.

• What is your favourite thing about Iglu?

  The buildings and facilities are amazing, but I think the best thing has to be the people. Every time I walk into the accommodation, some one says ‘hello’ at the mail desk, and I often see friends hanging about together in the social areas. Also I love living in a shared apartment, my flatmates are from all over the world and are always sharing food and teaching each other new things. I always feel at home when I am at Iglu.