University of Wollongong - A Virtual and 亲身体验

卧龙岗是一个位于伊拉瓦拉地区的城市，位于伊拉瓦拉悬崖和太平洋之间的沿海地带. It is the tenth largest city in Australia, with a population of about 300,000. 卧龙岗以其港口活动和美丽的沿海环境而闻名，四面环山. The city has a thriving music and theater scene, adding to the cosmopolitan feel. 另外, metropolitan Sydney can be reached by just a 90-minute train ride, giving students the best of both city and coastal living. 

卧龙岗大学在全球大学中排名前2%，拥有一流的研究项目. 校园里有各种各样的俱乐部, providing the opportunity to meet and socialize with Australian students. 交换学生可以住在校园附近的五个大学宿舍之一，也可以住在私人房间或公寓里. Classes are taught in English, Australia’s de facto national language. 

This program is available to students studying applied math, 建筑工程, 计算机科学, 电气与计算机工程, 环境工程, 机械工程, 物理, 创新技术和设计. 

While the University of Wollongong is traditionally an in-person study abroad location, it has made much of its coursework available online during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing students to partake in a virtual exchange. Anthony Nguyen是一名主修机械工程的大三学生，辅修生物医学工程, and he is completing the virtual exchange program this semester. 斯宾塞米勒, 机械工程专业, 在大三的时候完成了面对面的课程, 大流行之前. Both Spencer and Anthony had great insights to share about the university, 以及他们各自的留学经历. 

虚拟体验
安东尼·阮原本计划在伍伦贡大学完成面对面的课程，但鉴于2019冠状病毒病大流行，他转向了虚拟体验.
 
你对与卧龙岗大学的虚拟交流项目的第一印象是什么?
我对卧龙岗大学虚拟交换项目的第一印象是，它确实与众不同, and that it would be difficult to adjust to the time zone difference. 然而, the virtual welcome sessions they held made it feel rather natural, 我觉得我在和人见面. I was very excited to start the virtual semester; however, 课程结构起初让我不知所措，后来我开始欣赏并喜欢上了它. 我认为最难的调整是通过Moodle理解和浏览在线课程目录，并适应在卧龙岗的时区上课.

是什么吸引你来这个项目的?
This program drew me in because it is incredibly affordable, 这所大学在世界排名前2%, 而且离悉尼只有一步之遥, giving me access to a major airport so I could visit  other regions, 包括大堡礁. 另外, 这意味着我可以在一个仍然讲英语的国家学习相对困难的课程.

你的虚拟课程从哪里来? How do you think that's affected your experience so far?
I am currently taking my virtual classes from my parents’ home in Federal Heights, CO. 八月开学的时候, 实际上，我一开始是在加州我的另一半家里上课的，但后来我开车回了科罗拉多州. 有时候很难把注意力集中在学习上, 有时，我觉得家里有我做作业所需的一切，这很好.

在动机方面, 我想说，上卧龙岗大学并不像上学期在科罗拉多大学上虚拟课程那么困难，当时科罗拉多大学正遭受新冠疫情的袭击. 一般, 卧龙岗大学鼓励学生通过自己的研究来加深对课程主题的了解, using other resources and exploring things on the internet. UOW强调在课堂之外自学，这让我想去课堂上做更多的研究，这样我就能做到最好. 对于大多数课程, 每周只在星期一上一次课, so you have the whole rest of the week to learn and figure things out. 另一方面, 科罗拉多大学每周举办两到三次课程, and most everything you will need in the class is presented in lectures. 而UOW同样在讲座中呈现概念, 实际的学习和理解来自于每门课程的辅导和实践以及自主研究. You almost have to instruct yourself out of the classroom to get full understanding. Since CU presents nearly everything to you in lecture (at least in engineering), there is very little thought required outside of class. 整体, 我对自己在课程上的表现感觉更好，比起在科罗拉多大学的课程，在UOW自学会让我保留更多.

这让我想更努力地工作. Because there's so much time left to my own devices, I have a lot more freedom in choice in what I do and when I do it. 因为这种独立学习是被强调的, 我发现自己想学习, rather than go do something more divertive like going on a hike. 我在威斯康星大学的学期已经过半了, 我仍然想做得更好, 我不认为这种感觉会消失. 教学风格和教授所强调的内容的不同改变了我对虚拟课程的看法，并提高了我的积极性.

考虑到你在网上上课, 你觉得如果你住在卧龙岗，你还能获得一些文化沉浸感吗?
我认为，通过伍伦贡大学全球学生流动办公室提供的虚拟会议, I am still able to gain some immersion in Australia’s culture. So far they’ve had a welcome meeting and a flora and fauna meeting, 虽然我没能参加后者. 我在欢迎会上过得很愉快，认识了很多来自有趣地方的人. 另外, courses are often structured with group assignments. All four of the classes I am taking include some group assignment. 四个中的三个, 我遇到并结交了一些非常善良和了解国外情况的人. The fourth does not hold actual live classes, and as such it is not as easy to meet people. Tutorial sessions are a possible avenue for meeting others, but I find it harder as I tend to focus on the problems. 我确实希望有更多的文化方面，比如每周有一个小时的社交时间，或者吃顿饭. 下一个学生流动会议是博彩app推荐烹饪的, 这让我很兴奋, but since they happen only once a month or every three weeks there isn’t much interaction. 不管, 博彩平台推荐被鼓励使用Facebook和其他连接服务彼此交谈, 对此我很感激.

How would you rate your experience so far on a scale of 1-10?
我给这次体验打8分. I am very happy to be studying virtually at the University of Wollongong, 包括我的课程和它们的难度. I am likewise happy to have connected with a number of interesting people. 当然, 我真希望自己身在澳大利亚, and this experience fuels my interest in visiting someday. 

亲身体验
出国留学前, 斯宾塞·米勒去过英国等地, 火鸡, 和家人一起去了秘鲁, 但他从来没有独自离开过家. 

一个人在一个新的地方给了他机会和动力去和新的人交谈. 在伍伦贡的第一天, 他遇到了很多其他的学生，为了记住他们，他不得不把他们的名字都写下来. Spencer still keeps in contact with many of the people that he met in Australia, 现在在法国有地方住, 丹麦, 全世界都是如此. 

Although he said that many aspects of Wollongong felt like home, he was often surprised by unexpected sightings around every corner, 比如热带鹦鹉或外来植物. 

斯宾塞在交换期间选修了机械工程和人文社会科学课程, 让他在继续完成学业的同时，还有很多空闲时间去探索. The education system was different than it is in Boulder; there’s a lot more emphasis on independent study, which meant fewer classes and notably less homework, 然而，考试同样具有挑战性. Although he prefers the system at CU because it keeps him on track throughout the semester, he was glad to have experienced a new style of learning. 

Spencer traveled extensively around the coast of Australia, Indonesia, and New Zealand. 在春假期间，他独自前往印度尼西亚的岛屿旅行，并背着背包生活. 他看到了科莫多巨蜥, 去了巴厘岛, 并参观了日惹, 印尼的精神之都, which houses the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Spencer also collected a lot of stories while hitchhiking around New Zealand. Although many of his trips didn’t go exactly the way that he thought they would, he was relieved to discover that everything worked itself out. 不知道自己要去哪里，也不知道自己要睡在哪里，这种自发性教会了他适应和享受不确定情况的能力, embracing experiences that he wouldn’t be able to recreate. 

他在国外留学期间最美好的回忆之一是，在背包旅行中，他在找地方睡觉的时候，意外地遇到了一位老船长. The captain gave Spencer a meal on the deck of his boat and provided a place to sleep. 尽管船长几乎不会说英语, they were able to have a five-hour long conversation, communicating mostly with gestures and facial expressions. 

斯宾塞很感激他的经历，这让他第一次学会了照顾自己，完全独立思考. Without parents or an advisor to tell him what was best for him, he learned to make decisions for himself and to be accountable for his actions. 尽管他有时会想家, 斯宾塞了解到，活在当下，专注于他所处的独特时刻，有助于他更享受自己的经历. He had to “just remember that [he] was on the other side of the world.” Spencer encourages others studying abroad to try to do everything, “even if it’s scary!” Studying abroad taught him things about the world, 博彩app推荐他自己, that he would not have learned  had he remained in Boulder. Studying abroad completely changed his perspective to think globally. 他现在更清楚地看到，他作为一名工程师所创造的东西将如何影响世界各地的人们. 斯宾塞已经意识到，在工程领域的全球思维可以让他接触到各种各样的人, 不管他们来自博尔德还是日惹.