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Further Enquiries

Faculty Office
Napier Building,
North Terrace Campus
The University of Adelaide
SA 5005 Australia

Phone: +61 8 8303 5245
Facsimile: +61 8 8303 4382

Jade Cooper

Bachelor of International Studies / Bachelor of Laws / Diploma in Languages (Japanese)
Currently studying her degrees

For my third year of University, as part of my Bachelor of International Studies and Diploma of Languages program, I took part in a twelve month exchange to Kansai University in Osaka, Japan. Living in a country where no one knew me, with no expectations to live up to except my own, and no responsibilities except those I decided to take on, whilst all the while knowing the date when I was to return home, helped me to re-evaluate my priorities and taught me to make the most of every opportunity that presents itself.

Academically, the university's different take on politics and history has given me a more rounded appreciation of the discipline of international relations, and studying a language turned from a subject into a way of life. Studying abroad has helped me to recognise our fortunate position as Australians and the value of university education.

Personally, this exchange has inspired me to explore beyond Adelaide and Australia, and to apply for internships and eventually employment internationally. We are citizens of an ever-increasingly globalised community, and going on an exchange not only opens our eyes to the possibilities available to us, but gives us the competitive edge in employment. The University of Adelaide exchange program gave me the opportunity to become a local over the other side of the world, giving me an insight into the culture, the language and the people that could never be appreciated from a short stay. Working with Adelaide Abroad I am now committed to giving students who come to Adelaide that same positive experience, and to promoting the exchange program to students who want to go abroad in the future.