The experience of the international student in the regional campus

I started my new academic life far from capital cities in “regional Australia” to study in a high-quality academic institution, while I enjoyed unhurried pace of life on the campus. The purpose of sharing my experiences is to describe some advantages and disadvantages of being an international student in regional Australia. I was one of the three international HDR students on the Burnie campus, while the population of international HDR students in Launceston and Hobart campuses are much more than here. Although I experienced the isolation from lots of events happening in main campuses, the less competitive culture among staff and students decreases negative attitudes and boost the compassionate empathy to support each other, which in my opinion, is the strength of studying at the regional campus.

Although I experienced good social inclusion inside the campus, it was challenging to make friends and feel the sense of belonging to the wider community. It is a slow process to be accepted by a local group in regional Australia, but it is possible. In my experience, the regional Australia has the potential to achieve a significant proportion of international education market if regional campuses consider both the high quality of world-class education inside the campus, as well as standard living experience in the regional community. In that case, the international education export industry would be a source of revenue to regional campuses e.g. Burnie campus and also a viable alternative strategy for the regional development e.g. in the NorthWest region of Tasmania.