This year, I moved to The Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra to study a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) and I live on Campus. I was accepted into ANU on an early entry offer in September 2021, right before my HSC trials exams. My desire to attend ANU was definitely fueled by the lockdowns of 2020/21. I was craving a big change, but didn’t want to be too far from family and school friends.

ANU is absolutely beautiful and, despite being warned of Canberra’s boring reputation, I have found it to be quite the opposite. Canberra is mainly full of university students, and there is always a buzz on campus. Everything in the city is within walking distance of the uni, or scooter ride, and there are lots of cafes and beautiful bush walks to explore.

At the same time as moving to Canberra, my parents moved to Byron Bay, so I was really saying goodbye to Sydney. Living in Canberra allows me to visit Sydney whenever I want on the relatively short bus ride, and also fly from the airport to Byron Bay to visit my parents.

As a KRB boarder, I found that living in a shared environment was not as difficult as I had imagined. I am grateful for the experience of boarding, it allowed me to practise balancing the social environment with study, living away from home and communal living. This experience prepared me for college life and balancing my academics with socialising. I found that living on campus was the best option for me. It allowed me to immerse myself in all social activities I wanted, but also have my own space to study and relax. I loved the new sense of independence and responsibility, in terms of my workload, but also how I spent my day. There were plenty of social events every week which allowed everyone to meet each other and form new friendships.