I have pursued travelling as a hobby since I was young, and finding where I belong has always been important to me. My journey from the US to Australia helped me find my place and discover places beyond.

My name is Sam Wong-Pan, I am 20 years old and currently studying for a Bachelor of Applied Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney.

Background

I am from a small town in New York which is not that diverse. The town was not that big and had a large emphasis on winter sports, however, I felt that it was slightly progressive for America.

Our graduating class at New Paltz High School had 150 people in it. This was around 2 hours north of New York City and would classify as rural.

Originally, I had gone to an American university; the University of Vermont, where I had started my course. I had done this since transferring is easier than direct application, especially due to the difference in scholar calendars.

I am a dual citizen of both America and Australia since my father is from Australia, which provided me with a government subsidy.

Why Sydney?

I have always wanted to go to Sydney since my family was here, and because tuition fees are cheaper. Compared to the USA, Australia is almost 6 times cheaper; one year at UVM is equivalent to the same price as my 3-year degree at USYD.

Furthermore, somewhere along the way, I realised I wasn’t having the greatest time in America, and I didn’t feel like I belonged. When I thought about Sydney, the spark returned and I knew that was where I wanted to be.

Sydney provided the diversity and cultural dynamics I sought, especially since I am from a mixed ethnicity, and Sydney spoke to me in a sense that fostered that ethnic difference.

Why USYD?

The University of Sydney is important to me since my father got into it before me, and when I did too, I found a place to call home.

Once I transferred there, I got a little bit of course credit from UVM, which helped boost my graduation speed.

It does get difficult while choosing universities while you are an international student since you have not seen the university campus and learnt about the culture. I applied to both UNSW and USYD, and while I could have applied to other ones, it came down to the location in Sydney. Additionally, the fact that my father went to USYD also influenced my decision.

I wanted to attend a larger university and USYD has a huge campus and the best program for my degree in Medical Sciences.

Extracurriculars

While my elder sister was music, books, and brains, I was more of a sports enthusiast. Since there was a lot of snow in New York, I did the snow sport Nordic Skiing for around 6 years, where I was the captain of my team. I also did tennis, track and field. I was the captain for these during my senior year.

During university, I also joined a couple of clubs like the arts and crafts club. I found that joining extracurriculars also helped boost my social life in America.

Currently, I do a lot of extracurriculars such as climbing, swimming, and whatever the university offers. Since I am a student, there are student discounts that I am able to acquire for things like the gym or Spotify.

Academics

Before COVID hit, I was doing really well in school, but online learning burned my grades.

My GPA was out of 100, and I scored 97.5 at the end and was 7th in my class.

For my SATs, I got 1420 as my best score, and for the first time, I got 1320.

For my PSAT I got 1280.

Application Process

As part of my application, I had to submit a lot of paperwork. This includes my SAT scores, a personal essay, a couple of statements about me, my grades, and that was about it.

While applying for my transfer, there were a couple of significant steps in the process.

First, I applied for a leave of absence from my first university so that I could return within a year.

Next, I applied to the University of Sydney normally. The only difference is that it was Sydney's normal start of the year, so it wasn’t the usual mid-break transfer that most people in the US undergo. Since this was the case, more collaboration had to be done between the schools.

Finally, I also had to talk to the counsellors to work out if I was able to transfer credits to the new university. Here, I was fortunate enough to transfer a few and boost my speed to graduation, but not all were able to be transferred.

Resources

SAT Resources

SAT resources that I used were textbooks that had a lot of practice questions, which helped me practice the type of questions and how to manage time during the exams.

There are also a few videos on YouTube that go through SAT questions, and how to do them quickly.

Scholarships/Financial Aid

University of Vermont

At UVM, I had a presidential scholarship, which helped reduce the tuition fee.

University of Sydney

At USYD, I had a government subsidy since I am a citizen of Australia, but no other financial aid or scholarships.

Living Expenses

Rent

In Sydney, rent is around $300-$350 a week, which is pretty standard for Sydney.

Groceries

Per week, it costs me around $100-$150 for groceries.

University Life

I like the flexibility in Australia, which allows students to choose when to take their classes. Furthermore, I enjoy the practicality that the university offers, which allows me to do laboratory practicals.

One downside of the American university I went to was the quick change in lectures, which often left me feeling frustrated that I was unable to finish learning the whole topic.

The current work-life balance depends on the subject, while some require more effort, others are more easy-going. There are also a lot of remote classes which is helpful.

I have had some very contrasting classes which depend on the material and load. For science sources such as biochemistry and human anatomy, I have had to do more lab-based things and write reports for them. Other classes require you to complete tutorials that get you ready for the program, and of course, you have to complete your lectures.

There are no set assignments, which certainly reduces the workload. However, you are required to complete self-study, since the tests at the end of the semester are worth 60% of the final grade.

Occasionally, I do have to complete assignments and write-ups for class, but this is not extremely stressful and can be completed quickly.

Adaption Process

First Week - Sydney

The first week was mostly a lot of family things and housekeeping. I had to figure out where I would be living and also had to get over the jet lag. However, I did get to be a tourist for a while and explore the place, which I enjoyed.

First Week - University

The first week of university was a highlight; I had attended a lot of orientation activities, which helped since I did not have friends yet. Another thing I got to do—which I could not do in America—was attend pub events.

However, like most good things, the next few months (and maybe even the whole semester) were not as high. it got really difficult since it was so different from what I was used to, and the university structure was getting stressful. Even still, I was able to get through the time and adapt to the situation.

In summary, life will have highs and lows, and you will have to face difficult times, but perseverance and resilience will help you get through the times and everything will be okay.

Future Plans

In the near future, I hope to take a gap year before completing my post-graduation, where I hope to gain work experience.

For post-grad, I would want to go to either Medical or Veterinary school. However, these plans may change since once you complete your post-graduation, you generally have to stay in one area for a long time, while I want to be able to travel around the world to practice.

At some point, I would want to move to Kenya to gain work experience and learn through the many programs it has to offer, which will supplement my application for post-graduation.

In the further future, I hope to become a trauma surgeon since I like science, and want to go into Medicine, but do not want the whole laboratory chemistry aspect in my career. I enjoy hands-on practicals and problem-solving, which is part of why I chose Medicine. To be frank, though, watching Grey’s Anatomy was the spark towards my career choice.