Jonathan Chen in Australia

Jonathan Chen ’11
Hometown: Danville, California
Major: Political science with linguistics minor
Study Abroad Location: Sydney, Australia

I spent four months last spring studying in Sydney, Australia. I enrolled in the University of Sydney, which immersed me in Australian culture and the Australian “uni” (university) experience. I picked my own classes, including Indigenous Australian Studies, Australian foreign policy, and linguistics.

It was a great experience being at an institution more than 25 times larger than Macalester. It took me out of my element and forced me to adapt to a completely new environment and culture.

The student body was extremely diverse, and I enjoyed being the only American in many of my tutorials, learning different points of view on political and domestic issues while offering my own perspective. Experiences outside the classroom were instructive as well. I played volleyball for the University of Sydney and joined the beach volleyball community in the Northern Beaches. I loved spending time hanging out with my mates and being an “honorary Aussie.”