Anna Morris, Adjusting to Australia
![A group of people posing in front of a mountain.](/media/leavey-school-of-business/undergraduates/lsb-ambassadors/Anna-Morris-Blog-Photo-2-360x270.jpg)
Over the past couple months, I have had the privilege to study abroad at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. Not only is it a beautiful city, but I am able to experience a different side of education. At Santa Clara University, typical class size does not exceed 35 or 40 students, but in Australia, the usual size for a lecture is 250 to 400 students. This became one of the first culture boundaries for me because I was not used to sitting in a classroom where the professor does not know me on a first name basis. However, the larger class size made me appreciate a smaller school that allows for professors and students to know one another. This is a relationship that I took for granted in the past, but now I know it is a privilege to sit in a class where the professor knows your name.
![Two people smiling near a beach with a sunset in the background.](/media/leavey-school-of-business/undergraduates/lsb-ambassadors/Anna-Morris-Blog-Photo-1-360x480.jpg)
During my time in Australia, there has been one professor in the Business School who has gone out of her way to help me with getting used to a new school. She teaches my management tutorial, which is a breakout group for my large management lecture. Ironically, this tutor is originally from southern California and spent part of her education at Stanford. So in many ways, she knew what I was going through when it came to culture shock. She became an academic and general resource for me. I could even ask her the random questions about adjusting to a new school and life in Australia, specifically about how did she overcome the struggles when she first came here. The connection I have built with this professor is one I did not expect from abroad, but it is one of the aspects that has been the most beneficial to my success in a new and foreign school.