I grew up in a small country town called Grenfell so when I moved to Bathurst to study at CSU, I thought I had moved to a town that had everything! But this wasn’t quite the case for some of my friends who moved from Sydney and other cities across Australia; it was confusing for some and took a bit of adjusting.
‘Hi I’m Sophie’
‘Hey, where are you from?’
‘Grenfell’
‘Granville?’
‘No, Grenfell. It’s in the country… not in Sydney.’
I asked some students to tell me what their first thought was when they found out they would be moving to a CSU campus in the country. Here are their confessions:
‘I had no idea what to expect – I sort of just packed my things and moved but I ended up absolutely loving it! I had no expectations so I wasn’t surprised or disappointed about anything. But all I know is that it is the best decision I have ever made!’ – Francesca
‘I thought I would meet a nice country boy, the love of my life but I’m still yet to have that experience. I also love the partying and people. I love that although it’s uni, there’s a great, relaxed atmosphere in the country.’ – Amy
‘I am a city girl so making the decision to move to the country was very shocking to my friends, family and myself. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a truck full of sheep driving down the main street and I still get excited when I see a Kangaroo!’ – Stacey
‘Before I moved from Sydney I had no idea what cob loaf was. I had never heard of it until it kept appearing at most dorm dinners, I’m so glad I know what it is now! I also kept accidentally calling Bathurst a suburb instead of a town.’ – Caitlin
‘I wasn’t expecting how much the uni kids at Bathurst use Mount Panorama! Like walks, driving, the footy boys use it, you have hangover meals up there, take photos of the town at night and the novelty never wears off!’ – Chris
‘I expected it to be quiet and surrounded by land and that’s what I love most about it. You can walk or drive 10 minutes and be in the middle of nowhere surrounded by land and kangaroos! The lack of traffic and getting everywhere so quickly is great! It’s so easy to feel and become anonymous in the city but I never feel this in the country’ – Elle
Charles Sturt University campuses are something spectacular. They are a great step towards your future after moving out of home and provide a wonderful taste of Australia’s regional areas and the experiences that come with it.
There is no doubt you make friends for life at CSU. Some are from the city and some are from the country and one thing is for sure, we have taught each other a lot!
What were your first thoughts when you found out you were accepted into university?
