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Seb Doucet is living his Australian dream

At ACU North Sydney, exchange student Seb feels more at home than he ever expected.

A sense of adventure and a love of warm weather lured Canadian arts/law student Seb Doucet to study in Australia. Sydney, with its sunny skies, endless beaches and outdoorsy lifestyle was a stark contrast to his home city of Fredericton, where winter temperatures can drop as low as -25 degrees Celsius.

“I’ve always lived in a small city, and I wanted to experience what a big city would be,” Seb says.

“I was also really drawn to Sydney’s active lifestyle. There are so many beaches here, and everyone is working on improving themselves and being their best selves by creating a healthier lifestyle, and that’s something that resonated with me.”

But after accepting an exchange placement at ACU North Sydney, he was surprised to find that it wasn’t just Sydney that had everything he was looking for. ACU did too.

“I did a little bit more research about ACU and saw the programs that they have here really aligned with my values. It just seemed like the perfect fit,” he says.

“Whether you’re in the field of human rights or psychology or law, there are so many opportunities to pursue your interests.”

One degree, two learning experiences

In Canada, Seb was studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Human Rights. At ACU, he wanted to continue progressing his degree through the exchange program’s reciprocal credit arrangements. But while ACU’s course content was similar, the learning approach was something new.

What most stood out were the small class sizes, an emphasis on in-class discussions and self-directed learning, and more casual interactions between students and teachers.

“Most of our classes have 10-15 people in them, which is very nice. You can have lots of back-and-forth discussion with the teacher, and we get to talk to each other, too. It’s more personalised,” Seb says.

He also took the opportunity to pack his timetable with unexpected elective subjects; part of the point of being on exchange, he reasoned, was to try new things. And so, he enrolled in a First Nations human rights subject, a culinary nutrition subject and an introduction to painting class, none of which he’d ever done before.

“If you’re going to dare yourself to move here for an exchange program, you might as well dare yourself to go all the way and try new things and get out of your comfort zone and embrace the novelty of everything,” he says.

Eat, study, socialise, repeat

That same commitment to going beyond his comfort zone also became the hallmark of his life outside the classroom. He joined the ACU Students Association, threw himself into campus life, and started racking up a long list of new friends.

ACU’s focus on student life, both from a social and pastoral care perspective, made the campus immediately feel homely and welcoming, with lots of places to seek connection and support. 

“There’s a connectivity to the community that you find at ACU. There’s pretty much every club you can possibly think of, lots of student initiatives, which is really cool,” he says.

“There are also so many resources available to students—there’s a health centre, there are therapists, there’s life coaching, and it’s all very accessible.”

Collectively, these academic, social and lifestyle opportunities led Seb to extend his exchange placement before he even finished his first semester of study.

Now, with another six months of Sydney life ahead of him, he’s got big plans: travel, volunteering, and—as an elite-level beach volleyball player—going to watch the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide and attend a skills development camp hosted by Olympic players. 

But mostly, he wants to focus on making the most of his Australian experience and throwing himself into a culture and community that now feels like home.

“I just love the youthfulness here in the ideas and the embracing of different lifestyles and life paths,” he says.

“Australia fits very well with my personality and my lifestyle.”

Explore Exchange and Study Abroad opportunities at ACU and get credit towards your degree while you study. Talk to our study abroad and exchange team to find out more.