Kate Wong

Unimelb is recognized by the Penn Biology Department as having a strong biology program, which is one reason why I selected the CASA Melbourne program. Unimelb offers many biology courses that are not offered at Penn, including the two subjects I enrolled in: Australian Wildlife Biology and Principles of Microbiology and Immunology. Australia’s unique flora, fauna, and ecosystem diversity made the ecology courses particularly interesting, and I observed wildlife through the class’s fieldwork visits to the Melbourne Zoo, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Museum, and Yarra Bend Park. Microbiology and Immunology was an information-dense course with clear clinical relevance.

I was not only able to receive credit for my major, but also credit towards my Urban Studies and Sustainability and Environmental Management minors. Living in a new city, I was eager to learn about Melbourne through its well-known art scene, which I was able to do through a course titled Street Art. I was also able to study Australia’s response to the climate crisis and how its impacts can entrench disparities between communities through Environmental Sociology: Warming Planet. As a city seemingly focused on sustainability, Melbourne exposed me to new environmental policies and strategies that could be implemented in the U.S.

Located in the heart of the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, which is the largest biomedical hub in the Southern Hemisphere, Unimelb was also an amazing institution to meet and shadow physicians.