Starting Life in Melbourne on a Deakin 100% Scholarship - What it actually feels like

"People tell you studying abroad will change your life. What they don't tell you is how quietly it happens."

For Shrinidhi Rao, it didn't feel like one big, dramatic turning point.

It felt like small things.

The first time, she figured out her weekly budget on her own.
The first meal she cooked that actually tasted like home.
The first time she handled a stressful day without immediately calling her parents.

Somewhere between leaving Udupi and settling into Melbourne, something shifted.

"I didn't even notice it at first," she says. "But I'm not the same person anymore."

How it all started

Back in Manipal, during her Media and Communication degree, she didn't have a perfect, mapped-out plan.

She just knew one thing by her final year - marketing felt right.

Everything after that? Slightly overwhelming.

Researching universities abroad isn't glamorous; it's exhausting. Too many choices, too many opinions.

"You start questioning everything," she says. "Am I choosing the right country? The right course? Is this worth leaving home for?"

Because when you actually think about it, you're about to leave everything familiar behind.

Home. Family. Comfort. Food you don't have to think twice about.

So the decision can't just be 'this looks good.' It has to 'feel right.'

For her, Deakin did.

Not just because of the course, but because of how it was taught. The idea that learning wouldn't just stay in textbooks but actually be used.

"That mattered to me," she says. "I didn't want to just study. I wanted to learn how to do."

The Scholarship

Shrinidhi didn't apply thinking, I'll definitely get this.

She applied thinking, let me just try.

Because the Deakin Vice-Chancellor's Meritorious 100% Scholarship isn't easy. It looks at everything, your marks, yes but also who you are outside of academics.

All the small things she had done over the years, such as NCC certifications, leadership roles, organising events, and volunteering suddenly mattered in a way she hadn't fully realised before.

"It felt like all those little efforts added up to something," she says.

The process itself wasn't simple either. Applications. Interviews. And then a final round with an elevator pitch where you don't get time to overthink.

You just have to show up as yourself.

She remembers Noida. The travel. The nervousness she overcame.

"I was confident but my heart was racing," she laughs.

And then her name was called.

Last.

There was a second, just a second where everything felt still.

"I think that's the moment it hit me," she says. "That something really big had just happened."

Not just a scholarship. A completely different life.

The first few weeks

You land in a new country. Everything looks exciting. Different. Fresh.

And then, very quietly, reality settles in.

"The first two weeks were very hard," she admits. "I didn't expect it to hit me like that."

It's not always homesickness.

"And it's not just home," she says. "It's your people. You suddenly realise how much of your life is built around them."

There were moments she thought about going back.

She says that honestly.

What helped wasn't strength. It was people.

Her roommates, who understood her language, her food, her way of thinking, slowly became her comfort.

They started sharing everything naturally. Cooking together. Dividing chores. Sitting and talking after long days.

"It started feeling like home and family," she says.

Studying unlike before

Academically, she knew things would be different. But she didn't expect 'how different.'

In India, she says, you learn deeply. You understand theory well.

Here, that's just the starting point.

"Here, they expect you to do something with it," she says.

In her Design Thinking unit, there were no fixed groups. No settling into comfort.

Every day meant new people. New ways of working.

"At first, it's awkward," she says. "You don't know how to adjust so quickly."

But eventually, you stop resisting it.

You start speaking more. Listening more. Understanding people who think completely differently from you.

And without realising you're growing skills you didn't even know you needed.

The first paycheck

Even with a full scholarship, life doesn't stop costing money.

Rent. Groceries. Transport. Random, unexpected expenses.

Initially, her parents helped. But seeing other students juggle studies and part-time jobs made her want to try too.

"It's not easy to find work," she says. "You apply, you wait, you get rejected."
And you try again.

When she finally got work and started putting in long hours especially during semester breaks it changed things.

"The first time I realised I was managing my own expenses, it felt different," she says.

Not just pride.

Relief. Confidence.

Now she pays her rent, manages her spending, and sometimes even sends gifts back home.

"It makes you feel capable," she says simply.

Smallest things, big changes

Ask her what changed the most, and she won't say 'moving abroad' or 'winning a scholarship.'

It is things like -

Learning how to manage a week's worth of money.

Figuring out meals.

Handling stress on her own.

Adjusting to people who think differently.

"It's all the small things," she says. "They add up."

There's no single moment where you feel 'transformed.'

One day, you just realise you're handling life better than you used to.

Still figuring it out

Even now, she doesn't have everything planned.

And she's okay with that.

She's exploring internships in marketing, event management, and consumer behaviour. Trying things before committing to one path.

"I don't think you can decide your future without experiencing things first," she says.

Through Deakin's mentorship and Professional Excellence Program, she has guidance and tailored personal and professional growth plans.

But she's still allowing herself space to explore.

If she could go back and tell herself one thing

It wouldn't be 'work harder' or 'plan better.'

It's much simpler. "Just try," she says.

Because she remembers how much overthinking went into this decision.

The doubts. The what-ifs. And now?

"I have zero regrets," she says. "None."

She pauses, then adds, "You don't have to be perfect to do something like this. You just have to be willing to figure it out as you go."