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When Gladys left India to study her Master of Dietetics at Curtin, she knew she was stepping into a new chapter, but she didn’t expect to fall in love with Perth as quickly as she did.
When she first arrived, Gladys noticed the kindness of locals, offering daily ‘good mornings’ when walking by, and the quietness of the city. It was a big change with the new country, new people, new way of studying, but Gladys arrived ready to grow.
Gladys completed her Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics in India, but realised her postgraduate options back home were limited. She felt that India didn’t have many universities offering this course the way she wanted to study it, so after looking at options overseas, Australia was her first choice. Although visa delays forced her to defer for a year, she treated the break as a fun pause before a big step, eventually joining the February intake with energy and purpose.
What she loves most about the Masters is how hands-on it feels.
“My Bachelors was very study-based, where you had to just bulk–memorise and write everything. This Masters is more practical. Now I have placements, student-led clinics, so it is actually helping me to grow as a person in my profession.”
But with new opportunities came new challenges. Gladys admits that the academic transition was tough. At home, her uni was all exam-based. but here assignments can be worth up to 50%. Although she’d done assignments before, they were nothing like how she’s learnt to do them now. Learning how to write academically, how to structure assessments and manage deadlines were all skills she had to build from scratch.
The other challenge was starting over socially.
“There were many challenges, like getting friends because I didn’t know anyone here, had no relatives, no one. Being in a new country and figuring out everything, from grocery shopping to how to travel in a public transport.”
But everything shifted when she embraced one simple piece of advice: ask for help.
Although a little resistant at first, when she finally started asking her classmates and lecturers for help, especially about assignments, the pressure eased off. Everyone has their own way of doing things, and learning from different people really helped her catch up.
Now, Gladys feels settled, supported, and more confident in her academic voice. Her highlight so far has been meeting people from all over the world.
“I thought it would be like my sister’s experience in Russia, where most students were from India. But here everyone is from different countries, different cultures, different education systems. It’s fun to learn from each other.”
Looking ahead, Gladys hopes to become a good dietitian who gives evidence-based care. Her dream is to work in a hospital for a few years before possibly opening her own clinic. Whether she decides to stay in Australia or head home later, she knows one thing for certain: she’s building the kind of future she once hoped for while studying in her hometown in India.
And she’s doing it with kindness, courage, and a growing sense of belonging – one assignment, one placement, and one new friendship at a time.
