Exchange  University  of  Western  Australia  (UWA)  –  Perth
My  semester  abroad  was  at  University  of  Western  Australia,  in  Perth  from  July   till  November  2014.
ANR:  343408
Name:  Nienke  van  den  Brink
E-­‐mail:   nienkevdbrink@hotmail.com
Exchange  semester:  fall  semester  2014
Academic  year:  4 th  year
Host  university:  University  of  Western  Australia  (UWA)
Country:  Australia
Topic:  Arrangements  before  departure
The  months  before  I  went  to  study  at  UWA  in  Perth  I  had  to  arrange  some  things
UWA  requires,  like  an  English  test,  academic  transcript  and  I  also  chose  to   arrange  my  accommodation  on  forehand.  For  me  it  was  a  bit  unclear  what  the   exact  requirements  were,  so  I  made  a  short  list  of  them:
-­‐ TOEFL  (requirement  of  90  or  higher)  or  average  of  8.0  or  higher  on  your
VWO  diploma
-­‐ Average  grade  from  7.0  at  Tilburg  University
-­‐ Arranging  accommodation
For  accommodation  I  chose  to  live  in  a  college.  There  are  five  colleges  you  can   chose  from,  and  I  chose  to  apply  for  St  Catherines  College  as  I  heard  some   positive  stories  about  it.  Do  this  on  time,  as  colleges  are  popular  among   students  and  it  requires  a  lot  of  steps  to  apply.  I  applied  via  their  website:   www.stcatherines.uwa.edu.au
It  requires  a  lot  of  steps,  but  2  of  them  that  can  take  some  time:     o 2  positive  references  about  yourself   o  A  telephone  interview  (between  5  and  10  minutes)
-­‐ Flight  (around  1200  euros)
-­‐ Insurance.  UWA  gives  you  an  opportunity  (quiete  expensive)  to  arrange   your  insures  via  them.  You  have  to  take  this  when  you  are  on  a  student   visa.  I  arranged  my  insurance  through  my  own  insurance  company  in  the
Netherlands,  which  was  cheaper  and  it  covered  more.  But  you  can  only  do   this  if  you’re  not  on  a  student  via.
-­‐ Australian  visa  (working  holiday  visa  vs.  student  visa)
I  applied  for  a  working  holiday  visa,  as  you  can  actually  stay  longer  in
Australia  after  your  degree  and  go  travel  and  you  can  look  for  a  job  next

to  your  study  (or  after  if  you  want  to).  You  can  study  12  weeks  on  a   working  holiday  visa,  which  is  exactly  one  semester  (excluding  holidays   and  exam  period).
Topic:  Admission,  arrival,  housing
How  was  your  arrival  organised?  Did  someone  pick  you  up  from  the  airport?
UWA  provides  a  free  airport  pick-­‐up,  but  arrange  this  minimum  of  a  week   before  you  arrive  (otherwise  it  is  not  possible  anymore).  As  my  flight  was  tree   days  delayed  (yes  I  was  very  unlucky  stuck  in  Frankfurt),  I  couldn’t  reschedule   the  airport  service,  but  luckily  their  was  someone  at  the  airport  with  a  UWA  sign   picking  up  another  student,  so  I  could  drive  with  them.
Was  an  orientation  or  introduction  activity  organised
Before  the  semester  starts,  UWA  organises  an  introduction  week  with  a   special  program  for  all  the  exchange  students.
Review  of  introduction   o Daytrip  to  wildlife  park  and  swan  valley  (the  local  wine   region)(only  20  dollars,  including  lunch)   o A  lot  of  administrative  things   à  arranging  your  units/classes,   getting  a  tour  on  campus   o Last  two  days  you  could  register  for  a  daytrip  to  Ikea  and  the  Zoo
(I  didn’t  do  this,  as  it  was  not  in  my  interest)   o Join  Perth  International  (5  dollar,  and  gets  you  access  to  all   international  activities)
How  was  accommodation  organized?  Does  the  university  provide  you  with   accommodation?  What  kind  of  accommodation  does  the  university  provide?  Did   you  have  to  book  your  accommodation  in  advance  or  did  you  have  to  search  for  a   place  to  live  after  you  arrived?
The  university  provides  accommodations  and  as  I  said  before,  I  chose  to   go  to  St  Catherines  College.
Review  St.  Catherines  college   o Mixture  of  Australian  students  and  exchange  students   o 21  meals  in  a  dining  hall   o Social  activities   à ball,  interfaculty  dinners,  intercollege  events
(parties  with  free  food),  opportunities  to  volunteer   o Teamsports    (hockey,  soccer,  Australian  football,  netball,   swimming,  basked  ball,  athletics,  volleyball)  and  access  to  a  gym   on  campus  with  access  to  group  lessons   o The  rooms   o Common  areas  (study  rooms,  pool  room,  television  room)
TOPIC:  Location  of  university/city
Please  describe  the  city  you  lived  in.  Where  is  the  university  located  in  the  city?
What  is  the  best  place  to  go  to  eat/drink/dance/do  sports/etc.?  What  are

interesting  things  to  see  and  do  in  your  host  city?  What  was  different  than  in
Tilburg?
I  lived  in  Perth,  Western  Australia.  I  really  fell  in  love  with  Perth  living   there.  It  is  an  amazing  city,  with  the  typical  Australian  lifestyle:  everything  is   really  chilled  and  people  are  always  friendly.  They  also  have  an  stunning  big   park,  Kings  Park,  just  across  from  St  Catherines  college,  where  you  could  go  for  a   run,  or  just  chill  and  enjoy  the  amazing  view  over  the  city.  The  city  centre  itself  is   only  10  minutes  away  from  the  university.
UWA  had  a  beautiful  and  big  campus  which  is  only  a  five  minutes  walk   from  all  the  colleges.  It  is  a  very  green  campus,  great  student  atmosphere  (with  a   bar  on  campus)  and  very  nice  place  to  study  weather  you  like  to  study  inside
(they  have  5  libraries)  or  outside  (a  lot  of  green  grass  field  read  your  books  or  to   just  chill).  The  campus  is  located  right  next  to  the  beautiful  Swan  River  and  the   beach  is  just  20  minutes  away  by  bus.
Tip:  use  the  app  ‘lost  on  campus’  to  see  where  your  lectures  and  classes  are.
Compared  to  the  Netherlands  and  they  city  Tilburg,  Perth  has  a  way  better   climate,  which  allows  you  to  do  a  lot  of  outside  activities.  I  spend  most  of  my
time  outside  (going  to  the  beach,  going  to  Kingspark,  study  outside  etc.)
Furthermore  the  Perth-­‐life  is  more  during  the  day.  The  nightlife  is  not   very  big  in  Perth,  and  most  restaurants  close  at  10,  whereas  bars  and  nightclubs   close  between  12  p.m.  and  2  a.m.  I  really  enjoyed  it,  as  you  could  really  do  a  lot  of
activities  during  the  day.
TOPIC:  Academics
Which  courses  did  you  take?
I  took  the  following  courses  at  UWA:
-­‐ Marketing  management
-­‐ Consumer  behaviour
-­‐ Industrial  and  organisation  psychology
-­‐ Social  psychology  of  work
Which  courses  would  you  recommend?
I  would  recommend  consumer  behaviour,  because  you  have  to  do  a  lot  of   little  assignments  every  week,  which  you  will  be  discussing  (or  presenting)  in  a   practical  form  in  tutorials.  I  really  liked  this  way  of  work-­‐style  as  you  actually  use   the  academic  theories  in  real-­‐life  settings.
What  did  your  courses  add  to  your  program  at  Tilburg  University?
For  me  it  were  just  broadening  units  as  I  was  not  too  sure  about  what   masters  I  wanted  to  do,  and  I  really  wanted  the  experiences  of  studying  abroad.
As  I  already  did  basically  all  my  courses  (and  thesis)  for  my  bachelor  program  at
Tilburg,  these  courses  are  just  extra,  but  nonetheless  very  interesting.
How  does  the  university  compare  to  Tilburg  University  concerning  the  level  of   the  courses,  use  of  extra  material,  level  of  English,  workload,  etc.?
I  would  say  the  level  of  courses  at  UWA  is  about  the  same  compared  to   the  courses  at  Tilburg  University.  My  English  really  improved,  as  the  level  of
English  is  higher  compared  to  Tilburg  University.  What  I  experiences  is  the

different  work  style  at  UWA  with  lots  of  group  work,  more  deadlines  and  small   assignments,  compared  to  one  big  exam  at  the  end  of  the  semester  at  Tilburg.
Overall,  were  you  happy  with  your  academic  achievements  during  your   exchange?
Yes,  I  was  very  happy  to  improve  my  English  during  the  courses,  improve
my  presentation  skills  and  discussion  skills.
Please  describe  the  campus  of  your  host  university.
UWA  has  an  amazing  and  beautiful  green  campus.  It  has  a  lot  of  old/   historic  building  and  some  new  buildings.  UWA  also  provides  a  lot  of  facilities  on   campus  for  example  they  have  a  doctor  on  campus,  a  bookshop,  several   restaurants,  a  pub,  a  gym  and  five  libraries.  The  location  is  also  perfect.  UWA  is   located  in  the  richer  areas  of  Perth,  so  I  felt  very  safe.  It  is  next  to  the  Swan  River,
where  you  can  you  for  a  swim  or  just  sit  in  the  grass  and  read  a  book.
TOPIC:  Social  life
Which  social  activities  organized  by  the  university  or  students?
There  are  enough  opportunities  to  build  an  amazing  social  life.  You  can   join  several  clubs  at  the  university  itself,  I  joined  ECOMS,  Perth  International  (PI)   and  the  guild  (this  gives  you  a  lot  of  discounts  on  campus  and  is  free  to  join).
The  activities  I  joined  at  PI  where:
-­‐ Welcome  BBQ  in  the  Park  (free)
-­‐ Welcome  Party  (5  dollars)
-­‐ Pub  Crawl  (30  dollars),  you  go  with  a  party  bus  to  5  different  bars/clubs
-­‐ A  day  with  a  boat  at  the  river  with  cheap  drinks  and  an  BBQ  (40  dollars)
Furthermore  St  Catherines  College  organizes  a  lot  of  social  activities:
-­‐ I  played  hockey  for  2  weekends  (little  tournament  between  all  the   colleges)
-­‐ A  big  ball  with  nice  dinner
-­‐ Interfaculty  dinner:  very  nice  food  and  guest  speakers  in  your  topic  of   interest
Did  you  have  contact  with  local  students?  Did  you  have  contact  with  other   exchange  students?  How  did  you  get  along  with  the  local  students  and  other   exchange  students?
Through  college  I  had  a  lot  of  contact  with  exchange  students  as  well  as   local  Australian  students.  Most  of  the  students  have  21  meals  included  in  their   stay,  so  you  have  dinner  with  everyone,  which  allows  you  to  meet  everyone  and   build  a  good  relationship.  Furthermore,  the  rooms  are  divided  in  wings,  and  you   also  have  wing-­‐activities  that  make  people  bond  with  each  other.  I  met  a  lot  of   nice  Australian  students,  and  as  I  stayed  in  Perth  till  Christmas,  and  Australian   student  and  his  family  invited  me  over  for  Christmas.
Did  you  travel  to  other  places/countries  during  your  exchange?
I  travelled  with  other  exchange  students  from  Perth  up  north  (all  the  way   to  shark  bay)  which  was  an  absolutely  beautiful  trip!  We  did  a  road  trip  and   camped  at  different  places.  Furthermore,  my  parents  visited  and  we  went  down-­‐

south,  to  the  wine  region  of  Western  Australia  (Margaret  River),  which  is  very   green  and  beautiful.
I  went  with  a  group  of  12  exchangers  and  Australians  to  Rottnest  Island,   where  we  biked,  snorkelled,  and  barbeques  and  stayed  in  cabins  for  one  night.
After  my  semester  I  worked  for  a  month  and  a  half  in  Perth,  and  my  sister   came  to  visit  me  during  the  Christmas  break.  We  had  Christmas  with  amazing
Australian  family  down  south  and  after  that  we  did  a  road  trip  all  the  way  to
Esperance  (even  further  the  south  of  Western  Australia).
After  my  sister  left,  I  went  travelling  for  6  weeks  in  New  Zealand,  8  days   in  Sydney  and  8  days  in  Bali.  The  last  2-­‐and-­‐a-­‐half  weeks  I  spend  in  Perth  as  my   flight  is  back  from  Perth  and  I  could  catch  up  with  my  Australian  friends  (I  flew   back  to  the  Netherlands  the  17 th  of  March).
TOPIC:  Living  costs
How  did  you  finance  your  exchange  period,  apart  from  the  grant  you  received   from  Tilburg  University?
Perth  is  really  expensive,  it  was  around  9000  AUD  for  one  semester  living   at  college  (includes  your  own  room,  21  meals,  all  activities).  I  received  750  euros   from  Tilburg  University,  and  I  had  my  OV  cost  (around  100  euros  a  months)  and   normal  scholarship  (280  euros  a  months).  This  didn’t  cover  my  exchange,  so  my   parents  financed  the  rest  of  it  and  I  worked  after  my  semester  ended.  It  is   definitely  worth  finding  a  part-­‐time  job,  as  payment  in  Australia  is  really  high.
What  were  your  living  expenses  abroad  like  compared  to  Tilburg?  What  did  you   spend  most  of  your  money  on?  What  would  you  advice  future  students  to  spend   their  money  on?  Please  outline  your  approximate  monthly  budget  whilst  on   exchange:  housing,  food,  textbooks,  etc
I  payed  around  9000  AUD  for  my  accommodation  including:  21  meals,   social  activities  and  gym  access.  Furthermore  I  spent  money  on  going  out
(minimum  10  dollars  for  a  drink),  snacks,  PI  activities  and  travels.
TOPIC:  Culture
Did  you  experience  culture  shock  while  on  exchange?  How  would  you  compare   your  host  culture  to  your  own  culture?  What  did  you  learn  about  your  own   culture  while  on  exchange?  What  was  different  about  your  host  culture  than  you   expected?  What  did  you  like  and  not  like  about  your  host  culture?  Do  you  feel   you  learned  a  lot  about  your  host  culture,  and  if  not,  what  would  you  like  to  learn   more?  How  would  you  describe  your  host  countries  culture?
I  wouldn’t  say  I  had  a  culture  shock  during  my  exchange,  as  Australia  is  a   very  westernised  country  and  I  felt  very  safe.  But  I  would  definitely  say  that  the
Australian  culture  is  very  different  from  the  Dutch  culture.  In  Australia  everyone   is  very  friendly,  open  and  inviting.  For  example,  everyone  (even  strangers)   would  ask  how  you  are  doing.  It  is  not  that  everyone  wants  to  know  how  you  are   doing,  but  it  is  a  form  of  politeness,  which  made  me  feel  very  happy.
Furthermore,  I  experienced  that  the  (western)  Australian  lifestyle  is  very  chilled   and  relaxed,  compared  to  the  hectic  Dutch  lifestyle.  Another  thing  I  really  like

about  Australia,  is  that  they  try  to  be  very  healthy.  Almost  everyone  goes  to  the   gym,  plays  some  sports  and  if  you  go  to  a  random  park  you  could  almost  always
spot  people  working  out.
If  you  travelled  to  other  cities/countries  during  your  exchange,  were  they   different  than  your  host  city/country,  and  how?
I  did  travel  to  New  Zealand  and  Sydney,  but  I  can’t  really  form  a  good   opinion  about  this,  because  I  think  you  can  only  really  experience  a  culture/city
if  you  are  living  there  and  participate  in  the  daily  lifestyle.
Topic:  Personal  development
What  did  you  learn  from  the  people  you  met  during  your  exchange?
I  learned  a  lot  from  everyone  I  met  during  my  exchange.  I  learned  about   other  cultures,  I  was  very  open  to  experience  other  peoples  lifestyle  and  I   learned  to  be  more  independent  (as  Australia  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,   and  you  don’t  have  your  family  and  closest  friends  around  you).
Would  you  do  things  differently  if  you  had  the  chance,  and  what  would  you  do   differently?
I  think  I  made  the  most  out  of  my  time  in  Perth  and  Australia.  I  did
everything  I  wanted  and  really  had  the  time  of  my  life.
What  was  your  best  experience,  and  what  was  your  worst  experience?  What  will   you  remember  forever  about  your  exchange  period?
My  best  experience  was  definitely  all  the  amazing  people  I  met  and  the   friends  I  made  for  life.  We  had  some  amazing  trips.  The  worst  experience  was   that  for  one  week  I  was  really  sick,  but  luckily  college  took  really  good  care  of   me,  and  the  healthcare  system  in  Australia  is  really  good,  so  everything  went  as
good  as  it  could  go.
What  was  the  most  important  lesson  you  learned  about  yourself  during  your   exchange  period?
To  be  positive  about  every  new  thing  you  are  going  to  experience,  even   though  it  might  seem  a  bit  scary  in  the  beginning.  There  are  some  really  nice
people  out  there,  try  to  embrace  it.
Topic:  Tips  for  future  students
Would  you  recommend  and  exchange  period?  Would  you  recommend  your  host   university?
A  big  YES  to  both  of  these  questions.  An  exchange  semester  like  this  is   something  you  an  only  do  during  your  student  life.  You’ll  learn  a  lot  about   yourself,  you  meet  amazing  students  from  all  over  the  world  and  you  have  the   opportunity  to  travel.
What  should  prospective  students  bring  with  them/leave  behind?  What   preparation  is  required  for  going  on  exchange  to  this  destination?  Was  there   anything  you  should  have  done  in  preparation  that  you  didn’t  do?

To  go  on  exchange  to  UWA  will  ask  a  lot  of  preparation  time  from  you.  You  really   should  start  on  time,  as  some  things  will  need  some  time  and  UWA  has   deadlines!  My  advice  would  be  to  make  a  list  of  everything  and  ask  other  people   if  you  didn’t  forget  anything.  I  made  a  list  earlier  in  this  report  of  things  that  you
can  think  of  before  your  departure.
TOPIC:  A  picture  is  worth  a  thousand  words.
Here  are  some  pictures  I  made  during  my  exchange
UWA  Campus

Swan  River
Cottelsoe  Beach

St  Catherines  College
-­‐ Valedictory  dinner

-­‐ Intercollege  hockey
-­‐ Kingspark

-­‐ Ball
Trip  up  north

Christmas  down  south