Student Report
Name of the University: University of Newcastle
Exchange semester: Spring, 2013
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
The exchange office at the University of Newcastle first sent practical information in
September, about six months before semester start. This information was mostly about the
university, how to apply for visa and travelling advice. The next round of information came in
the beginning of January, with a checklist regarding reception in Newcastle, accommodation
and enrolment. The information reieved was very good and made me able to prepare very
well for the trip.
Applying for a visa
I had to apply for a student visa when travelling to Australia. This was done online, through
the government’s pages and costed about AUD$ 500. I applied for a 6 months students visa,
because I was staying a couple of months longer due to travelling before and after the
semester. The process was quick, about a week, and had no majors difficulties. Just remember
to skip Norwegian letters when applying, because some airline companies find it difficult to
find you in their database when leaving the Airport.
Travel
I travelled with Singapore Airlines to Sydney, with layovers in London and Singapore.
Travelling time was about 25 hours, with little waiting at the airports. I chose Singapore
Airlines because of the flexibility with my return ticket, which ment I could change my return
flight without an additional fee and at any date I preferred(this policy might change over
time).
After landing in Syndey I spent three weeks there before heading up to Newcastle. The easiest
way to get there is by train from Sydney central station. This train takes little less than three
hours to Newcastle Central. From their it possible to take a bus to the University or a Taxi that
will cost you about AUD$ 40.
Housing
I had to fix accommodation by myself, but was provided with a lot of information from the
exchange office. I could eather stay at the campus or off, I chose to stay off the campus. The
reason for this was because off campus accomodation costed about AUS$ 150 a week,
compared to AUS$ 250. To apply for on campus accommodation, it is important to apply
early. Off campus can be fixed at arrival, with temporarty accommodation in apartments
avalible until you find something permanent.
Costs
The cost of living in Australia is a bit cheaper then Norway. This is the main costs per month,
except for books (whick you will find in the library avalible for renting or online).
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
NOK 4000
NOK 3800
NOK 3000
NOK 500
NOK 6000
Culture and language
The Australian people are the best. They welcome you with their arms open and are always
interested in a chat. I had no problem making new friends and getting in contact with new
people. The Australian accent is a bit tricky in the beginning, but after a week I was used to it.
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school is located 30 minutes from the city and is surrounded by green spaces. Most of the
buildings are new and environmental with lots of room for relaxation. In the summer it is a lot
of mosquitoes at the campus area, which is enormous, and since you must walk for a couple
of minutes between each lectures, you will find it very annoying if you don’t protect yourself
with proper mosquito spray. The size of the classes depends on the type of course you
choose, but they are generally smaller than at BI, back in Norway.
Course registration
They have an office for exchange students located in the middle of the campus. Here you can
seek for help for everything from course registration to all the practical stuff that you might
have questions about. They are really helpful. You can register for courses as early as you
want. I did it right before the orientation week, which is preferable if you do not want to stand
in large queues.
Course can be changed until the semester fee is paid, which is after 3-6 lectures (depending on
the course).
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
31. january
1. march
June
June. 15-29
Easter break
Arrival
The O-week is the introduction week where the school arrange different activities for both
local and international students. However, students living off campus wouldn’t have as much
activities and parties like those living on campus. Since everything in Newcastle is far away,
it is quit difficult to go out for clubbing with other students. So for off campus students, this
week would be a bit dull.
Social activities
In order to get contact with native students, you can visit the bar on the hill, where students
can grab a drink for cheap money. The best way to get in contact with native students is
joining a sports team or a club at the university. Most of the sports clubs have a student fee,
but it is a good investment as you will get in touch with the locals and participate in tours with
the club. It is a few organisations for exchange students, but I recommend joining general
organisations. The reason why is that you’ll get in touch with the international students
anyway, so joining a organisation just for international students wouldn’t benefit you as much
as the other organisations that are for all students on the uni.
ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The teaching style is mostly theoretical in the courses I chose, with normal lectures. But I also
had tutorials where we did cases and practical learning. The workload is pretty stable with
mid terms and qiuzes during the semester. In most of my courses I had finished about 50
percent before the final exam. Therefore it differs a bit from BI, by having shorter semesters
with a more stable workload. As long as I kept pace with the lectures and tutorials, I had no
problem getting good grades.
Course materials
In three of my four curses we used oridinary textbooks, which we could by at the campus
book store. In International Macroeconomics our teacher supplied us with research papers
because there was no textbook to this course. All my teachers used powerpoint as a
communication tool, accompanied by regular leacturing. The level of most of the course
material was fairly simple to interpret and understand. By reading regularly and making sure
to understand the more advanced topics, I had no problems understanding the course material
Exams
My exams was based on what was teached in the lectures, which was also the course material.
I was tested by qizzes, , essays, mid-terms and final exams. Where the exams counted for
about 50 percent of my grad in all courses. I also had persentations, class attendance and class
participation as a evaluation criteria in some of my courses. This was different to BI where the
exam counts for my enitre grade, but this made me study at a more cinsitent pase.
Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
Library and technology
The facilities at University of Newcastle was good. A big library with quiet sones and
computers, printers and a wide range of text books avalible. The class rooms was good, with
projectors and whiteboards.
Courses
Course code & name
ECON3008
International
Macroeconomics
IBUS2000
International Business
Strategy and Strategic
Alliances
ACFI 3130
Derivatives Securities
OPSM2000 Supply
Chain Management
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Exam form
Prerequisites
3-hour written
exam
None
Approved
as
Elective
Bachelor
3-hour written
exam
None
Elective
Bachelor
3-hour written
exam
2-hour written
exam
None
Elective
None
Required
Bachelor
Comments
Summing up the exchange experience
The exchange experience in Australia was amazing. Meeting new people, new
culture and a new language, was something I will never forget. I would
recomment everyone to take this opportunity and go on exchange. Its an
experience that will add value to your self and your future carrer