OUTGOING STUDENT FEEDBACK FORM 2011/12
University Attended
University of Queensland
1 of 2
INDUCTION/ORIENTATION PROGRAMME
What did this involve, how long did it last, was it useful?
There was a week long orientation week before lectures started. This involved numerous talks on
accommodation, university life, courses, etc. There was also a talk for all the international students and
lots of free barbeques which was a good way of meeting people. A good part of orientation week was
market day which all the sports clubs and other societies aswell as banks, bars, clubs etc. had stalls around
the university giving out information, free stuff and signing people up. This was very useful and runs at the
start of both semesters.
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Style of teaching, courses, ease of access to courses, methods of assessment, teaching support
The amount of lecture and tutorial hours was less than at Manchester as you are only required to take 4
courses a semester. The majority of courses had 1 hour of lectures and 1 hour of tutorials a week. The
teaching style is fairly similar, with large lecture groups and then more personal tutorial groups and with
the lectures available on blackboard. There is more continuous assessment at UQ though, with most
courses have a combination of coursework, final exams and mid semester exams. This worked well as it
meant none of my final exams were worth more than 50%, although this might be different in other
courses.
As you are able to do 2 courses which aren’t related to business i did a course in Australias Marine
environment. If you are able to do this course also i would definitely recommend it. The course itself is
pretty interesting and involves a week long trip to a small island on the Great Barrier Reef, where you
spend the time snorkling and on the beach with only a small bit of data to gather. During our time there
we swam with sharks, turtles and stingrays etc. This was one of the highlights of my year abroad. I think
the course code is MARS2005.
MBS INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
Level of support, additional information that could have been useful
The MBS international office were helpful during the build up to me leaving and during my time away.
They provided us with information on previous students who had been to UQ and advice on choosing
accommodation and the university area.
HOST INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
Level of support, additional information that could be useful for future students
The international office at UQ were also very helpful and organised focus groups throughout both
semesters in order to get feedback off the students and give out information. I would recommend going to
these as they provide free pizzas, drinks etc. And are a good way of meeting people. I sent them numerous
emails before I actually left for Australia and they always responded promptly and provided lots of
information.
INSURANCE, HEALTH COVER
Please include any information relating to the purchase of compulsory health insurance ie costs etc. or
whether this was waived by having the University of Manchester Insurance Policy
To study in Australia you are required to buy compulsory OSHC (overseas student health cover), this was
quite expensive, and although i did not end up needing to use it, one of my friends spent a week in hospital
and was able to claim back his expenses using it.
ACCOMMODATION
As much information as possible on what accommodation is recommended or not recommended.
The university provides accommodation in colleges, which are similar to halls of residence but provide a
much more social experience and organise loads of nights out and events. A couple of my mates lived in
these colleges and said it was real good and a good way of meeting people from Australia. The colleges
however are really expensive, (prices are available online) and so this is something to consider. If you are
going to stay in a college, I would recommend staying in one like Union, rather than international house as
there are more people from Australia in them and they organise more parties. I did not stay in the college
because of the price but I know people who did and loved it. If you are not in college you are still able to go
to the college parties and are worth going to, although they start and finish early.
If you are going to be living in a house then definitely don’t organise it before you get there and try to sort
it all out when you arrive. We stayed in a hostel for 10days while we looked for a house and there was
plenty of choice. The university organise some housing for international students and there are loads of
estate agents with student properties. St Lucia is the main student area in Brisbane and is similar to
Fallowfield in that sense although they are less takeaways and bars in the area, the majority of people
living there are students. We lived here for 2 semesters and our friends out of this area found themselves
having to make there way to St Lucia for predrinks before most nights out. Another advantage is you are
within walking distance of the uni which helps a lot. Another good area is Toowong which is closer to the
city and is also quite a student area. There are a couple of good bars here but you have to get the bus to
uni.
DESTINATION INFORMATION AND OVERALL EXPERIENCE
Transport, travel, social life, integration with local students, student activity groups
Transport in the city is quite expensive normally unless you get a go card which is an essential. This is $5
and is similar to an oyster card in London, it gives you a big discount off transport on trains and buses and
can be topped up at most busstops, and 7/11s. You are able to get to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast
for about $5 which is real cheap and good for weekend trips to the beach/gold coast nightlife.
The social life in Brisbane is awesome, before i left i had been told it was difficult to integrate with
Australian students however this did not prove a problem. Just by joining sportsclubs you are able to meet
plenty and i made some real good Australian friends. The colleges are another good way of meeting
Australians and many provided us with a place to stay when we were travelling over the summer holiday.
One club definitely worth joining is the beach volleyball club, it is one of the cheapest and they play twice a
week. Most people have never played before and it is a very social club. We met loads of Australians and
other international students through this club. They organise two trips to Byron bay, one a semester and
they are worth the membership fee alone. They also have a couple of tournaments throughout the year
which they get a drinks licence and a dj for and spend the day playing before having a party afterwards.
One big bonus of studying in Australia is the 3 months summer holiday you get over Christmas, we spent
the summer travelling the east coast. Brisbane is a great base for this as it is midway up the east coast
making it easy to head both North to Cairns and South to Sydney and Melbourne. Four of us bought a car
for $500 each and a couple of tents and travelled like this for 2 months. We got away with camping in
parks and fields for the trip, only paying for accommodation in big Cairns and Melbourne. Other friends
rented campervans which is another fairly cheap way of travelling. Jetstar offer cheap flights around
Australia and to New Zealand and Asia.
Although when you first arrive Australia seems expensive compared to home, (alcohol especially) if you get
a job you will be earning at least $20 an hour which is a much better wage than in the UK and prices
become more relative. To get a job serving alcohol you are required to get an RSA (responsible service of
alcohol) licence which costs just $50. I worked at several music festivals and gigs which were good fun and
also worked for a catering company. Finding a job is not too difficult and is worth considering.
DESCRIBE IN ONE SENTENCE YOUR YEAR ABROAD
My year at UQ can be described in a word, not a sentence; Unreal.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
OUTGOING STUDENT FEEDBACK FORM
University Attended University of Queensland
2 of 2
INDUCTION/ORIENTATION PROGRAMME
What did this involve, how long did it last, was it useful?
Induction week is called O-week and it lasted 2 weeks, however the 1st week is just for those students who
arrive early in Australia, the compulsory stuff is all in the 2nd week where you meet all the other exchange
students properly. It involved all the essential stuff about moving to a new country such as housing issues,
work issues, and other interesting talks about the wildlife etc.
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Style of teaching, courses, ease of access to courses, methods of assessment, teaching support
It is different to that of Manchester as you generally have a lot more coursework for each course. So in
general your expected to have about 2 or 3 coursework’s plus an exam for each module. The teaching
support and style of teaching is the same as Manchester where most courses have lectures and tutorials
which you need to attend.
MBS INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
Level of support, additional information that could have been useful
Support was good, when I had any queries they were answered promptly and were helpful in every way.
HOST INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
Level of support, additional information that could be useful for future students
Support in general was pretty good. It’s the faculties that are a bit weird as business economics and law
are all the same faculty and when we where applying for courses you need to go to the separate
departments to get them to sign you onto a course, this was tricky at times and maybe an easier system
could be used?
INFORMATION ON ANY ADDITIONAL COSTS
This should be information on any extra fees that the University charged but should not include
accommodation, books, transport, visa etc.
N/A
ACCOMMODATION
As much information as possible on what accommodation is recommended or not recommended.
The university offers accommodation through colleges, however these are very expensive compared to
that of Manchester, for example the cheapest college was roughly 400 – 450 AUS dollars a week which
would equal 6000 AUS dollars a term. We chose to live in a shared house, there are a lot of rooms to rent
around the university campus, and some are only a 5 minute bus ride away, these are a lot cheaper than
the colleges but still pricy compared to that of Manchester. You would look to be paying anything between
130 – 220 dollars a week for a student house. It’s also a lot easier to find 1 room in a house rather than
searching for a house for 4 or 5 people, this is due to the fact that most agencies don’t accept students in
houses and a lot are unfurnished. I would advise students to go for a shared house as it saves you money
to do other things such as travel – there is so much to see!
DESTINATION INFORMATION AND OVERALL EXPERIENCE
Transport, travel, social life, integration with local students, student activity groups
Transport is done through a system that is similar to the oyster card in London, however it includes buses,
trains and ferries. The trains can take you as far as 2 to 3 hours away from Brisbane and will only cost you
around 7 dollars which is really good, you can get a student concession card once you have a student card
and this will half the cost as well, try get that as soon as possible! Brisbane is not by the sea but the train
can get you to gold coast in an hour and a half for all the beach lovers. Our social circle out here consisted
mostly of International Students however we did meet a fair few Australians (which was deemed quite
hard before coming out here) I would strongly advise students to join QUEST society (A society for
exchange students run by Australians) as well as the beach volley ball club ( you don’t need to be good at it
at all!) this was the way we met the local students as well as having the best social nights! We did a lot of
travelling out here and I would strongly suggest doing as much as you can as its all incredible, and if you
think you do not have the cash to be out here do not worry! Wages are very high and for me it was also a
great way to meet more Australians.
DESCRIBE IN ONE SENTENCE YOUR YEAR ABROAD
Best experience of my life! Don’t think, just do it!!