Tips on Studying Abroad at the University of New South
Wales (Semester Program) in Australia
Want to know what it’s like to study abroad? Want to know what your peers think? Your fellow
Georgia Tech students who have previously gone on this exchange program gave their opinions so
that future participants have the inside scoop on their host institution and host country.
Preparation & Getting Started
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Australia looked exciting, plus they speak English, and I could take any course I wanted to so it was the perfect fit for me. It was a
longer program too and kind of scary because I knew I’d be all on my own (possibly not knowing anyone when I got there) and I
liked that idea. I liked the idea of challenging myself in that way by moving to a completely new place and being completely on my
own.
As far as getting started, getting classes approved is somewhat difficult. The UNSW website doesn’t always provide the times and
all the information for the classes. Before leaving, talk to the people at Georgia Tech who will be approving your classes. I think I
only took one class that I got pre-approved because the others didn’t work due to time conflicts or other reasons. If you’ve already
talked to those in charge of approving classes in person, it’s easy to e-mail them and get approval for other classes.
I had no difficulty getting courses approved. I even had to approve some while I was in Australia and it was no problem at all.
UNSW’s Study Abroad office will help you a lot in registering. You get to sit down with an upper classman who will map out your
schedule, then the Study Abroad personnel will do all of the computer work for you. Be nice to these people, they can get you into
classes normal students wouldn’t have the privilege of taking.
Registering was easy. UNSW study abroad basically does it for you. You just tell them what you want to take and they help you fit
it all in and suggest interesting courses if you don’t know what you want to take. I was very happy with my schedule and it took
about 10 minutes to get registered.
UNSW has a great online system with class descriptions and schedules that you can use for approvals. Plus, it's English-speaking, so
it's easy to contact professors. Once I got there, registering was a breeze.
I got there about a week before most students, so the staff had plenty of time to sit down personally with me and suggest classes to
take.
Cultural Differences
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The great thing about Aussie culture is they aren’t that much different from us. Australia reminds me in a lot of ways how America
was 20 years ago. It’s a lot more laid back. That can be great at times but really annoying when you really need to get something
done and nobody seems to care. A lot of times, I felt like things were somewhat backwards. The internet isn’t as good, not many
people have dryers, and the cell phones are really expensive. You’ll be frustrated that they don’t seem to care; however, these people
love to be relaxed. It’s fun to find the cultural differences. They love American movies and music. They’ll quiz you about all the
movie stars and pop musicians because they think we see them walking down the street everyday. If you can come up with a celebrity encounter, you’ll make a lot of instant friends. Also, I had tons of conversations about the different English they speak. They
love to hear phrases and words we say (especially “ya’ll”) in place of what they say.
Be prepared to take a lot of criticism about our government. If you’re gung-ho about politics, it’s probably a good idea to tone it
down a little bit. Their more conservative party is about like our liberal party. When somebody you don’t know very well starts talking politics, it’s probably best to just leave it alone. I found that everybody has an opinion on America no matter where they’re from.
Everybody really wants to talk politics and bash our government. It’s the popular thing to do worldwide. They’re also incredibly
passionate about the environment. Al Gore is the nation’s hero. If you have a problem with that, be prepared to keep your mouth
shut because you will be arguing with everyone in the country. You’ll be stereotyped as a materialistic, gas-guzzling, and glutinous.
They think that McDonald’s in America pass out two liter cokes and sacks of french fries. They’ll probably poke fun of you when
they first meet you, but that’s how their culture works. If you laugh with them and shoot something back at them (not offensive obviously) they’ll be your friend.
Memorable cultural differences: Everywhere you go doesn’t have an ATM machine, and the coffee is a lot more expensive.
The people, the place – it was all wonderful. Anything remotely bad was hugely overweighed by all the good.
It’s a LOT more laid-back in Australia than it is here and that’s a good thing most of the time.
I guess I was a little surprised at how helpful and nice everyone was to me. I felt right at home almost from
the minute I arrived.
Honestly, it’s harder to re-adjust to your old culture than to adjust to your new one – or at least that’s how I
found it to be.
*These comments do not reflect the views of GT’s Office of International education. They are based on students’
individual opinions and are, therefore, not necessarily representative of all student experiences.
Classes
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UNSW’s classes are generally pretty large. The teachers are generally known as “lecturers.” Also, “faculty” is
similar to a college at Tech (ie. College of Engineering) while a “college” is more like a mix of a freshman
dorm and a fraternity. Don’t expect to be the only foreigner or American in your classes. There were roughly
500 American Study Abroad students my semester. The UNSW website says 1 in 5 students are overseas, but
I wouldn’t be surprised if it were more than that. It is a very international university. You’ll probably take at
least one or two Australian Studies class (AUSTxxxx). These are full of Americans but are generally enjoyable and cater to Study Abroad students.
The classes generally consist of one lecture and one tutorial each week. The lecture is generally a large class,
where a lecturer simply speaks for a couple of hours. The tutorial is much like a recitation. It’s a much more
intimate setting, often with a TA (a “tutor” in this case) and only 15 or 20 students. Generally class participation is mandatory and part of your grade in these tutorials. In engineering classes, you are generally asked to
work problem sets while getting help from tutors. Because these classes only meet once or twice a week, it’s
easy to have days off. When making up your schedule, it isn’t uncommon for students to have at least Friday
off. If you register for the right classes, you could go to class only two or three days a week. I had friends who
had four day weekends the whole time. A class is generally worth 6 credits. You have to take 24 credits to
have a full semester. You should take this into consideration when choosing classes. A lot of engineering
classes are only worth 3 credits. A 6 credit engineering course may meet 6 hours in a week. Just check the
“contact hours” which will tell you how many hours of actual class you have.
• As far as grading, there is a high distinction (85% +), distinction (75-84%),
credit (65-74%), pass (50-64%), and fail (below 50%). Unless you’re looking to be
an expert in a subject, don’t count on making a high distinction. One lecturer told me
that in his 11 years of teaching, he had given 5 high distinctions. Even a distinction
requires a great deal of effort. It’s a lot easier to pass a class than it is at Tech; in
fact, it requires little effort. However, in order to get a distinction or better, it will
require a lot of work. The Australian grading scale operates opposite the United
States. The U.S. teachers start at 100% and work down while Aussies start at 0% and
find reasons to give you credit; therefore, the U.S doesn’t get that low and the Aussies never get that high. Don’t expect to get the same percentages on assignments. It
won’t happen.
The work load will be much less than you’re used to. Most people only have one or two tests in a semester
and very little homework. However, these will be worth a large percentage of your grade, and one should expect at least one very large project. Also, a lot of non-engineering classes don’t have finals. When registering
for classes, you can ask the students helping you with your schedule to help you avoid finals. This will come
in handy in traveling just before you go home. If you spend the time to read over lecture slides and read any
assigned reading, you’ll be fine. Basically, do the work and you’ll pass. Also, class attendance is mandatory
most of the time. Because each lecture is 2 or 3 hours long, each one packs a lot of information in each class.
It is a lot easier to get behind than at Tech.
Class size varies. My lectures probably had 100 – 200 students. My tutorials and labs had about 15-30 students. One of my classes only had 17 total.
Professors varied as well. I probably had the best professor I’ve ever had in my college career while abroad
and at the same time I think I also had one of the worst. So it just depends – it’s about the same as Tech.
Two of my classes were mostly study abroad kids, and the other two were mostly UNSW kids.
My medical classes were very hard. I can honestly say that I worked harder at my Introductory Anatomy
course than any other course I’ve ever had, but some of my other classes I really didn’t have to do a whole lot
to get by. The work load is less in most classes, but the grading is tough.
The courses I took were Medicine: Introductory Anatomy, Medicine: Cell Biology, Sociology: Relationships (elective), and Law: Sport and Law in the Western World (elective).
The format of classes was pretty much the same as at Tech but less tests/papers that are worth more. For example, one of my classes had two tests and a final. The final was worth 50 percent, so the work load wasn’t
that demanding, but you had to do really well otherwise you could fail the class just because you did bad on
one test.
There were few exams and homework, but lots of studying. Not as much “busy work.”
From my experience and after listening to my friends, the work load in classes tends to be more volume but
less difficulty than in engineering schools at home. The exams are tough, though, and they take finals extremely seriously.
Housing
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Housing is very confusing without some insight. One thing important to realize is most students that go to UNSW still
live at home with their parents and commute everyday. The campus will be full of students during the day and completely dead at night. Living on campus doesn’t necessarily mean you will have better access to social activities. There
are three options for housing. First of all, the UNSW Study Abroad office owns several (around 80) properties in the surrounding areas. These are generally very nice houses, and they rent them to study abroad students much cheaper than
they could otherwise. You’ll be living with other study abroad students, which is nice especially starting out to help meet
people. Also, the Study Abroad office is very easy to deal with in terms of paying rent (you can pay by credit card) and
helping you settle in. They really take care of you in a lot of small ways. They’ll include housing information in one of
the acceptance packets. They group the houses into three main areas and let you rank where you’d like to live – Randwick, Coogee, and Bondi. Randwick is the closest to campus. You’ll probably be able to see the campus from your accommodation. Coogee is closer to Coogee beach. You’ll be about a 20 minute walk or a 5 or 10 minute bus ride from
campus. It’s likely you’ll be less than a 10 minute walk from the beach. Definitely go with Randwick or Coogee. Between those two it just depends on how much you want to walk. Personally I would have chosen Randwick just because I
would rather be able to get to campus quickly; however, some of my friends had ocean views that were very nice in
Coogee. Avoid Bondi unless you enjoy spending a good 45 minutes on a bus getting to campus. While you’ll be living
close to one of the most famous beaches in the world, it’ll take a lot of time and money to travel to campus. If the beach
means a lot to you, pick Coogee. How much it costs depends on the area and house and room you’re living in; however,
it’ll be cheaper than it would be for a normal person to move into the same accommodation. One negative is the houses
do not come with internet access. You have to work out a deal with an internet provider once you get there. Internet is not
nearly as cheap as in the U.S, and it will depend on your roommates whether you’ll get internet. Even then, it won’t be as
good as the internet you’re probably used to. Also, you may or may not get your own room. The best thing to do is to
send your application in as soon as you get it to make sure you get exactly what you want.
Secondly, you can choose to apply to a college. These are a mix of freshman dorms and fraternities. They have a lot of
social activities and things going on within them. These consist mainly of the few
students who are not from Sydney. I knew one or two people who stayed in colleges,
and they loved their time in them. They are generally fun atmospheres.
Thirdly, there are on campus apartments known as the Barker Street apartments. This
is what I chose, simply because I could find the most information about these. You’ll
be living in a 5 bedroom apartment with a kitchen and living room. Most of the students are either international or from outside of Sydney. You’ll definitely have your
own room. You’ll also have internet access (which you pay for how much you use –
about 2 cents per megabyte downloaded). It’s nice living on campus as you will be
less than a 5 minute walk from a lot of your classes. This is also one of the cheapest
options ($150 per week). However, the housing office over these apartments is difficult to deal with. Paying and getting back the deposit was difficult. Paying the rent was not easy. Also, a lot of the students living here keep to themselves.
While I enjoyed the convenience of the Barker Street Apartments, if I had to do it over again I’d definitely choose Study
Abroad housing, ideally in Randwick. It’s nice to have the Study Abroad office taking care of you. They’re used to the
situations and questions you’ll have, and they’ll do everything they can to help you. It’s also nice to have roommates who
are studying abroad as well. Don’t get obsessed with trying to live with Australians. There are plenty of ways to meet and
hang out with Aussies. It’s nice to have roommates who will want to travel and experience the city in a more touristy
way. The Aussies living there won’t want to spend the time and money to do touristy things and to travel. Having other
students who are doing an exchange or studying abroad will want to do similar things. Also, don’t try and set up your
own accommodation. There is a major housing shortage in Sydney, so it is unlikely you will be able to find decent housing for a decent price, especially in the area around campus (considered one of the nicer areas of Sydney).
The housing application was simple. I just filled out one form and put my preference of where I wanted to live. I got my
first choice in terms of the area that I wanted.
I lived in Randwick. I was right across the street from the Uni, but still only a 15 min walk to the beach.
I had 5 other roommates. We lived in a big house, though, so it was very comfortable. I loved all my roommates. Three
were from Taiwan so that was really fun and a good cultural experience.
Everything you need for housing you will have or be able to buy.
I chose to live in a study-abroad owned house near campus. The application process was easy and straightforward, and it
cut the guess work out of trying to find a place by myself (a lot of my friends there had trouble finding places on their
own). Because it was study abroad housing, my roommates were all international.
The price of the house was pretty steep, once I started comparing rent around the area. Another popular place to live is
Coogee, which is the beach nearest UNSW. I chose Randwick because I wanted to be near Uni and not have to take a bus
to class every day, but once I started meeting more people and realizing that I wasn't there ONLY for classes, I wished I
had moved to Coogee. The attitude is a little more laid back, the walk to campus is longer, and the prices are a little more
expensive...but how often do you get to live on the beach?
Transportation & Travel
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I bought my ticket to Australia from STA travel. I was glad I did, because they can book you on a special class that allows you to change
your ticket without paying much of anything. This will come in handy, as you will be able to change your dates. I knew some people who
didn’t end up having exams but had to sit around for a month before leaving because it would cost them a ridiculous amount to change their
ticket. Also, when flying with Qantas, you should be able to get a free stopover in New Zealand or Fiji on the way home. The only negative
is you’ll have all of your luggage with you.
Getting around Sydney will be very difficult at first. Get ready to walk – A LOT. You’ll get on the wrong bus multiple times as you figure
out the bus routes. The trains within the city are virtually useless. The buses will take you everywhere. To get to the city from campus, either go to Anzac Parade at the end of the main walkway (in between Barker and High Streets) or walk up to Randwick outside of Brumpy’s
Bakery on Belmore Road. From Coogee, the best place to catch buses is at the corner of Arden and Coogee Bay Road. When in doubt,
don’t be afraid to ask the bus driver for help. They’ll help you a lot when you’re trying to figure out where to go. As far as paying for the
bus ride, it depends on how far you’re going to go. You can pay for each ride, but it’s cheaper to buy a travel ten card. These are good for
ten rides, and you can pick up one at almost any convenient store. There are different types, and you’ll want one of two probably (unless
you ride the bus a whole lot). The blue will get you shorter rides while the brown is good for long rides like into the city. Buy one of each,
and ask the bus driver which you should use. Also, don’t be tempted to buy a student bus pass. Study abroad students aren’t allowed to have
these, and I have seen and heard about students getting caught and heavily fined for doing this.
As far as regional travel, the train will take you a lot of places nearby for a decent price. If you’re adventurous, renting a car is a fun way to
see Australia. I’d recommend going to www.cheapcarhireonline.com.au to rent a car. This is how I found out about Apollo Car Rentals/Go
Explore Rentals. They will rent cars to people ages 21 and up without adding on anything for being under the age of 25. It’s the cheapest
I’ve heard of for students. Don’t hesitate to rent the 2-4 year old “Cheapa” cars. I rented from them on two different occasions and both
times the cars were great. Also, you’ll have to post a bond of $2000 on a credit card for insurance purposes. Just be prepared for driving on
the left side of the road – it’s not easy, especially in Sydney. Definitely have a good map and even better directions.
The list of must-see spots is limitless in Australia. There are so many beautiful natural things that it’s impossible to even start naming them;
however, Australia is much bigger than you can imagine. Everything is much more spread out than you think it is. Also, if you’re looking
for a place to stay, a lot of pubs have rooms for backpackers, you just have to ask. The trips I took – 1) I went scuba diving on the Great
Barrier Reef. The best place to leave from to do this is Cairns. I did a 3 day/2 night liveaboard trip where I got to do 11 dives with ProDive
Cairns. It was a great trip with a nice boat and a wonderful crew (and it really wasn’t that expensive), but unless you’re really into scuba
diving it’s a long time to be diving. If you are a major scuba diver, check out some of the trips to the Cod Hole that leave from Cairns. I had
a friend that went there who had amazing pictures. He even got to watch sharks getting fed a few feet from him. For those not into scuba,
take a day trip out to the reef (it’s a couple of hours out to sea). From Cairns you can also visit the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. 2) I also went sailing around the Whitsunday Islands. You do this from Airlie Beach. The big company is Oz Sailing. You’ll spend a
few days visiting some of the most beautiful islands you’ll ever see in your life. Make sure you get on a newer boat though. I was on a
“classic sailing boat” which was beautiful; however, the newer ones are a little bit nicer. 3) Something you have to do while in Australia is
find a way to get to the Outback. I didn’t think I really cared about going; however, one weekend I just randomly decided to rent a car and
go see it. This was probably the most fun I had in Australia. If doing this, a recommended route would be to drive from Sydney, through
Dubbo, to Broken Hill, then to Adelaide, then fly from Adelaide to Sydney. I know it’s roughly 20 hours to drive to Adelaide from Sydney,
so make sure to spread this out over at least 4 or 5 days (and that’s still pretty intense). Also keep in mind that you can’t drive at night in the
Outback because there are so many kangaroos. Also, when looking at a map, don’t plan on taking too many detours on any roads that aren’t
big bold lines. Chances are they’re dirt roads that rental cars will not go very far on. You’ll want to stop at the Wellington Caves for a tour.
Don’t stop at the Dubbo Wildlife Zoo – it’s expensive and not all that great. Definitely spend one night in White Cliffs. Everyone lives
underground in old opal mines here. There are a couple of underground hotels that are fairly nice. Also visit Jock’s Place, where Jock
(who’s a little crazy) will give you a tour of his underground house. When passing through Broken Hill (which seems like a good place to
spend a day or two – there are lots of day tours leaving from here), drive the extra 30 km to Silverton. This is where Mad Max and Priscilla
Queen of the Desert were filmed. It’s a very unique town. You can also ride camels here, which is really fun. 4) Melbourne is a much more
artsy city than Sydney. It’s a nice place to go. What I liked even more about Melbourne than the city itself was the Great Ocean Road and
Phillip Island. You can find out a lot about the Great Ocean Road online; however, get to the Twelve Apostles area at least 3 hours before
sunset in order to see all of it. Then go to the Twelve Apostles viewing area as the sun is setting – it is spectacular. If you can, don’t take a
tour to do the Great Ocean Road. It will be a lot more fun if you just rent a car and do it yourself. Just leave very early in the morning, and
it’ll be a full day. Phillip Island is about an hour and a half south of Melbourne. I wish I had spent the entire day there. You can pet wombats at a zoo right outside the island. Also, it’s just a beautiful place. The main attraction is the Fairy Penguins, the smallest species of penguin in the world. These little guys are only about 18 inches tall, and they come up by the hundreds each night to their burrows in the sand
dunes to feed their young. Watching them is an unforgettable experience. 5) Go wine tasting in the Hunter Valley. 6) If you’re in Australia
in June or July, you can go on a whale watching trip to see the humpback whales migrating along the coast. You’ll probably even see several breach (jump out of the water). 7) Go to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. You can easily do this in a day by taking a train from Central Station ($11). You’ll see the famous Three Sisters rock formation. Also check out ScenicWorld which sounds incredibly cheesy but was
surprisingly fun. You’ll get to ride the steepest funicular railway in the world and learn about the area’s mining heritage.
Busses are super easy. And I walked a lot as well. You learn the system very fast.
Trains and planes or rent a car will take you to further distances. Busses take you all around the cities.
The coast line is beautiful. I’d visit New Zealand if possible. Try to make it up to the reef. And rent a car if possible for at least one trip
because it’s a fun experience. Just be careful driving and try not to get too used to the left side of the road, because its hard to adjust when
you get back!
Local transport is amazing compared to Atlanta.
The bus system is easy to navigate and very reliable
Tip: A great way to see the area is to purchase an all-day train pass for about $15 and simply ride the train all day
Be sure to get off the beaten path sometimes. One day I rented a car and drove West. I found myself in a small opal mining town that
travel agents didn’t even know about!
Lifestyle
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Don’t expect to have nothing but Australian friends while at UNSW. It’s too international of a university for
that to be feasible. I ended up hanging out with people from all over the world. My best friends ended up coming from the church I went to called Unichurch. It was on campus on Sunday nights. We also had a bible
study on Wednesday nights. If you’re looking for a great group of people and an amazing church, go and get
to know some of the people. I joined the Outdoors Club and the Underwater Club (scuba diving). This isn’t
cheap. Any sports club costs $88 then $12 for each subsequent sports club. The Outdoors Club is great for
people who enjoy mountain climbing. They do other things, but mountain climbing is the main thing. They
have trips leaving almost every weekend, and little gear is needed. Unless you own your own wetsuit, the Underwater Club doesn’t end up saving any money for diving. It’s a great group of people; however, it’s about
the same cost and a lot easier to just go to ProDive Coogee if you want to go diving in the area.
The big thing that happens on campus is what’s known as O-week that happens before the semester starts (at
least before Session 1). It’s where all the clubs set up tents for you to look at them and what they offer.
There’s also several on campus parties. Just keep in mind that campus life is much different from home in that
nobody really lives on campus, so there isn’t nearly as much activity on campus.
As far as entertainment and recreation, there is no limit to the activities to do in Sydney. It all depends on
what you enjoy doing. If you want to catch a movie, go to The Ritz which is at the Spot in Randwick. It’s easy
to get to, and Tuesdays will give you a pretty big discount for being a student. Also, there’s a Coogee to Bondi
walk that is a great thing to do when you first get there. It winds its way right along the coast, and you’ll get to
see a lot of Sydney’s most famous beaches.
One thing you’ll miss is the CRC. There is a gym on campus, but it isn’t cheap and not nearly as nice. I didn’t
end up joining it, but I severely missed the CRC.
I found it easy to meet other students. Everyone is so nice and helpful.
The Uni-bar would have parties occasionally or one of my friends would have a play or show that I’d go to
see. I attended some on-campus church services too. I also signed up for a dance class on campus.
Join a sport club or sign up for a class (there are millions to choose from.) Get with a church group if that’s
your thing. Take advantage of the beach and the city. Its easy to have fun in that area without spending any
money. You’ll find tons of things to do.
There’s a campus gym, but you have to pay for membership. There are fields for soccer, rugby, footy, and
tennis courts, but I think you might have to pay for those too.
Library w/ computers and printers. Have to pay to print, but
not much.
• I wish I would have known that life could be so great if
you just go and live it before I went abroad --- but that’s part of
the learning!
• The best part of my study abroad experience was the
friends that I have made and the peace that I found while I was
there.
Go abroad. Go to Australia. You can’t go wrong. I promise.
I met most of the people I spent a lot of time with in my
classes- a good mix of Australians, Europeans and Americans
There is always something going on and if you can’t find
anything that interests you there is always the beach with
free grills just waiting to be used!
Food
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I was curious about the food before I left. Australian food resembles American food in a lot of ways. One problem, however, is the food in Sydney is pretty expensive. If you plan on eating out a lot, plan on spending more than you would in
the States. One redeeming factor, however, is that you don’t tip at restaurants. I can’t really think of anywhere it is proper
to tip.
If staying around campus, the best places to buy food are in Randwick on Belmore Road. The two main Australian grocery store chains are Cole’s and Woolworth’s. In Randwick, you’ll find a Cole’s. Also, across the street in the Randwick
Shopping Centre is a Food for Less. Sometimes when bakeries and butchers get close to closing time, they’ll start discounting food. Be friendly and you might get a deal when shopping late. Also, shopping closes down early. The big chain
groceries shut down a little later, but all the shops will shut down at 5 or 6.
Definitely try a “kebab” with garlic sauce. It’s not meat on a skewer; instead, it’s like a wrapped sandwich. In Randwick,
there’s a fairly cheap place called Gourmet Pizza on Belmore Road right by Cole’s. It’s pretty good and not too expensive, and they deliver. If you go there, try the hot caramel drink (basically a caramel hot chocolate). In Coogee, you can
get a decent meal for $5 at Five-O’s which is at the corner of Arden and Coogee Bay Road. You also have to try Pancakes on the Rocks in the city (at the Rocks obviously). They have some delicious pancakes and an amazing chicken and
bacon pizza. Another must is to try Yum Cha (I really don’t know if I spelled this right). It’s traditional Chinese food
similar to a buffet. Waiters push around carts full of food, and you just stop them and get food that the entire table shares.
When everybody’s full, you stop asking for food and the check is split evenly amongst everybody. A good place is to go
to the top floor of the mall above Paddy’s market. You’ll find a huge restaurant up there. Finally, fish and chips are everywhere. You’ll be sick of it before you leave!
Food is a little more expensive. You can get almost anything except good Mexican food, Velveeta cheese, ranch dressing, and mayonnaise that doesn’t taste weird. Oh, and pecans are really expensive if anyone cares about pecans. The
tuna is weird – most of it is flavored, but you get used to it – it’s not bad. I feel like there might’ve been a few times that
we went to the store to get something and they didn’t have it, but nothing that we couldn’t live with out.
I mostly cooked and ate over at friends houses, but we’d also go out maybe once a week for lunch or dinner or dessert. I
didn’t eat out a whole lot because I was trying to save money and I found that I actually can cook better than most restaurants – we had a big kitchen so my roommates and I would experiment with recipes.
There’s lots of food on-campus food. Most of it is good. It’s similar to Tech, just a little more expensive.
Go to Sababa at Bondi Beach and get the Falafel. Eat the Thai food in the area because most of it is pretty good
(Thailand isn’t too far.) The McDonald’s has 50 cent soft-serve ice cream cones – it’s a good affordable snack.
Food is EXPENSIVE in Sydney. I got there thinking "I would never pay $6 for one egg roll," and I left thinking "Wow,
$12, what a cheap meal!" The exchange rate works in your favor a little bit, but not that much. Definitely make your own
food as much as you can, especially if you have a decent kitchen.
Finances
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Even though we have the advantage on exchange rate, plan on spending more than you would at Tech as far as living
expenses. One great thing is most people (not all!) had to buy less than $100 of books. Staying in Study Abroad housing
or on campus will be cheaper than finding your own place. Also, make sure to remember traveling while you’re there. I
had a lot of friends who were on a tight budget who didn’t think about going on trips before they got there and couldn’t
because they had no money. Figure out your living expenses for a normal semester, add about 15 %, and then think about
some of the trips you’d like to take and factor that in. Try to overshoot a little bit. You’ll find out about all sorts of crazy
things you’ll want to do once you get down there. If possible, you want to be able to do them.
I paid for things with a credit card (Visa is probably best) and just using my bank account at home. I had to pay atm fees,
but they weren’t really that bad. Also, the credit card wasn’t too bad on conversion fees. Also, I think it’s a good idea to
take a couple of hundred dollars with you (exchange it in the airport on the way there). Several people had trouble with
their credit cards when they first got down there because they hadn’t called the credit card company ahead of time or
some other reason. You’ll want at least enough to eat off of for a few days if that happens to you. While you’re down
there, I’d keep money in a suitcase or somewhere safe away from your body in case something happens to your wallet.
It costs a LOT of money to mail things from the US. One box (smaller than a foot in dimension and not very heavy)
could cost you about 80 – 90 dollars – seriously!
I spent a lot, but it was worth it. Approximately $17 – 19,000? But that includes a lot of stuff (housing, tuition, books,
mailing stuff home, food, activities, and a lot of extra traveling.)
I budgeted with food and material things, but I did a lot of traveling that I don’t regret, so I definitely could have spent a
lot less, but then I would’ve seen a lot less, so I can’t regret it. I just have to go find a job now!
I opened a bank account when I got there and had money wired in, which I think is the cheapest way to do it. I had
friends that would just withdraw from the ATM whenever they needed money and it seemed to work fine.
Check with Backpackers World Travel in Coogee– they are a great resource for any travels
Capitol One credit cards do not charge transaction fees, so they are a smart way to keep your money
Bank of America has a Sister Bank called Westpac so I didn't have to worry about opening a new account, which was
nice!
Communication
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Packing
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If at all possible, fit all of your stuff into one suitcase and take another one empty to bring stuff you
accumulate home. Going from Sydney back to
America, they are much more strict about weight.
You cannot have a piece of luggage over 70 lbs
from Australia to the U.S., no matter how much
you’re willing to pay – it is the strict maximum.
They also weighed my carry-on bags and made me
take things out of my carry on before they’d let me
on the plane.
I was glad I took my own sheets down there, just
because everybody who didn’t had to either rough
it for a few nights or try and find a place to buy
them. Don’t worry about taking a mattress pad, the
study abroad office will provide you with one if
using their housing.
I’d probably bring my own pillow and sheets just
so I’d have something to sleep on the first few
nights I’m there (before you know your way
around to the stores).
I was surprised at how cold it got in Sydney. The
winter is very wet as well, and this should be considered when packing. When I left in June, it was
raining most days and would get down to around
45 degrees Fahrenheit at night and up to about 55
or 60 during the days. It doesn’t sound bad, but
most housing doesn’t have heat or air conditioning, so it actually is somewhat uncomfortable.
Most things you will need you can buy. Bring
your clothes, but not too many. Bring running
shoes because you won’t want to buy a pair – they
are very expensive.
If you’re a girl bring your makeup because it’s a
lot more expensive to buy in Australia.
Definitely bring your camera.
If you have a lap top that would be useful, because
their library only stays open till 10pm and only
about 6 pm on the weekends.
Bring a journal and letter-writing stuff, because
writing helped me to feel less lonely in the first
few days when I didn’t know anyone and couldn’t
call home.
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Depending on what type of internet you get while they’re down
there, Skype is worth trying out. It’s not always the best connection, but I used it while I was down there and was able to talk to
my parents basically whenever we were awake at the same time.
I knew some people who found some calling cards that were
pretty cheap once they got down there. You may have ideas that
you can survive without a cell phone when down there, but you
really can’t. I found it more necessary to have one in a foreign
country than I did here. Your cell phone from home probably
won’t work down there. Even if it runs on the right frequency,
chances are it has been locked by your service provider. I took
my Cingular phone down there to use; however, I couldn’t because it was locked. I got a phone through Vodaphone for about
$80 AUD. You buy credit (not minutes). Unless you plan on
using your phone for emergencies only, buy what’s called the
maxi-cap plans. You can get like, $130 of credit for only $29.
This only lasts a month, but it’ll probably save you money.
Also, most plans will cost you money to call someone; however, the person receiving the call doesn’t get charged. Most
people just stick with text messaging. It’s the cheapest way to
use cell phones down there. All in all, cell phone usage is more
expensive.
The Study Abroad office has a great computer lab where you
can print things for free (in the library you have to pay). If you
have questions about internet on campus (they do have wireless
that you can pay for), see the IT Helpdesk on the main floor of
the library. If you’re in Study Abroad housing, don’t plan on
having high quality or incredibly reliable internet. You’ll be
paying for a certain amount of usage, not simply a service.
I bought an Australian phone to communicate with Australians.
I used Skype to call the U.S.
Computer & internet access is available but a little more expensive. It’s not too hard to figure out. There are Internet cafés
everywhere.
I found it easy to keep in touch with friends and family through
emails and letters and called home occasionally. Calling was
more of a hassle because of the time difference.
On campus, there’s a library with computers and printers. You
have to pay to print, but not much.
With internet in Australia you pay for every megabyte you use,
so downloading TV shows is extremely expensive
Campus has a wireless network, but you have to have a certain
software to use it– and appointments to install the software fill
up fast. Get there quickly and talk with them if you want to
have functioning wireless!
Participant Profiles
Please see information of contributing students below. If a blog or
website is listed, feel free to take a look! Also, if an e-mail address is
listed, you may contact that student if you have any questions about
their study abroad experience.
Andrew Hooser, ISyE, Spring 2007
gtg913w@mail.gatech.edu
www.flickr.com/photos/katieandandrewinaustralia
Jensi Gise, Psych & Pre-Med, Spring 2007
gtg617w@mail.gatech.edu
Courtney Denman , Management, Spring 2007
Courtney.denman@gmail.com