143 reviews
4.08 / 5 based on 143 reviews
Useful |
4
Liouba C
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
How much did you improve your English?
My level before: At ease in most situations
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)
Language difficulties
Administrative / Institutional
Personal comments
Even though I had a decent knowledge of English before comming to Australia, it has improved dramatically since I live in Sydney. The first weeks were obviously a bit hard because one needs time to ajust to the local accent, slang... At university it took also a couple of months to be completely comfortable with the fact that everything was in English. Indeed an international student has to cope with the difficulty of the class itself but also with language difficulties. Reading in a foreign language is something that takes a lot of time to improve because at first one has to read every single word to be able to have an understanding of the document but after a relatively long time one manages to improve and to quickly grab the main information out of a text to have a general understanding. I spent 2 years in Australia and I can really see an incredible improvement. Some people even ask me if I am local which is always a compliment.
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0
Liouba C
Academic
Course recommendations
In Marketing and Management a bg part of the course is group work based so it is important to learn how to build good teams and how to make them work.
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My academic experiences
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
My opinion of the university assessment
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Useful |
4
Liouba C
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I worked during my study abroad experience
Personal spending habits
The food and everyday expenses are generally cheaper in Australia than in France. Housing is quite expensive in Sydney, it is more expensive than what I used to pay in Reims (France), however the prices for housing between Sydney and Paris are quite similar. Nightlife is much cheaper in Australia than in France but because it is cheaper and because there are only 12 hours of university a week (not including personnal study time and assignments) one ends up going out more and therefore spending more or less the same amount of money on nightlife than back home. I spent more on travel because being in Australia was a good opportunity to visit a lot of different places and because distances within Australia as well as between Australia and anywhere else in the world are very big.
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Housing, Travel, Overall:
was more expensive than at home.
Telephone, Nightlife:
was the same price as at home.
Food:
was less expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand household items
Personal comments
The first weeks in Australia are rather costly because bonds for accomodation have to be paid, at least some furniture to be bought, university books to be purchased... A lot of transactions are made in cash in Australia and therefore it is quite easy to run out of cash in the first weeks (as there is usually a withdrawal limit on credit and bank cards). So one tip is not only to take a bank card but also some cash (in American dollars or Euros) when coming to Australia.
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Useful |
3
Liouba C
Overall
I wish I had known...
Not really, everything turned out to be very good. The only problem of Australia is its relative lack of culture as it is a very new country. However those are the kind of things one can only understand once he/she has experienced living in the country. Moreover it is only after spending a considerable amount of time in the country (one year or more) that one really starts to feel the need of something else than what is available in Australia.
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In my opinion:
Most people loved it.
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Personal recommendation
when going to UTS it is important to make friends at the orientation week because those friends are going to be yours for at least the rest of the semester. They are not only the one who you will go out with and who will make your experience of the country a very pleasant one but a lot of them will also be your study partners.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
Met people from other countries
Experienced a change in life
Advanced my studies & career
Final comments
There are plenty of things to do in Australia, plenty of amazing places to see. So make sure that if you come to Australia to study you allocate a bit of time for travelling there. Be ready to live in a completely multicultural city (especially if you come to Sydney) where it is somtimes hard to find a "real Australian". Don't be afraid of the Australian accent: it is a bit strange but everyone gets used to it, starts to love it and sometimes even picks it up.
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0
Liouba C
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Independently - My choice
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
As most private accomodation in Sydney is shared accomodation it provides good opportunities to meet new people. Living in a private house or appartment gives one independance: one can move whenever, wherever and as often as he/she likes.
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Useful |
0
Liouba C
Student life
Describe host city:
Students equally interact with the local and student community
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Travel: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Activities, Nightlife: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Personal comments
There are plenty of pubs and clubs to go at night in the city and it really depends on people's tastes, restaurants in Glebe and in the Rocks are very nice. Some evets that have to be seen and/or participated in are the City to Surf and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
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