Should I/How do I go to school in Australia?

[Vault101]

I am currently in the US and getting bored with my life. It occurred to me the other day that it would be cool to study abroad and I've always wanted to see Australia.

So, has anyone here done something like that? Does anyone live in Australia? What is a good school?

I'm curious about people who live there or have lived there and what their opinion is about it.

My partner is Australian and I have spent quite a bit of time there.

1. First of all, Australians don't call Universities "schools". The best University in Australia is the Australian National University if I recall correctly. That's in the capital, Canberra. Other good universities include The University of Sydney and The University of New South Wales. They are both in Sydney.

2. I highly recommend the country. It's beautiful. It's very similar to the UK culture wise, but the climate, the land and the people are improved by a million.

3. Don't lie down in the grass. Seriously, you can't do that there.

Who the fuck cares what they call it? He's American, he doesn't have to change something as trivial as what he calls a school because he wants to move.

whats with the defensiveness?

the reason being is that calling it a "school" or somthign different can cause confusion..as "school" implys he still may be in highschool

and since education and stuff can get a bit complex its best not to get thease things mixed up

 

[Vault101]

I am currently in the US and getting bored with my life. It occurred to me the other day that it would be cool to study abroad and I've always wanted to see Australia.

So, has anyone here done something like that? Does anyone live in Australia? What is a good school?

I'm curious about people who live there or have lived there and what their opinion is about it.

sure..why not?

anyway I'm from Perth WA...I dont know how our universites compare with the other states (Id say lower on the scale) as you can tell no one is suggesting going to WA...its like the country town I supose

that and we are on the other side of the country opoased to sydny melbourne and anywhere woth mentioning

if on the off chance you were going to WA (you know like 1 in 1000000) then go UWA (univeristy of western Australia) or Curtin

 

[Mouldy Cheese]

The best universities in Australia are in what's known as the "Group of 8". These are the 8 best universI attend the University of Western Australia which is fantabulous and has a lovely campus :>

 

[pieguy259]

3. Don't lie down in the grass. Seriously, you can't do that there.

Are ... are you sure? I mean, I understand if you lie down on someone else's grass, but in a park, or on your own grass? I have frequently laid down on grass (unless you mean drop bears and their favourite snacks 'lazy park-goers' in which case all you need is a drop-bear immunisation, they're free at the local GP).

Drop bear immunisations? Expensive snake oil! I have it on good authority that they're just saline solution. Vegemite behind the ears, or, if you feel more bloodthirsty, a sharp object strapped to your head. That'll sort them out quick smart.

Snake oil, my arse! The immunisation is a vegemite producing bacteria, making your breath the drop-bear equivalent of an insect repellent. It was only later that Australians realised that vegemite was not restricted to use as a bear-repellent, but also made for a great toast condiment.

Look here, drongo, I lost one of my best mates to your precious "vegemite-producing bacteria". He was attacked by five bears the moment he left the clinic.

Yeah, sorry about that mate. Ya' see, I breed 'em, drop bears that is. And one day the lock on me cage breaks, and all hell breaks loose, see? And if I'm hearin' ya c'rectly, that'd make that mate o' yours, Geoff. Poor bugger, never stood a chance, 'specially not during matin' season (the vegemite only works because the males are 'fraid of the lady-bears, but durin' matin' season, they hunt down anything that smells o' vegemite, trying to get their willy wet.

You crazy bastard. Who in their right mind BREEDS those mongrels?!

 

[Alexnader]

There've been a lot of spruiking for universities in Melbourne/Queensland however in Queensland everything will kill you and it's very hot and in Melbourne not much will kill you and they have bad weather.

Go for Sydney. We're the biggest city, we have enough deadly things to keep you on your toes but not so much you'll fear for your life and not so little as to be boring. We get hot Summers and cool Winters (no snow but you will be located near the Snowy Mountains where the ski resorts are). We have beaches (not as many as QLD but they're still good).

As for the Uni's, the premier ones or University of Sydney (good at some science, full of hipsters) and the University of New South Wales (premier scientific research Uni, one of the best in Engineering, has good Medicine/Law as well, "Group Of 8" university" which is apparently good).

I go to UNSW so I'm biased for that one but basically you need to pick the Uni based on what you want to do.

 

[CAMDAWG]

I go to UNSW so I'm biased for that one but basically you need to pick the Uni based on what you want to do.

Yep. I'm science at melbourne, so I don't really know about arts so much, but for a history related thing, I'd go for Monash (provided you've restricted yourself to victoria), although Melbourne's in a much nicer part of the city than monash is.
When it comes to picking from the group of 8, there aren't really any that are straight out "better" than any others. eg, Melbourne kicks the arse of every other australian uni (in rankings) when it comes to physics, but we're behind some others in other fields. My advice is to look at as much information from unis you're considering, then pick one based on which uni has the best looking degree in your area.

 

[captaincabbage]

Also, try and pronounce it "Mel-burn"

Pffft. If you want to sound like a local it's Melbun.. or even better, Melb'n... or "derp derp, gimme ya wallet, fuck ya"... oh wait, that last one is Pakenham locals.

No, no my good man, I believe the last one you are mistaken. That is in fact the mating call of the wild Tasmanian.

You had a bad experience in "Melb'n" I presume?

Lived in Pakenham for 3 months. I defy anyone to have anything other than a bad experience there.

Oh dear, you poor, poor man. I'm so sorry for your loss. Packenham is no place for a human to live.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Also, try and pronounce it "Mel-burn"

Pffft. If you want to sound like a local it's Melbun.. or even better, Melb'n... or "derp derp, gimme ya wallet, fuck ya"... oh wait, that last one is Pakenham locals.

No, no my good man, I believe the last one you are mistaken. That is in fact the mating call of the wild Tasmanian.

You had a bad experience in "Melb'n" I presume?

Lived in Pakenham for 3 months. I defy anyone to have anything other than a bad experience there.

Oh dear, you poor, poor man. I'm so sorry for your loss. Packenham is no place for a human to live.

Yes, well, there was a vagina involved.

 

[captaincabbage]

Also, try and pronounce it "Mel-burn"

Pffft. If you want to sound like a local it's Melbun.. or even better, Melb'n... or "derp derp, gimme ya wallet, fuck ya"... oh wait, that last one is Pakenham locals.

No, no my good man, I believe the last one you are mistaken. That is in fact the mating call of the wild Tasmanian.

You had a bad experience in "Melb'n" I presume?

Lived in Pakenham for 3 months. I defy anyone to have anything other than a bad experience there.

Oh dear, you poor, poor man. I'm so sorry for your loss. Packenham is no place for a human to live.

Yes, well, there was a vagina involved.

Somehow I hear vagina and Packenham together and it still doesn't entice me. You must have been really whipped.

 

[Pat8u]

yea australia seems like a good place to go to uni but I only go to school right now so I can't really give u anymore info but I am doing a VET course in IT for hopes it will get me into ethier quantm or AIE (or any other programming school) so I have looked at alot of unis and can say that they seem pretty good


(also if anyone asks I know AIE isn't technically a uni but yea same thing really )

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Also, try and pronounce it "Mel-burn"

Pffft. If you want to sound like a local it's Melbun.. or even better, Melb'n... or "derp derp, gimme ya wallet, fuck ya"... oh wait, that last one is Pakenham locals.

No, no my good man, I believe the last one you are mistaken. That is in fact the mating call of the wild Tasmanian.

You had a bad experience in "Melb'n" I presume?

Lived in Pakenham for 3 months. I defy anyone to have anything other than a bad experience there.

Oh dear, you poor, poor man. I'm so sorry for your loss. Packenham is no place for a human to live.

Yes, well, there was a vagina involved.

Somehow I hear vagina and Packenham together and it still doesn't entice me. You must have been really whipped.

Meh, I've lived worse shitholes. It was the vagina in question that made living there bad... well, that's unfair on the vagina. It was the woman attached to the vagina that made it a fucking hassle. Hell, Paky reminded me of Adelaide's north in the 80s... probably a combination of poverty and neon orange clothing (fashion then, hi-vis safety wear now).

 

[captaincabbage]

Also, try and pronounce it "Mel-burn"

Pffft. If you want to sound like a local it's Melbun.. or even better, Melb'n... or "derp derp, gimme ya wallet, fuck ya"... oh wait, that last one is Pakenham locals.

No, no my good man, I believe the last one you are mistaken. That is in fact the mating call of the wild Tasmanian.

You had a bad experience in "Melb'n" I presume?

Lived in Pakenham for 3 months. I defy anyone to have anything other than a bad experience there.

Oh dear, you poor, poor man. I'm so sorry for your loss. Packenham is no place for a human to live.

Yes, well, there was a vagina involved.

Somehow I hear vagina and Packenham together and it still doesn't entice me. You must have been really whipped.

Meh, I've lived worse shitholes. It was the vagina in question that made living there bad... well, that's unfair on the vagina. It was the woman attached to the vagina that made it a fucking hassle. Hell, Paky reminded me of Adelaide's north in the 80s... probably a combination of poverty and neon orange clothing (fashion then, hi-vis safety wear now).

Yeah, pretty much get out your boombox and fluro yellow tees if you're going to Packenham, because it's still the fucking '80s there.

 

[Bunnymarn]

but there is virtually nothing to do in Canberra, unless there's some secret scene I haven't heard about.

There is a secret scene. It's where talentless hipsters hold fundraisers in their backyards for each other's shitty bands and tell anyone who'll listen that the Canberra local music scene is the most alive thing ever, and their album that they recorded in a lake on a guitar with only two strings and a tin can for a drumset is a testament to that.

Haha, my bad. How could I forget that? Canberra is clearly where it's at.

I am currently in the US and getting bored with my life. It occurred to me the other day that it would be cool to study abroad and I've always wanted to see Australia.

So, has anyone here done something like that? Does anyone live in Australia? What is a good school?

I'm curious about people who live there or have lived there and what their opinion is about it.

Australia is the cesspool in terms of culture in the first world. Don't live here. And everything is friggen expensive.

But for a year, sure, why not?

And yeah, that sounds about right. Also, the schizophrenic weather Sydney is having at the moment is incredibly annoying. The weather here is never the right temperature - it's either too hot, too cold, too humid, too wet or too sunny. And then if it is balanced and nice, it'll just start raining half way through the day.

 

[Biosophilogical]

3. Don't lie down in the grass. Seriously, you can't do that there.

Are ... are you sure? I mean, I understand if you lie down on someone else's grass, but in a park, or on your own grass? I have frequently laid down on grass (unless you mean drop bears and their favourite snacks 'lazy park-goers' in which case all you need is a drop-bear immunisation, they're free at the local GP).

Drop bear immunisations? Expensive snake oil! I have it on good authority that they're just saline solution. Vegemite behind the ears, or, if you feel more bloodthirsty, a sharp object strapped to your head. That'll sort them out quick smart.

Snake oil, my arse! The immunisation is a vegemite producing bacteria, making your breath the drop-bear equivalent of an insect repellent. It was only later that Australians realised that vegemite was not restricted to use as a bear-repellent, but also made for a great toast condiment.

Look here, drongo, I lost one of my best mates to your precious "vegemite-producing bacteria". He was attacked by five bears the moment he left the clinic.

Yeah, sorry about that mate. Ya' see, I breed 'em, drop bears that is. And one day the lock on me cage breaks, and all hell breaks loose, see? And if I'm hearin' ya c'rectly, that'd make that mate o' yours, Geoff. Poor bugger, never stood a chance, 'specially not during matin' season (the vegemite only works because the males are 'fraid of the lady-bears, but durin' matin' season, they hunt down anything that smells o' vegemite, trying to get their willy wet.

You crazy bastard. Who in their right mind BREEDS those mongrels?!

Well, overseas Australia Museums get a kick out of perpetuating myths to scare tourists, so I breed 'em and kill 'em, then send up their stuffed corpses. The poor suckers think they are getting a fake drop-bear when in fact they are getting a real drop-bear (and killing and stuffing them doesn't actually kill them, it is more of a mild sedative and a paralytic).

 

[StBishop]

snip

Where is UQ? And you guys have States instead of Provinces or Territories? I didn't know that!

I wouldn't mind traveling- if the FE program is a good one and is affordable, then that's cool with me. I also don't want to live somewhere that is super expensive. Any suggestions? Other than the ones you've aleady given, of course.

We have two Territories and six States.

I'll keep reading through for any more info that I can add.

 

[StBishop]

I am currently in the US and getting bored with my life. It occurred to me the other day that it would be cool to study abroad and I've always wanted to see Australia.

So, has anyone here done something like that? Does anyone live in Australia? What is a good school?

I'm curious about people who live there or have lived there and what their opinion is about it.

No offense to TypeSD and his advice, but don't go to ANU. I'm currently there and it's rapidly deteriorating, particularly for the humanities. It used to be good, sure, but they've been slashing funding for so long now that it's starting to slip in world rankings. I myself am looking to jump ship to USyd, but I have to stick it out here until the end of the year, scholarships being non-bloody-transferrable.

I guess the important question is, what level are you currently studying at? If you haven't started undergrad yet, you could apply as an international student to do your entire degree here, but you would be subject to higher fees and there's no government help (unless you got a scholarship, of which there may be a few). If you're midway through your undergrad, look into doing an exchange. Your college will probably have an arrangement with a particular Australian university, which limits your options, and you usually have to start the exchange process 12 months in advance of when you want to come. But the best part of an exchange is that you only pay what you normally would to your college.

If you're thinking of doing a Masters or PhD, again, bring money. International students get charged through the nose. In terms of universities, USyd, UQueensland, UMelbourne are all good - although Melbourne are starting to screw their undergrads over as well, I hear. Your best bet though is, if you're doing history, to check out the faculty pages of each university, read up on who specialises in what, and get a sense of where you'd like to be. There's nothing worse than going to a university where specialists are forced to teach more general courses they're not well versed in. Also, ANU at least doesn't offer a specialisation in Western History, at least not one that will appear on your transcript.

In terms of expense, Canberra(ANU) is fucking ridiculous for the country town it really is; Sydney is expensive but no more so than say New York; Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide are all moderate in terms of expense, and I can't speak about the cost of living in Perth. Melb and Sydney also have the best arts scenes, if you care.

Lastly, http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/ might be of some interest to you. Hope some of this helps!

Cost of living is huge in Perth. Housing is the same price as Sydney in some areas and the outskirts are even higher than comparable areas in other cities.

Fuel is much more expensive than QLD (can't say for other places).

Perth is fine, but for international students I wouldn't recommend it. There's not a lot to do, and it's the most isolated capital city on the planet.

 

[Jacco]

snip

I am gathering that Melbourne is the best place to go aside from the weather. But I live in Colorado, US where the weather climate is pretty much what people are describing so that wouldn't bother me too much.

That being said, what is the cost of living like in Melbourne? And is it hard to get into the Uni's there as an I.S.?

 

[pearcinator]

I go to Southern Cross University (Lismore, a little south of the Gold Coast but there are also SCU campuses at Tweed and Coolangatta)...its a public university that isn't that expensive but I heard it has a fantastic reputation with its education courses (teaching) which is what I am studying there.

Can't go wrong with any university really...depends where you want to live. I will say that the people that study in Lismore are so much more friendly than people from the Gold Coast...I think the chicks are hotter too!

 

[StBishop]

snip

I am gathering that Melbourne is the best place to go aside from the weather. But I live in Colorado, US where the weather climate is pretty much what people are describing so that wouldn't bother me too much.

That being said, what is the cost of living like in Melbourne? And is it hard to get into the Uni's there as an I.S.?

If you like the Cold Melbourne is definately the best option, it's not too expensive but be prepared to be paying at least $300.00 a week for a pretty low standard of living (if you don't drink or party at all this should cover essentials like bus/train/tram fares, electricity, rent, food, water, gas, internet).

It's not much better anywhere else, although Brisbane is slightly cheaper in my experience.

I would suggest either of those two. Brisbane if you want sun and a "pretty" city which is fairly modern and don't like driving. Melbourne if you want a "cultured" city with a fuck tonne of things to do and still don't really like driving and can handle shitty weather.


Getting in to most uni's in Aus as an international student isn't hard, the Universities actually like Itnl. Students better because you guys pay more money than us. James Cook University (someone mentioned it earlier, it's only really any good for Marine Biol, Medicine, Nursing, and Law. It's surpassed by other uni's for everything except Marine Biol.) is almost completely funded by intl. Students I, same with QUT in Bris.

If you have money, you should be able to get into uni here, if your heart is set more specifically on history, you might have a bit of competition for spots but it's not as hard as say, medicine, law, engineering.

I'd recommend calling the universities individually
The one's in Melbourne that I know of are:
Deakin University
Monash University
RMIT University
University of Melbourne
Victoria University

One's surrounding Melbourne include
LaTrobe University
Swinburne University of Technology

Ballarat University is in Victoria (same state) but it's not really 'near' Melbourne. You wouldn't commute that far. (About 50 miles.)

EDIT: I haven't read it but you may find useful info here on the Live in Victoria website, that's a link to their "cost of living" page.

 

[Titan Buttons]

Are you Asian with a rich family? because im pretty sure thats like a new prerequisite for getting into ANU as a foreign student.
I suggest having a shotgun wedding with a homeless person to get citizenship, thats your best bet for getting into a good uni in Australia

bitter much? ANU should take pride in it's international student population. You make it sound like it's a bad thing.

Yeah I agree, in Universty of Wollongong, where I go, their is a vast majority of foregin students, and everyone that I've person meet have been great to talk to.

OP: It is expencive to live here, but on the plus side most universities are well suited for a history degree.