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University of New South Wales (UNSW)

180 reviews
4.37 / 5 based on 180 reviews
Useful  |  0
Mike W
Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
Marketing and Sales Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Languages
Language of instruction: English
Was learning English a key decision factor?
No, it wasn't.
Language difficulties
Social
Educational
Administrative / Institutional
Overall
Personal comments
Since the language was English and I already speak it I had no trouble communicating, I did learn a lot of local slang terms unique to Australia that was very interesting.
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Useful  |  1
Mike W
Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
Marketing and Sales Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Academic
Course recommendations
There are a huge number of classes offered at UNSW, but you must make sure when choosing classes that they are offered during the semester you will be there. The study abroad office is EXCELLENT, they will do anything they can to help you get the classes you need and anything else you would need. I suggest GENS 0501 The Marine Enviornment, very easy but at the same time interesting and you get to take field trips for some hands on learning.
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My academic experiences
Quality of courses
Variety of courses
Access to resources
Interaction with teachers
Interaction with international students
Interaction with local students
Personal comments
Out of 4 classes I only had one final. The rest of the classes were either an in class test or final papers. The final either paper or exam is worth a significant percentage of the grade and can be very difficult. (My Economics final exam was worth 60% of my final grade in the class and most papers are worth 30-50% of your final grade)
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My opinion of the university assessment
Exams at end of course
Exams throughout the course
Essays and/or projects at the end of course
Essays and/or projects throughout the course
Overall
Useful  |  8
Mike W
Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
Marketing and Sales Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Expenses
Main source of funding:
Family
Other sources of funding:
Personal savings
Work opportunities:
I didn't explore any work options
Personal spending habits
Everything is very expensive in Australia. The telephone service I used the entire time was a pre-paid mobile phone, which cost 25 cents per minute for a local call, and calling cards which you could use from a pay phone and would cost you approximately 2 cents per minute (to call the US) I strongly recommend getting Skype as you can use it at internet cafes or if you get the internet in your residence. The housing was expensive but definitely worth it, it was $200 AUD per week for our house per person, but it was very nice and only 2 blocks from the ocean. Nightlife is very expensive compared to the normal University town in America, for a mixed drink (ie. Bourbon and Coke) you will pay between 6 and 9 AUD and for a pint of beer it will be between 4 and 8 AUD. The travel is expensive but well worth it, try to use Jetstar and Virgin Blue as they are much cheaper than flying Qantas. For the food, you should look out for bars that offer $5 steak night (Five-0 in Coogee offers very moderately priced meals 5-9 AUD) these aren't the best steaks but they are good and the portions are large.
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Food, Telephone, Nightlife, Overall, Travel, Housing:
was more expensive than at home.
Accessibility of student needs
Second-hand text books
Second-hand household items
Computers / Internet
Administrative
Money from home
Personal comments
If coming from America I would suggest getting a Capital One credit card as they do not have a Foreign Transaction Fee. I did not have this card and on my Visa I was charged an extra 3% on everything I bought in the local currency. ATMs were available everywhere, and if you have an account with Bank of America you can easily find a Wespac ATM that does not charge you any fees. I would suggest Unwired for the internet as they offer a good plan for a decent price, and you don't have to get a bank account and everything to get a phone line, and you don't have to pay for the expensive phone line.
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Useful  |  4
Mike W
Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
Marketing and Sales Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Overall
I wish I had known...
I went not knowing a thing, and I feel that going in with no expectations made me enjoy the trip even more.
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In my opinion:
Everybody loved it, you will too!
Important factors in my choice
(1) Unimportant – (4) Very important
Academic reasons
3
Culture
4
Costs
2
Activities
3
Campus life
3
Party / people
3
Weather / location
4
Personal recommendation
I would recommend this University over the other Sydney universities as the location is very good and the campus life and activity is excellent.
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During my experience abroad, I ...
(1) Never – (4) A lot
Became familiar with another culture
4
Traveled
4
Improved language skills
3
Met people from other countries
4
Became more independent
4
Partied a lot
4
Experienced a change in life
4
Advanced my studies & career
3
Final comments
I had an AMAZING experience and I would recommend my exact trip to anybody. For traveling I would definitely suggest the south island of New Zealand (I went with a tour group called Kiwi Experience, it was GREAT!) I went to Fiji on the way home and that was definitely an amazing trip, it was reasonably priced and gorgeous. Within Australia I would suggest a trip for a long weekend to Melbourne, as well as a trip down the east coast. I would definitely go sailing on the Whitsundays, (my boat was called "Spank Me" and it was a great time) I would do as much as you can around Sydney and do as much as possible. A budget alternative to doing the bridge climb is to climb the pillar (9 dollars instead of 200). Overall, an unbelievable trip.
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Useful  |  19
Mike W
Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
Marketing and Sales Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Housing
Type of housing: Apartment/House
Arranged by: Host university
If returning, I would choose: Apartment/House
Why?
If I were to return I would again live in a house in Coogee. The university owns many properties in this area and it is absolutely gorgeous. My house was with 6 other students and we lived within 2 blocks of the beach and a 15 minute walk to campus. Living on campus would not be a bad option at all and you would meet the most Australian students there and it is a very fun atmosphere, but I enjoyed living on my own in a house and I feel I gained a lot from doing that as well. There isn't a bad choice between on-campus and off campus but if going off campus Coogee is definitely the place to be.
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Personal assessment
Cost
Facilities
Location
Cleanliness
Space
Personal comments
Many of the houses and apartments are in Coogee, which is an incredibly nice location that is very close to the beach but there are busses that can get you to campus in 5 minutes that leave very frequently, or you can make the choice to take the 15 minute walk. You are able to catch a bus to most places in the city and the suburbs that you would want to go, and if not it would only take one transfer.
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Useful  |  2
Mike W
Indiana University, Bloomington, United States
Marketing and Sales Management, Undergraduate, University Agreement
Student life
Describe host city:
Students interact with the local community without much university involvement
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Travel, Nightlife: Takes place mostly outside the university/student environment
Activities: Takes place both within and outside of the university/student environment
Personal social experience
Activities
Nightlife
Travel
Overall
Personal comments
Sydney has a wealth of night spots in all areas of the city. Thursday night is Uni night around most places and is very big for students. My personal favorite bar to go before going out later at night would be Bar Ace on the corner of Liverpool and George Streets. This bar offers a very moderately priced happy hour between 5 and 11PM every night.
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