Details

• Australia
• MABizComm-22
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

The application process was very transparent and clearly structured. As the motivational letter was one of the main selection criteria for the exchange place, I put a lot of effort into it. I chose a clear structure for each motivation paragraph. First, I described my personal motivation for the country/ city and why it is important to me to live in this place. Second, I focused on the program of the university, which courses would interest me most and justified my choice. After the allocation of the spot, the preparation had to be done rather quickly, as the beginning of the semester in Brisbane is already in mid-July. I would recommend booking flights first, starting the visa application, and then searching for accommodation.

2. Accommodation

I stayed at the student accommodation "Student One Wharf Street". It is directly in the CBD, conveniently close to shops, bars, supermarkets, and the university (20-minute walk or 10-minute bus/ ferry ride). There are several student accommodations in Brisbane; some are cheaper, others are more expensive. I would recommend comparing the different houses and deciding what suits you best. The main reason why I chose Student One is that it offered a "Flexi Stay option", meaning that you could adapt the duration of your stay according to your personal plans. In most student housing, you have to rent and pay for your room for the entire semester. However, since my lectures had already ended a few weeks before the official end of the semester, I didn't want to stay in the dormitory any longer and was therefore able to move out earlier. The only disadvantage of the Flexi Stay option is that you pay a higher weekly rent, but by moving out earlier, this evens out in the end. Overall, I would recommend this type of accommodation as it is super central, the facilities are outstanding, and most of the exchange students live there, making it really easy to find friends. Nevertheless, it is rather expensive, so if you are looking for a budget-friendly option, I'd recommend moving to a private house.

3. Academic life at host university

QUT has two campuses, one located in the CBD (Gardens Point Campus), the other a bit further out (Kelvin Grove Campus). All my lectures were held at Gardens Point, so I was only there. The campus is slightly bigger than the WU campus and offers several food options, sports options, and lots of learning space. I enjoyed hanging out there. In my opinion, the teaching style was not as good as at WU. The lectures felt sometimes unstructured, and the slides were confusing. My lectures were all very friendly and helpful tho. Nevertheless, the level for the assignments was higher than at WU, making it very difficult to achieve 90% or above.

5. Every day life in the host country

Brisbane is a very lively city with great weather. I arrived in Mid July, which was in the middle of winter in Australia but it was always sunny and around 20 degrees. The weather and the city offer many opportunities to spend time outside, for example, going on the river walk, visiting the botanical garden, Southbank, or one of the markets. Brisbane is not too big, which makes it very convenient to travel around. I mostly walked, but buses and the ferry offer easy transportation, which only costs 50c/ride. There are many free social events as well as paid ones, like sports games or concerts. I really enjoyed living in Brisbane. Especially in comparison to other Australian cities (e.g. Sydney or Melbourne), the city is very chill, friendly and easy to get around, and its location on the East Coast enables you to easily make weekend trips. I never felt unsafe, even when walking alone at night. The Queenslanders are very friendly and welcoming, meaning if I needed help, there was always somebody to support me.

6. Testimonial

I had the best time during my exchange semester. Australia is one of a kind, and I would recommend that everybody should live there at least once. The country offers so much, from outstanding beaches, mountains, big city life, and not to forget the amazing wildlife. I enjoyed every day there and tried to live it up to its fullest, which I would also recommend to everybody! Talk to as many people as possible, go on as many trips as possible and step out of your comfort zone. Above all, the semester abroad has taught me to enjoy every moment of life and to spend my time as best I can with friends and activities. You get to know yourself much better and form friendships and connections that will shape you for life. The Australian lifestyle is difficult to describe; it has to be experienced. Even after five months in the country, I still haven't had enough of it and would recommend a semester abroad there to anyone.