Details

• Australia
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Application process: I had an interview with Prof. Knassmüller. It was a very easy conversation and focused mainly on my personal motivation as well as my engagement. One of the questions, for example, was: “How would you describe civil courage in Austria?” Preparing for the semester abroad: I definitely recommend booking your return flight as a flexible ticket. At UNSW, you can also choose to add either the Winter Term (before T3) or the Summer Term (after T3) to your main semester. I can highly recommend doing the Winter Term beforehand (or the Summer Term if you go in the summer semester) as these terms are mainly offered to exchange students. This makes it very easy to meet a lot of people right from the start. Apart from that, preparation mainly involves organizing your visa and health insurance. Additionally, you should get travel health insurance if you plan to travel outside Australia.

2. Accommodation

I initially applied for UNSW Village, but it was extremely dirty and messy, mainly because of a different cultural understanding of cleanliness. There were also hardly any exchange students living there. I really cannot recommend UNSW Village. If you are looking for on-campus housing, I would strongly suggest applying to all other colleges. Even if the website says they only accept students for one year, they sometimes also take exchange students for shorter stays if you are lucky. I know someone who stayed at Colombo House for one semester and really loved it. Another good option is Shalom College, which officially offers semester stays and has many exchange students. Meals are included, cleaning is provided, and although it is officially Jewish, it is not religious at all in everyday life. I also know several people who had very good experiences there. After moving out of UNSW Village, I moved into the Randwick house by Semester in Australia, but unfortunately I cannot recommend this either. The organization of Semester in Australia was a disaster (you have to pay extra for laundry, there are no cleaning services, etc.). You share one kitchen with about 10 people, and in total around 20 people live in the house. The location, however, is ideal. I would highly recommend living between the university and Coogee Beach (Randwick, The Spot), as most students live in this area and you don’t need to be on campus every day anyway. I generally do not recommend living in the CBD, as it is far from both the university and the beach. The special thing about UNSW is exactly this: the proximity to the beach and the suburban lifestyle in the Eastern Suburbs. In general, rent is paid weekly and is relatively high compared to Vienna. Many students find good places through Flatmates or the UNSW housing website for around 400 AUD for a room per week. Prices can go up to 700 AUD per week for a similar standard, so be careful not to get overcharged.

3. Academic life at host university

I have to say that I found the academic culture somewhat disappointing. Many students have very limited English skills, which often makes classes more difficult and slows down discussions. In general, the academic requirements are not very high; however, it is still surprisingly difficult to achieve a High Distinction. The teaching style is very open and interactive. For example, at the beginning of a class there is usually an introduction round where everyone gets to know each other. When choosing courses, it is important to look at the course number: levels 1–3, with higher numbers usually indicating more difficult courses. That said, I wouldn’t let this discourage you too much, as this was not always true in practice. Overall, there are very few written exams. Assessment is usually based on presentations, participation, video presentations, reports, and other continuous assessment tasks. The university is also extremely international, which means that you rarely have Australian students in your classes. Apart from one general welcome event for exchange students, there are not many activities specifically organized for exchange students, which I personally found quite disappointing.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport is very easy to use: you simply tap on and off with your card, and there is no official monthly or student ticket. However, fares are capped at 50 AUD per week, which makes it quite affordable. The system works very well overall, with many buses available. That said, it takes about 50 minutes from the university to the Opera House or Bondi Beach, as the city is very large and spread out. So be prepared for long travels. There are also many sports options, which are much cheaper compared to Europe. You can find a sports studio almost on every corner, and many offer trial passes that make it even more affordable. Leisure activities are great in general, especially because you live so close to the beach. There are also many events for international students, as Sydney is an extremely international city. I never felt unsafe in Sydney. Especially in the Eastern Suburbs, which are very clean and full of young people

6. Testimonial

It is truly an amazing city that offers everything you could possibly need. The international environment is not only created by exchange students, but also because Sydney itself is such a multicultural city. Australia is also a fantastic country to travel in, and it is very easy to visit Pacific island nations and New Zealand, places you might otherwise never get the chance to see. I can highly recommend Sydney, and especially life in the Eastern Suburbs. Living there really makes you understand why Sydney is considered one of the most livable cities in the world.