Annabelle (Sem 2, 2023)

My Exchange at The University of New South Wales

When I first arrived in Sydney, I was filled with pure excitement. This was going to be the beginning of a new chapter and a new adventure in my life. I was super eager to visit all the tourist destinations, discover the hidden local favourites, and immerse myself into UNSW’s student life.

Orientation was a great introduction to UNSW, from learning about the different clubs and facilities on campus to meeting really awesome people who were experiencing the same things as me: being new to the country/city; new to the uni; and living in a foreign place away from home.

The courses at UNSW were similar to courses at UoA as they also generally consisted of lectures, labs and/or tutorials, assignments and a final exam. However, there were a few main differences. Lectures could be viewed live online via YouTube (this was very convenient), Canvas was replaced with a website called Moodle, and trimesters were used instead of semesters (which meant only about 9 weeks of learning each term).

UNSW’s Kensington campus is always filled with people, no matter how early or late it is. 
Whether it’s 5am in the morning or 11pm at night, you will see students studying in the library or hanging out near the green field or exercising in the aquatic and fitness centre. Also, when you’re on campus, you never need to worry about being hungry as there are lots of great, quick and affordable food options (like sushi, Subway, pasta, bubble tea and cafes) spread out in 3 main locations across campus.

I think the cost of living is similar compared to Auckland. Rent may have been more expensive, but things like food and groceries were generally cheaper. Plus, because of the huge range of food options, theres cheap eats for when you need to save money, but also fancier restaurants for special occasions.

For my accommodation, ideally I had wanted to live on campus in a place that offers catering. But due to the limited availability and tricky/weird timing of my exchange, I had to find other options. I eventually managed to find a student accommodation building just across the street from campus, where I had my own little studio apartment with a bathroom, a study table and a small kitchenette. Other facilities like the kitchen, tv room, dining room, and laundry room were all in a common area and were shared with other tenants. My room was reasonably basic and simple, but what made it convenient was how close it was to campus. It meant that I didn’t need to use public transport to get to my classes.

I absolutely loved Sydney. It’s such a lively place that always has fun activities and exciting events going on throughout the year, such as weekly firework shows at Darling Harbour, and plenty of great restaurants, cafes and dessert places to try out. There was never a time where I felt bored or clueless about what to do in the city, and I can’t wait to go back again!

During my exchange I created many lifelong memories, met a lot of amazing people and made unexpected friendships that I will cherish forever. Although there were challenges along the way, such as finding accommodation, choosing my courses, living alone for the first time and missing friends back home, this has truly been an unforgettable learning experience that has changed my life for the better.

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Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

I really enjoyed my compsci and linguistics courses. The lecturers were all very friendly and taught the courses in an easy-to-understand way. In one of my courses, we even had Kahoot quizzes every lecture, which made attending the in-person lectures exciting and fun.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

All the events that UNSW organises are very fun and exciting. My favourites would have to be ‘international markets’ where there were multiple food stalls set up with foods from different cultures and sold at an affordable price, movie nights at Village Green, and ‘stress less week’ with tons of different activities to help students destress before exams (there was also free food like ice cream, hot dogs, dumplings and krispy kreme donuts, and cute animals that we could pet and take pictures with, like alpacas and dogs).

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Start looking for accommodation as early on as possible. On-campus accommodation fills up very quickly, so make sure you have back-up plans / alternative options.
2. Make the most of all the things on offer on campus. Join clubs, attend social events, go for an early morning swim, study in either the law library or main library or maybe even in one of the cafes, play sports or go for a run at the Village Green. There are so many things to do and always new findings no matter how many times you go to campus.
3. Try as many new things as possible – watch the sunrise, visit local beaches, visit art galleries and museums, walk on the Harbour Bridge, watch a show at the Opera House, see the NSW State Library, etc.

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

For my exchange, I estimated that weekly I would need to spend money on rent, groceries, shopping, transportation, eating out and social events with friends. So I gave myself a budget of about $200-$300 AUD per week plus extra for rent. This was mostly enough, although some weeks I might have gone over my budget, which meant that the following week I would aim to cut down on my spending.

One thing that helped me keep track of my spending was creating a spreadsheet so that I could see how much money I was spending and on what.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

The most significant takeaways from my experience abroad would be:

• Learning how to look after myself in a foreign place, like buying my own groceries, planning my meals, organising my day-to-day schedules, etc.
• Stepping out of my comfort zone to try new things and meet new people
• Learning to manage my money, which included budgeting and being mindful about what I’m spending my money on.

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