Before my semester abroad, I first asked MicroEDU what options there were. Basically I wanted to study outside of Europe and preferably in Australia or New Zealand. In the next step, I compared the prices a little, with Newcastle University as one of the cheapest universities. After doing some research about the university, campus life and the city itself, I fell head over heels in love with Newcastle. So the decision was made: it should definitely be Newcastle and not any other university! The application process was very easy for me personally, my supervisor at MicroEDU really informed me about everything. Even for the application documents there was a document from MicroEDU in which it was explained step by step which exact information is required and where. I had a few problems choosing a course, but MicroEDU was always able to help. In addition to the application, there were a few other things to consider, such as: B. the visa, flights, foreign health insurance and so on. At first all of this was a bit overwhelming, but with MicroEDU I was gradually able to take care of everything, and the experience of the staff helped a lot in some areas. After everything was sorted out and everything was planned, it was time to jump into the adventure!

The University

First a little basic: At the University of Newcastle I chose 4 courses, one of which I had on the main campus and three in the new campus built in 2018 in the city center. (Before the semester, I was a little afraid that the campus in the city was too far away. To my peace of mind, there was a shuttle bus from the main campus that went there every half an hour and only took 15 minutes. So everything No problem at all!) The university is almost among the top 200 universities in the world for a reason, because it shines with good organization, quality and a good climate. The online platform used by the university is very clear and simplifies everyday life at the university. During the semester I had several assignments such as online quizzes, term papers, lectures or any papers that I had to work on. I could ask my lecturer questions at any time, as the City Campus (the Business Campus) offers lectures where you are very close to the lecturer. During the semester and especially during the exam phase, there were repeated activities by the university such as B. Free BBQ or live music in the sunshine. So I really noticed that the university tried to support the students as much as possible! The level of the courses wasn’t too difficult and the assignments and exams at the end were definitely feasible with a little work. I did not fail an exam! I had no problems with college during the semester, so I didn’t need any help from MicroEDU. In general, however, I knew that I could always turn to my supervisor.

Newcastle

And now about student life in Newcastle: I have decided to live on campus. Generally there are about 7 different colleges in which you can live; I ended up in the “International House”. I highly recommend staying on campus, especially in the International House. Before my semester abroad, I lived at home, so I was relatively nervous about living with so many people. (There were 10 people with me in my flat share) But the International House has organized a lot of events, so you get to know a lot of people incredibly quickly, people from all over the world as well as a lot of Australians! In addition, several college sports were offered in which the individual colleges competed against each other in tournaments! (A lot of fun, because the team’s own college always cheered on in large numbers) Newcastle is not the biggest city, but there are a number of clubs, all of which are really very good!

Leisure and excursion possibilities

I always did a lot with my friends in Newcastle. Newcastle has several beautiful beaches, all of which are not overcrowded at all! We did a lot in and around Newcastle: laser tag, paintball, bowling, mini golf, arcade, volleyball on the beach, cinema, eating out, soccer games in the stadium, football in the stadium, sandboarding in Port Stephens (highly recommended, only one Hour away by car (only $ 20), sightseeing of Sydney including a boat party (by the way, this was organized by the University of Newcastle for all internationals according to answerresume), a trip to the Blue Mountains (about 2 hours by train from Sydney) and much more. In the middle of the semester there was a two-week semester break in which I made a road trip up the coast to the north with 7 other students! (Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Fraser Island) After my semester, I got together with my two best friends in Australia and we did an 18 day road trip through the outback. We went through the following stations: Alice Springs, Uluru, Kings Canyon, Tennant Creek, Katherine Gorge, Kakadu National Park, Litchfield National Park and Darwin.

To be completely honest, this semester was the best time of my life and I can absolutely recommend Newcastle to everyone! I would also like to encourage everyone to live on campus because you just get to know so many incredible people there! Before my semester, I never dreamed it would be so good. Now I have friendships all over the world and hundreds of stories that I could tell for days. Everything was right for me: the university, the city, college life and the people there. I am happy to be able to call Newcastle my second home forever and I can only recommend it to everyone to have these incredible experiences there too.