At UTS – as I am studying business administration – I took a finance, marketing and management course. Contrary to my assumption, the local students usually take a maximum of 3-4 courses. So you don’t have any special treatment, but are integrated into normal university operations, which is useful and helpful for making contacts and gives you that real “university feeling”. So I only had lectures and tutorials three times a week on what gold is in a city like Sydney – but more on that later. Since 40% of the people in Sydney are international, it is not surprising that the university is also extremely international. The courses themselves were designed to be exciting and very presentation and group work-heavy. The effort is manageable and it makes sense to do “homework” as this prepares you precisely for the examination material. The decor is very impressive. The lecture halls resemble oversized cinema halls and are excellently equipped, and the buildings are also to be admired. There is also a food court and on-site bars and clubs. The library is also very well equipped and spacious, although bib rest is not taken as seriously as in the German bibs I know. In addition to the great premises, there are seemingly an infinite number of clubs and associations in which you can participate. If you want to do something there in your free time, you are guaranteed to find something that is fun.

The university is located right in the center and is easy to reach. However, as a German doing a semester abroad in Sydney, I would recommend that you definitely go to the beach. I lived with my girlfriend on Bondi Beach and the feeling of living there outweighs the 45 minutes it takes to get to the city center. Especially if you only have three days of university, you should not underestimate how important it is to have a good range of leisure activities. And the lifestyle right by the sea is priceless. There are also other nice beach areas, which are probably much cheaper and not a bit worse. Once you get used to the bus system, you can get anywhere pretty well. Otherwise, you can’t really go wrong with the neighborhood selection, as each neighborhood has its own charm. The only danger is that you live too far out. Sydney is big. And that is one of the reasons why I would recommend you NOT TO BOOK AN APARTMENT IN ADVANCE FROM GERMANY. For a higher rent you will get worse accommodation! I arrived 2. 5 weeks before the start of the semester and stayed in a hostel in Kings Cross. This is useful because you will immediately make contacts and have contact persons for all questions that may arise during a stay abroad. You also get a feel for the city. You will then have time to look for an apartment, and you will need it too. The real estate market in Sydney is quite stressful and you will have to look at 3-5 apartments if you don’t happen to be lucky the first time (good site -> gumtree. com). For example, I had resolved to move as close as possible to university, and in the end I ended up somewhere completely different.

Now that leads me to a negative point. Sydney is extremely expensive. Public transport, groceries, going out to eat, going to clubs, renting, etc. Everything has a much higher price level! If you – like me – book money from Germany to your Australian account, your money loses some of its value at that moment. The only way to get around this is to work locally. With a tax number it is relatively easy to find work (again gumtree. com). Mini jobs start at around AUD 25 per hour. and can be ridiculously high for really simple tasks. It’s not uncommon to earn $ 35 / hour for things like handing out flyers. But don’t be put off by these high prices. The stay will be worth every penny! According to answerresume, the UTS is also compared to other universities cheap in tuition fees.

Last but not least, take AT LEAST 10 days off to travel. A road trip along the East Coast is extremely popular and not without reason. The country and its people are extremely impressive. Unfortunately, I haven’t been to the West, but that’s supposed to be very impressive too. One should not leave the continent without having seen another part of Australia. Who knows when you’ll make it back. A trip to a Southeast Asian country is also ideal due to the proximity (dream destinations such as Bali). However, Sydney has the most beautiful and breathtaking nature that I have ever seen. If you choose Sydney, a cosmopolitan city with 80 beaches awaits you, just 2 hours away by bus, presenting national parks and picture-perfect beaches.