Organizational matters before departure

It is worth planning the exchange as early as possible, preferably six months in advance. The preparation is extremely simplified thanks to the extraordinary support of MicroEDU (http://www. MicroEDU. com) and it is therefore highly recommended to plan the exchange with their help. Simply provide the requested documents such as certificates and English proof of English, submit the application form to MicroEDU and apply for the visa (cost AUD 540). MicroEDU ‘s service is free. It is also worthwhile to have a look at further experience reports and additional information on their homepage.

In addition, you should contact the crediting office of your own university as early as possible so that the courses can be planned. At the UTS, the courses are chosen before the exchange begins, which makes the start at the university much easier, as there is no need to look for courses / course places on site.

It is advisable to find a place to live before you leave. The UTS has its own housing for students, which you can apply for and which, I heard, is a good place to live. For your own apartment you should arrive early, which is not compatible with summer exams at your own university, as apartments are rare and living in Sydney is generally expensive. Since I went with my boyfriend, we looked for a room with a bathroom in an apartment near the city center via Airbnb, which in retrospect was really a very good solution for us, but of course it is also a bit luck. The kitchen made it possible for us to cook at home and not always go out, and we could do some college things at the dining table if we didn’t want to go to the library. The cost of our room was around CHF 1,500 a month.

University of Technology, Sydney, courses and examination system

The UTS is located very centrally in the city center and is not very spread out, although it is correspondingly large with over 30,000 students. Each department has a separate building within walking distance, which makes orientation easier. The library is close to the main building, very large and modern. Places are actually always available. The university is very new and progressive. The secretariat and the contact persons for exchange students are very friendly and helpful and everything just worked. Inquiries were answered quickly and competently.

The UTS has a very wide range of courses for a wide variety of fields of study. All courses are listed in the course catalog and provided with detailed information. The courses usually require all three different achievements, for example two written assignments and a final examination. In general, the effort during the semester should not be underestimated because a lot of papers are written. On the one hand, the weight for the final exam is usually less than 50% and, on the other hand, the learning phase of around one to two weeks is very short and pleasant.

I have taken the following courses:

• 23706 Economics for Management
• 21926 Managing Culture and Change
• 21129 Managing People and Organizations

Economics for Management is a postgraduate course that is a compulsory subject for most business degrees. The examinations consist of a written paper, a midterm and a final. The course covers half of the micro and half of the macro fundamentals. It is demanding because of the speed, but starts at zero and is therefore not too difficult for students who already have previous knowledge.

Managing Culture and Change is a postgraduate course that is an elective at UTS which stands for University of Technology Sydney according to abbreviationfinder. The examinations consist of two written papers and a presentation (no final). The course primarily deals with the difficulty of bringing about a cultural change in a company. It is not very demanding, but the evaluation is not necessarily a gift either. Good grades are certainly possible.

Managing People and Organizations is an undergraduate course that is part of the assessment of new business undergraduate students. Accordingly, the rating was surprisingly rather harsh. Again, however, it is quite possible to finish the course with very good grades. In terms of content, it covers a wide variety of management topics on a very general level. I would not necessarily recommend the course to others, as it remained very general and in the end an infinite number of different concepts (somewhat arbitrary) had to be memorized. And with the written work, too, the main goal was to learn to write work, which severely restricted the content of the topics.

Generally speaking, the courses are good and the teachers are professional. The level varies depending on the course, but it is a very good university with a good reputation and high quality of education.

Region and country

With a population of over 4. 5 million, Sydney is Australia’s largest city. The city ​​offers everything you could want and more. There are many shops and restaurants and Sydney has a good bus system. The coastal walks around Sydney, which offer beautiful views of the sea, are highly recommended. Sydney is also very well located for further excursions in Australia. Various excursion options are offered everywhere. We have had very good experiences with the Travel Bugs agency. There are cheap bus trips up and down the coast (in the spring break we took the bus up the east coast to Cape Tribulation in 2. 5 weeks, which was rather short in time, but it was enough) and cheap domestic flights or train excursions to various regions of the Landes (weekend trips to the Blue Mountains, Canberra or for a long weekend a flight to Ayers Rock are recommended). Since the semester begins in July, it ends in early / mid-November (depending on the exams). So after the semester we still had 5 weeks to travel south (Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Adelaide) and arrived home on time for Christmas. The island of Tasmania directly below Melbourne is highly recommended as an insider tip.

Costs

The price level in Australia and especially in expensive Sydney can be compared with that in Switzerland. The university fees for the semester were AUD 7,000 for the 3 courses I took (100% would be 4 courses, but three are highly recommended for students who also want to see something from the country). Above all, the housing costs are high (see above, we paid around CHF 1,500 per month for our (beautiful, central and quiet) room with its own bathroom, the student apartments at the university are roughly comparable in price per person, as far as I know Food costs are the same as in Switzerland, the flight costs around CHF 2,000, and Australian health insurance is mandatory This costs around CHF 200 for the semester. Accordingly, including travel (which is very worthwhile) and depending on the exchange rate, a budget of a good CHF 20,000 should be expected.

Tips

• Visit Orientation Week
• Use the help service for writing written work from Helps (in the main building)
• Opposite the library are the Paddy’s Markets with a large food court for an inexpensive lunch. We also recommend a tour of the market with food and souvenirs in the basement of the building.
• Close a bank account at Commonwealth Bank (free of charge)
• Obtain an opal card for the bus system on site
• Take out a mobile phone subscription in Australia (Vodafone is the cheapest, but does not work everywhere, Telstra is definitely recommended for many trips, especially to the center of Australia or the west coast)
• Also visit the suburbs of Sydney, which are a big part of the city’s charm
• Book trips through Travel Bugs
• At the beginning of the semester it is winter in Sydney, so it is cool (the maximum daily temperature in my first week in Sydney was 7 degrees) a winter jacket and warm clothes are therefore highly recommended.

Conclusion

The exchange was an incredibly valuable experience. You get to know a lot of people very quickly and the Australians are extremely friendly and helpful, you experience a different culture and the region around Sydney is really beautiful. Australia is definitely worth a visit and is incredibly diverse. You should therefore plan enough time for excursions. I would do the exchange again at any time and can recommend it to everyone.