Aside from being a haven for migrants and expatriates, Australia is also a prime destination for students from around the globe. And it only makes sense, the country cradles some of the best universities in the world, plus a whole lot of other perks and advantages.
But we have to admit, the life of a foreign student here is never straightforward. It is laden with surprises (“We can drink tap water here?!), disappointments (“I thought it’s always beach season here.”), and culture shocks (“I volunteered to take the wheel aaand it’s right-hand drive!”). But fear not. We have gathered the things every aspiring foreign learner needs to know before if they want to set foot here and get their precious degree from the Land Down Under.
The Student visa (subclass 500) allows you to come and stay here in Australia to study full-time until your course is finished. However, you need first to be accepted in a recognised education institution in the country before you may apply for the visa. And a forewarning: it can be expensive.
We understand, you miss mom and dad, and your BFF needs to see that tropical henna you got, but consuming your entire day communicating and updating people from home is a no-no. Australia is teeming with people, places, and things to be discovered.
So go outside, meet people, join clubs, create your network, eat Aussie food, and explore the places. Australia is a free-market place of (purely legal) activities. You can update your family and friends under five minutes (that’s what social media is for), then get out. It’s an exciting world out there. Within these are hidden opportunities you may never find again when you get back to your country. So don’t waste time. Carpe diem!
And since you are already out...
We know, we know. A few days in Australia, especially in bigger cities, brings out the inner child from people. What with the cool atmosphere and the quirky architectures and… is that a living statue? Better take a picture with it!
Despite the ultra-low crime rate, some pick pockets still roam in the crowds here. So be alert, ditch the souvenir t-shirt and the digital camera hanging on your neck, and stop zoning out. You don’t want to have that precious allowance be a goner.
And speaking of allowance…
Australia fosters independence and resourcefulness among its youth, which is why it gives foreign students the opportunity to work while studying. However, you can only start working once your course has commenced. You will be allowed to work for 40 hours per fortnight (fortnight = 2 weeks) if your course is in session. If not, you can work for as long as you want. Employment that is a registered part of your course won’t be part of this 40 hour-limit. So yes, you will have a lot of options coming.
Most likely than not, you have a bank account in your country. Get this, withdrawing them here in Oz can get you ridiculous amount of fees. Opening a bank account can be more practical, especially if you want to be employed and earn some side cash. Not to mention, some banks here offer considerable interest rates, all while saving you from a lot of banking fees.
Back home, getting a D on your card means you have to rethink your life of partying and skipping classes, probably while having a drink or two. Here in Oz, receiving a D means your hard work paid off and it’s a reason to be happy, probably while also having a drink or two (there is always a reason to drink, doesn't it).
A grade of D means “Distinction,” and is equivalent to an A in other countries. Other grades include (in descending order) C or Cr for Credit, P for Pass, PC for Pass Conceded, and N for Fail, which are respectively equivalent for B, C, C-, D, and F. Anything higher than D is HD, for High Distinction.
Students from the United States and Canada will come here during June expecting to see a lot of sun and warm weather, thus bringing only their loosest clothes and sandals. And alas! They are greeted by a chilly winter.
If you are from the northern hemisphere, anticipate Australia’s seasons to be a complete reversal. The warmest months are from December to February (during summer) while the coldest are June to August (winter season). And this gets more complicated depending on wherever you are in the country. Likewise, never rely too much on the weather forecast. Be ready for anything.
If you just landed here and excited to see the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, and Ayers Rock within your first year (they sure would look great in a single Instagram collage), then we need to tell you to quit that fantasy.
Most people live here all their lives and never visited all of them. Because Australia is huge, and there’s no way to exaggerate it. It takes a lot of money and time to visit these one by one. Unless you have lots of disposable income, then it would be possible. Slightly.
Unlike in the United States, Canada, or much of Europe, Australians still hold on to their coins. They never relegate them to be just stuck between cushions and be forgotten. That’s because the one and two Australian dollar denominations are still in form of loose change.
And what can these coins buy? A liter of gasoline (AU$1.28), a kilo of potatoes (AU$3.14), a liter of whole milk (AU$1.38), a kilo of apples (AU$4.00), or a piece of bread for a day for two people (AU$2.22). Losing these metal currency means wasting the money that can buy you everyday things.
In a recently published 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), six universities made it to the top 100 best research and academic institutions in the world. The prestigious international ranking included The University of Melbourne, The University of Queensland, The Australian National University, Monash University, University of Sydney, and The University of Western Australia.
This year’s ranking displayed a huge improvement for some of these and other Australian universities as more than half of the public universities in the country are now included in the top 500 list. So without further ado, let’s take a glance to the top six academic institutions in the country that are now among the world’s best 100.
Website: unimelb.edu.au
Global Ranking: 40
National Ranking: 1
Founded in: 1853
With its main campus located in Parkville north of the Melbourne central business district, the University of Melbourne is the second oldest university in the country and the oldest in Victoria. It constitutes of 11 academic units operating separately.
Itis well connected with many academic and research institutes such as the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. The university has 15 graduate schools such as the Melbourne Law School, the Melbourne Medical School, and the Melbourne Business School.
According to the 2015 QS World University Rankings by Subject, the University of Melbourne ranked 5th in the world for education, 8th in law, 13th in computer science and IT, 13th in arts and humanities, 14th in accounting and finance, 14th in dentistry, and 18th in medicine.
Remarkable alumni:
Website: uq.edu.au
Global Ranking: 55
National Ranking: 2
Founded in: 1909
One of the sandstone universities (Australia's oldest tertiary education institutions), the University of Queensland is principally a research university, dedicated in generating research and producing graduate students. It consolidates various research institutions like the Sustainable Minerals Institute, the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, and the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, among others.
Through the years, UQ has produced world-changing researches such as the still continuing pitch drop experiment, the advancement in high-performance superconducting MRI magnets for portable scanning of human limbs, and the renowned HPV vaccine invention against cervical cancer.
The university is constantly in the top 0.5 percent of all major world university rankings. The Economist Intelligence Unit and The Australian Financial Review rates the Business School's flagship MBA program as the best in Australia and the Asia Pacific.
Noteworthy alumni:
Website: anu.edu.au
Global Ranking: 77
National Ranking: 3
Founded in: 1946
The only university to have been created by the Parliament of Australia, the Australian National University is a national research university situated in the country’s capital, Canberra. It consistently found itself ranked among the world’s top academic institutions, and boasts of six Nobel laureates among its faculty and alumni.
It comprises of seven colleges: Arts and Social Sciences, Asia and the Pacific, Business and Economics, Engineering and Computer Science, Law, Medicine, Biology and Environment, and Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Also, the university has already schooled two Prime Ministers, 30 of Australia’s current Ambassadors, and more than a dozen current heads of the Australian Government departments.
Noteworthy alumni:
Website: monash.edu
Global Ranking: 79
National Ranking: 4
Founded in: 1958
The second oldest university in Victoria after the University of Melbourne, Monash University is a public research university and is the only Australian member of the prominent M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies. It also cradles the Australian Synchrotron and the Australian Stem Cell Centre.
Monash University is home to 47,000 undergraduate and 20,000 graduate students, and recieves more applicants than any university in Victoria. It has produced CEOs for the 500 largest companies worldwide, skyrocketing its status as one of two Australian universities to be ranked in the The École des Mines de Paris (Mines ParisTech), placing it in the top 20% in teaching, top 10% in international outlook, top 20% in industry income and top 10% in research for the current year.
Its centers extend beyond the Australia, too. The university has a graduate research school in Mumbai, India, a teaching and research center in Prato, Italy, and a graduate school in Jiangsu Province, China.
Noteworthy alumni:
Website: sydney.edu.au
Global Ranking: 82
National Ranking: 5
Founded in: 1850
Also one of the sandstones, the country’s very first university has formidable reputation in the field of Law, Education, Medicine, Accounting and Finance, with the 2016 QS World University Rankings by Subject positioning it at 11th, 16th, 17th, and 18th, respectively, in the global ranking. Through its history, six prime ministers, and 24 justices of the High Court of Australia, including four chief justices have been educated here. Also, it has five Nobel and two Crafoord laureates among its affiliations as graduates and faculty.
The University of Sydney is the result of the expansion of the Sydney College into a larger institution, reasoning that a state university is compulsory in the growth of the society. Currently, it is a member of prestigious academic organizations such as the Academic Consortium 21, Group of Eight, the Australia-Africa Universities Network (AAUN), and the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning.
Noteworthy alumni:
Website: uwa.edu.au
Global Ranking: 96
National Ranking: 6
Founded in: 1911
Another member of the sandstone universities, the University of Western Australia is the oldest educational institution of its kind in the region. The intensive-research university was established as part of an act by Western Australian Parliament, though it never began teaching students until 1913. Throughout its existence, it had educated one Australian Prime Minister, one Nobel Prize laureate, and 100 Rhodes Scholars.
To further its research projects, it established over 80 research centres and institutes, such as the Centre for Energy, the Energy and Minerals Institute, the Oceans Institute, and the Centre for Software Practice. The main campus is situated in Perth.
Noteworthy alumni: