When you arrive at UNSW, you immediately notice the spacious campus, where students from all over the world come together.
During the O-Week and also during the semester there is always something going on on campus. All clubs and societies present themselves, the Study Abroad Office offers an opening event with a barbecue and you can sit comfortably together in the Uni-Bar. You quickly meet new people from different cultural backgrounds.
Short for University of New South Wales by abbreviationfinder, UNSW is located in the Eastern Suburbs, one of Sydney’s better residential areas. The campus is ideal for beach trips after lectures. The city center is also just a short bus ride away.
Some of the university’s facilities are ultra-modern. The high library street of the university on the Upper Campus is impressive, accommodating everything from well-equipped study rooms to extensive bookshelves. There is also a chill-out lounge there.
Studies and courses
Initially, the Study Abroad Office is the first point of contact to find your way around and ask employees for advice and help. You will be informed about the course selection, the leisure and travel offers and all do’s and don’ts. You then use the first week of lectures to choose your courses. Once a course has been chosen, it can usually not be changed later. But you can also ask the staff about the attendance of the various courses. It should be noted, however, that some advanced or specialized master’s courses require a different subject. You can check this in the clear course catalog so that course registration is not a problem.
Studies at UNSW are divided into 4 courses per semester. One course corresponds to approx. 3 hours of lectures per week. The lecture is usually held in one piece with a short break in between. During the semester you can expect an assignment, a midterm and a final exam for each subject. Quizzes are also held in some courses. What you should know is that you have to attend most of the courses. If you have missed several times, it can happen that you are not admitted to the exam.
Most of the courses at ASB are recommended and you learn a lot there. Above all, the lecturers rely on linking theories and their practical application using case studies and assignments. It is not uncommon for assignment teams of different cultural compositions to develop solutions together, present them at the end of the semester and submit a practical paper.
Sydney city and people
Sydney is a great city and with its many beaches it offers an ideal combination of studying and leisure activities. You should definitely go out of the Eastern Suburbs and experience other parts of the city. We recommend Newtown and Glebe, which have their own charm. On the other hand, Paddington and of course Oxford Street are more trendy. Sydney offers a wide variety of cultural and festive activities. One of the highlights is certainly Mardi gras in February. Darling Harbor also offers a different attraction or event almost every weekend. By the way, the port is much nicer than the one in Melbourne.
For going out, we recommend testing the Ivy as the P1 from Sydney. Also worth mentioning are the many small bars on Oxford Street and the roof-top bars (Shangri-La), from which you have a perfect view of the city.
Traveling
You should definitely see the area around Sydney, as there are still some interesting beaches down the coast. A day trip to Canberra is also worthwhile. You could see the capital of Australia in half a day. Of course, the Blue Mountains are a popular destination. It is also just a short hop from Sydney to New Zealand. If you have a week in the semester break, it is worth visiting the southern island. But actually you don’t have to leave Australia, as there is so much to see on the East Coast.
More information
Arc membership (student club that is responsible for parties) is not worthwhile, unless you are studying for a bachelor’s degree and are at the University of New South Wales for a longer period of time
You shouldn’t get carried away on all of the trips organized by Study Abroad, as a price check is often worthwhile. But you always get to know people on the trips.
A trip to Manly Beach is highly recommended
Sydney also has a strong pub culture. Many pubs offer food that is very cheap for Sydney.
