Study Abroad at UNSW in Sydney, Australia

I cant articulate sufficiently how you simply must study at UNSW. Like I wish I could type harder and you could visually see how excited I am about this school. I had such an incredible experience that I decided I couldn't leave and now I'm starting a Masters in International Relations in order to delay going back home.

First: The Support
-I called the International Office prepared to listen to automated answering and wait forever to speak to a human. I was wrong! 2 rings later, wonderful Kate answered and immediately started helping me. As a US Army veteran I was particularly concerned with the tuition coverage paperwork but she put me in contact with all the right people and thats when I knew I would be alright. Her and Michelle, the director are Queens divine and bend over backwards to make sure you are squared away.

Second: The Classes and Campus
-The campus is gorgeous with a beautiful lawn in front of the library. Its constantly littered with groups of students laughing and studying. The professors are top quality and will push you to your academic potential.

Third: The City
OH LAWD. I cant even start. Beaches on one side, harbour bridge and the opera house on the other. Surry hills pubs, bondi junction shopping, kings cross clubs, the coogee to bondi coastal walk, moonlight cinemas, the list is endless. The bus system is straight legit, you hardly ever have to wait longer than 10 mins and the buses go everywhere! Thats not even getting into the rest of Australia, the eastern coast, the great barrier reef, Ayers rock (uhluru), skydiving, hang gliding, wine vineyards, hot air balloon rides. OH you gotta do a party boat. Best memories ever!

Fourth: The Weather: Its hot and luxuriously gorgeous NOV-MAR, and sort of cold from JUN-SEP. Sunny like at least 20 days a month. Its a bit like heaven basically.

CAUTION: THE EXPENSES!
Most expensive city in history. Come with lots of money if you want to have a social/fun life. Most meals are between 12-15 dollars, housings in about 900-1100 for a decent room not shared with 8 others. Just bring lots of money.

DO IT! You want the best memories of your life? Then get started!
Also, for you US Veterans, Im using my GI Bill here and its AWESOME!

I studied at UNSW for a semester and I can honestly say that it was the best semester of my uni-degree.

It is a very international university which is good because you never feel like you're the outsider coming from far away. However, at the same time it would have been nice to engage more with the local people and have more Australians in my classes instead of it mainly being other international students.

The academic standard did feel somewhat lower compared to what I'm used to coming from Europe, but I am assuming it is due to the very flexible system Australians have where it seems they can pretty much combine any undergradute with a masters while I have done my the entire degree within the same field. So just be aware of that when choosing subjects. Also the education system is very different from what is know in Europe.. in the social sciences we had a lof of assignments through out the semester and then no exams. Something very new to me.

The social vibe is really great at UNSW. There are a lot of clubs to join and a great deal of parties where you can engage with the locals ;) Everything you need is on campus from hairdresser to a supermarket.
And the city of Sydney and the opera house is only a bus ride away!

Overall I did really like it and it was definitely the right thing for me and not something I regret at all. Sydney is an amazing city and UNSW is a great place to study.

I entered the University of New South Wales Study Abroad program on the recommendation of a friend, but otherwise knew little about the university or Australian culture in general. Almost immediately upon my arrival, I felt properly assimilated into my new surroundings; this is of course a testament to the incredible work of the UNSW study abroad staff.

From an academic perspective, I found the curriculum to be as challenging or as carefree as I desired. There was no shortage of challenging, intellectually-stimulating courses for me to consider, across a wide variety of disciplines. If I had one academic regret from my time there, it would be that I did not engage in my classes (and their intelligent, accomplished professors) more fully.

From a social perspective, Australia possesses a unique and welcoming culture. Australians have no inherent bias against Americans, and are ready and willing to accept travelers into their inner circles, even if just for the evening. Moreover, the American students with whom I traveled shared a unique bond and opted to spend a significant amount of time together during our stint abroad, which I later discovered was unique when compared to friends' experiences in other countries. One student from my orientation class loved her experience enough that she chose to return to Sydney full time after college (she still resides there).

Simply put, my experience at the University of New South Wales was one of the best decisions I have made in my entire life. I emerged from my time there with a newfound appreciation for my future, as well as what the world had to offer. And to this day I remain close friends with several of my American classmates I met there. Don't think - go!

Going to UNSW was by far the best choice I could have made with my study abroad experience. The school itself is absolutely beautiful and really catered to every type of student. I think the best part about it was the location. Being in Sydney made it so easy for me to experience as much of Australia as I could. You've got Coogee beach right down the road and are a short bus ride from downtown Sydney. Made for a great jumping point to explore other areas of the country like the Great Barrier Reef.
The University also always had some great activities going on, from concerts to wine country tours as well as a lot of great competitive and recreational sports teams.
One of the best parts was the classes. I got to take a Marine Sciences class where we actually got to go out and learn first-hand about what we were studying, by examining marine life in bays near the University.
I met some of my closest friends at UNSW and wish every day I could go back and do it all again.

Where do I begin on this. First, I'm 28 and working now full-time. I would tell you if you can afford it, or even if you can't to try to go. You won't have the opportunity to spend so much time in a great place like Australia when you have a full-time job. Your college years allow you to do this.

Study abroads will be the trips that you will look back on happily and even get depressed from time to time just because they are so fantastic and because you wish you were there. You will bond so easily with everyone in the program, and you can build connections in the future. I personally went to Darwin, Uluru, Sydney and then Cairns. Study abroads allow you to receive credit and have a structured plan that allows you to get the most bang for your buck in terms of seeing what the country has to offer. UNSW is a leading school, and it was great to be there. It's also in a great location, in a wonderful city, that will always give you something to see.

I absolutely loved my experience abroad. The staff at the Study Abroad office at UNSW were an exceptionally friendly group of individuals dedicated to making sure my experience in Sydney was amazing. I was 100% satisfied with their diligence, friendliness and support.