Study Abroad at University of Tasmania

This exchange has been a challenging experience, I had never had to take 100% of myself and I hadn't either been for a long period of time out of my country. I've been loving living on my own and having the freedom to decide how to manage my time, however, that has been a problem since I've been struggling to manage my study time properly. The way the university evaluates is pretty different than the way my university does it so it's been a little bit hard for me to get used to it, however, I believe that a proper time management would've made it easier. I feel that the university is really supportive and I love how they promote mental health and respect for diversity, I don't have that in my home university. The crew of student mobility is also very supportive and kind, so if you come and need help with anything, don't hesitate in asking for help.

I decided to live in the uni apartments because I didn't want to struggle finding a private house and I'm very satisfied: my room is big and the apartment is comfortable. The only thing I don't like is the hill we have to climb to get here and that apart from my roomates, it's not easy to meet more people in the accommodation. Fortunately, my roomies have been so nice and we usually do stuff together. The place is also pretty beautiful and along with other international students I've had the opportunity to roadtrip through Tassie to visit some iconic places and camping while doing that (they have a camping culture so it is very safe and easy to get a place to do it). If you're interested in doing that in k-mart you can buy a tent for 2 people at $12. I strongly recommend to take all the chances you have to visit as many places you can, it's totally worth it.

Hobart is beautiful, the air is so clean and it's a very safe town, the distance from uni to cbd can be walked but there're 2 supermarkets near the uni so you don't really have to go unless you want to do something specific. I've had some personal struggles but overall I've been loving this experience, I'm proud of how I've been taking care of myself , I think hat I've matured (I didn't even know how to cook) and I've certainly had lots of fun. I've met incredible people and although all of my units have been interesting, I've loved specially one of them and I think that it has helped me to decide what I want to do with my degree back home.

The facility and surrounding environment of UTAS is similar to EDUHK. The campus is located in the edge of the Hobart city. It is similar to EDUHK which near the Tai Po city center. The height of building is also low (about 3 floor) in the main campus. The different structure of two college consists of that UTAS have many campus or researching and teaching building which located in different district, city, states and country. The geographic surrounding environment of two university is similar. They also is linked up with the city by houses but not building.

The learning environment of UTAS is unique because there have many international students with Australia students, especially locals (Tassies) . Most of Western student use a pen and a notebook to go an lesson, Eastern students use electronic device in contrast. Some of locals even don't have a smart phone and a Facebook account. It's really shock me. Most of courses contains 1 hour lecture and 1 hour non-lecture class (discussion, experiment or field trip) separately every week. It also allow me to have more chance to know this place and people. The shorter time in lesson let those contents more easy to remember and understand because it's more easy to focus the lesson in 1 hour rather than 3 hour class in EDUHK.

The student learning support is really wonderful here. There is PASS session in most course here, which contains Peer Assisting Study Session. Those sessions are directed by some students who have done a great job in this course before. They will design different activities to let us to understand and remember those contents in lectures. They will also give some tips about the examination too!!! That really help me to study those course more effective.

There is more society or hobby clubs in UTAS. However, the society and club's cheering is not exist here. Therefore, the atmosphere of joining society is not rich in UTAS.

The exchange semester in Tasmania enlarge my life experience. The experience to study in another country with another education system was very interesting. UTAS is well organized and can always give you support, if you need it. UTAS has some special event all the time, they do free BBQ almost every Tuesday for lunch and sometime also for dinner. Hobart is a calm, nice little city. If you like the nature, Tasmania has a lot to offer. It’s not possible to see the hole island in one semester. There is a public transport between the city center and the University, but it is easier to walk. You need about 30 minutes to walk. On the way to the city center there is Center Sandy Bay where you can shop and eat.
The teachers at UTAS are very well. I study law and the law faculty is not too big, it is familiar. The teachers always answer your questions immediately. The law library is calm and has everything you need. I liked to study there a lot. They can’t offer your many courses. I was a little bit disappointed about the small number of different units.
My courses were well organized, and they gave the instruction for the course in the beginning and didn’t change during semester. During semester I did a lot of assignments, which I like to do. In the end you have an exam or take-home-exam which is not to stressful because you have already done so many assignments before.
The campus at Hobart is large. The infrastructure is sometimes a little old but still working. In the Moris Miller Library they have a lot of computer and printer to use.
UTAS offer a lot of sport programs. This clubs are very helpful to get in touch with people. I played Volleyball and joined the national tournament in Brisbane, this was great.
The only thing, what didn’t work well was the organization of an accommodation. I applied very early for a room and didn’t get a room. The problem was that all students must apply on an internet platform. I should have checked the platform every day, but I get the information that I would get an email. This was a misunderstanding, I didn’t get an email and miss the deadline to confirm the offering. I search for a temporary accommodation in Sandy Bay and found a shared house. The rent in Hobart is between 180 to 260 a week.

At UTAS you will meet heaps of international students from all around the world. I don't know the exact numbers, but I would estimate they make up to 75% of all students. In general, lecturers at UTAS try to vary within their teaching methods, which makes the lectures more exciting. In comparison to my German home University, I had plenty more assignments during the semester. Thus, the final grade of the unit better reflects the actual engagement and knowledge of the student. I also liked the online platform MyLo which can be used for several things, such as asking questions and submitting assessments.

Right from the beginning after my arrival, people were very open and helpful. It was no problem for me to adjust to the Australian culture. At University you constantly meet new people at the numerous events and during the orientation week. While traveling around, you will meet many other backpackers which are open-minded. I participated in many events run by the University (e.g. Sustainability picknick).

Unfortunately, the public transport in Hobart is very disappointing. I did not have a car or bike. I mainly walked. On weekends I studied, met friends, went to the city (e.g. the Salamanca market) and did several road trips together with some peers. In Tassie, there are plenty of beautiful places to discover. Just a few named here: Maria Island, Bruny Island, Montezuma Falls, Rainforests, Bay of Fires, Little Blue Lake, Port Arthur, Cataract Gorge, Cradle Mountain, Russell Falls, Wineglass Bay. Furthermore, have a look for bioluminescence and ghost mushrooms.

I stayed in a private accommodation 2.5 km away from University together with locals. Please consider that Hobart is very hilly. I rented one private room, a shared kitchen, and a shared bathroom. It is hard to say if the price of 170$/week (including water and electricity; excluding Internet) is reasonable because the house was in bad conditions without a proper heater. On the other hand, the student accommodations are much more expensive and currently, there is a high demand for accommodations in Hobart.

No matter where you go, there will always be challenges. The special thing about Tasmania and in particular about its University is, that people make you feel as if you were part of a huge lovely family. It doesn't take long until you don't want to leave anymore. Combined with the beautiful nature, the cleanest air in the world and the fluffy native animals, studying in Tassie will be a perfect experience.