My name is Silvana and I’m in the 4th semester of studying multimedia and communication at Ansbach University. It was already clear to me from the start of my studies that I wanted to do a semester abroad in Australia and when I got the wanderlust, I applied at Griffith University in Australia at the end of the 2nd semester with the help of MicroEDU. The decision was not difficult for me because I wanted to go to the sea somewhere – so the Gold Coast was a great choice.
Application and organization
Filling out the documents was actually no problem, and I could always write to MicroEDU or Sabine if I had any questions. After six weeks, I received my confirmation at the beginning of August and thus had enough time to prepare for my semester abroad from February.
I booked my flight through a travel agency, which I can only recommend to everyone, as you always have a direct contact person there if you want to rebook your flight, for example.
To finance the semester abroad, you can apply for BAföG abroad, which you should do in good time, as the processing time takes a little longer and of course it is not sure whether you will be supported. It is also possible to apply for different scholarships.
Apartment Search
When looking for an apartment, it depends on what exactly you are looking for. If you only want a bed in a “shared room”, it is not difficult at all and you can find something within a few days. However, if you are looking for several people who all want a room to themselves, the search will take a little longer.
I recommend that you take a look at the “Gumtree” or “Flatmates” pages, or simply ask at the hotel reception – this is how we found our apartment. I lived with two other girls in the middle of Surfers Paradise in the “Genesis” – a hotel with many apartments. We had one with a single and a twin room. Since we always swapped places after six weeks, everyone had a room to themselves, but it wasn’t a problem to share a room with another person, as we got along really well. Our apartment was really big, we also had a balcony with a sea view.
Surfers Paradise is the center of the Gold Coast, here you can easily go to the beach, do good shopping and also have a great party. It’s 25 minutes by tram to the university, but that wasn’t a problem at all.
See relationshipsplus for more information about Australia and Oceania.
Also, be prepared for the fact that the rent or the cost of living in Australia in general are more expensive, but it is possible to find something for $ 150 a week.
Everyday university life
The Griffith Gold Coast campus is really big and at the beginning I felt a bit like a zoo because of all the birds and trees, haha. Overall, everything is really nice and new, you can actually relax or study anywhere. There are a few cafes, restaurants and a university bar. There are also many other shops, such as the university store or a hairdresser. There is also a regular market where you can buy delicious food with a good atmosphere and live music.
The Griffith looks very organized, for example there is an app with which you can find all kinds of information or a campus map. Even before the beginning of the semester, you will receive a lot of useful information, such as help with enrolling.
An orientation week takes place one week before the official start of studies, in which you can get to know many people and the university better. Whether you want to try typical Australian food, join clubs or get information on Griffith offers – you should definitely not miss the Orientation Week. If you like to party, you should also sign up for the list at the stands – you will then receive a card with which you can, for example, go to the clubs free of charge.
Furthermore, the range of courses is really very good, you will find a lot of and different courses, so there should be something for everyone.
I chose the courses “World Cinema”, “Television Studies” and “Creative Thinking”, all three of which were very interesting and not difficult either. In general, you don’t have to worry – with three or four courses you definitely have enough free time, but of course it depends on whether you put pressure on yourself to perform or not.
In my courses we were a very small group of no more than 20 people and depending on the course there were lectures, tutorials or seminars. The relationship with the professors or tutors was quite relaxed, so you always get help if you don’t understand something and you can adjust to a fairly relaxed atmosphere – at least that’s how it was with me in the courses.
The exams or research papers are spread over the semester so that you do not have total stress at the end, so there are several (mostly three) certificates of achievement in each course. Since I didn’t have any written exams, I finished a little earlier than many of my friends.
By the way, the English wasn’t a problem for me, the professors or tutors speak quite clearly so that you can understand everything.
Leisure
The Gold Coast and Australia offer so many different things to do.
On the Gold Coast you can of course discover the rainforest by the sea or in the hinterland in Lamington or Springbrook National Park. But there are also many amusement parks or many other activities that you can look forward to.
For shopping it’s best to go to Cavill Avenue or to one of the shopping centers on Broadbeach or Southport. There is also an outlet center in Harbor Town, which I can only recommend to you (my backpack was so much heavier than I flew home: D).
Those who like to party will also get their money’s worth on the Gold Coast. By the way, on Thursdays we found the “bedroom” in the middle of surfers the best.
I saw the most beautiful sunset on the Gold Coast in Burleigh Heads and the most delicious food is in the mega cool Marketta Market with live music in Miami.
You can also eat cheaply every Sunday, Monday or Wednesday in Waxys, an Irish pub in Surfers – there you can get steak or chicken schnitzel for $ 3 + side dish.
It’s also very easy and not that expensive to get from one place to another, as the bus and train network on the Gold Coast is really very well developed. The best thing to do is to buy a GoCard at “SevenEleven” and after nine trips you can drive the rest of the week for free – even as far as Brisbane.
During the semester we also did small road trips or other excursions, for example to Byron Bay and the surrounding area. The best way to do this is to rent a car and just drive off. But it is also possible to fly to Sydney or Melbourne, especially during the semester break.
Australia is generally a beautiful and varied continent that I was able to discover with friends in the weeks after my semester. First we were in the outback, which I can really recommend to you. The atmosphere there is awesome and I will never forget how nice it was to sleep by the campfire under the stars. From Cairns we rented two vans and drove down the east coast to Brisbane. Whether diving in the Great Barrier Reef, sailing in the Whitsundays, camping on Fraser Island or just driving around and spending time together – it was just so beautiful.
Conclusion
If I could, I would repeat my semester abroad. I had an incredibly good time, experienced and seen so much and became more independent. But the most important thing is: I’ve made friends for life. Of course, at the beginning I was homesick and didn’t know how the time was supposed to go by, but at some point I felt really good – and suddenly the time flew by. Maybe at some point I can’t remember every conversation or moment, but Australia will forever remain one of the best times. If you have the chance, go for it! It’s worth it, I promise!:-)
