A renowned university and a pleasant climate in the “Sunshine State” – choosing Griffith University was not difficult!
Many factors went into my decision to join Griffith University on the Gold Coast. On the one hand, of course, the subject orientation and the range of courses, on the other hand, the location, the weather, and possible activities in the area. My expectations were not disappointed! But now in order:
So much to plan…
When my desired university was determined, it was time to apply after collecting all the relevant documents. Thanks to the competent and very friendly advice from MicroEDU, this process turned out to be very pleasant. As soon as you have the approval, I can only advise you to apply for the visa as soon as possible. Even if this is usually approved quickly, processing times can vary. And with a time buffer you are on the safe side in the event of delays.
Course choice
If you then deal with the choice of course, you will find that there is very detailed information about the courses offered and that you can get a good idea of the course content in this way. It is necessary to make a preselection and submit a transcript of your academic achievements from your home university, as selected courses must first be approved by Griffith. This ensures that you are only admitted to courses that are manageable in terms of difficulty. So it is better to specify a few more courses, as one or the other will not be approved. If you want to have the courses passed abroad credited to your home university later, you should clarify the choice of course with them in advance.
As stressful as it all sounds, this planning saves you unpleasant surprises later and, once you arrive, you can concentrate fully on finding your way around the new university. If you have not yet made your final choice, you can still select or deselect courses within a certain period of time.
Flight and arrival
I booked my flight to Brisbane through STA Travel, including the return flight (this one from Singapore, however). This can sometimes be cheaper than booking the flights individually. If you are not sure about the date of your return flight, you can subsequently rebook it free of charge, provided that you book this rebooking option from the start for a surcharge of 15 euros (although it may be that rebooking on certain flights is excluded from this – have found out I only did this when I made the request for a possible rebooking).
You can register in advance for the free pick-up service from Griffith University, so that after the long journey you are brought to your destination accommodation in a relaxed manner. I can only recommend booking the latter in advance, regardless of whether it is a hostel or, for example, accommodation through AirBnB.
Apartment Search
I arrived with a friend a few days before the start of the orientation week, so that we could look for a permanent place to stay on site. In our experience, this search can take a few days. We wanted to move to Surfers Paradise, happily in a flat share with non-German speaking roommates. For this we had looked at advertisements on www.flatmates.com.au and www.gumtree.com.au, but we had also created an advertisement for us as apartment hunters. Since we couldn’t find anything suitable that way, we decided to rent an entire apartment on our own and look for roommates ourselves. The latter worked extremely well, so we ended up living with two Spanish women. Finding the apartment itself was a bit more complicated, as many apartments are sold through brokers and have to be rented for at least six months. You can also try to go through various systems individually and ask about vacant apartments at the reception. So we found what we were looking for, even if it took a bit of patience (so don’t give up too quickly, there seemed to be some vacant apartments, especially in the northern part of Surfers Paradise).
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Living on the Gold Coast, especially Surfers Paradise, isn’t exactly cheap. Each of us paid around 500 euros a month for a shared bedroom. Our apartment was beautiful and right on the beach promenade. The “Surfers Paradise North” tram station was right in front of the building, from where it only took 17 minutes to get to the university.
Transport
While I’m on the subject of transportation: the best way to get from Surfers Paradise to the university is by tram. Overall, this currently ranges from Broadbeach to the University Hospital. If you want to get to other parts of the Gold Coast, you can take advantage of the bus service. Regardless of whether it’s a tram, bus or train, the GoCard gives you a discount on your journeys. Once bought, the GoCard can be topped up with credit at the machine (it is essential to register for the Student Concession, so you can even travel for half the price). A ride to the university and back to Surfers Paradise costs about $ 3.20 with a discount. Very important: tap the GoCard both when boarding and disembarking at the designated stations, as the fare is calculated according to the distance traveled. If you forget to grope after getting out,
