I studied law at Griffith University and I definitely don’t want to miss this experience.
The Griffith University (Southport) Gold Coast campus is nice and big, but not too big to get lost. There is a library, cafes, a university bar and a sports field with a beach volleyball field.
The location of the university is pretty good, as it is about 20 minutes from Surfers Paradise (by bus) and you are right at the beach and in the party zone. There are also plenty of shopping opportunities in and around Southport. There is also an airport on the Gold Coast from which you can reach any destination with the low-cost airlines.
At the beginning of the course you receive a lot of information on an Orientation Day (1 week before the start of the course) in order to get a little start-up help for the course. But that was more fanfare than helpful. You can get most of it out yourself when the actual lectures begin.
After Orientation Day, I took a trip to Byron Bay, where you got to know a large number of the other international students. That was really great, because you get to know a lot of people right away and make connections and learn to surf, hike, chill on the beach and party. I can highly recommend this.
I really enjoyed the course itself. It was easier than in Germany. At the beginning it takes a while to get used to all the technical terms, but you get used to them very quickly. In addition, the lecturers are very nice and helpful. I took three courses. A course always consisted of a lecture and an accompanied tutorial. In the tutorial, the material from the lecture was discussed in depth again. The tutorials are always very small groups in contrast to the lecture. That was always very pleasant and you could memorize the material even better. You could always download all the documents you need for the lecture from the Internet (Griffith Portal). It was practical and easy. However, books are expensive and the library is not well stocked with items that you can borrow. Often books that I wanted to borrow were already gone.
See recipesinthebox for more information about Australia and Oceania.
When choosing a course, you should always pay attention to the course numbers, as the first number always stands for the number of semesters, i.e. for course number 4013, 4 stands for the 4th semester. The lower the first number, the easier the price is.
You have exams during the semester and at the end. But you can do that well and it is not an excessive learning curve.
The law course was very different from my German course. But I still enjoyed studying there and getting an insight into a different legal system.
I lived in Griffith University Village, which is right next to the university. The university is about 5 minutes’ walk away. I really liked it there because you share a 5-room apartment with other international students. Everyone has their own room and you share 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room and the balcony. This way you get to know your roommates very quickly.
However, you don’t have to apply there straight away from Germany. Most of the time there are still rooms available on site and it is sufficient to drop by the office after arriving and ask. The rent is quite high, but that’s the same when you move to Surfers Paradise and you have to pay a deposit. Internet is then added separately. This is not included in the rent.
The apartment is fully furnished, but you have to get bedclothes and kitchen utensils yourself. When moving in you have to fill out an inspection form and you should be pretty precise and list every deficiency in the room or in the common areas, because otherwise every little thing will be attracted to the deposit when moving out.
The village also has a pool, which was very useful on hot days to cool off for a while. There is a sunbathing area with a few loungers. Then you didn’t have to go to the sea first. There is also a basketball court and a barbecue area where you can always grill. There is also a TV and computer room and a laundrette with washing machines and dryers. But you always need change because it is not free.
Some people have also moved to Surfers Paradise, which is an option too. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the university, but it is right on the beach and where the party goes in the evening.
During and after my studies I traveled a lot in Australia. There is simply a lot to see and discover and you can always find time for it, even during your studies.
Overall, the semester at Griffith was very nice and full of experience. So if you decide to go to university, you will have a lot of fun there and meet a lot of nice people !!!!
