Basically, no final exams are written at the university that count 100%, as we know from Germany. During your studies you always have individual assignments, mid-exams and sometimes also small online tests. You are pretty busy with the university during your studies, but that’s perfectly fine. But in the end you don’t have an exam that makes a lot of decisions. The final grade is then made up of the results of all exams that you have taken during your studies. This system wasn’t really wrong in my opinion, that way I was able to take a lot more with me.
In Australia I attended the following bachelor courses:
Urban Ecology and Biodiversity
The course consisted of a weekly lecture and a laboratory day, which took place every two weeks. My professor in this course attached great importance to linking theory and practice. Most of the things that were discussed in the lecture were examined again in practice. In the course I had a mid-semester exam, an assignment (5000 words), a laboratory workbook and a final exam. The course was a bit complex but was worth it.
Various learners in the Contemporary Classroom
In this course we learned the principles of inclusion in schools. In doing so, we theoretically addressed all forms of disability that can occur in mainstream schools and were given practical options for action. Here, too, some practical actions were demonstrated on how the lessons could be designed. In addition, I got to know quite a few new teaching methods. This course consisted of a weekly lecture and tutorial.
Language & Communication for Science
In this course the academic writing and editing of texts was essentially taught. Sometimes a few grammar rules and vocabulary were refreshed in the tutorial. The course wasn’t really time consuming and helped me improve my English. This course also consisted of a weekly lecture and tutorial.
4. Life and leisure time
Basically, the cost of living in Australia is quite high compared to Germany. Everything costs a little more than in Germany. But after a certain amount of time you settle in and you know where you can buy cheap products. Most people in Australia shop at Coles and Woolworth, which would correspond to EDEKA in Germany. Bed linen and other household items are best bought from Kmart. Kmart is something like IKEA. Otherwise there is a steak for $ 3 in Restaurant Waxys on Sundays and Mondays, which is also good.
There is definitely no shortage of leisure activities on the Gold Coast. There are plenty of national parks around surfers like Springbrook, Lamingtion or Tamborine, where you can easily get there and back in one day. The beach at Burleigh Heads or Stradbroke Island is also very beautiful. All of this can be done very well in one day. Another thing I can recommend is the sunrise in Mount Warning. You have to walk up the mountain before sunrise, which can be a bit exhausting, but it’s definitely worth it for the view. Domestic flights are very cheap in Australia. The cheap airlines include TigerAir, which is comparable to RainAir. This makes it easy to fly to Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns for a long weekend. During your studies you also have a week’s vacation that you can use for a longer trip.
Surfers also has plenty of bars, clubs and cafes to offer. There is something for everybody. If you register for the clubs during O-Week, you have free entry to many clubs for the entire semester. I also got my open water diving license, which was incredibly cool. With my license I went diving in the Great Barrier Reef after the semester. You could go diving in the reef without a license, but not deep (about 8m) and only with an instructor who holds you.
During the semester I made very good friends and in four weeks after the semester we drove along the whole east coast with many stops. This is a good option and is a nice end to Australia.
5. Financing
I financed my semester abroad with the help of the Hans Böckler Foundation, for which I am very grateful. The scholarship covered the tuition fees for me and I received a lump sum abroad, which was a great financial support.
See cancermatters for more information about Australia and Oceania.
In addition to the DKB credit card, I have opened a bank account at the Australian bank ANZ. I then withdrew larger and larger amounts from my DKB card free of charge and transferred them directly to my ANZ card. With the ANZ card I was able to pay anywhere free of charge for the entire semester. You can pay anywhere with the DKB card, but you pay a small fee. The fee is not high, but it accumulates over time. In total, I spent around € 15,000 over the six months.
Statement of costs
Flight: € 1,300.00
Tuition fees: € 5,400.00
Visa: € 360.00
Monthly expenses: approx. € 1,300.00
6 months stay: approx. € 15.00
6. Conclusion
You’ve probably read the following sentence in many other reports and I didn’t think I’d write that, but the semester abroad on the Gold Coast was the best time I’ve ever had. I made so many friends in Australia and experienced a lot of great things, so I can only recommend the semester abroad on the Gold Coast. The relaxed, friendly nature of the Australians, the closeness to the beach, the sun and all the wild, beautiful animals have a positive influence on how we feel in Australia. If I had the chance to do another semester abroad in Australia, I would take it immediately.
I also think it’s great that the Hans Böckler Foundation made it possible for me to have this experience. Also a big thank you to the friendly staff at MicroEDU who always had answers to my many questions.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Otherwise, have fun with the planning and have a good time in Australia 😉
