Griffith University – Gold Coast Review (26)

Griffith University – Gold Coast Review (26)

Arrivals

I decided to take a few days vacation to Bali before my semester abroad at Griffith University in order to adapt to the time difference and to avoid the Australian ‘winter’. I can highly recommend this. From Bali I booked my flight to Brisbane at short notice and paid a total of around € 700 for my outbound flight. Griffith University offers a free shuttle service from Gold Coast Airport or Brisbane Airport which is really great if you are landing in Australia for the first time. Gold Coast (or Coolangatta) airport is closer, but the flights to Brisbane are usually cheaper, so I would recommend booking a flight to Brisbane. The driver then waits with a name tag at the airport

I can only recommend booking a hostel for the first week (Budds Beach, Surf’n’Sun) and looking for apartments on site. The students who lived in the University Village moved out quickly because it is very expensive (250 AUD / week), far away from the beach and more young students live there. Even if it sounds like a dream, many students have found accommodation in the high-rise buildings in Surfers Paradise, which are actually holiday apartments or hotels (Hilton, Q1, Focus Apartments, Imperial Surf) with a pool, gym, BBQ and tennis court. You can find these on Gumtree or you can walk through town and ask at the reception. The rent was between 110 AUD / week in a shared room and 200 AUD / week in a single room. In most cases electricity and internet are added to the rent. Many students have used the Internet provider Optus (for cell phones Optus, Vodafone or Lebara). You can either share an apartment with other international students or look for a shared house at gumtree.com.au or flatmates.com.au. Most of them live in Surfers Paradise, but some also live in Broadbeach, Main Beach or at the university.

Transport

A tram has been running from Broadbeach via Surfers Paradise to the university since July 2014. The drive from Surfers Paradise to the university takes about 20 minutes. For the tram you should get a GoCard (you can get it from 7Eleven, for example). This gives you a 20% discount on all trips or a 50% discount as a student. For the Student GoCard, however, not only the student ID is sufficient, you also need the TTCC, which you can apply for via the university (do it right at the beginning). The train runs every 15 minutes during the week. In addition to the train, there are also buses that cover other routes. You can get anywhere easily by bus and train, so you don’t actually need a car. If so, you can rent a car.

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Leisure

The Gold Coast offers many recreational opportunities. On the one hand, the apartments are mostly equipped with a pool, gym and tennis court, on the other hand, you live directly by the sea and can swim and surf there. Although Surfers Paradise is ironically not ideal for surfing, Burleigh Heads, Coolangatta or Byron Bay are better. There are also several rivers where you can SUP or kayak. In addition, there was a day at the university on which all leisure clubs introduced themselves. For example, you can join the outdoor club and take part in weekly activities such as a sunrise hike or hikes through national parks. Devocean Dive also introduced itself to us and offered the diving license 50% cheaper for students (250 AUD). Many took up the offer and obtained their diving license during the semester. There is also Seaworld, amusement parks like Dreamworld and water parks like Wet’n’Wild. The orientation trip to Byron Bay was worth it, as you got to know a lot of students, but in general you could have done all the activities much cheaper. Otherwise you can of course travel a lot. Many students have organized trips to Fraser Island, the Whitsunday Islands or Cairns. If you are lucky you can get a free campervan (e.g. transfercar, just google relocation car) and drive up the coast to Cairns. A lot of people went on a sailing trip in the Whitsunday Islands, I went on a day trip with Oceanrafting because I didn’t have much time and that was great. You can also book cheap domestic flights to Cairns, Sydney or Melbourne. You can also fly to Fiji or New Zealand. Many have made these big trips after the semester. You can party a lot in Surfers Paradise, but I recommend going out to Broadbeach. Why will you notice when you’ve been partying in Surfers Paradise.

Eat

In Australia, sushi is one of the cheapest meals one can get. Sushi rolls are often available for $ 2.50 per roll. In addition, the pizza at Dominos is very cheap. You can get a value pizza for 5 AUD that tastes good too. On Sunday and Monday you should go to the Irish Pub Waxys, they have steaks for 2 AUD. On Thursdays, depending on the season, Longboards burgers are available for AUD 10. Many restaurants also have other lunch specials until 4 p.m. Most of the shopping at Coles or Woolworths in Surfers Paradise. But there is also Aldi, which is also much cheaper in Australia, but is not necessarily nearby. You can drink the tap water in Australia, but you have to get used to the chlorine taste first.

Weather

When I arrived in Australia it was still winter or spring. In the morning, in the evening and at night it can get quite cool (approx. 10-15 degrees). Accordingly, you should also pack long trousers, sweaters and a jacket. Since the Australians usually have no heating, it is also quite cool in the apartment or in the hostel. During the day, when the sun is shining, you can walk through the city in shorts and a shirt. We went into the water from August, which had a temperature of about 20 degrees. From September it got warmer and you rarely needed a sweater. It is often windy in Surfers Paradise, especially on the beach. As a result, it doesn’t feel so hot in summer. We mostly went to the beach in the morning because the wind didn’t come until noon.

University

I took 3 Masters courses at Griffith University as I did an additional course before. That was great, because I only had university on Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. I took the Measuring Marketing Effectiveness, Retail Branding and Innovation and Entrepreneurial Innovation Marketing courses. I had various assignments during the semester, mainly group work and presentations. The overall grade is made up of 3-4 individual grades, which are weighted differently. This means that you always have something to do during the semester and not one big exam at the end. In the first week I looked at 4 courses and then decided on 3. In the bachelor’s program, the submission times are usually based on the mid-term and final, and you usually have written exams. In the master’s program we had to write many papers in individual and group work, give presentations, but also written exams. The level is a bit lower than in Germany in that you are rated better, but compared to Germany you have something to do throughout the semester. Still there is plenty of time for the beach and for traveling! Every 2nd Wednesday at the university there is a market where you can buy food, which I can highly recommend. The Griffith Mates and Student Guild always have great events for international students. The hairdresser and computer shop at the university are not recommended as the prices are not necessarily better. Griffith University’s library is very large with computers and game consoles. The university also has tennis courts, a basketball court and a beach volleyball court. You have to register with the Studend Guild beforehand, but we just always played beach volleyball and brought our own ball with us without registering, as no one else wanted to use the pitch.

Costs

All in all, the semester at Griffith University was a great experience, especially for me in the Masters, as I had another very relaxed semester in which I traveled a lot. The cost was less than expected as I paid $ 150 / week for my rent and groceries and excursions were reasonably priced too. I can only recommend the university and life on the Gold Coast!

Have fun with your semester abroad, it will be an unforgettable six months in your life!

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