Hi, I’m Alexandra R., I’m in the last semester of my dual business informatics degree and I’ve just returned from Australia, where I studied for a semester in Melbourne. A semester abroad is compulsory for everyone at my home university and I decided on Australia relatively quickly. For me it was important to live and study in a big, lively city, but still not pay infinite amounts of money for accommodation and tuition fees. The RMIT University is still quite cheap compared to other Australian universities (unfortunately still not a bargain) and Melbourne looked very promising on paper and on the Internet, which is why I decided on this combination.
Information on the application process
MicroEDU had already helped me with the selection of my university abroad, both personally in discussions at my home university, as well as through their website and the many testimonials there. So it made sense for me to apply to RMIT through MicroEDU. It was all more than half a year ago, but I still remember that everything was perfectly organized and that it worked out well. My questions were always answered quickly and the guides were really easy to understand. See more student reviews of universities in Oceania on educationvv.
The most exciting thing was waiting for the response from RMIT, which luckily (surprise!) Was positive. Then came the only annoying thing: applying for the Australian visa. After a lot of back and forth about my thyroid disease, that was finally in my pocket. My advice: If you have even the smallest health problem, apply for a visa at least three months in advance.
My courses
It wasn’t until shortly before I left that I started to enroll in the courses. As a “Study Abroad Student” you can take all courses at the RMITthat you want (apart from the fashion-oriented courses), as long as you meet the requirements. Although I had looked at the huge selection well in advance, I had to shorten my list of favorites again. As a visiting student, you take either three or four courses and specify 6-8 courses in your preferred order. A few weeks before the start of the semester you will then receive your assignment and have to register online for the relevant events. Here you have to be quick and, if necessary, get up in the middle of the night to be on the PC in good time after Australian time, as the best events (those that don’t start at 8:30 a.m. or last until 8:30 p.m.) are otherwise quickly full.
I had four courses: “Database Management and Analytics” (This turned out to be the basics of databases, which I had two years earlier and was accordingly easy. The lecturer was very understanding and not very strict when I wasn’t in the tutorials was there or did something else), “Mathematical Computing” (MATLAB for mathematics students, I was a bit overwhelmed with the math part, but the programming part was all the easier), “Work in a Global Society” (this was the most interesting course, since I am very interested in the developments in the labor market caused by technological progress) and”Design Thinking and the Digital Startup” (Also a very cool course in which you simulated and managed the founding of a startup in the project).
In general, my courses were not very difficult, but I have also heard of other internationals whose courses were extremely demanding and time-consuming. I think it always depends on the subject, the lecturer and the semester in which you are currently, and what the course is about. Furthermore, one should read the course descriptions very carefully in order to avoid simple courses. If necessary, a course can still be changed within the first few weeks.
On-site support
The RMIT has many very helpful facilities that are free to all students. RMIT Connect is usually the first point of contact for problems of all kinds, for example those with enrollments or overlapping courses. In the City Campus, in the foyer, there is a kind of office landscape, where both university employees and older students are available to provide advice and assistance, for example with questions about the compulsory foreign health insurance OSHC.
Only the RUSU (RMIT University Student Union) costs 10 AUD per semester. For this small amount, however, you can get free snacks or even whole meals several days a week and there are regular parties. You can also get good discounts at many cafés around the campus.
The lecturers and tutors are also mostly helpful and, in my experience, answer emails quickly. Should major problems arise with the material, there are several drop-in learning centers for the various subject areas. I went to the maths one myself and was given very friendly help.
The accommodation search
In many other experience reports, the students only flew to Australia with a hostel booked for a few weeks and I had the same plan at the beginning. However, I heard from RMIT Village a month before departure. After some research and some price comparisons, I decided on the Village. At first glance it looks extremely expensive at AU $ 388 per week, but the whole thing is put into perspective when you look at the normal apartment rents in Melbourne. If I had looked for such a flat share, I would most likely not have paid much less for a “shared room” with at least one flatmate in the same room. I also had a roommate in the village, but we had a sliding wall and only two shared a kitchen and even a relatively large bathroom. In addition, before I moved in, I was able to fill out a questionnaire about my “perfect roommate”, which worked perfectly for me and made me a very good new friend. So it was much nicer to enjoy all the free food, which we got here regularly.
You also get WiFi, a pool and a gym for rent. Last but not least, the location of the Village is perfect: One stop outside the free tram zone in the city, so no longer too loud, but still only 15 minutes on foot from the City Campus.
Leisure and excursion possibilities
You can do EVERYTHING in Melbourne – and that’s actually enough for information… whether beach, city or nature, you have everything in the immediate vicinity. Much is easy to get to by train, for the rest you rent a car with a few people and that is not expensive anymore. Melbourne itself is always full of life and you can always discover something new, especially food and coffee. It’s not a typical tourist town, so you can quickly see the big sights, but that’s not the point in Melbourne. The flair of this city is simply unique and it is not as hectic as Sydney. Those who like it very quiet can explore the countless small suburbs, which are full of street art and excellent dining options. Of course, you can still see the rest of Australia via flights, as Melbourne does not differ from Sydney or Brisbane in terms of connections.
Do’s & Don’ts
Thu: Ocean rafting on the Whitsundays, a road trip through Tasmania, the Great Ocean Road, an AFL game, aerial yoga with Body Flow Yoga, brunch on Chapel Street, Faraday’s Cage, Alice in Wonderland at the Pancake Parlor, at night at the Yarra Eat river sushi, Cactus Country, the “Rooftop Bars and Hidden Places” tour from RMIT Trips, the hot springs of the Mornington Peninsula, vegetarian grill’d burgers (also for meat eaters).
