Host university
The university is located in the heart of the cosmopolitan city of Sydney. The central location is one of the great advantages of the university. The Central Station is only a 3-minute walk away and Darling Harbor is only a stone’s throw away with approx. 5 minutes. Due to the excellent location of the university, the famous Bondi Beach and the Opera can be reached within 30 minutes by public transport.
With almost 40,000 students, it is quite a large university. The UTS Business School is the largest faculty with around 10,000 students. The large number of international students makes the UTS attractive. With a share of 25 percent of “international students”, an intensive exchange with different cultures from all over the world is guaranteed. This is especially true if you live in student housing. An exchange with other cultures is inevitable here, which results in both great and not so good experiences. In any case, you come into contact with many international students that quickly. There is no real contact with Australian students. I would have liked to be able to do more with the locals. See more student reviews of universities in Oceania on liuxers.
The teaching buildings, the library and study rooms are very modern and enable a good learning atmosphere. In addition, the range of social and sport clubs is also very good. I can only recommend everyone to join a club. If you live in student housing, you even get a subscription to the gym for free. I positively registered the close and nice support from the UTS Study Abroad Office. Especially in the orientation week (one week before the start of studies) there are many informational events or events where you can get to know other international students.
Once you have arrived in Sydney
Accommodation
I lived in UTS Student Housing. To be more precise, I lived in Yura Mudang. This is the largest student housing facility of the UTS. This is perfectly located. You are right on campus, the Central Station is quick and China Town with delicious food is just around the corner. The roommates are randomly assigned. For this reason I chose a studio apartment. In the Yura Mudang Housing there are also apartments for two and six people. The advantages of UTS Housing, in addition to the proximity to the campus, are that you get to know a lot of people and at least at Yura Mudang, people always meet on the rooftop. Disadvantages are that there is a fixed contract period that runs until the end of January and that it is located in a “train station area”. Rental costs are around CHF 5,700-6,000 for the entire duration of the contract. It is advisable to apply for the apartments as early as possible, as the student dormitory is very popular.
Financial
With 15,000 CHF you can certainly get by well including travel. Of course, it depends on the individual desire to travel. For the flight you have to reckon with around 1,500-2,000 CHF, for the Study Abroad we paid 7,200 AUD (approx. 5,500 CHF) (400 AUD per Australian ECTS), which includes three courses equivalent to 22. 5 HSG ECTS. Life in Sydney is quite expensive, but comparable to Switzerland. Food prices are on a similar level, the only thing that is significantly cheaper here is meat. However, alcohol is significantly expensive. I can recommend the beer from Aldi. Rivet is already running well and is affordable. In the clubs, however, Sydney is again on one similar price level as in Switzerland. For those on a tight budget, I recommend Paddy’s Market, where you can buy 5 avocados for AUD 2, for example. So absolutely to be recommended.
Social life
Life in Sydney offers everything your heart desires and more. You definitely have everything you want and hope for in an exchange semester. With a population of 4 million, Sydney is a big city that has a lot to offer – there is always something to do. The wide range of cultural activities and the excellent weather, along with the numerous beautiful beaches, are just one of the few reasons to come to Sydney. Sports enthusiasts get their money’s worth here as well as people who prefer to go to the museum, but also surf, swim or just lie in the sun. I could n’t think of a better place that connects so many things like Sydney.
Sydney is a great party city. However, one must note that the admission rules are much stricter than in Germany or Switzerland. For example, there is a lockout (no entry into clubs from 1:30 AM).
In my experience, the people in Sydney and Australia were very open, warm and sociable as well as always helpful. It made my start in this new city a lot easier for me.
Travel
In addition, Sydney is an excellent starting point for trips: shorter trips to Melbourne, Byron Bay, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Great Barrier Reef and and and . . . or even a little further trip such as to Bali, Fiji, Thailand, New Zealand are absolutely within the realm of what is possible and can be easily combined with studying.
As travel destinations during the semester, I can recommend Melbourne including the Great Ocean Road, Byron Bay as a surf mecca, the Blue Mountains for hiking, Port Stephens as a cozy weekend destination or the beautiful beaches such as Tamarama and Bronte and Manly. After the semester we flew to Perth and traveled with a campervan.
Conclusion
All in all, I can recommend a semester abroad at UTS to all those who like to travel and enjoy beautiful weather. The level at UTS is acceptable, but not comparable to US universities. The UTS has a high quota of Asians. This was a bit of a shock for me at the beginning, but it also offers the opportunity to get to know more cultures, which I personally find very exciting. The grading is fair and good grades are possible with the appropriate effort.
