One Year Down Under
For two semesters I studied at Macquarie University, one of the four largest Universities in Sydney where I finished my studies with a Master of Commerce in Business. As expected, I did more than just studying in Sydney and ended up staying a lot longer than I had originally planned to. Here, by sharing my wonderful experience, I want to show that going to “the land down under” might be better than you already think. No matter what the circumstance or where you are thinking about going, Australia is definitely worth a look. In one year I have yet to meet someone or heard of someone who was not fascinated by this enormous country. So do not only think about going, do it!
When I left Germany my plan was to study business as a so called Study Abroad student to get credits for my studies at the University of Cologne as well as do some travelling while in Australia. When I sat in my postgraduate units I realised that most of the other international students do a full Master degree. Because I had an open return ticket anyways and I already had fallen in love with Sydney, I decided to try the same. To my great surprise I could change into the Master program after my first semester. So in the end I enjoyed two semesters and the Australian summer in Sydney, got a Master degree, made some short trips and additionally trips to Fiji, along the Australian east coast, Melbourne, and New Zealand
as well. What a year!
Macquarie University
The city is divided by the Sydney Harbour and both shores of this natural harbour are connected by the Harbour Bridge. I attended Macquarie University which is on the North Shore in a suburb called North Ryde. The other three big universities in Sydney (the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and the University of Technology Sydney) are on the South Shore where I lived between Hyde Park and Kings Cross and right next to the Central Business District (CDB) in the suburb with the beautiful name Woolloomooloo. Everyday I had to cross the Harbour Bridge and travel by bus about an hour each way to get to University – which was definitely worth it because I loved my neighbourhood and being in walkingdistance to almost everything. Moreover, the bus goes straight, you do not have to change buses and there is enough to read for University anyways. Soon, the new train station at Macquarie University will be in use so you can take the subway which will be a lot faster. You can also choose to live near University or even on campus. This is not what I wanted because this area is too
rural for my taste and you do not see Sydney as much as you should but a lot of international students decide for this option. A third and very prominent alternative for Macquarie students is to live in the suburb Manly because you can alternatively attend many Macquarie units there in a beautiful castle and you can walk to the beach every day. Manly was my second home.
My classes were very different to my classes at the University of Cologne. Even in comparison to seminars at the University of Cologne, the Master classes at Macquarie University are smaller, much more interactive and personal. I perceived the level as being lower, but classes are more practical and often use case studies which in my view is a perfect supplement to studies at the University of Cologne. The final exams are only worth 40 to 60 percent of the final grade and depending on the unit there is a midterm exam and one to three papers per unit. Each paper is between 1,200 and 3,000 words. Some are individual assignments and some are group assignments and mostly followed by a presentation. Especially the group work I would not want to miss because in the Master course the percentage of Australian students is far below 10 per cent and my fellow students were from all over the world, mostly from European countries, from Asia, from North America, and from South America. Another mayor difference is that at Macquarie University you get tested continually. So you must develop a very good time management to be able to enjoy the many things Sydney offers.
Life in Sydney
It is not easy to briefly name what is worth seeing and doing in Sydney. Besides the most beautiful city harbour in the world with the impressive Opera House and the eye-catching Harbour Bridge, the city offers parks, excellent shopping and a lot of very good restaurants, bars and clubs. Night life in Sydney is amazing and you can always try something new. Moreover, this metropolis has the famous beaches in Manly and Bondi and many other very beautiful ones. There is nothing better than taking the Manly ferry from Circular Quay and passing between Harbour Bridge and Opera House to spend a day at Manly Beach or return the same way when the sun goes down behind the skyscrapers. Most fascinating to me is the way internationality is lived in this city. Australia is an immigrant country and because most of the immigrants move to the big cities, almost everybody in Sydney seems to be a foreigner – and everybody brings his or her own culture so whatever culture you want to experience, you can find it in Sydney. I made very good friends with people from more than 20 different countries and especially got into South American culture in Sydney.
Bastian Keller
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Anmerkung zum Erfahrungsbericht: Dieser Text basiert auf einem Artikel, erschienen im Club-Magazin des PIM&CEMS Student and Alumni Club Köln (http://www.pimandcems.de/).
Ausserdem wurde Herr Keller auch im
Globe, dem Magazin der Macquarie University, portraitiert.
