Studying in Sydney

iilovelamp

Hi guys,

Basically I've just accepted a place to study in Sydney for a year as an international student. Know no one else at all there but was wondering if anyone has been in this situation, or just has tips on living in Sydney in general.
Also have no idea how to go about getting somewhere to stay, start in July and finish the following June so might head back to Ireland for christmas but not sure, where's the best area to stay for students? And if it's a friendly city, people are chatty, is it easy to get a part-time job etc?
Also I was talking to someone who is there already and she was saying that most apartments are full of cockroaches and much more expensive than Ireland, anyone shed any light on that?
I've barely been out of Europe before so am completely terrified, so any help, advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks a million!

ifumust82

Hi op,which Uni are you going to be studying in as this will give a better idea of the suburbs/area's you could base yourself in.
Also you could find out what the campus accommodation situation is. A friend of mine stayed in a little student village,all modern and very clean. Plus its a great way to meet people but can be expensive though.
You could start off doing that then maybe find a share house to stay in once your more settled?

iilovelamp

Thanks for the reply.
Yeah I've looked up campus accomodation and it is very expensive and seems to operate on a year lease basis, but possibly would be worth it if that's the best way to meet people. Have also just discovered gumtree.com.au which has an amazing number of places to peruse!
Am going to UNSW, the Kensington campus.

ballooba

Very much depends on what Uni you go to as to where you will stay. University of Sydney and UTS will likely mean CBD area or Inner West, UNSW will likely mean Eastern suburbs.

Edit: If it's UNSW then you could look at Kensington, Randwick, Coogee and surrounding suburbs. If you wanted to be closer to the city you could look at Paddington. www.gumtree.com.au is good for house shares.

2nd Edit: People are generally friendly I find, the UNSW crowd included. There are plenty of international students there. There are cockroaches in Australia, that's a fact of life. But keeping your place clean helps. I've never had a problem in my many apartments. I don't know that I agree that rents are more expensive. Also, on the part-time work front, it may be difficult from what I've heard.

Daithio2

I did my Master's in Sydney and I would strongly advise against the on campus accomodation. A lot of my friends stayed there and they were overcharged for substandard places. I found an awesome one bedroom after about 10 days looking on www.domain.com.au. I lived by myself, but if you don't know anybody I'd advise sharing, it's a great way to meet people. You will save yourself a fortune living off campus and you'll get a much nicer place. Plus your friend is talking bollox, rent is much cheaper in Sydney.

ballooba

Renting on your own would be depressing. You'd be better off getting out, sharing and meeting people. Lots of people seem to start out in the hostels near campus while looking for accommodation. If you arrive a few weeks early you might find people to share with.

amybabes

i have to agree about advising against on campus accomodation - not a student myself but some of my colleagues pay $230 a week each to SHARE a bedroom in a student complex!!

I'd recommend the house share section of gumtree.com.au - and would advise basing yourself in coogee or randwick - i work right by there, there's not much going on in kensington, and the campus in literally 2 mins on a bus from coogee/randwick or a short walk. much cheaper to live here than the city - but buses go direct from both, and you'll be right by the beach too.

Sharing a room in a unit/house - average prices - $150 a week
Your own room - anything between $200 and $300 a week in my experience depending on the quality of the room

You'll hit the room out with gumtree/ebay purchases if its unfurnished (about $300 dollars) and no heating bills so just shared electricity/foxtel/internet is the norm)

iilovelamp

Deadly, thanks a million for the responses. I've already applied for the two cheapest on campus places but am going to keep an eye out for good house shares. Am just slightly concerned about getting to know people at the start so would be willing to pay more for the first semester I'll be there if it's more likely to help me in that way.
I've been emailing a girl there who said that a lot of the houses have cockroach and mosquito problems, and also that everywhere's freezing in July because there are no heaters and it's that cold. That could be rubbish but was just wondering if there's any truth in it?

ballooba

Houses in Australia generally don't have insulation, so it can be quite cold in winter months. As for your mate complaining about mosquitos/cockroaches, there's a phenomenon known as the 'whinging pom' but it can often equally be applied to Irish. If she's concerned by a few creepy crawlies then she should go back to Ireland, where it's too cold and miserable for even the mossies/cockroaches to live. You have to keep these things in perspective.

coldal6

Hey just wondering did you go to study in Oz if so how did you get on, I'm hoping to go and study there my self soon