Macquarie University offers tips for the move to Australia

So you’ve made the big decision to leave your home country and study in Australia. You’re sure you’ll have time of your life, but there’s also a lot to organize and think about—especially if you’ve never travelled as far away as Australia!

Here are a few tips from Macquarie University to help prepare you for your big move. While this is specific to Sydney, it can easily be adapted to any city or town you find yourself in!

Get organized
Get important details like health insurance, accommodation, airport pickup, and bank and phone accounts sorted out well before you leave, so you can spend your first days in Sydney exploring and settling in.

Explore your surroundings
All of us at OzTREKK can’t stress this one enough: You’ve decided to study in Australia, so what’s keeping you in the house? Get out there and have fun! Just go for walk one day and get your bearings, visit shops, grocery stores, pharmacies. Get to know your area. You’ll feel better prepared to start your university life once you’ve mapped out (and practiced) your bus/train/ferry route!

At 126 hectares, Macquarie’s main campus is very large and it may take a few weeks before you can walk around without feeling a bit lost. Take advantage of the campus tours offered during your orientation and don’t worry: it’s is a friendly place where people are always happy to point you in the right direction.

Get familiar with your student visa
While in Australia you need to make sure you abide by the rules and conditions of your student visa, including work permissions and keeping the government informed of any changes to your study or living arrangements. Once you have a permanent place to live, don’t forget to give the address to the university!

Get mentally prepared
Although Australia has a friendly and welcoming culture, adjusting to a new country can be still be a shock. The Australian style of university teaching—with its focus on student participation and group work—can also be unfamiliar for many international students.

Learn about your university’s support services in case you’ll need to use them—you’ll have access to free counselling and welfare advice, learning skills services.

In multicultural Sydney, you will always be able to find fellow Canadians on campus if you’re feeling homesick. Macquarie University’s cultural student groups can also make you feel at home, or give you a chance to learn about a different culture—which is probably one of the reasons you decided to pursue an international education. Make the most of your time in Australia and meet as many people as you can!

Don’t miss your orientation!
Held in the week before classes and compulsory for all new students, international student orientation and enrollment is a must if you want to get a good start at uni.

You should also get familiar with the university handbook so you can learn about your degree requirements and unit (subject) options. You can also view your class timetable options and course textbook lists online.

Make the most of O Week
Are you a loaner? We encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and spend a few hours exploring O Week. The first week of classes in Session 1 is O Week, which is all about helping you discover campus life and your opportunities at Macquarie. There are also plenty of freebies on offer at O Week, which can be very useful if you’re on a budget. You also  have the opportunity to meet new friends, and the chance to discover more about social groups and clubs.

Don’t forget to log in to the OzTREKK Boarding Pass for more information about your transition to Australia!
*

Would you like more information about Macquarie University and about other Australian universities? Find out how you can study in Australia—contact OzTREKK!