Study Abroad - Australia

[plutolover]

Does anyone have experience with their child doing study abroad for a semester in Australia? My son will be studying for a semester (Feb - June). He needs to find accommodations and I'm not sure where to start. His University office basically told him it is his responsibility. He attends UVA. I looked online at the University of Queensland (St. Lucia campus) and they do provide links, but it doesn't look like they are affiliated with the University so I don't know how safe or credible they are. Any information would be appreciated.

 

[sonnyjane]

Unfortunately I can't help much. My best friend did this, but in high school, not college. In his case, while he was in Australia, two boys from there came over to my school, so my friend stayed with their parents in Australia (they were his host family). I think it's kind of bizarre that the university won't give him any type of guidance. Surely he isn't the first to do this. Where have previous students stayed?

 

[xjillianpaige]

A friend of mine studied in Sydney, but they provided student housing... I would start with the info they provide. It wouldn't reflect well on them if they were providing resources that were unsafe, so I'm sure it's fine.

 

[dollarmite]

I live in Qld. I'm not familiar with how the university operates, but if you need to look for private accommodation, this link will direct you to rentals in the St Lucia and surrounding areas. All of these areas are easily accessible by bus, and some by train.

http://www.realestate.com.au/rent/i...;+toowong,+qld+4066;+bardon,+qld+4065;/list-1


These link is from the UQ website and lists nearby rentals.
https://uqrentals.com.au/Listings/Search?type=rooms&campus=st-lucia&rent=
http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/accommodation/other-options

 

[plutolover]

Thanks so much. He was supposed to be meeting with someone in the International Study office today, so I'm waiting to hear.

 

[plutolover]

I live in Qld. I'm not familiar with how the university operates, but if you need to look for private accommodation, this link will direct you to rentals in the St Lucia and surrounding areas. All of these areas are easily accessible by bus, and some by train.

http://www.realestate.com.au/rent/in-st+lucia,+qld+4067;+toowong;+indooroopilly;+auchenflower,+qld+4066;+toowong,+qld+4066;+bardon,+qld+4065;/list-1


These link is from the UQ website and lists nearby rentals.
https://uqrentals.com.au/Listings/Search?type=rooms&campus=st-lucia&rent=
http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/accommodation/other-options

 

[plutolover]

Thanks so much. I saw one of these links, but the others are very helpful. He is only going to be there for 4 months so leases for that time seem difficult to find. I think he (and I) are shocked at how expensive it is in that area. Hopefully, my son was able to talk to someone in person today. I didn't know until last night that he was communicating via email instead of in person.

 

[elphaba91]

The thing is, it's far less common for students to live on campus in Australia, hence why the university website is directing you to other types of accommodation. UQ does have some residence halls and it appears that a few of them offer short term accommodation. http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/accommodation/colleges

For external accommodation the university does have a list of 'preferred suppliers' which are proven to have a good reputation (although not endorsed by the university). http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/accommodation/preferred-providers

He may also have some luck finding a share house, or at least reviews of other accommodations on the university's Stalkerspace (I don't know if it's a thing in the States, but a few years ago it became a 'thing' for university students to set up Facebook groups for their uni to share useful information, memes, photos of weird stuff on campus, etc. and call it a 'Stalkerspace'). Here is the link to UQ's: https://www.facebook.com/groups/uqstalkerspace/ It appears that once you're a member of the Stalkerspace that there is a further group for housing.

I also saw this which could be useful for him: http://www.uq.edu.au/student-services/accommodation/airport-reception

Also, don't forget to take into account the exchange rate when looking at accommodation costs - our dollar is quite weak at the moment (76 cents) so the prices mightn't be as expensive as they first seem!

 

[ozliz]

I'm also in Australia although not Qld. Generally here the numbers of places in student accommodation are a very small percentage of the total number of students. Also, many later year students move out of the student residences once they have settled into the city and university life (assuming they moved away from home which also seems to be less common than in the USA).

Share houses might be the best arrangement to avoid locking in a year long lease. That is the most popular living arrangement for later year university students. If he's at all an extrovert a larger share house might be a great way to get to know people too.

Living expenses can be higher but if your son has a visa that allows him to work while he's here he might be pleasantly surprised about our minimum wages (much better than the USA). And as pp mentioned, the exchange rate is in your favour. Also remember all our prices include taxes.