Berkley Center

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is located just 20 minutes south of Sydney. Australians frequently use the term "uni" to describe their university, campus, classes, etc. There are about 45,000 students, 12,000 of them international. The study abroad population makes up about 500 of these students. At only 60 years old, UNSW has been ranked forty-seventh in the world by the Times Higher Education Supplement and is one of Australia’'s leading universities.

The life of a college student is very different in Australia compared to that of most American students. The residential colleges, or dorms, are run exclusively by the university. Space is extremely limited, but many Australians who are lucky enough to get a spot have their tuition paid for by the government. Most students, however, live at home with their parents. In America, students often get the question of why they chose their specific college. When I asked this of my uni friends, they just replied that it is closest to home. There is not much thought that goes into where you go to school. My apartment is about a 35-minute walk or 10-minute bus ride from campus. I thought that this was far until I learned that some students travel an hour by car every day to get to school.

The academics are much more relaxed here than at Georgetown. Attendance at lectures is not mandatory, and you only have to go to 80 percent of your tutorials, or discussion sections. One of my roommates is taking a class that meets at the same time as another. Her advisor scheduled this and told her to alternate going to each class. The lecture notes are also online for most classes. This makes it easy to miss class, especially for those who live so far away. It makes sense to just read the notes online if it takes an hour to get to school, especially if you only have one class that day. The classes also start and end on the hour. I was worried at first how I would be on time for any of my classes when they started at the same time that another was ending. Sometimes classes end 5 minutes early or start 5 minutes late, but it is very common for students to stroll in late.

Many of my classes have also been cancelled for various reasons. There have been two teacher strikes so far, and we have only had six weeks of class. The teachers have organized these strikes as a part of the National Tertiary Education Union, due to low wages. The university stated that it would use the salary costs saved for student services on campus. While not all professors participate in the strikes, the provost suggests that students who support the strike should not attend their classes. I also have a class where the professor took off two weeks for paternity leave and one who took off a week for vacation.

The grading system is also very different. An “A” is a high distinction here and is awarded from 75 to 100 percent. You must earn at least 50 percent for an American “C” to pass your classes. I thought high grades, or marks, would be easy to achieve until I got back my first logic assignment. The average was well below a 50 and those around me had 40’s, 30’s; even a few had less than 20. All professors grade differently, but I have heard from many Australians that getting a 90 or above is rare.

Although I can't say I would trade the beach for Prospect Street, I have learned to appreciate living so close to Georgetown's campus. I am also glad that I don't have to live with my parents while at school. I appreciate having the library a stone's throw away and being open 24 hours. I am also grateful that my professors show up to class every week. While uni life is very different, it has given me a new perspective on how lucky I am to have a place like Georgetown to call home.