Studying in Australia: The Study Abroad Student's Guide to Success

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There is a saying in Australia: “to give someonethe good oil” This means giving advice oraccurate information. Here we give you the goodoil on how the university system works, so you willknow what to expect. You’ll find out who is who,what types of classes you may be placed into,how your subjects will be assessed and how youare expected to manage your own learning.So, why do you need this book?Apart from the issues above, Study Abroadstudents consistently identify the following as themost challenging aspects of their academic workin Australia:1. More unscheduled class time thanat home2. The need to be more self-directed learners3. Less individualised attention from academicstaff4. More active discussion in tutorials5. A more argumentative, and less descriptivestyle, of writing for essays and exams6. A different approach to grading assignments.For example, there may be fewer, more heavilyweightedpieces of assessment at the endof semester rather than on a regular basisthroughout the semesterThe tips and techniques offered in this book arebased on the experience of many Study Abroadstudents who were enrolled in a variety of courseshere at UoM. We hope their insights will betterprepare you for your stay here.Even though we have very littlecontact hours with the lecturer,I must say that the workload isjust as heavy as what I have backhome, It’s just that you are left todo your own readings and youhave to be really independent.If you procrastinate, that’s yourproblem.Susana, CanadaThis bookFor students visiting Australia, a commonobservation is that everyone appears more ‘laidback’ than at home. The pace of life seems slower,and academic demands may initially appear tobe less. However, this means that you may notreceive as much instruction about what to do andwhen to do it as you would like. This book will helpyou to stay on track by providing information on:What to expect before you arriveUnderstanding and managing the Australianuniversity system is important. Knowing how it isstructured, who does what, who to seek help fromand how to negotiate the system will save youtime and stress.How to interact within the Australian educationsystemKnowing what your teachers expect from youis important for achieving good grades and,apart from befriending Australian students, youmay also have to complete group assignmentswith them. Therefore, by learning a little aboutAustralian social values, you’ll be able to manageyour educational interactions more smoothly.How to organise an effective study programThe Australian education system providesmore ‘free’ hours than you may be used to athome. While you may be tempted to spendthis time exploring your new home, yourteachers’ expectations are that you’re workingindependently at your own pace to preparefor your classes and working on assignments.You need to manage your time and studycommitments, and be effective in your reading,note taking, and class performance. We’ll help youto study efficiently – so you will work hard and thenhave plenty of time to play hard too!How to cope with different assessmentproceduresWith assignments and exams that could carrya greater percentage towards your final grade,you want to make sure you get it right the firsttime. We’ll guide you to an understanding of theexpectations of assessment at the University ofMelbourne.The way Australian universities operate stemsfrom Australia’s colonial background. Many of theorganisational structures are based on the Englisheducation system and reflect the political andsocial development of Australia over the last 220years. Some key points include:2 http://services.unimelb.edu.au/academicskills
Back home in all my classesyou’re able to get to know theprofessor on a first name basis,but here, in most of them, I wasjust a face in the crowd…Jared, USAThe Australian Higher Education system is largelya public government funded industry with only afew private universities.• Universities offer Bachelor degrees in manyareas. These are usually 3–4 years in length(although some vocational degrees such asmedicine, law and engineering may be longer).Double degrees (such as Arts/Law) are alsopopular.• Many disciplines offer an optional Honoursyear for undergraduate students. This additionalyear usually requires advanced coursework anda minor thesis. Master’s and Doctoral degreesare taken either by coursework or research. Bothundergraduate and postgraduate courses areoffered at the same universities.• Universities are divided into Faculties, such asScience, Arts, Law, etc. Departments/Schoolsare organised within faculties corresponding tothe disciplines taught (Politics, History, Literature,etc.).• The Australian university teaching year isusually divided into two semesters (March – June,and July/August – November). These usuallyinclude 12 weeks of classes, with a short break(non-teaching week) dividing each semester (inSemester One, this usually coincides with theEaster break). At the end of each semester thereis a ‘SWOT Vac’ (or study period) and a 2 –3 weekexamination period. There is usually a four to sixweek winter break between semesters, and athree month summer holiday between years.A new learning environmentMany students find studying in Australia morecasual than in their home country. While thelearning environment may appear casual (forexample, teachers first names are used in theclassroom), academics expect respect from theirstudents, and their knowledge and experienceallows them the final word on the quality of yoursubmitted work.You may hear the term ‘independent learning’used in reference to the Australian highereducation system. This means that you areresponsible for completing the set reading,undertaking any further research and finishingany required tasks. It is unlikely that staff willpersonally inquire about your progress in asubject, or question your non-attendance atclasses or non-submission of work. If you don’task any questions, it will be assumed that youhave no problems. So, it’s all up to you to keeptrack of your commitments. Independent learningallows you freedom in your study, but also requiresconstant monitoring of your own academicprogress.Lectures, tutorials, laboratories, and practicalclasses are the most typical ways to presentinformation in Australian universities. In Australia,as in your home country, you will experience avariety of teaching styles, methods, format andsize of classes. For example, in lectures somestaff will simply ‘lecture’, others will incorporatediscussion and small group work. Most lecturerswill use audio-visual aids, such as PowerPoint orPrezi. In some subjects, students run the classes,while the tutor facilitates.Australian UniversitiesAustralia’s 39 universities together have an enrolment of more than one million students, andemploy more than 100,000 staff. University expenditure accounts for 1.5% of GDP, with significantspill-over benefits for students, staff, industry, and the wider community. With 10 Nobel Prizes todate, Australia is also one of the world’s leading research nations on a per capita basis. Althoughless than half a per cent of the world’s population, Australia accounts for nearly three per cent ofthe world’s research output.Source: Universities Australia website [http://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/page/australia-s-universities/,accessed 14 Nov 2011]Studying in Australia: The Study Abroad Student’s Guide to Success3
Page 1 and 2: Study in AustraliaThe Study Abroad
Page 3 and 4: Studying in Australia:The Study Abr
Page 5: 1. Studying in Australia:what to ex
Page 9 and 10: The marking system was a bitdifficu
Page 11 and 12: Getting help and gettinginvolvedStu
Page 13 and 14: Attitudes to authority andrulesNoti
Page 15 and 16: A good place to meet Australian stu
Page 17 and 18: Succeeding in study in any situatio
Page 19 and 20: In America, we have much longercont
Page 21 and 22: Motivation: how to stayenthusiastic
Page 23 and 24: 4. Tips to maximise yourstudy succe
Page 25 and 26: • To create a basis for your writ
Page 27 and 28: SpeakingThere are two main academic
Page 29 and 30: WritingIt is common for subject ass
Page 31 and 32: Research resourcesThere are many re
Page 33 and 34: Australian academic writingstyleThe
Page 35 and 36: Writing with support: using sources
Page 37 and 38: Exam preparation essentialsLike mos
Page 39 and 40: Using your memoryIt’s important t
Page 41: 6. Heading HomeWhen your exams and

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