UC to University of Sydney

I am so thrilled to receive emails from prospective EAP Australia students! I love to answer all of your questions! Feel free to email me at afoote@uci.edu if you have any questions, comments, or requests about Australia, Sydney, housing, or studying abroad in general!

Some of the most frequently asked questions I have received are about the differences between UC and the University of Sydney. I will try to address some of the most commonly asked questions.

The one main difference I have noticed is that there is not as much instruction time in lectures. For example, a majority of my classes have only one lecture for two hours per week! Then they have tutorials, which are the equivalent of discussions, for an hour or two hours per week. I have also found that every lecture class has a five to ten minute break in the middle (even if it is only two hours long!). In one of my classes, the professor said that the human mind can only focus intently on new material for twelve minutes, then your mind shuts down and you can be listening but not comprehending any of the information. So, in order to prevent mindless listening, he would bring up a discussion topic for everybody to talk about with their neighbor, literally every twelve minutes! I thought this was genius, and I was always attentive and able to comprehend the new information presented in the lecture (I also met people I never would have talked to before).

Also, many of the classes require a lot of dedication outside of class because there is not as much in-class time. Many classes require a lot of outside reading, and papers and assignments are not explained as thoroughly as you may be accustomed to. In the course of my studies, I have found that the University of Sydney often lets you take your own perspective in your essays and they do not necessarily ask for one concrete answer. For example, in my Religious Studies “History of God” class, I was assigned to define the word “God” in 500 words or less using at least four different sources. At first this seemed like a nearly impossible task, as the word “God” is probably one of the topics that has the most extensive amount of literature, research, and debate attributed to it. I have been challenged to ponder the essay questions and come up with my own style and point of view with the only constraint being a word limit. I think this is exhilarating and it allows for me to expand my intellectual horizons and think about concepts in a different way than I am used to.

Also, another question I have been asked is if it is easy to meet Australians. I think it is really easy to meet people, however, I find it easier to meet other international students because you go through orientations with them when you arrive and there are a lot of international student events and clubs. However, you can meet Australians in your classes and on campus! Everybody is welcoming and easy to talk to and willing to help! Once you meet people, you will get invited to more events and outings. Everybody is really friendly! I have met Australians through other people and even though a majority of the Australians live off campus, there are still quite a few Aussies that live in the university housing. For example, I have a friend from Denmark that lives next door and she lives with two Australian girls. They usually have their Aussie friends over and I have met them when I am next door at her place. I have run into them on campus and at the grocery store, etc. and they remember me and always say hello! I have also met Aussies in my tutorials on campus. Everybody is really friendly, you just have to put yourself out there and meet people. It sounds intimidating, but it is really easy!

I hope this post has been helpful in easing your fears about transitioning to a University in a whole new country. However, if you have any other questions, I am more than willing to help! Studying abroad is an exciting adventure and it will definitely be a life-changing experience!

Explore!
Meet new friends!
Try something you never imagined yourself trying!
And most of all...
Take advantage of your time abroad and make every second count!