UTS (Australia), 2009

Last year, I spent a study abroad semester at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia from 21 July to 27 November. In this report, I will describe the study conditions at UTS and explain to what extent I was able to successfully complete my study programme there. Finally, I will try to formulate helpful advice on studying and living in Sydney based on my experiences.

I am studying mechanical engineering at FH Aachen on a six-semester Bachelor's degree programme. I officially spent the semester abroad at UTS in Sydney instead of my fifth semester at FH Aachen. The spring semester in Australia has different semester times, which meant I had to fly to Sydney straight after the summer semester to continue my studies there immediately. However, due to the earlier end of the semester abroad, I was also able to take the exams for the fifth semester at my home university. This made it possible for me to complete all my coursework at FH Aachen, study the additional semester at UTS and still stay within the prescribed period of study.

This also gave me more freedom in my choice of subjects at UTS, as I only wanted to substitute one subject at FH Aachen. Unfortunately, I realised that it was very difficult to find technical subjects at UTS that corresponded to subjects at my German university. The main problem here is that the individual subjects at UTS are very extensive and often cover many different areas. At FH Aachen, on the other hand, there are many more subjects in the Bachelor of Engineering, especially electives, which allow students to specialise. Unfortunately, these subjects are only available in Master's degree programmes in Sydney and cannot be taken by undergraduates.

Due to these facts, I decided to use my study visit at UTS to further my interdisciplinary education in other areas.
I supplemented my technical studies with basic economic knowledge (Engineering Economics and Finance), management knowledge (Engineering Project Management) and additional language skills (Spanish Language and Culture 8).
Choosing these subjects is a useful addition to my degree programme and provides me with valuable knowledge for my future career.

Furthermore, the subjects "Engineering Economics and Finance" (EEF) and "Engineering Project Management" (EPM) were very good for improving my language and social skills as well as my technical skills. The reason for this is that UTS places a lot of emphasis on team and group work. These group projects are designed to enable students to directly apply the knowledge they have acquired in lectures and thus delve deeper into the subject matter. From my own experience, I can say that although this method requires a lot of work during the semester, it definitely has a high learning effect. The high workload is taken into account by weighting the group projects by up to 50 per cent for the overall grade of the subject. The projects were a good experience, especially for me as a foreign student, as I was quickly accepted into a working group and was able to establish good contacts with the local students.
The group projects also made it necessary for me to meet regularly with my various groups at the university, so that I often had three to four group meetings per week.

The high workload in addition to the actual courses should be taken into account when planning the subjects for a semester abroad. A low number of semester hours per week does not mean a low workload. In my case, however, I can say that I spend more time at university in Germany, as I have at least twice as many semester hours per week in the Bachelor's degree programme at FH Aachen as in an equivalent semester in Sydney.

With regard to the technical level for engineering students at UTS, my impression is that less emphasis is placed on scientific and theoretical foundations than when studying in Germany. However, I cannot substantiate this impression, as I did not study a technical subject. In general, it seems to me that the level of difficulty in engineering at Australian universities is lower than at German universities. I would back up these statements with the significantly lower failure rates at UTS.

I would rate the general study conditions at the University of Technology Sydney as very good. Students are offered a great deal of information and support, especially for international students. The technical equipment at the university is good and enables students to work effectively at the university outside of their courses. Many students take advantage of this by using the university's facilities late into the night or at weekends. In addition to providing facilities and equipment, UTS also offers many supportive courses and assistance. For example, a language centre helps with any language problems or enables foreign students to obtain "special conditions" for the central examinations. Specifically, students are provided with a dictionary and are given an extra 10 minutes per hour of exam time.

You also get a lot of support from the professors, who are addressed by their first names, as is typical for the country. From personal experience, I can say that professors are generally always available before and after lectures and are also very helpful. I also always received a quick and constructive response to emails.
Information from professors about their courses was usually sent by email or was accessible via various internet portals. This online service was very helpful and well organised.

The organisation of the subjects I attended was good and showed that the university staff responsible were very motivated. Some of the study materials were provided online and were more or less sufficient to prepare for the exams. Unfortunately, professors at UTS usually require students to buy the textbooks that accompany the course. These books offer good explanations and additional information, but unfortunately cost up to 100 euros per subject. In this respect, I was disappointed that students are not provided with more materials. In view of the high fees they pay each semester, this should be demanded. The fact that many professors are co-editors of the books does not make it much more serious.

Finally, I'll try to give some helpful information about living in Sydney. Australia's largest city is undoubtedly a world metropolis and an exciting place to study. However, students who come to Sydney must be prepared for the fact that the cost of living and especially rent prices are very high. Finding accommodation in Sydney is also very difficult and can be a real adventure. If you decide to look for private accommodation and not move into a student residence, you should allow plenty of time for this. It is advisable to come to Sydney as early as possible before the semester to look for accommodation before the big rush of international students arrives in the city. As demand determines the price, many landlords of flats near the university also increase the rent during the start of the semester. You should also stay away from houses where the landlord imposes excessive rules and obligations on the tenants. I myself lived in such a house and had a very bad experience. The problem is that you have no rights as a tenant, as Australian law pays little attention to this area. I would therefore recommend that newcomers first stay in a hostel, where you will get to know a lot of people, and then take your time looking for the perfect flat. I myself moved again after a month and found a great house where I lived with Australians and made good friends.

Looking back on my semester abroad in Sydney, I can say that it was very successful and to my complete satisfaction. I passed all my exams and was able to acquire a lot of specialist and interdisciplinary skills during this six-month period. I was also able to make many contacts with students from Australia and other countries. I am sure that I will benefit greatly from these experiences in my further study progress and later career.