Australian Universities?

Question

I am looking to go to a university in Australia but am unsure where I want to go. My question is not to ask which university is best but rather which area in Australia is best to live in. Anyone who has been to Australia can answer this question, not only people who live there. Where in Australia do you consider to be the best place to live. Please explain your reason for choosing the place in Australia that you do.

Answer 1

I am taking it that you are not from Australia. You are better off looking at what the different Uni's have to offer and apply that way, rather then look at what the location is like - because each uni has its main areas and some specialize in certain things, but if you rule it out because of location it could be a pity.

I live here and I had a choice of going to a University close to where I live, or moving away from home and going to University.
I ended up studying in Canberra. Canberra is much cheaper to live at if you are a uni student than places like Sydney or Melbourne, but its still easy to travel to those 2 cities - 1hr flights.

If you are looking at staying on compass which is a really good idea for at least the 1st year is you are not a local to that area, I know that the costs in Melbourne 6yrs ago were averaged around 10,000 for a 30 or 33week contract, with an expectation you would move out during holidays so they could have people stay in the rooms.
In Canberra I would pay 8000 for a 40week contract which included the whole Uni year - all holidays, so I never had to pack up my room or anything like that.

Canberra also has one of the best public transport systems I have seen in Australia and its pretty hard to get lost while using the buses - plus its pretty cheap.

Answer 2

If you are looking for a nice place to live for a while then try Southern Cross University in Lismore. You are 30 km (22 miles) from the rain forest and 30 km from the beach at Byron Bay. Byron Bay is also the most easterly point of Australia. Good weather, great beaches and a really friendly campus. You are 2.5 hours by car from the Gold Coast and 3 hours from Brisbane.
Brisbane is a laid back city, with a number of unis.
Sydney is where I live now, and where I was born, It is not a bad place but the people are mostly a***holes out to make a buck. There are a number of very good unis.
Perth is more like a big country town but has great weather and some very good unis.
Melbourne is the cosmopolitan city of Australia with more ethnic groups in one place than any other city in the world. The largest Greek population outside of Athens, Greece lives in Melbourne. There are a number of good unis in Melbourne. It also boasts the best shopping experience in Australia.
Adelaide is a small city, with cheap living, great public transport and some good unis.
There are a lot of unis around rural areas in Australia as well.
I am biased towards Southern Cross because I was there for 4 years. Close to the beach, swimming every day, all year round. Close to the rain forest for peaceful walks and 'back to nature' weekends.
Good luck and enjoy your time wherever you end up in Australia.

Answer 3

Most people answering this question will have loyalty to the area they live in, so it's not surprising that I say Melbourne.
However, I have travelling extensivley around Australia, so here's a summary:

Melbourne: If you want the 'europe of Australia' come here. Melbourne undoubtedly has the best food, fashion, coffee, nightlife, sports events, live music, theatre and culture. You will never get bored of Melbourne, as there are SO many little lane ways with edgy bars and clubs, with funky inner suburbs. It's true, the weather isn't the best, but it's extreamly multicultural and you'll find something that suits your taste. We also have the Melbourne cup, formula one, tennis open, international fringe festival and loads more.

Sydney: This probally has some of the best sight seeing- harbour bridge, opera house and beautiful botanic gradens. The fashion sence is not very ecclectic, quite sinsible, and the nightlife gets a bit boring after a while. But it's the place to go if you want to imporove your career, and most major companies are situated here.

Adelaide: I feel in love with Adelaide, it's a laid back life style, with a great emphasis on the arts and reminds me of what Melbourne would have been like 15 or so years ago.

Brisbane: Great weather, beaches and it's a booming town but for now it's a little sleepy.

Perth: Again some nice weather, but a little sleepy for my liking.

There's also the goald coast, Darwin, Hobart and Canberra (noting except round abouts and polititions).

Hope that answers your question, but from me I say Melbourne all the way!

Answer 4

It really depends on your chosen career path. Australia has many fine Universities. I live in Queensland so I'm a little biased towards the University of Queensland. But there are so many others which are equally as good. Sydney University has a fine reputation, but the cost of living is a little high. The University of New England is excellent as well but it can get terribly cold.

Sydney is very fast-paced and a bit like New York 10 years back. Brisbane (Queensland) is a bit more laid back and very casual.

If you prefer a country environment, then the University of New England located in country New South Wales is a fine university.

Half-way between is the University of Newcastle. It also has a fine reputation for producing students of excellence. Nicole Kidman's father was a professor there for a while.

I think I've rambled on long enough!

Answer 5

We have the best weather in Perth, mediterranean climate. I rode my bike to work all year and got a couple of days really wet weather. Easy to find a beach which is not too busy even on hot days. We dont have a big night\club scene though do get most bigger artists coming here. Best Wine in the world and cheap too. Beer $5 pint Wine $5 glass at Pub. Good seafood - we export lobster worlwide.We won the Americas Cup a while back with a winged keel :)

Answer 6

If you like hot weather Cairns is the place to be. A modern city, population approx 130,000, situated in a tropical paradise with a relaxed atmosphere .....many cultures and nationalities with world-class facilities.
http://welcometocairns.com.au

Cairns offers all the cultural advantages of life in the city -cafes, nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and restaurants, while offering the perfect environment and climate to enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities and adventures.

It's also a multicultural city with a mix of Asian, European, South American and Indigenous communities creating the vibrant cultural diversity of the region.

Public transport is very easy and provides regular services throughout the city the suburbs - and most are via the Uni.

Have a look at James Cook University http://www.jcu.edu.au/

Answer 7

Just to add to the above - some of the colleges at USyd for instance are single sex e.g. womens college, or religious Santa Sophia (Catholic) or Jewish Mandelbaum House. The religious ones will tend to offer accommodation only to those of that religion (recommendations are required from priest/rabbi) and only if there are rooms available at the end of the allocation will non-members be permitted. Most of the people who live at the colleges are international students as most Australian students do not move out of state to attend uni and still live with their parents. Those that move out of home move into shared housing, college living is more for those people who 1) do not have friends in the city or 2)wish to live where all cooking/bills are paid for. Its usually more expensive to live in a college than in a group home, but the colleges are all close to campus. The USyd colleges do not limit attendees to be students of USyd, other unis (especially UTS which has no residential college) also stay there so the competition is very fierce. In addition to academic reports, you need to provide character reports from people of importance (minister, school principle etc) to show that you are the sort of person they want to live at their college.

Answer 8

It probably depends a lot on what type of degree you want.

In any case, if you want somewhere that's quiet and boring and conducive to study then try Canberra, specifically the ANU. If you're the type who prefers partying it up and having a great social life then I don't think you can beat Melbourne. If you want somewhere that's cheap then I'd probably suggest Adelaide.

I don't know much about Sydney, but the place is a total hole anyway.... :)