winter came early this year. and i dont quite like it.

@immabee, Some of my lecture notes are really useless to prepare for the exams and tests. So I MUST get the textbooks even if they cost me $130. But thank god i can sell them off as 2nd hand after im done with the course. As im a night owl, i prefer having classes in the afternoon. And surprisingly, i still get to end my class at 5pm and i have friday as off day. Nice isnt it? Next sem i will have 2 days off. And still all classes will be in the afternoon.

This is just insane, it's like middle of winter or something here in Tassie. =( cold!!!!!!!! x.x oh and all the best for the coming exams peps! stay warm for those on the eastern shore.

Yeah, I'm currently starting to get all the stuffs prepared. Can't wait to go there.
Let's meet in UWA

BTW, where are you staying in Perth?
I found one affordable in Rivervale, do you think it's a bit too far? XD

weather is so unstable here in adelaide! it goes cold to not cold then to cold then to not cold... ugh... = =

Have not heard much about Rivervale till I took an initiative to search in google maps xP. But I have a UWA friend from China who lives in Victoria Park, which is one suburb nearer to the city before yours. She's planning to move out by 2nd semester because she spends too much time on commuting. It's actually not that far provided if you own a car and the city is small. But if you are to rely on buses and trains just like most of us do, then you would have to spend lots of extra time for the wait, multiple stops and certain slight delays. Although there are bus stops near to your residential area, that does not mean that it will lead you directly to the city's bus station because it pretty much acts like a hub that connects the north and the south. The average frequency for a train to arrive is 15 minutes during weekdays and for buses, it varies from 15 mins to 1 hour depending which bus you're using. I normally use the highest frequency of the bus, which is 15 mins per frequency from Subiaco 97 all the way to UWA so that I can be more flexible with my time. Even the time taken for the trip to UWA from Subiaco is roughly about 20 mins. So I would suggest you to live as close to the city [but not in the city] as possible. Best if you have access to buses that can at least bring you to the bus station or train stations so that you can you can switch to other buses easily later on. =)

Perth's gettin' colder and I already had my jumper on ever since I woke up shivering yesterday morning. Although the maximum temperature is recorded constant about 24 deg, but the time taken to get there is way slower as compare to last week. Not good.

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Added on May 13, 2011, 11:56 amThat was fantastic!. Am surprised your lect notes are really useless, don't you guys jot down important stuff during lectures?? My lecture notes are good enough as some textbooks doesn't contain graphs [e.g.microeconomics]. Keeping Friday as an off day too. Haha welcome to the night owl club.

@Hikari, agreed. Classes at 8am is a nono for me. I will have to wake up at 6:10am excluding shower. 9am is the earliest I can get there, and ofcourse I wouldn't put every uni day with 9am. xD

@Haya, I was in the uni yesterday till 8pm for other activities. Even now it's quite dark around 5:40pm [looks like 7:15pm in KL, a bit of sun fully set]. Up to date my lecture ends latest by 4pm. 5pm max for next semester.

About my current timetable, Mondays and Tuesdays start in the afternoon, while Wed starts at 10am till 4pm with 2-hr breaks in between. Thurs? 9am-8pm [actually my lecture ends by 2pm with 2 hr breaks in between but I've decided to stay for my cell group], beat that!

This post has been edited by immabee: May 13 2011, 11:58 AM

any1 in UQ here? is it possible to cover you living expenses (e.g. food, accomodation etc) if you work part time there?

Melbourne is freezing! *sits next to fire place* ... Keep warm people!

hello all..i'm a newbie to this thread.

Really need help from u guys, since most of u have studied in OZ..

i just received my full offer for bachelor of commerce from ANU and Uni of Sydney for this July intake..
Sadly i just managed to get conditional offer from Uni of Melbourne..they require me to take IELTS.

So i'm thinking to go with ANU...

based on the offer letter, it stated that to apply for student visa i need to meet the Australia english requirement.
Does that mean that i still need to take IELTS? Can explain a bit abt the proses of applying student visa?

After googling, i noticed that there is an assertion claiming that Canberra is very dry..is it true?


1 more thing, if i want to apply for scholarship, do i need to pay the deposit by myself?

Thanks in advance guys!!

Canberra is not only dry, very cold with no snow =(, and also a city that's really laid-back. About the offer letter, it depends what English qualification you're holding. Some universities will accept your GCE 1119, while some like as you've mentioned, Uni of Melbourne will have to accept you only if you have IELTS results. As long as you're accepted by the university, if I'm not mistaken you have fulfilled the Australia english requirement as well [that happens in my case]. I believe the list of certification that they accept is available in the uni prospectus or in the web [googling it should be fine =)].

Applying student visa is pretty convenient. Best is to apply online and look for a list of hospitals or clinics that provides submission of medical results online. After you have fill in whatever that's required, look for your nominated hospital and clinics [have an appointment with them whenever possible] and they'll conduct the x-ray test and the urine test. Once everything's done, just have a check of your visa status in DIAC website if not mistaken. Someone please correct me if there's anything left out or if the information is incorrect.

Hope that helps. =)

Please advise regarding Student Visa application:

1. I thought online is not possible anymore?

2. Visa Subclass 573 for undergrad, right?

3. Medical check + X ray before or after applying? This is 100% necessary right?

4. How to demonstrate you have the funds? What is the procedure?

5. Some documents need certification, who/where to get this done?

6. Biometrics, Medical, X Ray, that will be all?

Thank you. I'm contacting the AVAC tomorrow but I wanted to ask here first to clear some doubts... simply too many questions to ask.

1. http://www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/students.htm
https://www.ecom.immi.gov.au/visas/jsp/index.jsp

That would include Malaysians.

2. Yes http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/573-1/

3. Can only be done after applying as you will need your Transaction Reference Number (TRN) for the panel clinic to forward your results to immigrations and also a referral letter generated by the website. For Malaysians being in a country categorized with risks of TB, stuff like an X-ray is necessary for them.

4. There's no need, all you need to do is have an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE) from your University meaning you have accepted your offer as well as paid a Deposit for first semester fees and OSHC.

5. What documents do you mean? I never had to certify anything.

6. Just apply online and then go for the medical check and wait for good news. Documents you will need to start the application is your passport and your eCoE unless you have some special circumstances this process takes a fairly short time to get your student visa approved if you already have everything.

This post has been edited by Hikari0307: May 26 2011, 07:58 AM

Ok thanks! I'd like to ask:

1. When you applied online did you have to mail anything (eCOE, photographs etc) in, and if so to AVAC or High Comm?

2. Did you have to upload anything? Are photos with blue background ok?

3. Do you need to have your OSHC certificate before applying?

4. For Med + X-Ray, the referral letter comes from the online app - then I bring along the separate med and x-ray forms?

At the rate where Oz uni fees are heading, there will be no Msian students soon

Inflationary- 8 to 10%
Currency - 10%

1. Nop everything was done online. The eCoE has a number at the top for you to enter during application and you just need to key in passport numbers all those stuff and declare you have no criminal history etc. Then you will get a TFN and you have to take note of that.

2. I didn't have to upload anything, everything was just typing in information and stuff like yes and no questions. Like do you have criminal history (if yes please attach further information), have you or any of your immediate family have a history of so and so illness (if yes please provide more details) stuff like that.

3. I'm not so sure, I had the university arrange OSHC for me and I paid for it along with the deposit for first semester fees so it's stated on my eCoE that I have Single OHSC Cover valid for the duration of my proposed student visa then.

4. There will be one generated by the website for you, I only brought those referral letter and my passport to the panel clinic for medical examination and x-ray. Brought some passport size photo as well since it mentioned for me to bring some but the people at the clinic just told me to stand at a wall and took my picture with a Digital Camera ^^"

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Added on May 26, 2011, 10:20 amthough numbers from MOHE still shows they have the highest amount of Malaysian students and with all the twinning programme and marketing in Malaysia, it won't be going down any time soon I'd think.

This post has been edited by Hikari0307: May 26 2011, 10:20 AM

OK thanks. Very simple.

Last question - your Visa is electronic? Do you have a physical Visa then?

there has been a big above-inflation jump in fees in oz.......coupled with the current strong aud, australia is now more expensive than other popular education destination like uk or us............

add the likely change in immigration rules on opportunities to work/stay after studies (a major reason for oz study), i foresee a significant drop in on-shore enrolment...........

Yes it's an electronic visa. I don't have any kind of sticker or anything on my passport to show that I have a student visa.

Hey, am a Curtin grad. How's about an add onto to the list?

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Added on May 26, 2011, 1:57 pmYea the rate of fees for international students is just crazy now, especially since the dollar is extremely high. When I was a student there it was 2.8, which was bad enough.

Was looking into posgrad studies at my old Alma mater. Nearly cried when I saw the total cost.

Better to do a UK degree now, since the Pound is significantly lower than what it was 7 years ago (1GBP: 6.xx/7 RM).

This post has been edited by daylight_dancer: May 26 2011, 01:57 PM

Just for completeness, one can walk into Immigration's office and request a label for your student visa to be affixed into your passport. Its not necessary, but for some people they prefer to have a "hard copy", so to speak, for a piece of mind. Charge may apply for this extra service.

Its all electronic now these days anyway.

And on another matter, it would seem like the free-wheeling days of student migration to Australia are coming to an end, as the rules get tighter, the doors start closing, and the high AUD makes Australia unattractive from a financial perspective in comparison to the old world.

I personally don't see that as too much of an issue. With the exception of CQU, I don't expect any of the Australian universities to disappear any time soon. Cuts will be made, but one has to admit the whole reliance on international students for funding makes a mockery of higher education, not to mention cheapens a Australian qualification.

Its a cycle people. Once upon a time the UK was the destination of choice. Then came along the new world in the southern hemisphere, offering as good a education as the old world with a lower price tag and geographically closer. As the old world starts to crumble financially, the money from the Orient is looking quite attractive.

Give another 15-20 years and Australia will be a destination of choice again.

IMO, the less people, the better. Education has been used as a backdoor for far too long.

The irony of all this is that this closing of doors happens under a Labor government, while the best time for migrants was under John "too much Asian migration" Howard.