Yup, I'm here. There's a couple more from LYN at UNSW too. In short, great uni, good location (Sydney), nice experience, wonderful people. The only downside would be the higher living costs.

If you are good, you can also be a tutor in your senior years. The unis pay really well (or mine at least).

Come to UNSW for Engineering and Computing related studies. But, of course, the only problem, is that it's in Sydney. It seems many people here are not too fond of Sydney...

The private one no longer exist.

UNSW is reowned for its Engineering programs in Australia. However, it's in Sydney, so naturally it can be quite expensive.
The more affordable options are University of Adelaide or University of Queensland.

Orientation usually lasts 5 days (1 week), though you're not expected to be there everyday (you wouldn't want to).

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Jan 6 2007, 12:57 AM

You have been exploited! You can definitely earn twice that flipping burgers here (I'm not sure if the minimum wages standard is the same across the country though).

YES! Finally, more people here coming to UNSW. We are observing an 18% increase in international applications this coming session, one of the strongest increase ever seen.

Learn to enjoy sausages, pizzas and beer. In the first few weeks of uni, you'll be fed this a LOT. Be here early (although CNY is late this year ), preferably a couple of weeks before orientation to settle down and familiarise yourself with the surrounding suburbs. Enrol now (you can do it online) before classes are filled up. Do not use the auto-timetabling feature, instead plan your classes well. The new, centralised timetabling system has caused quite a lot of tears on this end due to some nasty clashes. If you have an unavoidable clash, contact the lecturer and course administrators as quickly as possible because it may be difficult to resolve such issues.
During orientation and first week of uni, get to know as many people in your course as possible. Surviving uni is a lot about socialising as it is about academic achievements. Spend some time travelling (although every suburb here's almost the same) because when uni starts, you might not have the time to do so.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Jan 7 2007, 08:16 PM

You need to "upgrade" to the the visa with working permission. Your regular student visa does not allow you to work.
You can only work for up to 20 hours during session, but you can work full time during the holidays. Assuming you get paid $15-$20/hour (average rates before tax), that's potentially a good sum of money you can earn. You'll also need to apply for a tax file number after you get your working visa.
What's a good place to work? I reckon the retail industry is popular with students. Restaurants can be a little challenging. If you can get some sort of internship for what you're studying, that will be the best option.

National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) is the most prestigious.
http://www.nida.unsw.edu.au

Among its graduates include Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, etc. Big names. I have yet to hear any Malaysian graduates from here, though. I hear it's very difficult to gain entry as they have an extremely rigorous admission process.

Of course not! Sydney > Melbourne. Yes, I know this will incite flames in here, but I just say it for the heck of it anyway.

I'm at UNSW Commerce too, combining it with my Engineering program. Gonna do ECON1101 this coming session.

Off the top of my head: Clothes, laptop (or small portable PC), mobile phone, adaptor (different plugs), money (some cash and rest as bank draft), documentation (enrolment stuff, visa, OSHC, etc.), travel essentials (medications, toiletries, etc.).
It's best to open a bank account as soon as possible as I think there is a 10-point ID check beyond 7 days of arrival or something (last I remember), which is quite a hassle.
It's not worth it to bring in any foodstuffs (you can't bring in dairy products anyway), neither is it worth it to bring in a bucketload of toiletries to last you a year or so. Such things are pretty affordable there.

IMO, racism is more prevalent in Malaysia than it is in Australia, so you have nothing to worry about really.

I don't know the specifics because I've never gotten myself into such a situation. It differs from company to company. Basically they assign points when they can verify your personal details and credit history, etc, which means you'll need to show them some documentation. When you first arrive, your passport is the most important piece of document for verification, so they won't expect you to have any more ID with you (student card, driver's licence, etc.).

But, I have known several Jubilee scholarship holders at UNSW who are from TARC, assuming TARC == TAR College?

Not me, it's lexnon. So, lexnon, please consult your counsellor. The Jubilee scholarship is a scholarship program offered by UNSW to students from selected Malaysian colleges. Last I know, high-achieving INTI, MARA, Taylors and TARC students are accepted upon completion of their diploma, only for certain programs I believe.

http://www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au/future...denJubilee.html

The web site doesn't list TARC, but I have known several students from TARC who are in this program. Definitely seek your college's help. Go8 unis accept credit transfers, but they have certain requirements and limitations, which differ between universities because of different partnership agreements with local colleges.

I think it's quite difficult to get the commerce books you need here because they are mostly meant for the Australian market. I remembered I couldn't get the books for Accounting and Economics here, but Engineering books can be ordered locally. The textbooks change regularly for Commerce (at UNSW at least), so it's hard to predict what they'll use. Last year, they change our Accounting textbook because they adopted the international accounting standards, so those with old books or hand-me-downs are practically screwed.
Usually, we make predictions by asking the seniors what books they have used and sometimes, buy it off them if those are the books that indeed are going to be used. You can also check the course web pages and the university bookshop web site. With the implementation of WebCT Vista, you can no longer gain access to many individual course sites until the start of session, though.

http://www.bookshop.unsw.edu.au/

If you have friends at UTS or USyd, you can ask them to buy certain books for you because they have Co-Op agreements which is slightly cheaper than UNSW (no Co-Op).

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Jan 28 2007, 11:22 PM

Assuming this is your first year there, there's 2 types of textbooks, Prescribed and Recommended. You must buy Prescribed texts, but Recommended ones are not necessary (don't bother usually because you may not have the time to read them). In the first lecture, you'll be told which books to buy and then all the kiasu students will rush to the bookstore right after that to snap up a copy. There's usually enough so they won't run out.
You don't even use the textbook until the 2nd week when tutorials begin, so there's some time to get them. The Accouting textbook we used last year was
http://www.thomsonlearning.com.au/higher/a...an/3e/index.asp
You need to get the practice set too, which when bought in a pack, costs less. I'm pretty sure you can't get this book in Malaysia, but you can try to get the Econs one (but they change/updates all the time depending on the mood of the lecturer ). I don't do QMA, so I'm not sure what books you'll need for that.
University bookstores are usually 10-15% cheaper than normal retailers because they are subsidised (from the exorbitant amount we pay anyway).

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Added on January 29, 2007, 12:02 pmNo charges at Commonwealth Bank. You may have to declare your value when you purchase the bank draft in Malaysia cos government wants to control the outflow you know.
Surprise, surprise, I have not seen those high-tech cheque deposit machines in Aussie banks like we do here. Even the ATM card uses magnetic strips.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Jan 29 2007, 12:02 PM

I declared my paracetamol and Zrytec tablets when I brought it in last time. The officer told me it's not necessary because they're not after such "drugs", but you can do the same to be safe.
OT: Why do you need a new laptop for Vista? As nyprinz83 said, Vista adoption will be pretty slow for universities because there is a lot at stake, mainly compatibility issues. If you're in Computing, you're most likely to be using Linux, but Windows for others.

MildBluese,
Don't bring your blank CD/DVD and make a copy of all software, movies (legit and/or pirated) as a CD iso image and save it on a portable hard disk rather than bringing them all. You can buy blank CD/DVD easily for cheap at local comp stores, JB-Hifi, BigW, etc.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Feb 12 2007, 07:27 PM

Assuming you live close to uni....
1 - Try Big W, KMart (Westfield EastGardens), Target, Retravision (Kingsford), Harvey Norman (Supacenta).
2 - Asian mini stores down in Kingsford. They sell everything like buckets, mops, hangers, etc.
3 - IGA Kingsford (convenient, but less choice and more expensive), Coles Randwick, Coles Maroubra, Coles/Woolworths Eastgardens. For Asian foodstuffs, check store below Harvard court, Randwick Oriental along Anzac Pde and Randwick Junction.
4 - Kingsford Newsagent or stores below Cambridge/Harvard court
5 - See 3.

This post has been edited by chris_c28: Feb 14 2007, 04:10 PM

A little OT, but if anybody is interested in a cheap legal copy of Microsoft Office, Australian university students can now get them from
http://www.microsoft.com/australia/educati...er/default.mspx

I don't think Asian restaurants are the best place to work. You usually end up with bosses who pay you below minimum wages (<= $10) and provide a poor working environment. If you can, find a job that aligns closer to what you're studying. I know Coles and Woolies are big student recruiters, so try those as well. I don't think they favour one race over another, although I believe they have an obligation to employ local citizens and permanent residents first before they select international students.