Awww nuts. Gone for just one day and this happens?

I suggest we make some ground rules for people wanting to use this thread. Questions are no doubt welcome, but they must me logical and only after they have done their homework. I suggest some rules on the front page. I'd contribute some:

1)At least use proper spelling and capitalisation, even if your English is not at a standard you want it to be. No shortform lik dis. U wan help, u ask 4 help prply. Seriously, there is no reason to use shortform. You have a nice ASCII keyboard, not a keypad, and heres reason #1 to use Firefox: it comes with a built in spell checker.

2)Read the front page first! I suggest changing the sub-heading to "Read rules on first page" from "coming, in, be Australia...". (On the sidelines, I'd try to help out this weekend. No easy through; Chinese New Year coming up)

3)Do your homework. Don't come up to this thread and ask: how much does it cost to go to Australia. Australia is a very big place. You'd probably be able to live on $10/day in the middle of nowhere, but that cant get a decent meal in Sydney. Drill down to at least a specific city. As a general rule of thumb, all universities(worth our money) would have a page outlining the general costs of living. They tend to err on the high side, but use it as a guide.

4)Drop your sifu mentality. None of us here are experts. All we have behind our screen names is the privilege living in Australia for an extended period of time. Use us as a rough guide, not a hard set of rules.

5)Scholarships. Everyone wants one. Few of us have one. This forum is not to spoon feed you what scholarships there are. All universities have a link for that. Look for yourselves. We will not anwser questions like "im thinkin of takin engineering in UQ could anyone give me a reference abt any scholarships?" (even ignoring the language). We will however, try our best to anwser something like "The Sony Multimedia foundation scholarship in QUT: what are my chances?"

I think a quote from Limeuu is in order here:


6)Some of us in this forum are frank and direct. We will give you the real deal, not sugarcoated. If you can't handle it, go somewhere else. We are here to help, not "mollycoodle" (Clinton's words in his 92 campaign) anyone.

7)Cant understand what we're saying? Befuddled over the word you just saw? Here's a google trick: type "define: Befuddled" (or whatever word you don't understand, without the quote marks) into google. (You'll be surprised how many people don't know, or are just too plain lazy, to use this feature.)

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On another issue, I'd suggest grouping where we are by cities. Say:

Brisbane
Haya (Bachlelor of something, Queensland University of Technology)

Perth
onelove89 (Some course, some university)
(Hope you don't mind onelove89 )

And for those who are not in currently present in Australia, but know a bit about it:
Omnipresent
Limeuu

This should make it easier for people to ask us about a specific university and/or course.

I know this sounds daft, but can we throw in a map of Australia, preferably Asia-Pacific, to show some people where Australia is, and where is it in relation to Malaysia? Don't laugh: you know our education system has failed when people ask me "when is it winter in Bangkok?" and think they can "hop step jump to the UK in 3 hrs from Australia". I knew we should have kept Geography as a compulsory until Form 5.............................

Also, maybe an explanation on the different plug system of Australia may be in order. Feel free to use my explanation at the Studying In New Zealand thread.

Anything I missed?

This post has been edited by haya: Jan 31 2008, 08:29 AM

I'll take a barbie on O-week. When and where?

Here's my contribution to Livng in Brisbane. For accomodation, vintec has done a very good one.

Transportation
All Australian cities have better public transportation than Malaysia, and Brisbane is no exception. Getting around is easy, with one shot ticketing.

All you need for public transport (bus, train and ferry) can be found at www.translink.com.au

Brisbane's public transport charges by "zones". An overview of which zone is where can be seen at (http://www.translink.com.au/qt/translin.nsf/index/ti_zone). Usually Brisbane city ends at about Zone 5. And for some useless information, Robina (Gold Coast) is Zone 24. All bus stops/train stations have a label on them to indicate which zone you are in. You buy a ticket based on where you want to go. For example, if you are heaading from the City Centre to SunnyBank (the Chinatown), you need a zone 1-4 ticket. If you are heading from Oxley to Toowong, all you need is a zone 2-3 ticket. And if you are travelling within the same zone (say between Runcorn and Sunnybank), all you need is a zone 4-4 ticket.

Cost from one zone to another can be seen here (http://www.translink.com.au/qt/translin.nsf/index/ti_fares). International students (that means us) can get concession fares when we show our student card when purchasing. Concession fares are half the price of a adult (full) fare.

As of writing (Feb 2008), a "smartcard" system is being rolled out in phases. However, it looks like paper tickets are still going to be around for sometime, so in a nutshell, there are 5 types of tickets: single, daily, off-peak daily, weekly and monthly.

Single: easy to understand. One shot. Gets you from A to B only. Usable only once.
Daily: valid on the day of purchase. So lets say you buy a Zone 1-3 ticket. You can go around zone 1-3 as many times as you like in that day of purchase.
Off-peak daily: great value if you start your day late. Usually about 40% less than a Daily ticket. Only valid on day of purchase, and between 9am-3.30pm, and after 7pm on weekdays, plus all day weekends and public holidays. So lets say you buy a Zone 1-3 off-peak daily ticket. You can go between Zones 1-3 as many times as you like between the mentioned times. Handy when you start your day late (say, lecture/classes only start at 10am) and leave the city after 7pm (say, late classes). All you need to do is buy one ticket. During weekends, buy one, and travel everywhere in Zone 1-3 the whole day. I love them.
Weekly: Vaild for the whole week, for the zones you buy for. So lets say you buy a Zone 1-3 weekly; you can go around zone 1-3 as many times as you like within that week.
Monthly: Vaild for a whole month (30 calendar days), for the zones you buy for. So lets say you buy a Zone 1-3 monthly; you can go around zone 1-3 as many times as you like within that month.

I usually go for a monthly. Since I stay in Zone 2, I buy a monthly zone 1-2 ticket. The great thing is you can also use the same weekly/monthly ticket if you are going beyond the zone you bought at. So say I want to go to Zone 3. I just show my Zone 1-2 monthly, and buy a single (off-peak/daily) Zone 3-3 ticket. Cheaper than buying a whole new Zone 1-3 ticket!

Daily and off-peak daily tickets are bought on the bus. Please have the correct change with you when you board the bus. Places to buy weekly and monthly's can be seen here (http://www.translink.com.au/qt/translin.nsf/index/ti_tickets_qr). Rankins on Queen St is the most popular one.


Renting in Brisbane
The property market in Brisbane is mad. Its a buyers' market, and there is a pepectual shortage in rental property. The only way you're going to find any decent accomodation is well before the peak season (Dec/Jan and June/July). September/October are the best time to rent, if you can cope with some disruption in your university life.

In Australia, prices are quoted in weeks, so a place for $200 means $200 a week, unlike Malaysia where it goes by month. Some people get into this trap when looking for acomodation.

The major real estate agents operate in all major suburbs, namely L.J. Hooker, Ray White, etc. Online web sites include www.realestate.com.au.

For those leasing, signing a least is a MUST. Usually the contract is at least 6 months, and usually up to a year. All leases have to go through the RTA (http://www.rta.qld.gov.au). The owner can't chuck you out while you still have a lease, and usually the rental is fixed for the lease period. However, like everything in life, exceptions apply.A 4 week bond is usually taken. If premises are left in good condition, the bond will be refunded when the tenant moves out.

Rental rates are usually divided by zone. I only know the prices for single rooms.

Average Rental Rates:
Zone 1: That's the city man! Expect AT LEAST $240 for a one bedroom apartment WITHOUT utilities.

Zone 2: Around the range of $140-$160 for a single bedroom, without utilities, depending on location.

Zone 3: Around the range of $120-$150 for a single bedroom, sometimes with utilities, depending on location.

Zone 4: you can still find rooms for as low as $90, with utilities to boot, but I'd set my budget around $95- $120.

Zone 5: Heaven knows what's there, but you're talking about an hour's commute to the city AT LEAST from that area!

Shared accommodation is common and this can be found on university notice boards. Shared accommodation simply means someone takes up a lease and then shares the unit with other people, so they split the rent and utilities among themselves. Try not to do this in 1st year. You can get some quite weird people.

Banking in Brisbane
Getting a Australian bank account while here is almost a must. Try to do it in the first 4 weeks, when you still can use your passport for ID. After that, you have to meet the 100 point ID test, which means you need a AUSTRALIAN drivers licence, etc. Your Mykad is useless here, so please don't try to use if for ANY form of ID.

Australia has 4 major banks and many smaller ones:
Commonwealth Bank of Australia - They have a branch at UQ and a ATM/branch at QUT.
National Australia Bank (NAB)
ANZ Bank
Westpac

And there are a few smaller onces in Queensland:
Suncorp
Bank of Queensland
Bendigo Bank

Try to shop around and see which bank suits your needs. You can't go anywhere without tripping over a ANZ and Commonwealth Bank ATM in Brisbane, but their interest rates are usually lower. Most, if not all banks have a high interest bank account. Most banks will have something like a sub-account where you can earn high interest on your money (up to 7% p.a.), and there is no minimum. Your money will be in a separate account, so to use the money in it you have to transfer from the sub-account to your main account. It gives me an incentive to save, and it also ensures that I don't use too much money in one shot, as most of my money is parked in a sub-account. A interesting discussion is here.

All major banks offer student accounts, with no charges for withdrawals or transfers. However, you must update your details with them every semester of study to enjoy the benefits. Easily done: just go into the bank with your student card.

Telecommunication

Local calls are fixed from landlines and public phones. This means if you make a local call to a fixed landline (not handphones!), you pay just one rate, be it if you talk for 10 seconds or 5 hours. Calling local number from a public phone costs 50 cents, but you can hog the phone as long as you legs can prop you up. From Telstra lines its 30 cents a local call, and talk all you want, up to about 10 hours. But if you can talk for 10 hours non-stop, you seriously need a life.

Mobile phones are widely used in Australia. Some say more than traditional land lines. Most of Brisbane is served by advanced 3G mobile services from the major providers like Hutchinson's Three, Singtel Optus, Telstra and Vodafone.
You can either sign on a post-paid plan or go prepaid. Optus offers an attractive prepaid service that is popular with students.
Three (yes, the teleco's name is the number Three) is by far the cheapest if most of your friends are on the same network, but you are forced to use their 3G-enabled mobile (which you may have seen parallel imported into Malaysia) and sign onto a contract and use their locked phones (locked as in locked to Three's network. So no chance of using that phone on other teleco's) to enjoy those benefits.

Be wary of the "cap plans", such as Three's/Optus/Vodafone's. The word "cap" is misleading. A more apporpriate word would be "minimum spend". For instance, Three's $29/month "cap" plan, while offering you $130 of credit, see's you needing to pay $29 a month, even if you don't use $29 worth of calls, let alone $130. And you are tied to them for 2 years. If you want to bank out before 2 years is up, you need to pay the excess. So assuming you back out 4 months after you signed up, you will have to pay 20 x $29 = $590 penalty.

However, its good for those who can't stop talking. The $49 cap plans give you something like $300 of credit. A lot of my friends use that credit to call back home to Malaysia/Singapore, and the line is generally clear. If you needs are less, try Optus or Vodafone's prepaid plans, where credit can last for 2 months to as long as a whole year (yes, 365 days)! Of course, your call charges will be a bit higher than normal plans.

But the great thing is, Australia has number portability! So lets say you brought your own phone, you signed up with Optus and got a very nice number which everyone can remember, then 4 months down the road you realise (say) that Vodafone has a better deal for you. You can switch to Vodafone (for a small fee) while keeping your number! Of course, this means you can't tell which teleco your friend is on just by looking at the number. All HP numbers start with the 04 prefix.

In a nutshell: do some research. Optus especially keeps changing their plans. Check their websites or go into their shops to get a few fliers.



Internet Connection
The most common form of broadband internet is ADSL via landline connection. If you're renting, check that the unit has a landline connection that has been set up. Establishing a new connection costs more than A$100 and has to be done by Telstra. Line rental is usually $20/month.
To find the best ISP deals, check www.whirlpool.net.au. The biggest telecommunication companies are generally the least affordable, but you may benefit from bundled plans (phone + internet) and better customer service.


All Broadband internet plans are capped in Australia, so take the download quota into consideration when selecting plans. Get used to it. Be VERY wary of "unlimited" plans, as they usually come with more terms and conditions than the "cap" plans. And please, avoid Dodo (http://www.dodo.com.au/) like a plague. Even if they give you free internet access. Even if they offered to pay your international student fees for the rest of your course if you sign up. On a second thought, I wouldn't mind that..............

If anyone has any questions on Brisbane, I'm more than happy to help out.

Yes, it will. After your credit expires, you can receive incoming calls for the next 6 months before they put your number back into recirculation. For Optus at least. Best to check with your teleco.


Wait till you see NZ: even as international student with a TFN, I still get charged tax on my interest!

Yeah, why not? 2 less things to worry. And believe me, Gas (and heating) prices have shot through the roof!

Monash Australia? What are you studying?

As far as I know, all student accounts have the same interest as normal account. The only thing about student accounts is you don't have to pay the monthly fee and most transaction fees. Besides, what sort of bank denies students a interest account?!

I can't believe I'm typing this.

Not that I know off. Interestingly, Australian customs have been quite lax in recent years, but no, pork floss doesn't get through (for me at least).
ANZ is probably the worst bank in terms of fees. Every single damned thing they charge you if you aren't a student. On the bright side, you can't go anywhere without tripping over a ANZ ATM.

The main account for ANZ is called a "ANZ Access Advantage". That has no interest, period, student or not. Their sub-account is called a "ANZ V2 PLUS" account, (http://www.anz.com/australia/persbnk/prdsrv/savings/v2Plus.asp) which yes, you need $5000 as a start. And their interest is only a sad 6%. I suppose this is the price you pay for having ATM's everywhere.

CommBank offers better accounts; a Streamline and a Netsaver are the best combination. But if you don't mind running around a bit, or your daily routine gets you walking pass a certain banks ATM, then other banks like BoQ offer much better interest rates.

Yes, interest gained from banks is taxable, but apply for a TFN and give it to your bank, and you'll be taxed less.

When you apply for one?

Depends on the university you are going to. But generally around the 3rd week of July.

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Added on February 20, 2008, 8:20 amSpeaking as a double degree student, that is partially true, but so is what Limeuu said. Some double degree students like Education/Physical Science in my uni also offers people the chance to do somethinng not related to their course (say a programming subject).

What most people are going through now is a single degree. There are undergraduate double degrees, and yes, as long as you get into the higher requirement of one of the degree, you're in. However, it's no fun, a lot of hard work, and you have days where you think you have a split personality. Double degrees aren't that uncommon; most Law students do a double with something else (like Commerce), and some universities (Sydney comes to mind), they don't offer a single law degree anymore!

Doing a degree after your 1st degree is called a Postgraduate, and yes, like Limeuu said, it's usually because people want a change of career.

This post has been edited by haya: Feb 20 2008, 08:20 AM

Re: mooze

Your "solid - kayu manis, bunga lawang" might be a problem. Other than that I think most things will get through. If they want you to chuck, PLEASE, and all other students coming to Australia take note, don't argue with them.

READ THE FRONT PAGE!

Seriously, if I was the moderator of this sub-forum I would give you a warning. Enforcement.

KVReninem, its called "enforcement of standards", a concept very alien to Malaysians. In this postof mine, I made it very clear since we had the chance for a fresh start, let's at least lay down some ground rules for this thread (and I'm okay if you don't want to type properly, just don't ask stupid questions which can be anwsered in a FAQ in the 1st page), and some enforcement.

Don't forget the JPA students coming into UQ.

If you are taking AirAsiaX, try using Tiger to fly to OOL direct. BNE to OOL is still at least an hours drive by car, a good 2 hrs by train (and you still need a taxi from the train station at Robina to OOL).

I don't think a KUL-SYD is on the cards anytime soon. If you look here I have a feeling D7 will do China/East Asia first.

This post has been edited by haya: Feb 21 2008, 07:41 AM

wKkaY, I've never had a bank draft that took me more than 4 working days to clear, not weeks. And it was issued by Maybank.

TT is generally fast. I don't do so, but generally from friends' experience, if the transfer is initiated on the Malaysian side first thing in the morning, usually the funds are cleared by the end of the same day, Australian time. As Limeuu said, its not cheap, and the Australian banks also will take a portion of the funds you transfered in "transaction fees", which no student waiver applies.

I don't see a problem with bringing along A$500 in cash on you. I mean, no one is going to mug you on the plane, and if they do they don't get far.

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Added on February 23, 2008, 10:06 amRemember guys, Australia has anti-pedophile laws, and they are enforced. Even to work with disadvantaged kids for a day on a volunteer basis I had to apply for a BlueCard.

/b/tards and lolicons take note. Don't do stupid things.

And no, why on earth will they search for (adult) porn on your computer when adult shops are so easily found?

This post has been edited by haya: Feb 23 2008, 10:06 AM

Can I have your weekend? I cant even get a breather!

KVReninem, you might like to add this into the FAQ:

Are Australians racist?

Well, let me answer that question with another question: which one would you prefer; institualized racism where I cant get into a local public university (amongst many other things), or having a drunk redneck shout at you at 1am?


Plant, where and what are you studying?

It only shows how low Malaysia has sunk to. Don't bring your bad habits over.

Design: does this mean you're in Griffith? Anyway, welcome to Brisbane!

It all depends which course you're in. Here in QUT, if you're doing Business/Econs/Accounting, there are Asians everywhere. Do something like Bio-science, and it's almost all whites.

Wow. Toowoomba! Hows the weather there? Sounds like a nice place.

Yes, Telstra and Optus' plans are horrible value for money. Other providers such as Internode are much better, but since you're almost in the bush, coverage might be a bit tricky for these smaller ISP's.


Damn I miss them allright. Don't forget this:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only 2 states where international students DO NOT get concession fares for public transport are NSW and Vic. QLD, SA, WA and TAS all give their international students concession fares. And I doubt anyone here is in NT.

This post has been edited by haya: Feb 26 2008, 05:37 PM

As Shakespeare said, there are only 2 things in life that are certain: death and taxes.

I don't see why this is an issue. Limeuu is right: none of us here pay taxes. Everyone pays GST, be it tourists, students, the beggar on the street.

As I've said from the start, there are many factors one have to take when choosing a university, not just the name of the university, not is a certain university is good for a particular course. And if you're (or your parents) are paying, cost is one factor, and knowing which state gives concessions to international students is one of the factors in deciding where I ended up.

You cant say the universities haven't warned you. I picked up the 2008 INTERNATIONAL student prospectus for Melbourne U and UNSW today, and they very clearly say under "living expences" that international students DO NOT get concession fares on public transport, plus a estimate of $30/week for public transport costs. All in plain English, in font size 12.

It is a known fact that many people abuse the student visa. I lived with Indians, and they spent more time working than in uni. Sure, they rake in $1000/week doing 3 jobs, enrolled in a easy course in a dodgy university, but at the end of the day it is unfortunate people like me, who didn't do so well, and have to retake subjects a possibly face the battle of extending my student visa for legitimate reasons, that will suffer.

That's why I always tell Malaysians: don't do stupid things. Its bad enough that Indians and Asians have a bad name; its even worst when in "3 races Malaysia" we have BOTH Asians and Indians!

KVReninem, if not spelling, at least learn how to paragraph. This is why I ask for proper English. I'm not asking it to be enforced Lowyat.net wide; you can use your short forms in the Kopitiam. I'm not even asking for it to be enforced in the Education Essentials subforum. All i ask, is that all participants of the Studying in Australia thread, who persumably should have a IELTS score of 6, to use proper English. Is that too much to ask?