Hmm if you are planning to pursue your tertiary education as a full fee international student, I would recommend you entering one of the more reputable universities, assuming you meet the requirements for them. And for your case, USyd, UNSW, Macq U and UTS are the 4 top universities in the state. Obviously the first two are the top unis here in Sydney, so if you are able to get into one of them and fees is not too much of an issue, it'd be a good idea to do so. I don't know what restriction or limitation you have in terms of financial matter, but if you can afford to pay that extra few grand, I would say go for the better ranked/more reputable ones.


Where would your accommodation be in Sydney? If you live too far away from uni, your weekly transportation cost will form a significant portion of your weekly expenses. Generally, Sydney is prolly the most expensive city in Australia, but if you eat in for most of your meals and don't go out much, it is still pretty affordable as difference in grocery prices aren't that significant compared to the other cities. I'm not too sure how much does accommodation cost in other cities, but if you can save on accommodation here in Sydney, I reckon that itself would be quite a big amount.

No, printers and all can be bought in Australia and they are priced reasonably, sometimes even cheaper than Malaysia. The only computer related stuff you should bring is your laptop, other than that, it's not really worth carrying all the way there. Other items would very much depend on you personally, but if you can get yourself the required textbook list prior to departure, it'd be a good idea to go look around the bookstores here and see if you can find any textbook. A textbook that costs AUD$100 would probably cost you RM100+ here, hence the big difference.

Oh, and obviously, bring enough cash to last you for at least a week or two. You will have to spend some time setting up your bank accounts and waiting for your bank draft/tt/etc to clear, so just prepare a bit more cash to be on the safe side.

International Student Identification Card (ISIC) is basically a student card that entitles you to various discounts around the world, and getting more baggage allowance is just one of the benefits you get. However, I do agree that it is kinda useless because most of the time your uni student card is enough, but no harm getting one since it doesn't really cost much anyway.

Are you referring to the self-catered Barkers Apartment or the various fully-catered university colleges (New College, Goldstein etc)? If it is the former, I reckon your chances of securing one is very slim as that's offered on a first-come-first-serve basis. However, if it is the latter, I'm not too sure about that as I have never stayed in one previously.

How much is your budget for weekly rent and is it a must for you to stay in or near uni? If you don't mind private accommodations, there are many apartments/houses in Kingsford/Randwick/Kensington area, these are the areas surrounding uni. Obviously if you are only going over around late Feb and start looking for a place, it would most likely be too late. Your best option would be to either go earlier and stand a better chance in getting a good place or get someone there (relatives or friends) to look for a place. However, please take note that this only applies for private accommodation, uni accommodation it is best for you to direct all queries to the uni housing office.