i think everybody should take cognizance of a few points.......

1. there is a guideline as to what can and should be posted in education essentials, kopitiam stuffs should be left at kopitiam forum......this includes spam type one liners which adds no information value to the discussions......

2. forumers are expected to do their research first before posting and asking questions...... spoonfeeding is to be discouraged......and mr. google is your best friend......case in point is asking about current exchange rate when it is information abundantly available on the net........

3. much information is already listed on the front page, and new comers are expected to read up these info first, before asking questions......it is likely some or even all your questions are already answered there.......

4. This is a serious forum, not kopitiam, therefore some rules needs to be specified and enforced.......

5. having said all that, there is of course some leeway that is usually given for transient banter. especially if it contains actual information, eg announcement and discussion about agricultural fairs in various oz cities.......

6. finally, i do not completely agree with forum administrators or thread starter, but within reason, we should all abide by the rules of the forum......otherwise, one can leave, there are other education forums one can go to, eg this one: http://www.recom.org/forum/search.php?google=

now you are being petty....a tit for tat reply.....that is not a 1 liner type post........

it was in reply to another post, and please click on the link to see the reference for the comments.......a serious newspaper report.....

perhaps it is also pertinent to note that this forumer is brand new, just joined today, and is likely ignorant about the rules.......ts and forum admin can perhaps give him a break.......

hedged at an average cost of 2.6..........

you can buy foreign currency of any amount at any bank, based on the daily quoted rates.........

for better rates, the banks can quote you a special rate based on a minimum of rm50k per transaction........

normally, parents will remit only when needed........simple hedging means remitting when the exchange is favourable, no matter if you need the money yet or not.........so the proactive parent will have bought your next years fees at this year's 1st quarter average rate of 2.4.........whereas waiting till next year could mean a rate of 3.2...........

if you know how anything will be in the future.........you don't need to study or work anymore.......

but you don't.........

what you are talking about is exchange speculation, which comes in many forms, in this case, currency futures and options.........one can get seriously burnt doing futures and options (remember barings bank and nick leeson in spore....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barings_Bank)

as a student, needing money for fees and rentals........you are advised NOT to dabble in currency trading.......in any case you are right, you need big sums, for retail small fry players, the minimum is 250k........leeson was playing with billions........

for $28, you shouldn't be complaining too much about it........

and yes, trains are more expensive than lcc, but they bring you from city center to city center.......factor the cost of airpoet taxi/shuttle, may work out the same.......

much of the fluctuations between myr and aud hinges on the fluctuations between aud and usd.......remember, till 2006, the myr was pegged to the usd.........

based on current value of myr vs usd, it is unlikely the myr-aud rate will go significantly more than the current 3.1 or so........however, if there is intrinsic weakness in the myr, it can go beyond 3.1.........

whatever, it would seem that now is a bad time to convert myr to aud, as it is near its historical high.......parents/students should have hedged the funds 1st quarter 2009 when it was at a near historical low........

i think the courier charge will cost more than the cost of the computer!

there is absolutely NO need to send a computer over, just buy in oz.......most people use a notebook anyway, which you can bring over as hand luggage.......

if you really want a high-spec desktop, then bring the parts (mb, cpu, ram, maybe hdd) and and assemble in oz.......may save you a wee bit over buying a new computer of the same spec there........

of course you hedge by buying the aud immediately.......not in the sense of futures hedging, which is like gambling.........most parents will have the funds for the fees ready, saved in myr........and buy aud when the fees are due.......

they can however buy aud when the rate is advantageous, and deposit it is oz (either children's account, or open one themselves).......in fact, they will get higher interests than fd in msia..........

buy draft in your name.......

on arrival, open account, and bank in cheque immediately......it should clear in 3 working days, and you can start using the money at atm, eftpos or visa debit (if they give you a debit visa card)......

for fees payment, i advise use your parent's credit cards......you pay the same, the exchange is usually equal or better than the published rates, and your parents get to get lots of points for redemption of gifts........

that is not true.......students are given several options to pay, including online with credit cards, and online payment ie BPay..........

the unis have NO preference for any particular method of payment of fees......this is clearly stated in their offers letters, where a range of options are offered.......

i suspect you are referring to the local agents and what they prefer.......which is a different thing altogether.......

my comments on credit card payment being the best option stands......

now is the right time to apply to oz for feb2010 entry........with the exception of medicine/dentistry, where it is already too late.........

why do you need to tt from maybank to hsbc??

if cost is an issue, the cheapest way is to buy bank draft in aud in msia costing rm5, send the draft over by registered post, cost rm5 too, and you bank in the draft into your account, cost nothing and money cleared in 3 working days........

of course, which is why there are ranking also for individual areas of studies......but that has never stop various people from doing overall rankings, readers just got to know and understand what these rankings mean, and the criteria used........

but they serve a useful function, giving a general indication of the caliber and quality of the uni.........


this is my own opinion on aussie unis, based on their overall ranking in various ranking lists, their entry requirements, experiences with students applying to different unis, and getting in some while rejected by others etc.........it is up to the individual to decide the validity of my rough segmentation of oz unis.......

the top unis is known to all, they fare consistently high in all ranking exercises..........

there is a bunch of established unis that do not rank high, but are well regarded within oz........i rank them as the middle group, to let people know they are still excellent unis, but easier to enter.......yes they ARE easier to enter than the likes of melb u.........and generally a bit cheaper too.......

and there are a bunch of others not getting into any ranking list, some with enrolments consisting of more than 50% foreign students....and questions about how they liberally pass students.....you want to know more, go google them........

i gather chris's reservation is my arbitary classification of unsw into tier 2.......that is like i said, arbitary......it is not exact science, but i can easily consider it tier 1 too, depending on how low i want to classify tier 1......

unsw is a good uni, and certainly in the go8, and ranks mostly within the top 50 unis worldwide.......so is monash......

i retract what i wrote earlier, and now place unsw and monash within tier 1........

i hope this resolve this issue........

This post has been edited by limeuu: Oct 1 2009, 02:51 PM

english speaking, nearby, good infrastructure, excellent climate and lifestyle, high quality unis and education, and a chance of staying on to work and eventually migrate........

note that at current exchange rates, it will work out cheaper to study in uk than oz........especially when you consider many 4 year courses in oz are only 3 years in uk..........