Hi Anja, Thank you for

Hi Laura, thank you for your question! I think that contacting your university's accommodation services is the best first step that you should take. If you don't go to university but go to a college or any other institution, they usually can give you some good advise. Other than that watch out for blackboard notes all around university/institutiton. I know of many international students who spend the first few nights in one of the backpacker places in Brisbane. I think this is quite a good approach since it doesn't cost too much. It is better to inspect places first and getting to know your future housemates rather than committing to a contract while you are still overseas. This is also why it is so important to get here at least 2 weeks before your classes commence. Living in college on campus is probably the most expensive alternative. I personally think that the lifestyles on and off campus are very different. It is important to note that in Australia, the majority of all units/houses are rented through real estate agents. It is very rare that you can rent places from private people. Usually you will have a 6 or 12 month lease. For a 2-bedroom-place, I think $250 - $270 is currently quite normal but of course this increases the closer you get to the campus and/or the closer you get towards the city centre. A good website is http://www.realestate.com.au. They also post vacancies for shared accommodation. Again, contact your university/college/institutiton and they will explain to you how it works in detail. Hope that helps :) Anja

Hi Arthur, that’s a very interesting question and I think everyone would give you a different advice. I personally prefer the end of winter/beginning of spring period in August and September because you have a lovely blue sky every day combined with the beautiful blossom of the flowers while the weather is not too warm and not too cold. In general the summer gets hot and humid with quite a lot of rain. The winter is very dry but beautiful with blue skies on a daily basis, temperatures can drop below 10C during the night but in their 20s during the day. Overall, I think every season has something unique on offer. If you love the ocean I think it doesn’t really matter what time of the year you are here. I sometimes hear the locals saying that swimming in the ocean in winter is too cold. But I guess that’s really up to you ;) However, if you are planning on travelling up north along the East Coast of Queensland towards Cairns, be aware that (1) the wet season is December until March which can see heavy daily rain the further you get towards the tropical areas up north; and (2) from November – May/June there are “Box Jellyfish” so called “Stingers” in the waters off the coast from about Agnes Waters in Queensland up north. Another good advise when you plan on travelling is to be aware of the school holidays in Australia (see: http://www.dest.gov.au/portfolio_department/calendar_dates/school_term_dates_2009.htm). Travelling and in particular accommodation during this time is much more expensive. I hope that helps a little :) Anja

Hi Birna, Thank you for your question. There are many many activities that are organized by the universities. You can join numerous different clubs & associations or you can even set up your own. Usually you will have the chance to get to know them within the first 2 weeks of semester, as the universities organize a special event for commencing students to familiarize themselves with all that is on offer. Apart from university it is quite easy to join other clubs and as you can see from the event calendars and posts on the Study Brisbane Facebook Site, there are many activities in and around Brisbane - mostly free of charge. If I can give you one piece of advise: do not overcommit in joining too many clubs/associations at the beginning of semester. That’s what happened to me. I was so excited that I joined 4 or 5 clubs but I never ended up going there because I realized that I had too much to do for my studies and also ran out of time because of my part-time work. As a normal week in Brisbane during semester, I must say that it is unfortunately not just a simple live near the beach. On average, you do 4 subjects per semester (this varies with the degree that you are doing). Each subject requires you to do about 10 hours of work per week in addition to your contact hours. On top of that, most of the students work part time. You are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours a week. Hence, a normal week during semester can be quite busy. However, please don’t let this discourage you. I promise you that student live in Brisbane is truly exciting and you will still have enough time to discover Brisbane and its surroundings. Just be aware that your commitments over here with studies/assignments and part-time work are most probably quite similar to the ones in your homecountry. Wishing you all the best, Anja

Dear Anna, Thank you for your question. I think working part-time or as a casual while you are studying is essential, but this is obviously nothing unusual :) Costs - essentials: Apart from your student fees, you will spend the most on your accommodation. Depending on how close you live to uni and with how many people you share a place your rent varies. I think about $130-$140/week when you share with 2 other people is an average figure. The next big junk of costs is textbooks. However, you can buy them second hand and you can usually sell those easily at the end of semester. So this shouldn't worry you. When it comes to food, I think I spend around $60/week for myself. Lastly, costs for public transport shouldn't worry you too much. Compared to my home country, Germany, it is really cheap here. Of course, it depends how far you live away from your Uni or college. I live 15mins by bus away from Uni and spend about $12/week. Saving money: As for your second question, I personally believe that you are able to save money ;) This is because you are allowed to work 20hrs/week (see: http://www.immi.gov.au/students/students/working_while_studying/). Just to give you an idea: for a casual job as a waitress you can expect about $18/hr. Also, if I’m not wrong, the first $2000 that you earn is tax free. So you can claim money back from your tax return, yearly after 30th of June. Wishing you all the best, Anja