Sarah Ossenbruegge`s experiences in Australia
The following outline is supposed to reveal my study abroad experience at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. The Sunshine Coast of Queensland Australia is located 100 Km (60 miles) North of Brisbane. It is a most popular holiday destination for local Australians and is now extremely popular with visitors from all around the world as they discover the natural unspoiled beauty of its tropical rain forests, miles of white sandy beaches, holiday resorts, scenic tours and ‘heaps of’ other local attractions as the Australian would say. Australia Zoo, for example, the home of the Crocodile Hunter, is only a twenty minutes drive from the coastal strip and the legendary Glasshouse Mountains are not too far away either. Most cities and areas have indigenous names such as Mooloolaba, Noosa, Maroochydore and so forth, which do refer to Australia’s indigenous people, the Aborigines.
Once you have explored the Sunshine Coast, which should not take too long, other beautiful spots wait for you such as the Gold Coast, the Cairns Region or Sydney, of course! Unfortunately, as Australia is a very big country all these spots are a long way off and it is difficult to explore way more than the Sunshine Coast without having your own car. That is why you should definitely bring some time for travelling after the study abroad semester. And of course, if you have got enough money in your pocket, it is worth it to think about paying a visit to New Zealand, which is only a 3 and a half hours flight away!
As far as the study experience itself is concerned, I have to say that studying in Australia is a lot of work due to the fact that each course has more than one assessment item. You do not only write your final exam at the end of the semester like you do in Germany but you are asked to write assignments, have mid-semester exams and prepare and hold oral presentations throughout the semester!
One thing I would like to stress with regard to the University of the Sunshine Coast is its great International Relations program. The Uni offers a range of activities, which are exclusively organised for the internationals such as regular morning tea sessions, a welcome as well as a farewell dinner, an Australia Zoo trip, a Fraser Island trip and the like. With the help of these activities you should get the opportunity to socialise with plenty of other international students (which mainly come from the United States).
If you should now be interested in doing a study abroad semester at the USC, please do not hesitate to contact me for further information. I am happy to talk to you about it. ‘Sprachen Internationales’ will know how to contact me.
