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Accommodation
The majority
of international students stay in private
accommodation in suburbs within the vicinity
of the university. This accommodation is
usually shared amongst other students and
varies considerably in style, comfort and
cost. You can choose from these options:
Private Housing / Homestay
-
This type of
accommodation is usually a single or shared
room in a rented house or apartment. The
rent and expenses incurred (such as the
bond, electricity, gas, telephone etc) are
usually shared equally among the tenants.
Buying food and cooking is normally done
either individually or in groups. Some
homestays do provide breakfast and dinner,
depending on the host. Monthly rental
usually varies from AUD 650 to AUD 1000,
increasing annually.
Residential Colleges
- Every single residential college
offers accommodation and meals in a
distinctive environment, and this varies
from college to college, as do facilities
and fees. There are additional charges for
registration fees and damage deposit, which
once again varies depending on the college
itself. Normally, college accommodation is
limited and it is advisable for students to
lodge in their applications preferably 3 to
6 months before their actual date of
arrival. Such colleges are a great platform
to forge camaraderie and build new
friendships, proving to be a great way of
learning the Aussie culture.
Eating Out and Eating In (Cooking)
If you are in
residential colleges, you most likely won't
have to worry to much about cooking. Most
meals are provided and you'll probably eat
out on the weekends. For those planning to
rent in private housing, learning how
to cook will be crucial in order to keep
yourself to budget. You don't have to be a
master chef, but it would really help if you
learn more than just frying an egg and
making instant noodles. Meat, vegetables,
and fruits can be bought cheaply from your
local market as well as at supermarkets such
as Safeway/Woolworths. Having said that,
there are some students who opt for catering
at a fairly reasonable price. You will
generally spend almost 3 times more when
eating out on the same food which you can
cook and eat at home. The really thrifty
would try as much to limit eating out, but
you most budget for eating out at least once
or twice a week. Don't be afraid to pamper
your tastebuds once in awhile as there are a
lot of good dining places around Australia
with different varieties of food to choose
from. Here is a list of Halal Eateries for
Muslim scholars studying in
Melbourne and
Sydney.
Finance & Banking
A Sime Darby
scholar is required to open a bank account
in order to receive his or her scholarship
fund through electronic funds transfer. Most
banks have student bank accounts where
annual fees and ATM fees are waived. Some of
the popular bank choices among Malaysian
students include ANZ Bank or The
Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The perks
vary from bank to bank, and it is up to you
to do your homework before choosing which
bank to open your account with.
Mobile Phones & Service Providers
You will be
spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing
your mobile service provider which include
Optus, Vodafone, 3, Telstra, and others. In
addition to studying the different packages
available, find out which service provider
most of your friends are on because this may
help bring down your usage costs. Most
service providers offer free calls and text
messages or discounted rates when you
communicate with those on the same network.
When choosing to commit to a call plan for a
period of time, make sure you understand
what the contract entails and not just be
blinded by the attractive phone which may
come free or at a heavily discounted price.
Fitting in with the Aussies
Perhaps one
of the hardest things to get used to is the
Aussie slang (according to the feedback
Renard has gathered from most Malaysian
students). Aussies tend to contract words,
say for instance, afternoon is pronounced
‘arvo’ and mosquitoes are called ‘mozzies’
by the natives here. Even 'Aussie' itself is
in a shortened form! Apart from that, there
are certain slang words which is unique to
Australians, for example when someone says
I’ll shout you a drink, it doesn’t
mean that he’ll literally shout at you for a
drink but rather he means that he’ll give
you a treat. Aussies are generally friendly
and open-minded culture so don't be startled
if someone on the street whom you've had eye
contact with says to 'Good day' to you or
asks 'How're ya going?'. |
