duh

Hello all.

I am a sophomore engineering student, interested in studying abroad.
I am interested in Australia and England but do not know which one to go.
(I havent been to either country)

From what ive heard and seen, i like british culture, but don't like weather.
Is it THAT bad during fall-winter? Rain all the time and cloud everyday?
I like Australian nature and weather but don't like how they starts freakin early (july).
This would leave me nothing to do for that summer (because then the summer vacation would be too short, that i can't get a job or internship).
Any comment about study abroad in australia and england will be nice!

For Australia, I am considering the University of New South Wales.
For England, I am considering Queen Mary, University of London.
From what I have researched so far, UNSW is the top school in austraila
while Queen Mary is far from the top school in England.
I do not want my study-abroad uni to be super difficult (i am majoring in engineering already..;. Right now at my university, I literally have to study everything until at least midnight. There aren't any weekend where I can completely relax. There aren't any weekday I can just chill. I really dont want that in my study-abroad.
Can anyone talk about those university in terms of difficulty/atmosphere?
Also btw, do graduate school and employer look at the transcript from study abroad schools? (credits are transferred therefore grades from abroad do not count into my overall GPA in my school)

Also I do like to study abroad for a year but most of student in my engineering school does only a semester because it's more feasible. (apparently very few engineering classes are approved by my school)
Any advice would be helpful.
(I heard studying abroad for a year is a lot better than just for a semester)

Help me out!
Thanks.

nickdechile

I did a study abroad to South America (Chile)...Go to a country that doesn't speak English. Speaking English would make the experience boring.

Spetsnaz Op

personally I will try to study abroad as much as I can....honestly I'd go 1 year plus spend the summer

duh

nikedechile, I agree.... but i dont speak any other language and i am not about to learn one.

Spetsnaz Op, it is somewhat hard for an engineering major to do that. Can you elaborate on your opinion?? also 2semster in the same country or different?

bfired2

sidenote: my friend goes to new south wales (he was born there) and he loves it. he's dying to come study in the states though lol. what about new zealand? if you were looking to stay in an english-speaking country but wanted something more adventurous, i heard new zealand is gorgeous.

duh

any idea of difficulty of engineering program/courses at UNSW or UTS?

duh

anyone?

101010

warblersrule86

I'm not sure how many good responses you'll get on CC. You might check out the-studentroom.co.uk (take out the -).

Imperial or UCL would be your best bets for engineering if you decide to study in England.

nbachris2788

Go to England. Australia has no culture except for beaches. You're going to study, not get drunk in the tides.

Better yet, go to a non-Anglophone country and hone your language skills.

duh

warblersrule86, a problem... with england is weather.
i hate rain and cold. and i am planning on going there (london) for fall 2007.

is it that bad?

nbachris2788, are you saying Australian universities are harder than british ones? (.. like "You're going to study, not get drunk in the tides." is it that bad?... well because i was looking forward to get drunk in the tides time to time haha.)

let me know your 2 cents!

stargirl

From experience, Australia is one of the coolest places on Earth and I would choose studying there over studying in England in a heartbeat. It has a British mentality but is rather diverse, is filled with incredibly beautiful things seen nowhere else on Earth, and is filled with the nicest people I've ever met. Go there!!! My sister did study abroad there two years ago at the University of Melbourne, and liked it so much that she lives there now.
It's also worth noting that I liked that part of the world so much that I'm going to study abroad next semester at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. I understand your concerns about the summer being shorter as a result, but I solved this by doing my research last summer and agreeing with a professor on campus to start my senior thesis a little early once I came back (ie after July) for a few weeks. If you're still a ways off from going abroad perhaps you can work a deal out similar to this.

duh

hey. i am also considering new zealand as well.

what makes you choose nz over australia?

(i'm either university of new south wales or university of auckland.)

Dee_confused

I would love to study abroad but my parents just cant afford it are there any affordable ways to go abroad...?

curiouser

Dee_confused:
Poor parent here

Both of my college aged kids are going abroad. If you are eligible for financial aid (ie merit, grants, etc), these can all apply towards a study abroad semester. We learned that this was a better option than doing a summer abroad program. While there will be slightly higher costs due to additional travel money you'd want while abroad, the two places they're going are actually a little cheaper over the course of the semester than living in their respective college cities. (Granted, they are both in urban, relatively expensive locations).

Anyway, don't assume it's not in the cards. Set up a meeting with a study abroad advisor and get all the facts. Ask all the money questions. There are also usually some study-abroad scholarship funds that you could apply for.

Personally, I've told my two that I "require" them to do a semester abroad. Even if I have to get more loans for the experience---it's that important to me that they have that kind of broadening cultural exposure. Maybe it's important to your parents too.

sid19

Have you made your choice?

England and Australia are quite different. Just so you know, Australia does get cold at times (it even snows in some parts but you wont need to worry about that at UNSW). although in general you are right, the weather is much warmer than england would be.

UNSW is not THE top school in australia but it is one of the best. It may however be the best for engineering. Study in Australia and england tend to be different than the states as assessments are usually towards the middle and end of semester instead of being spread out. England and Australia work on similar systems so i would go on which culture you find the most appealing ... Australia does have a culture despite what some may argue

If you have any specific questions regarding UNSW feel free to ask me. I think i may be too late though as i have not been on CC for some time.