My D is a food science major at Purdue and is thinking of studying a semester abroad in Australia. The schools that offer her major include U. of Queensland, U. of New South Wales, RMIT and U. of Adelaide… though I suppose she could pursue elective requirements at other schools. My questions include: Is the curriculum at these schools likely to be more or less difficult than Purdue? Does the method of teaching and other nuances pose a problem for students? Seems like many of the schools over there grade primarily on mid-term and final exams… sort of an all or nothing scenario. Does curving come into play? She’s a hard working, above average student (but not an academic rock star) at a school known for its rigor, STEM-centric curriculum and resistance to grade inflation. I’m just concerned that she not arrive back with a damaged GPA.
The best advice for these places would likely come from Purdue students who have studied at each of them. The exchange coordinator should be able to put her tin touch with some of them.
I studied abroad in Australia. One of my professors there told me “you came to this country to experience the culture, meet the people and travel. I will be disappointed if I see you in my classroom”. Instead of attending class, he assigned me 4 papers and we agreed to meet 1x a week in his office.
UNSW grades with categories: High Distinction, distinction, credit, pass. They grade pretty harshly. https://student.unsw.edu.au/grade Are you sure your grade from abroad counts toward your gpa?
Hi, I’m an Australian so I might be able to shed some light on the marking sitch!
Of the schools you listed, RMIT is basically not a university from a practical and experiential standpoint, and Queensland is the Florida of Aus, so steer clear of that too. I’d recommend UNSW simply because it’s one of the best in the world.
The curriculum may not be “more difficult”, but your kid is going to find it more difficult. We have significantly less hand-holding here in Aus, with few safety nets and restrictions in place to prevent students from being stupid. For example, there are no participation or attendance grades, the exams and homework rarely contain any multiple choice and will deviate significantly from lecture content, and all assessments are designed to challenge students. We tend to move for university and do not usually live in dorms, so students are more independent and treat university as a job. All campuses are commuter campuses.
A high distinction (80 or 85+) is equivalent to an A+ in the US and a distinction to an A (70 or 75+), which means that a 6.0 out of 7.0 GPA in Australia is equivalent to a 4.0 in the US. Few students manage to get HDs, so just imagine how difficult the coursework must be if people can rarely crack above 70 or 80%. The exams are long, and it’s common for them to be too long and too difficult for any student to complete. They’re designed that way. Curving is not largely practiced, and if everyone fails then everyone fails.
Aus students are used to this system and can manage that level of individual responsibility, but it may be too much too quickly coming from the US, and if your kid can’t get above 75 (which he may find very difficult), it will do damage to his GPA.