I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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1 Study Program: Communication and Information Sciences Exchange semester: Spring 2016 Academic year: Host University: La Trobe University Country: Australia I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL La Trobe University is situated in Bundoora, a northern suburb of Melbourne. It is half an hour by train or an hour by tram away from the city centre. This seems far if you re used to distances in the Netherlands, but you will get used to it quickly. The campus itself is pretty big, with some nice green areas and a wildlife park included. To prevent you from getting lost there is an app you can download on your phone that can direct you to any university building/accommodation area or lecture hall (it is called lost on campus ). I also experienced first-hand that people are more than willing to help if you re a bit lost, looking for your lecture or a specific building. In the middle of the campus there is a place called Agora, where there are multiple cafes and restaurants where you can get your much needed coffee or some food in between classes. There is also a sports centre and a lot of (sports) clubs you can join. Those are all located near or on campus, which makes it really convenient. On campus there was also a campus bar (Eagle bar), where most people went on Thursdays. On Tuesdays Stollies (Stolberg beer café) is the place to be, which is only about 10 minutes by tram from campus. In the weekends there are various places to go out in the CBD (the city centre). La Trobe is a big university with around students in Bundoora. The main campus is in Bundoora, but it also has some other regional campuses which are smaller (and most of them are further away from Melbourne), such as Bendigo. I do not know an exact number of exchange and international students, but there were a lot of them. I met people from all over the world, some were exchange students like me, others were doing their full bachelor s or master s degree at La Trobe. Melbourne is an incredible city, with things to do every day if you want to. There are different suburbs with all their own atmosphere and hotspots. From going to the beach and spotting Penguins (St. Kilda) to having fancy drinks at rooftop bars (e.g. Naked for Satan in Fitzroy) and walking through lanes full of graffiti (Hosier lane, CBD) and visiting the beautiful library and national gallery (CBD). Melbourne is a big city, with lots of inhabitants, but it did not lose its relaxed vibe. There are enough places and parks to go to, to slow down and enjoy your day, before going to for example a weekly food truck festival. And don t forget about the coffee, the city is famous for its good coffee. II PRACTICAL INFORMATION Information before you left I received the pre arrival information months before I left. There was the possibility to join some online information and Q&A sessions as well, but I did not feel the need to join them as I already received the most important information via . Visa procedure and arrival The Visa procedure was way easier than expected. As soon as I uploaded all my information (it is an online process for Dutch students) I received it within two minutes. Although it is recommended to start the procedure on time, as I heard other people had to wait a bit longer. The student visa is expensive, it costs around 500 AUD and will let you stay the duration of your studies there + one extra month, which I used for traveling.

2 On arrival, me and a few other exchange students were picked up by car at the airport and brought to campus. We were dropped off at our residencies, but we had to get our key first from accommodation services. Luckily someone took us there and gave us a map as well. In the first few days we had to do registration and enrollment for our subjects. We had a few information sessions first, so we knew what was expected of us and when to be where and what to bring for those enrollments. Orientation/Introduction activities There were several introduction activities, all organized by different parts of the university. We had an introduction weekend to the Great Ocean Road with 50 exchange students, which was amazing. Places for this trip sell out really early, so I was happy I signed up on time, as it was one of the best experiences in the first weeks and a great opportunity to get to know other exchange students as well as see a beautiful part of Australia. Furthermore there is an exchange club run by students, they organized, amongst others, a welcome dinner in the first week. They also had buddy groups, with two Australian students and some other internationals. My group was not really active, but it was good to know there were people you could always ask questions if you needed to. Housing I decided I wanted to live on campus and for me this was a great decision. I did not want to commute to university everyday and it was nice because all my friends also lived on campus and therefore were really close. I signed up for on campus accommodation some time before I left for Australia. I lived in Chisholm, which is one of the cheapest on campus residencies. I lived with 11 other people (both internationals as well as Australians) and we shared two toilets, three bathrooms and a kitchen. You can use the La Trobe website to find not only on campus but also off campus accommodation. Living Costs I financed my exchange period by working extra in the time before I went on exchange and I got a student loan. Australia is an expensive country to live in, so be prepared to spend more than you are used to at home. My rent was already almost 600 euro s per month. I tried to shop my groceries as cheap as possible (for example at Aldi) but they were still more expensive than at home. Another big expense was traveling. It would be a shame to go to Australia and not explore more than just the city you are living in. Australia is definitely not a cheap country to go on exchange to, but for me it was so worth it anyway! And you can save money by cooking yourself instead of eating out all the time, buy the cheapest coffee on campus etc. Monthly Budget (approximately, in Euro) Housing: 575 Food: Transport: 50 Books: - (did not buy them, for some courses the lecturers put everything online, for others I borrowed books in the library. If you do need to buy them, try buying second-hand) Miscellaneous: 200 (travel, going out etc) Academic Calendar I arrived in Melbourne on the 15 th of February. The semester officially started on the first of March, but before there were some enrollments and an introduction week for international students, so you have to be there before the start of classes. Our introduction weekend was from February. The last day of classes was the 28 th of May, the final exams were from 3-23 June. We had a break during the semester in the first week of April (Easter break) which most people, including me, used for travel. The International Office The international office was very active and visible beforehand and from our first week at La Trobe. The same people who ed information before leaving the Netherlands were there in the first

3 week to provide information and to help you get settled in Australia. They held some general presentations and there was always a helping hand with all sorts of questions. There was a Global Lounge on campus where you could also visit them and ask questions. One of the people from the international office also joined on the orientation weekend. Exchange Promotion I promoted Tilburg University at the exchange fair that was held during the semester. We handed out pamphlets and directed them to the website of Tilburg University. Furthermore we talked about Europe and the Netherlands specifically, compared to Australia. Social Activities As before mentioned there was a welcome dinner. There was also a sports fair and a clubs fair organized to show what kind of clubs and activities are on campus. The international student organization organized some daytrips and overnight trips during the semester. I joined for the Wilson s Promontory day trip and spend two days with a group in the Grampians. The different residencies on campus also had some introduction activities, they showed us for example where the shops were and took us for a free meal in our introduction week. Through all these activities I met mostly with other international and exchange students. In my classes I met more Australian students. I also decided to join the Ultimate Frisbee club, LATUUF, in which both international and Australian students were playing, but mostly Australian. I went to frisbee practice, we had dinner sometimes after training and I competed in a Monday Night league which was a lot of fun. During the semester I did some trips to places close by (Grampians, Great Ocean Road, Mornington Peninsula) as well as weekend trips to Tasmania and Cairns with friends. During the Easter break I travelled with some friends to the Blue Mountains and Sydney. After the semester I travelled some weeks with two other girls I met at La Trobe from Sydney up the East Coast to the Whitsundays. I was lucky I only had two days of classes a week, so I had a lot of time for (long) weekend trips and exploring the Melbourne area. Culture and Language The Australian culture is not much different from the Dutch (or other western European) culture(s), so I did not experience any culture shock. However, Australians are a bit more relaxed and less punctual than Dutch people. People are late for classes, busses don t leave on time and nobody worries about it. Furthermore, teachers are even more approachable than back home, students and teachers are very equal. I actually liked everything about the Australian culture and that is probably why I felt so at home right away. I learned some extra about Australian culture and history by choosing Discover Australia as one of my subjects. The language was not a problem at all. In the first week I had to get used to all the different accents (not only from Australians, but also from other internationals) after that I was so used to it that I did not even hear the accents anymore. I did not follow any language courses and I did not feel like I needed them. Compared to some other international classmates, my level of English was good enough and I did not have any difficulties taking part in class discussions, writing assignments or holding oral presentations. It probably helps that in Tilburg we already had many courses in English and Dutch people in general are pretty good in speaking and understanding English. Personal Development Living in another country really lets you reflect on your own life and cultural values. Even though the Australian culture is not very different from the Dutch, there are always minor differences. I wouldn t do anything different if I were to do it again. One of the best decisions was joining the frisbee club, as it was a way to meet more local students. And I joined as much trips and activities as I could. I tried to see as much as possible in those few months, met amazing people from all over the world and have a

4 place now I can call my second home. An exchange so far from home teaches you that you are more independent than you think and that it is easy to make new friends from different cultures and backgrounds if you re open for it. III ACADEMIC INFORMATION All classes and examinations were in English. The level of the courses was a bit easier and also a bit more practical than I was used to. The workload was not too high, although some teachers expected you to read a fair amount of material every week. For other courses I had to watch the lecture online before attending the tutorials and workshops. Most of my hours in class were therefore more practical: group work and case studies were a big part of it. For one class we had to visit an organization and write an actual marketing plan for them. It was nice to apply the theory I ve learned in the last couple of years and during that course in real life. I took 4 classes while studying at La Trobe: Discover Australia (1 st year), Consumer Behaviour (2 nd year), Social marketing and Social Media and Relationship Marketing (both 3 rd year). I found all classes were not too hard compared to home, but I did feel like I learned something in all of them. I had final exams for all classes except Discover Australia. I also had to hand in writing assignments, take online tests and take one multiple choice midterm exam. Compared to Tilburg there are many more moments you are tested on your knowledge of the subject materials. However, this also means that you don t have to study big chunks at once. The library of La Trobe University is big and has all resources that students can need. They have different levels in which you can study at a computer, bring your own laptop or use a group study room. During peak times there were not always enough spaces in the library, but there are computers and work spots in other university buildings as well. Description of Courses Subject code Course (all bachelor) HUS1DAU Discover Australia MKT2CBU MKT3SEM Consumer Behaviour Social Marketing MKT3SRM Social Media and Relationship Marketing Prerequisites Exam ECTS Comments Written assignments and online quizzes group assignment, exam written assignments, group presentation, (midterm) exam Group assignment, exam 7.5 Easy but interesting Had to make a marketing plan for existing company, very practical and interesting

5 Introduction weekend Great Ocean Road Sunday brunch with friends Melbourne Of course the I m petting a kangaroo pic

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