Engineering in Australia #HogsAbroad

Bar Beach in Newcastle

Hi. My name is Derek Gilstrap. I’m in the College of Engineering working towards a degree in Civil Engineering and I’m spending the semester abroad in Newcastle, Australia for the Spring 2016 semester. I’ve been here in Newcastle for 3 weeks now and in Australia for 5 weeks and I thought I’d share some tips of things I’ve encountered over the past month+.

Arriving: It’s a long flight over. My recommendation is to sleep as much as you can on the flight. You’ll most likely arrive in the morning and you want to stay awake for the day and then sleep at night. That’s what I’ve found to be the best way to combat jetlag. Prioritize what you want/need. Some things you can buy here, some you can’t. Unless you have specific traveling to do or family to visit, I would suggest waiting until closer to classes starting to come. I came 4 weeks early and traveled around for the first 2, but then I had 2 weeks of just waiting and not doing much of anything. And a big thing I would recommend is to figure out your housing situation long before you leave, whether its on-campus, homestay, or off-campus. I waited until I got to Newcastle to do anything and I spent 3 days frantically searching for any open places before I found anything. Eventually I was able to find a homestay host from the university that was available and it has been a good experience so far.

Classes: The classes are quite different here. You may only meet for one 2-hour class each week. There isn’t really any homework or quizzes/tests due throughout the semester. You might have 2 minor projects to do and then the final. And that’s your grade. Thankfully for transfer credit you only need to pass which is a 51, but the finals are worth around 70% of the grade so a lot relies on them. I would recommend attending as much classes as you can. It seems like it’d be easy to skip since there’s no homework or anything but you’re still expected to know the information at the end.

12 Apostles in Newcastle

General: The price for almost everything is higher here in Australia, but with the (current) exchange rate the actual cost you pay isn’t that much more. If money is an issue to you like it was to me, make an estimated budget before coming. It’ll help you get a general idea of what the total cost might be and when you’re deciding whether to go to the fancy restaurant or the cheaper place down the road, you can look at your budget to see if it’s manageable. With that being said, try to do as much as you can. And keep an open mind about everything. Try new things, new foods. If in New Zealand: try bungee jumping (I am), it’s where it was invented; go to Hobbiton (where else can you?). Go to the Opera House, or the Great Barrier Reef, or anything else that suits your fancy. Just go for it, you may never be back here with the opportunity every again. And 1 thing I’ve learned is that people love good food. It doesn’t matter where you go. So try the local dish the way it was made. Don’t ask the ingredients, just eat it. And if you don’t like it, you don’t have to get it again.

At the end of the day, do whatever you find fun. Some enjoy clubbing every night, some going to the beach, some reading or watching a movie. Just enjoy your time. 

Opera House & Harbour Bridge in Sydney

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