AALTO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

University of Technology, Sydney Travel Report Miro Arola Autumn 2015

(Royal National Park, south of Sydney)

Before the exchange I spent my exchange semester in Australia at University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). I and one other student from Aalto were the first ones to go to an exchange in UTS from our school. However, although we didn’t have any prior reports or experiences to read, all went well from the beginning to the end. UTS was really helpful if we had any problems or concerns. They have around 600 exchange students starting every semester, so they are experienced in helping international students. When I was accepted by Aalto to study at UTS for the Autumn Semester 2015 (our spring) I was asked to fill an online application form by UTS staff. The request came in September, so about 5 months before my exchange started. In that form you have to fill some personal information, educational background, emergency contacts etc. I had to give my preferences which courses I wanted to study and those you can find here: http://www.handbook.uts.edu.au/bus/index.html. You can change your preferences later but it’s always easier to get it right at the first time. I also sent my upper secondary school certificate and copy of passport in this same online application. Soon after I had filled out the required information, I received an email stating that I have been offered a place in the UTS Exchange Program. After that I had to fill out an acceptance form stating that I want to study at UTS. Also as an international student in Australia, you are required to have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the entire duration of your study. UTS recommends to buy it via Medibank and you’ll get a good instructions how to buy it online. You will need to show your OSHC to apply for your Student Visa. I also recommend buying travel insurance in Finland as you might for example travel outside of Australia. At this point you can also apply for UTS student accommodation. Exchange students were guaranteed a room when they applied for a place to live at UTS Housing by 30 November. You’ll get clear instructions by email how to apply for a room. Fill out the housing application as soon as possible if you want to have a lot of different room options. I was a bit lazy and filled it in the end of November so there weren’t that many choices left anymore. In case you want to find off campus accommodation, UTS will give you good tips to find it. Once I sent the completed Exchange Acceptance Form and Declaration and attached proof of OSHC they forwarded the Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) visa documentation and online enrolment instructions. After this you can apply for the Student Visa. To get the Student Visa you just have to fill an online application form on the website of Australian Government Department of Immigration and Border Protection. I got the Visa automatically to my email after I had done the online application. As you can see there is a bit of bureaucracy and paperwork to do in this process. But it really isn’t

that bad. You’ll get really clear instructions what to do in each step and if you have something to ask you can always send them an email. And it was really quite surprising how easily and fast I got the Student Visa after receiving the CoE and buying the OSHC.

At UTS A dynamic university in central Sydney UTS is one of the 5 universities in Sydney and it is the youngest of the top 20 Australian universities. The university campus is located just in the center of the city. At the moment they are reconstructing the campus, and when I came there, they had just built new school buildings for postgraduate business students and technology students. The facilities are therefore brand new. UTS has a vibrant international campus life. At the same time when I started, also 600 other exchange students started their semester. Additionally there are international degree students who are studying there prominently. Those of you who are interested in rankings UTS was ranked 21st in the world in the QS Top 50 under 50 in the QS GLOBAL index of newer universities - those less than 50 years old. In the major business school rankings it is at the same levels as Aalto.

New business building for postgraduate students

Student life UTS offers many opportunities beyond the classroom to network with people and have fun on campus. When I came there in the beginning of February, the school year started with a two week orientation. The orientation week schedule is full of different events such as speed friending,

visiting the library, knowing where to find help etc. Participating to the orientation week is a very good way to meet new people and at the same time get to know the campus and the facilities UTS offers to its students. And on the other hand it’s the best time to party, as the lectures haven’t started yet. The organization who is responsible for all things social in UTS is called ActivateUTS. It organizes lots of different events such as gigs, band competitions and outdoor cinema screenings. I participated also in Amazing Race where we ran around the campus and the surrounding areas solving different task. I highly recommend it. It was one of the funniest days in Sydney! In addition to events organized by ActivateUTS there is more than 130 social and sporting clubs and societies. The first club I joined was UTS Surf as I wanted to try something that I hadn’t tried before in Finland. Also Australia has one of the best beaches in the world to surf so you should try it at least once or twice. The second club I joined was Outdoor Adventure Club. It arranged various different activities to Sydney’s surrounding areas such as rock climbing, hiking, bouldering and abseiling trips. The trips were good fun and they offered a great way to see places close to Sydney you wouldn’t see otherwise. In addition to these two clubs, sports addicts can select from over 30 different clubs so there is something for everyone. There was at least 3 different rugby clubs as Australians are crazy for rugby. Also if you’re not that into sports you can choose from countless number of different clubs. Accommodation UTS has its own student housing provider called the UTS Housing. It offers convenient living options around the UTS City campus. Basically there are 4 different UTS student housing options you can choose from: Yura Mudang, Gumal Ngurang, Bulga Ngurra and Geegal. You can choose from one of the many small or large studios to six-bedroom share apartments. I lived in Yura Mudang which was located right in the middle of the campus so I could walk to every school building in couple of minutes. It was also the newest and the biggest housing. Because it was the newest, it had the best facilities. There was a good computer lab, so I didn’t need to go far if I wanted to study and also pool tables, ping pong tables and Xbox to chill out and relax. The view from the rooftop of Yura is amazing and most of the pre-drinking is arranged there so I didn’t need to go far to find a party. The rooms were clean and I didn’t suffer from loud noises. The bad thing about Yura was that it was the most expensive housing from the 4 options as it had the best facilities. Also it was the biggest one so it felt a bit ‘hotel like’. I cannot say much about the other housing options as I visited them just couple of times but here are few words. Gumal is the second biggest and it is also located in a very good place; just a few minute walk from Broadway shopping center and UTS school buildings. It is a bit cheaper option than Yura but the facilities are not that good. Geegal is a bit further, around 10 minute walk from the campus. Fewer people are living in Geegal than in Yura or Gumal and I felt the atmosphere there was more ‘family like’. Thus a good option if you’re seeking a tight community. Bulga is the housing I maybe recommend the least from these options. My few friends who were living there

said that the atmosphere there wasn’t anything special. However they were renovating the common rooms at the time I was there so maybe the place is nicer after that. Should you then choose one of the four UTS student accommodation options I have listed here or try to find something else (maybe cheaper) from private markets? I would definitely say that try to get a room from one of these accommodations. I think that you wouldn’t get the full exchange experience without student accommodation. First of all, most of the exchange students live in one of these housings so you’ll meet a lot of different people easily. In addition to the events the school organizes, also UTS Housing organizes events almost daily. In these events it is easy to make new friends especially in the beginning when you don’t know anyone. Secondly the campus accommodations are next to your school buildings where your lectures are. They are also right in the middle of the city center so you’ll have good bus and train connections everywhere in Sydney. Thirdly, it is just easier to get the campus accommodation and you won’t find anything that is much cheaper than they are (except if you are extremely lucky) and the accommodations have 24/7 security which is good in a city you don’t know that well. However if you choose to live somewhere else, UTS will happily try to help you find off-campus accommodation. Courses As an exchange student from Aalto, I was required to take 4 courses (= 24 credit points) from UTS to get full credits from my exchange semester. I took all of my 4 subjects from UTS Business school. It offers subjects from five academic disciplines: Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management and Marketing. I tried to take couple of capstone courses but they are not available for exchange students. All of the courses I took were from undergraduate degree programs and all of them lasted the whole semester. Here are few words about the subjects I took. 25421 - International Financial Management (Ruoyun Zhao) This subject was one of the courses offered by Finance Department. The subject introduces students to the concepts of international finance and the financial management of international businesses. Topics covered include foreign exchange, global financial markets, foreign exchange risk and its management, and financial decision-making techniques used by international business. The grade consisted of group assignment, individual quizzes and two exams. I took the subject because I wanted to take something about international business as I was studying abroad. Average effort to get a good grade. 25620 - Derivative Securities (Christina Nikitopoulos) Also a course offered by the Finance Department. The subject provides students with a basic understanding of forwards, futures, swaps and options. I was happy about the subject as it gave me just this basic understanding of these securities. But if you want to take your exchange easily I wouldn’t recommend taking this subject. Just going to the lectures is not enough to assimilate the things taught. It took the most of my time from the 4 subjects I took. The quality of the course is good, I would say at the same level as Aalto’s Finance courses.

21649 Olympic Games and Sports Mega-Events (Stephen Frawley) I wanted to take something more chill to counterbalance the more time consuming finance subjects I picked. This subject did it but also it was really a surprisingly good course. The subject is part of sports business major in UTS and it taught students skills in areas such as project management, public policy, marketing and sponsorship, and international relations in respect of staging the world's largest events. They have a broad knowledge of sports business in UTS and this is originating from Australians huge interest in sports and staging the Sydney Olympics in 2000. The teacher of the subject was highly motivational and the teaching style engaging. I do recommend taking the course if you have interest in sports business. 23304 - Asian-Australian Economic Relations (Len Perry) Subject taken from the International Business major. I recommend this subject if you want to have an overview of the Asian region, its political economy and its economic relationship with Australia. The focus is on those Asian economies that have significant trading relations with Australia for example China, India, Singapore and Japan. Great course, that you would not find from Aalto’s course selection.

Generally about Australia and Sydney Geography, weather and people Geographically, Australia is very diverse with vast coastlines, beaches, tropical rainforests and snowfields in between major cities and country towns, while nearly 20 per cent of the land mass is classified as desert. Sydney itself has one of the best beaches in the world and on the other hand the city center is full of financial institutions and culturally remarkable constructions such as the Harbor Bridge and Opera House. Thus the atmosphere in Sydney is a wonderful mixture of laid back surf culture and sophisticated business world.

The Holy Opera House

Sydney has a humid subtropical climate with warm summers and mild winters. The summer there is in our winter: warmest months are January and February. When I went there in the beginning of February most of the days were hot, around 25 to 30 °C. After March don’t except the same warm beach days as the temperature drops to around 18 -19 °C. When I left in June the air temperature was around 15 °C during the day, so it won’t get too cold for a Finn, but do get a jacket for the evenings. Rainfall is fairly evenly spread through the year. Australia is full of different people with different backgrounds. In 2011, there were 5.3 million migrants in Australia, which means one in every four (26%) Australian resident is born overseas. In Sydney the proportion is even higher: in 2011, 34.2% of the population of Sydney was migrants. Thus, it is highly multicultural city. It is also the highest ranking city in the world for international students. More than 50,000 international students study at the city's universities. Cost of living For a student living in Sydney it’s quite expensive. The price level for basic living expenses such as accommodation, food, transport, services, utilities and entertainment are a bit higher than in Finland. So be prepared to spend more money to support yourself. Accommodation is the biggest expense: you’ll have to pay around A$220 - A$372 a week (!!!) for a shared student accommodation. UTS estimates that an international student requires a minimum of A$17,472 to A$25,896 for living expenses for each academic year. Divide that by 2 and you’ll get a number for one semester. So it’ll be a costly semester, but totally worth every penny! Students are also always interested what the price of alcohol is. That doesn’t differ much from Finland: you’ll get a cheap wine bottle with 8 dollars. But if you’re a smoker, think about quitting: one cigarette pack costs you more than $20. The table below shows the approximate establishment and ongoing costs while living in UTS accommodation and studying at UTS.

Safety Sydney is a rather safe city and it’s a thing you don’t need to worry much. I would say that the safety level is close to Helsinki. Robberies happen but they are rare. Australians are friendly people and for example when my friend was withdrawing money from the ATM and left without the cash, a man came 2 minutes later and gave him the money back. Of course, like in every metropolitan city, you have to be careful especially at night time. Use your common sense when moving around the city. Free time I have already mentioned some things I did during my free time while studying at UTS in previous sections. However, I’m going to revise the issue as for many it is perhaps one of the most important things when considering different exchange options. For a beach lover Sydney is the ultimate exchange destination. There are 70 beaches you can choose from, Bondi being maybe the most famous one. If you want to learn surfing while you are on your exchange it is hard to imagine a better place: you can surf in almost every beach. You can buy your own surfboard - mine cost A$150 second-hand - and sell it later when you leave Australia. If you like trekking and outdoor activities, Sydney is the place for you. Sydney has several walking tracks where you can see cliff tops and beach views - usually with surfers, sometimes with whales.

The second oldest national park in the world (after Yellowstone in the United States) called the Royal National Park is located south of Sydney where you can walk the coast for magnificent views. One popular day trip is also the Blue Mountains. It takes about 1,5h by train to reach and it is a popular destination for rock climbers, mountain bikers and hikers as well as canoeing and other adventure sports. If you don’t want to go further than the city center you can walk the Harbor Bridge and take a look of the Opera House from different perspective, go to the Taronga Zoo to watch koalas and kangaroos, go to Sydney’s amusement park called Luna Park or just chill at the Royal Botanic Garden in downtown Sydney. You really won’t get bored in Sydney. If you and your mates won’t figure anything to do by yourselves, you can go to events organized by ActivateUTS or UTS Housing. Different kinds of events are organized daily from eating pancakes on the Rocks to celebrating the Chinese New Year. These events were a great way to meet new people at least in the beginning of the semester when I didn’t know anyone in the city. Student parties are important aspect of student life. Most of the gatherings were organized in one of the student housings rooftop where you could find a party almost daily. So it is just up to you how much you want to party.

People are gathered to watch surf competition on Manly Beach

Travelling If you want to spend your whole exchange only travelling, Australia is maybe not the best option for you. The reason is simply that it is a lot more expensive country than for example South-East

Asian countries. However, I found that Sydney was so good city itself, so I didn’t need to travel that much. One of the city’s 70 beaches were enough most of the time. Nevertheless, as for many exchange students, I tried to take advantage of seeing new places while on an exchange. It is a great opportunity to travel as you are already on the other side of the world. I went to Byron Bay, Gold Coast and Canberra on a weekend basis. One of the best weekends was a surf camp organized by Surf Camp Australia. UTS has also a week long midsemester break so I took advantage of this free time and flew to the South Island of New Zealand. At the end of the semester I went sailing to the Great Barrier Reef and visited Whitsunday and Frazer Island. I recommend all of these places I visited but especially New Zealand for its’ fabulous landscapes and Great Barrier Reef for great underwater life. Also the reef might disappear due to environmental threats so go there now when you still can! If you decide to travel, I recommend going there with your mates. There are lots of exchange students who are looking for travel company at UTS. I did all of my trips with my friends and I can say that common trips really tightens your friendships. All the places you’ll visit are nice but it is the company that makes it special.

From our trip to New Zealand. Nelson Lakes.

Final Words There you have it. I have tried to open my exchange experience as well as I can. I hope now you have some clue what it is like to study one semester in University of Technology, Sydney. I also made couple of videos about my experience, and if you’re interested, you can find them on Vimeo. The other one is from the whole exchange experience (link: https://vimeo.com/132205100) and other one from my New Zealand trip (link: https://vimeo.com/128052722 ). As someone wise once said: a picture is worth a thousand words. As an Aalto business student you’re in a happy position to choose from over 100 partner universities to do your exchange. If your pick is not UTS, be sure to pick some! As cheesy as it sounds, going to exchange was one of the best experiences in my life so far. You’ll meet new people from different countries and have friends in all over the world. Maybe you’ll even learn something new about yourself. It’s a leap to unknown worth taking!