Study Abroad at Macquarie University, Sydney

I loved studying at Macquarie! The University is so beautiful and well taken care of! The professors were all nice and seemed to care that I learn. There are a ton of great food options on and around campus. The location being so close to the shopping centre is a major plus seeing as how study abroad students don't have cars. It is a little farther away from "main" Sydney where there's hustle and bustle all the time, but the suburb of Macquarie actually stayed rather quiet, which was nice for students. Having a train station on campus was the best thing because I know most Uni's around don't have that. I would definitely suggest getting involved with the Macquarie University Buddies because they take lots of cool trips and help you see a lot you may not have otherwise. Overall, Macquarie was great and I really miss it!

Going on study abroad was an AMAZING experience, and I am so glad I took up the opportunity to study abroad.
Macquarie was a lovely uni to study at, and was so different to what I was used to at my home university - but that was part of the charm! Being able to wear flip flops and shorts to go into uni everyday was a novelty, and is something that cant be done in rainy Wales!
The academic facilities at the university were great - from all the study spaces, and the library and to the services offered by the university to new students and those from abroad.
The location of the university, and of the accommodation that I was in (Macquarie University Village) was so handy for both the station to go into the city, and to go into uni and to the facilities such as the pool and the gym, and also to go the Macquarie Centre. Having the gym and pool so close was great, and meant that I could go either before or after lectures.
The Macquarie Centre was very handy and so close by, and there didn't really seem to be anything that you couldn't get there! And along side restaurants, a cinema, a bowling alley and an ice rink, what more could you want!
With the university having a train station, you were able to get into the city in 45 mins - meaning that doing a bit of sightseeing around lectures was possible! And having a student OPAL card is a must - as it allows you travel on all forms of transport, buses, trains, ferries etc.
All in all, the experience of attending Macquarie University was AMAZING, and an experience that I shall never forget!

Macquarie University's recordings of lectures have helped me a lot in my studies. It was a challenging study in Macquarie University with faculty who helped me a lot in my improvement. I love how the blue ocean of Bondi is. As an Indonesian I recommend the restaurant Ayam Tulang Lunak near Mascot. The iced mocha in Macquarie University libray cafe is a must to try. You can customize the percentage of coffee and chocolate you want. I really love it. Macquarie Center also got a lot of good foods. Vogue cafe got a nice burger, some noodles restaurant got nice laksa, and Motto Motto got nice matcha ice cream and ramen. Yumcha Kitchen got nice dimsums. Living in Robert Menzies was convenient and lovely. The food served there were amazing (ok to excellent). They even got many events to join if you can manage your time well. As for me, as I am not that clever, I spent most of my time studying.

Going on a foreign exchange program had always been one of those dreams I'd had but never saw myself doing. As a rather reticent and studious person who'd rarely travelled without parents or friends, the prospect of flying solo half-way across the world to a foreign country by myself and living for 5 months without the usual support systems and social circles was daunting. I have my college St. Xavier's College and the support of Macquarie University to thank for giving me that final push.

This experience was absolutely amazing. As an undergraduate student who held ambitions of studying abroad, this was an extremely crucial preparatory stage in my academic career and personal development. I'm a Master's student in Canada now, and I can say the experiences I had in Australia and the confidence it gave me as a person has helped me settle in so much easier in what is another foreign country.

Academically the program was not excessively demanding. The education environment and teacher-student relationship is very different from India of course, but with some guidance it is easy to figure out what needs to be done. It can be difficult and daunting for some, but you come out a better person ultimately. The support from Macquarie's International team was phenomenal. In particular, I'd like to shout-out Ms. Yoko Kaitani, who was the most helpful and informative lady I had the good luck of interacting with. She and her team were lovely and made the entire process so much smoother especially during the initial settling down phases.

There were plenty of good opportunities to explore the city (it did rain during the city tour day but that can;t be helped) and other places like Taronga Zoo and taking cruises along the Sydney Harbour (which was awesome!). The campus was lovely and the Australian people are quite friendly and easy to get along with. The weather was rainy at first but soon enough cleared up and made for some lovely days of walking along the harbour.

I made amazing friends from across the world, lived with people from Japan, Malaysia, Korea, India, Laos, Oman, Hungary, UAE and so many other places, got exposed to a different form of education than the one I'm used to and came back a more confident person who finally pushed some boundaries and explored new horizons.

I think the best thing about Macquarie is it's location. It is close to a train station, and it was around half an hour to the city centre. It is located in a lush suburb with a world class mall close by. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Mac. However there are some changes to the campus and to Macquarie station I will get into below, that you should keep in mind.

Academics were very challenging compared to back home in Canada. If you are choosing to do hard classes on your exchange I would not recommend it, instead try to pick easier ones. Professors were generally fairly good. The fact that most of the classes can be found online is very helpful, and means you do not have to show up for class.

I stayed in Dunmore Lang college. It's great if you want to stay on campus and be close to your classes. There are opportunities to party and make friends, and food is provided. However it is really expensive. I would say try to find off campus accommodation if you can. If you are really interested in socializing, Robert Menzies, Dunmore Lang, or the Village are the three options. The Village is cheaper, but it is further away and you are basically left to your own devices. I would suggest finding an off campus place close to the city, or close to one of the beaches. Since everything is online, you rarely have to come to class.

In terms of socializing, I found International students to be the most friendly and eager to make friends. The Aussie's, while nice, were a bit cliquey and hard to get to know if you do not fit their super friendly and outgoing stereotype.

However, I have heard that since I left in 2017, the campus has undergone some major changes. Trees have been uprooted at the central hub building demolished, to make room for student housing. There is also major work going on with the train station. I would look into these issues before deciding to come here, as the transit could be a major pain, and I have heard from other students that the campus is a lot worse with the renovations going on. I have no idea of the current status of these in 2019, so please look into them.

Sydney itself is a world class city and that's the main reason I suggest that you come here. There are famous landmarks such as the Opera house and Harbour Bridge, you can see every weekend. There are amazing beaches such as Bondi and Manly. The ferry rides are simply stunning and affordable. There are tons of amazing walks that you can do along the coast. The weather and water and amazing. Take easy classes, because you want to be out seeing all that Sydney has to offer. Keep in mind though it is very expensive here, and the nightlife in the actual downtown core is poor due to various laws and restrictions.

Spending a semester abroad at Macquarie University in Sydney was the highlight of my bachelors degree! I can't say enough good things about the opportunities, the university, the city and my experience abroad. Starting with the university, Macquarie has an amazing community, a gorgeous campus and unbelievable staff and students. The professors for the classes were phenomenal and the facilities were exceptional. There were also lots of clubs and extracurricular activities to be apart of which kept me very busy. I stayed at Robert Menzies College on campus and loved it. I made so many amazing friends there, it was in a great location and the rooms were nice. Sydney itself is one of my favorite cities now. After my exchange I have been back to Sydney twice, plan to do a working holiday there and am applying for the Macquarie Medical school. The transit is very easy and there is lots to do in the city. Overall, my time abroad was everything I could've hoped for and more.