GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY BRISBANE (AUSTRALIA) - SS 2013, EDWARD WEHR

GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY BRISBANE (AUSTRALIA)
             SS 2013, EDWARD WEHR
         edward.wehr@edu.uni-klu.ac.at

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GENERAL INFORMATION

I got the unique possibility to study Business Administration and Law in semester 1 2013 (from
20th of February until 20th of June) at Griffith University in Brisbane.

Griffith University consists of five campuses in the Brisbane / Gold coast region; the biggest one
is located in Nathan, a suburb of Brisbane, approx. half an hour bus ride from the CBD (Central
Business District). You can also choose the Gold Coast Campus for study, a touristy city situated
on the Gold Coast approx. 1 ½ hours train ride from Brisbane. However, I did never regret
choosing the Nathan Campus as it boasts a great place to study and many nationalities are
represented in the student body, hence creating an open, dynamic and multicultural study
environment.
     Brisbane counts over 2 million inhabitants, which makes it the third largest city in Australia,
after Sydney and Melbourne. The city has a very modern feel to it; only a few old buildings can
be found in the inner city, but instead the city center mainly consists of numerous high-rise
buildings forming a beautiful skyline. The inner city is divided by a river called Brisbane River;
on its northern side you will find the CBD, the main shopping street (Queen Street Mall) and the
main party district (Fortitude Valley). On the southern side of the river you will find recreational
parks and museums; lots of bars, cafes and swimming pools are located at Southbank. Brisbane
has a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers and dry moderately warm winters.
Summer days tend to be muggy and rainy due to the monsoon and winter days warm and clear
but cold at night.

                                                 PREPARATION

Write a formal letter of intent and try to persuade the coordinator that you are the right person to
go on exchange. It is advisable to give evidence that you have a high level of English and the
right qualifications. Additionally, state which implications a semester abroad at Griffith
University would have for your future career etc. I was even required to have a conversation with
the coordinator; fortunately, I could find the right arguments to coax him into picking me for
going to Brisbane.
     With reference to the application procedures, follow the instructions set out by our exchange
office precisely1; at this stage Ms. Buffa who is in charge of Joint-Study students will be most
helpful to you.
     To be able to enter and stay in Australia you must apply for a student visa – note that a
‘work and travel visa’ is not available for Austrian citizens. The most efficient way to get your
student visa is to apply online2; however, make sure you read the instructions beforehand in
order not to blunder whilst applying. The application procedure will take you approx. one hour to
finish and you will receive a confirmation letter within 48 hours stating that a visa will be
granted for a specific time period (it will tell you the exact dates; my visa was valid from 1st of
February until 31st of June). I would like to advise you to apply for the visa prior you book your
flight to Australia. Also make sure you apply as soon as possible (applying is possible once you
receive your Certificate of Enrolment (CoE) from Griffith University). I was not required to do a
TOEFL test due to my good English marks in my Matura examination.
     Also check the Griffith Homepage for additional pre-arriving information; using their
homepage you can also apply for on-campus accommodation; but be quick as spots in their
colleges are limited and they are booked up quickly. When arriving at Brisbane Airport it is

 1
     Click on checklist on http://www.uni-klu.ac.at/bib/inhalt/814.htm
 2
     Visit www.immi.gov.au for further details.
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possible to make use of the Griffith University pick-up service. I did not use this service tough,
but instead took the Air Train (fee 15 AUD).
     You will need to obtain and maintain Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the
duration of your studies in Australia. Therefore you will be required to pay your OSHC to
Griffith University when you accept your offer to attend Griffith. Griffith will only release your
enrollment documentation, required for your visa application, after payment for OSHC is
received. You will be charged approx. 220 euro per semester (fees are subject to change due to
the fluctuating exchange rate)

                                     ORIENTATION WEEK

In the week before the semester officially starts an orientation event takes place at the campus;
you can get information about various clubs that are offered to students, including sports clubs,
culture clubs etc (comparable to our USI clubs). There you can also purchase the L-Card which
will give you free entry/price reductions to a bunch of night clubs in Brisbane. It is mandatory
for you to attend a presentation specially designed for exchange students; there you will be
informed about living and studying in Brisbane. Afterwards you have the possibility to get
acquainted to other exchange students whilst having a barbeque. Probably you will be asked if
you want to go on an introduction camp to Byron Bay. The trip takes you to one of the most
scenic places of the East Coast and you will get the opportunity to meet people from all around
the globe; in spite of the quite high costs (approx. AUD 300) I would strongly recommend that
you take part in this trip.

                                       ACCOMMODATION

There are basically two possibilities to choose from when considering where you want to live:
on-campus or in a share house close to the campus. So, if you want to live on campus, make sure
you apply on time using the Griffith University website; there are also different options available
like full-board etc. Living off-campus is in general a bit cheaper, but often you will have to take
the bus to get to university, which will cost you at least two or three dollars per day. I bought a
cheap bicycle at K-Mart which I sold as soon as my exchange was over.
     I lived off-campus in a suburb called Coopers Plains in the vicinity of Nathan Campus;
Coopers Plains is one of the best places if you want to live off-campus - by foot it is approx. 20
minutes to the Nathan Campus. The nearest grocery shop is Aldi which is in walking distance;
additionally, you can find a number of fast-food/take-away places like Subway, Pizzahut and
Burger King there. If you would like to live in a share house I would recommend you to have a
look at gumtree.com; note that in most cases you will have to pay a bond.
     The weekly rent in my share house was 135 AUD; given that everything was included in the
rent like e.g. internet, washing machine it was a really cheap deal. Just to inform you, the internet
speed in Australia is way slower than in Austria. I shared the house with 5 other people, most of
whom were from Asia. The share house where I stayed in was a quiet one; hence we did not
party but I enjoyed studying there. If you want to experience the exchange semester to the fullest
and party a lot I would recommend you to choose on-campus accommodation. You will get to
know more people there and weekly events and parties are organized for you. Besides, you will
not need to cook/do grocery shopping as you can eat in the cafeteria. Griffith University also has
a so-called accommodation office where you can get information about available rooms.

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NATHAN CAMPUS

Nathan campus might confuse you at the beginning. A big number of buildings are scattered
around the campus which is located upon a hill. The buildings are numbered, but in what seems
to be a random order. This makes it a bit more difficult to find your way during the first weeks,
but with the help of maps you will soon get used to this (see map below). A pocket-size map of
the different campuses can be picked up at the library. In my view the campus is very modern
and also green with lots of places to sit and study. Also the facilities inside the buildings are
great and up-to-date, and there are many places where you can quench your thirst. Several shops
can be found on the campus, like a travel agency, post office, small and expensive but sometimes
handy convenience store, hair dresser, just to new a few. Also a small sports centre can be found
on Nathan Campus. What I liked most was the library which provides you with quite places were
you can study and acess the internet for free. If you live in Coopers Plains the Johnson Path is
the only way to get to the campus by foot.

                                          SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Try to meet as many people as possible; for example, I would recommend you going to the
weekly student parties on Tuesday in the Uni Bar & Functions Centre (N 71) where you can
meet many exchange students and Australians. Also, join the European Club which is called
AEGIS Nathan; they organize many activities and you can form friendships with both European
students and with all other Griffith students.3 One of the best ways to get acquainted to other
people is to join clubs.

 3
     http://www.facebook.com/AegisNathan?ref=ts&fref=ts
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MY COURSES

I took 4 courses which is the equivalent of 30 ECTS points in Austria. Every course consists of a
weekly lecture and tutorial (similar to Proseminar). Like in Austria it is not compulsory to attend
the lectures whereas you must go to the tutorials. If you miss lectures you can listen to them via
the Griffith University Portal (called Lecture Capture) as all lectures are being sound recorded.
     Taking four courses can be demanding at times, but it is feasible. At the same time, you do
need to do many assignments like essays and presentations throughout the semester and stay
involved. Courses are more intensive, but not more difficult, at least what I experienced.
Teachers are willing to help and guide you. If you do not like your chosen courses you can select
other courses at the beginning of the semester. Just contact your coordinator in Brisbane and they
will do that for you. There is a special service for students with non-English speaking
background called EnglishHELP where teachers check and proofread your essays in one-to-one
consultations. Furthermore, Griffith University offers workshops which aim at strengthening the
student’s English language skills.4

2008 EHR: Business Communication (7.5 ECTS)
This subject gives you an insight into the role of communication in the business context. You
will be required to give weekly feedback to oral presentations (worth 10 percent), to write an
assignment about the perceived interaction and collaboration in your presentation groups (40
percent), to give a presentation about an allocated topic (30 percent) and to write two self-
awareness exercises (20 percent). This is the only course that I took without a final examination.
The course material is not complicated, you will need to do a bit of work though; altogether this
is a fairly easy subject which consists of weekly lectures and tutorials.

5901 LAL: Language and Communication for Business and Commerce (7.5 ECTS)
This course is specifically designed for students from a non-English speaking background. The
focus of the course lies on introducing students to business communication and enhancing their
writing skills. You will learn to write professional business essays and reports in English, to cite
accurately using the APA/Harvard citation styles, to deliver effective presentations, to
collaborate in groups, just to name a few. This course is considered to be an introductory subject
and thus it is quite easy to pass: there are no prerequisites, 20 percent of the grade is for
academic development (doing your homework etc), 30 percent for a portfolio consisting of a
research essay, 20 percent for delivering a group presentation and 30 percent for the final exam.

2150IBA: Introduction to Supply Chain Management (7.5 ECTS)
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the key areas in logistics and
supply chain management. It also gives a solid understanding of the basic terms, concepts and
relationships involved in managing logistics and supply chains. However, most concepts that the
course deals with are fairly theoretical but it is worthwhile to take this course if you are
interested in the topic. The grade consists of writing a research report outlining and describing
supply chain processes in a company of your choice. You will need to do a lot of research, read
vast amount of scientific research papers and data etc. The research report is worth 40 percent of
the grade and will provide you with a practical input. There is also a mid - semester exam
(multiple choice exam; 20 percent of the mark) and an end exam (short answer test; worth 40
percent.

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     http://www144.griffith.edu.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86&Itemid=143&lang=en

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4032 LAW: Principles of Criminal Law (7.5 ECTS)
The Principles of Criminal Law examines the criminal law of Queensland, though reference is
also made to the criminal law of the Commonwealth. Emphasis is placed on examining the
elements of indictable offences such as murder, rape, assault, property offences and drug
offences. The course also treats defenses and excuses, including self-defense, provocation,
emergency, mistake of fact, accident and insanity. I would recommend this course to students
who are willing to get an insight into the Common Law, as it differs quite a lot from our judicial
system. However, you will be required to study hard in order to meet the requirements to pass
this course. I enjoyed this course because it was demanding yet interesting and you will deal with
a number of cases and learn many technical terms; in contrast to other courses I took this course
has a very practical approach. Assessment tasks were to prepare for the fortnightly tutorials (15
percent); a mid-semester test (multiple-choice, worth 35 percent) and an end exam which
consisted of solving two criminal law cases (worth 50 percent). Instead of sitting the mid-
semester exam you can also choose to write a research essay.

                                       COSTS OF THE EXCHANGE

Studying in Australia is expensive but in the end it is worth it. There are numerous ways to get
grants from Austrian institution like the Landesregierung, Stipendenstelle, Joint-Study
Stipendium etc. I am really thankful to everyone who supported me in financing my exchange.
Australia is expensive for Europeans, the reason for that is the strong Australian dollar. The
costs for your exchange is heavily affected by the exchange rate: during my stay I in Australia
the mean exchange rate was 1 Euro = 1,25 AUD; however, the current exchange rate is 1 Euro =
1,42 AUD; as a consequence, doing the exchange now would be about 20 percent cheaper.
To give you an idea what the weekly costs are which you will face during your stay, I will give
you a couple of examples and I will give away a few tips on how to save money:

Housing: from 130 dollars per week in a share house to 340 dollars per week in the fully-catered
on-campus college.
Food: calculate about 70 dollars per week on food if you are intending to live off-campus.
Transport: The bus system in Brisbane is much better than in Klagenfurt. The costs depend on
the distances you are travelling. Anyway, buy the Go-card as soon as you arrive in Brisbane; the
go card is an electronic ticket and it allows you to travel seamlessly on all bus, train and ferry
services and entitles you to travel savings and discounts. If you make 9 paid go card journeys in
a week (Monday to Sunday) then you travel free for the rest of the week!5
Books: The cost is on average 100 dollars per course if you buy new books. There is no need to
buy new books though: The Textbook Exchange service is a free service and it allows students
of Griffith University to buy and sell their secondhand textbooks.6 I paid 30 dollars for each of
my books (you generally need 1 book per course). Also, you can try to borrow the books from
the library, but in many cases you will just be able to borrow them for a couple of days and not
for longer time periods.
Travelling: Start to plan early and book your flight well beforehand. This way you can keep an
eye out on discounted fares and thus keep costs down. If you are doing inland trips I would
recommend you flying with Jetstar, an affiliated company of Qantas. They have very good offers
and just little surcharge for heavy luggage. You can fly for instance to New Zealand which will
cost you approx. 200 euro for a round trip.7

 5
   http://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/fares/go-frequently-then-go-for-free
 6
   https://intranet.secure.griffith.edu.au/community-welfare-recreation/welfare-student-liaison/textbook-exchange
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   http://www.jetstar.com/au/en/home
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When going on an organized tour you will be looking at spending around 100 dollars a day;
spending less is generally low-budget/less quality, spending more is more luxurious. Also, look
for instance at Tripstar.com were you can find tours with ratings for every location. There are a
number of cool sights in the Brisbane area like the Moreton Island, North Stradbroke Island,
Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Byron Bay, the Koala Sanctuary, Queen Street Mall, Southbank,
Mount Coot-tha lookout and many more.

  COSTS                                             GRANTS
  Flight (British Airways)               1500       Julias Raab Stipendium            500
  Accommodation                          1800       Lernen ohne Grenzen               500
  Food                                   1300       Stipendienstelle                 2500
  Visa                                    450
  Transport                               250
  OSHC Insurance                          220
  Copying and books                       100
  Other personal expenses                 500
  Total expenses (trips excluded)      €6.120       Total Grants for 4 months €3.500

  + New Zealand 12 days                 € 1500
  + Cairns / Great Barrier Reef         € 1200
  + Sydney and Melbourne trips          € 1000

                                         CONCLUSION

I would definitely recommend everyone going on exchange, because it is a great way to broaden
one’s horizon, to give you an insight into a foreign culture, to improve your language proficiency
etc. This applies of course to other countries as well; however, believe me, Brisbane is a superb
choice as is it boasts a nice climate and many interesting locations are located in driving
distance. Moreover, you will meet many friendly and hospitable people and have lots of fun.
Griffith University is a modern university with teachers who are helpful and knowledgeable
about their courses. A nice way to meet other students is by joining associations and clubs. I am
especially thankful to Mr. Wimmer who made this dream possible for me; also, I would like to
thank our international office for their competent assistance during the application procedure. Do
not hesitate to contact me for further details.  

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