Discussion: Universities in Australia

Hi,
I'm thinking about studying abroad in Australia in the fall of 2011, which I guess is really the spring over there. I'm an environmental geology major and I'm doing an education program (this said 'problem' before, I guess I was tired when I wrote this. I mean, there are education problems that I'm studying, but thats totally not what i meant... :-). I've been looking at the University of Wollongong.
Are there other places I should look? (it has to have an exchange program with UNC so I'm kind of limited, I think Univ. of Sydney and Melbourne have programs)
Thanks!

i dont think that theres much orienteering in wollongong

but still a nice city

We at Newcastle have a very active club (probably the biggest event calendar and biggest single club in Australia) and a largish University. Not sure of it's exchange programs.

A lot of Sydneysiders will rubbish Newcastle, and Wollongong as well, but they are both reasonably sized without the traffic and hastle of the bigger cities. (and have better beaches than Sydney)

Canberra would have the best terrain close by and they are fairly active as a state, with lots of training stuff happening.

We generally slow up our bush events at the end of October but we do have a great summer street and park series.

Good luck with your plans, feel free to contact me if you want to know more about our club or region or go to here

I think as a public service I need to warn you that everyone will be claiming their part of Australia is the best for orienteering. I am sure we have seen this thread before. But do some research and you will probably conclude that the best selection of terrain is in Central Victoria, and Melbourne has the closest large university. Canberra can probably make a claim as well.
Now all the counter claims will emerge, much as they did during the last similar thread. Treat them much as you would a predatory lender.

UWA School of Earth & Environment probably has the right course for you http://www.see.uwa.edu.au/ (and Perth has good orienteering) BUT stick with the unis that have exchange programs with UNC because otherwise it will cost you thousands of dollars in fees. Basically that gives you ANU (Canberra), Deakin (Melbourne) and Macquarie (Sydney), apart from Wollongong. ANU sounds good - quite a few orienteers there.

Re Newcastle as my wife a Novocastrian points out the bumper sticker " Newcastle a dirty black city-just ask any body who has never been there"

A wonderful small city, if it fits your plans, with a wonderful outdoor life.

As a parent of two exchange students I agree with simmo - stick with wherever you can arrange an exchange program. Apart from cost there are likely to be all the foreign student welfare support services already available.
Melbourne certainly has them - that is the limit of my personal experience.
The real benefit of overseas study is the opportunity to live and learn in a foreign society/culture. The big cities (Sydney and Melbourne) have the disadvantage of less accessibility to the forested areas compared to the regional centres like Canberra, Bendigo, Ballarat and Newcastle.
InvisibleLog has put in his bit for Bendigo. I should point out that the major Melbourne based universitites have regional campuses in outposts such as Bendigo which may be of interest.

I would go with the programs that UNC has lined up, because it's a lot easier that way. And from the sounds of it, I think there will be healthy orienteering groups wherever you go.

I did an exchange program at the University of Newcastle with University of Kansas, and I had a blast. Best semester I ever had. (Too bad I didn't know about orienteering then-- this was in 2001.)

I had some classmates that also went to Wollongong, as KU had an exchange program there, too. If I remember correctly, the campus there is walking distance from the beach, so that keeps a lot of people happy.

Wow! Thanks for all the super fast feedback! I went to the abroad office today and it sounds like it might be nearly impossible to get into an Australia program, so if I really want to study abroad I might have to just play it safe and choose Finland which doesn't get many UNC-ers and they have a neat forestry program.
the abroad officer was not so enthusiastic...
anyway, I REALLY want to go to Australia, so we'll see. I've got 2 years.
Thanks a ton! and I'll look at all the universities you all suggested.

I have decided to ignore the depressing abroad advisor and still apply for Australia. If I don't get in, I'll find some cool research to do or something. Simmo, UWA sounds incredible! I wish we had an exchange program there!

Have you thought about the UK?

Edinburgh & Sheffield have big universities with big university orienteering clubs, lots of great orienteering. Edinburgh is about to become an Orienteering Academy too.

Pity about the weather you have to compete in.;-}

What's an Orienteering Academy? Does that mean someone will be paid to coach students there?

That's right, looking for a coach, see here

I'm not a great orienteer...:-). and, we don't have exchange programs with England or Scotland. And, I've wanted to go to Australia for ages. There are cool rocks and marsupials and my favorite authors and coral reefs... and there are Outdoor Education and creative arts teaching classes that I could take w/ my geol/envi sci classes. or so I believe.

Thanks for all the input!!!!