Rukmini R
Reviewed on Jul 21, 2025(Enrolled 2016)What Students Say
Likes
- Firstly the train station and the mall! There is a huge mall called the Macquarie centre right opposite to the campus and the transit to the place is very easy and in convenience.
- The campus itself! It itself is a huge area which has many departments ranging from commerce to medicine to law.
- Making friends! There are n number of societies and clubs from sports to Indian society to clubs for your course. You can even try out for cheerleading if interested. I was studying science and I had friends from commerce, law, medicine, physiotherapy, and many more area!
Dislikes
- Honestly Australia still has some racists. I still remember a tutor in the class who treated me like an outsider, honestly questioned my pronunciation even though my peers understood it completely. So one of my peer stood up and spoke for me.
- Classes are not in a same building! So not all classes are in the same building. You gotta walk a mile from the east wing to the west wing depending on the classes you choose.
- Well this can be either a boon or a bane, Schedules! See, you gotta choose your own classes- helps if you’re working part-time but honestly I thought it was a little too much to make my own schedule. And hey before you call me lazy, no I am not!!! I just like it structured probably was just used to the Indian system of having it spoon fed to me!
Course Curriculum
8
- There were more than a handful of Indians in my school! I would, however, say that the majority were postgraduates. I did have a couple of undergraduate friends but most of my undergraduate friends were domestic or Australian residents.
- I would, however, also say that the class presentations and subject delivery were on point! Wasn’t as difficult as the rigorous Indian timetable but definitely wasn’t a walk in the park either! They were just about right!
Admission Experience
- I was focused on just one and applied only at Macquarie. I took a chance but hey, I won! Glad to be on the other side now. I would honestly say something: I had my uncle and his family settled in Sydney, and they were the ones who invited me. So when I landed there, my food and housing expenses were covered by them!
- Well, admission was actually not very easy. I initially had to stall a year after graduating high school in March 2015 because of the passport updates. Then I didn’t apply till December of 2015. When I finally applied the first time, my application was rejected so I had to make some calls to the admissions teams directly and talk to them. After talking to them and taking my IELTS exam, which I just managed to get a passing mark in, I got the offer letter. I signed it and sent it back with the first sem fee! I did manage to get a scholarship so got about 10 grand waived off the total fees. Then I got the confirmation letter, which I had required to apply for a visa!
- Well, there are two main intakes! One in June and the other in Feb! I chose the feb of the next year for my graduation since I was turning 18 in may and couldn’t get a passport ready by the June intake! But, I suggest you apply for the Feb intake anyway because you’d then have ample time to focus on your boards and write your English exams! You’d also get time to think it through and honestly also suggest applying to a couple of universities, as the chances of getting into at least one would increase by an odd percentage.
Faculty
10
- Look, the teacher-to-student ratio was never more than 1:15 if there were more students, there would be more than one tutor. But in the presentation hall, the entire hall used to be full. There were students from different subjects in your lecture rooms because they had the leniency to take up courses or units, as they called them there, outside of your main subject! So I had taken up a class from business, which was outside my area of studies just for exposure and experience.
Campus Life
10
- The campus life was fun. had parties organized by the societies and get-togethers, and I was even part of a buddies and mentors team, which gave me an edge over other nonparticipating students to mingle and learn more about the country’s culture and the culture of people from other world countries. This beautifully blended into the friendship groups I formed over the years of university life, which I sometimes miss but hey, that’s just life :)
Part Time Jobs
- Well, most of the jobs in school are grabbed by the domestic or the Australian residents. I have had my peers get these jobs as well but only after they graduated. Unlike in US universities, at atleast in Macquarie University, we did not get the chance to grab these spots. Outside this one could work for only 20 hours per week legally as an international student. It is difficult to get a job initially but as you get some experience in the country, the jobs you can later get increase exponentially. But be ready to search for jobs for at least three months.
- I have seen many Indian guys work at subways, supermarkets, restaurants and fast food chains owned mostly by Indian residents of Australia. I was lucky to have contacts and hence got a job in an education consultancy and an agent hired me and gave me jobs at malls across the city. However, I did work different jobs before I joined these two. I worked with these two firms for the longest.
Placement
6
- Sometimes students do get jobs through career fairs that are held on campus. But not all get invited to these workshops; you've got to be on your toes and all ears everywhere every time to look for opportunities!
- I was once invited to one of these and the companies that came included mainly tech companies like google, Nestlé, Cognizant, PepsiCo, etc.—well-known companies they were. So If you keep an eye out, you will definitely bag a job from campus. But unlike in India, they do not promise a 100% placement.
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- So initially I was living two hours away from the university. I had a train station near my house so it would work but not for long! I had to move closer to the university as the subjects or the units, got heavier. I have lived in an independent house with a big backyard and a small independent townhouse. Both were very spacious and beautiful, as you know the houses in a first-world country are!
- The second house was just a 20 minute bus ride and the stops were both near to my house as well as the campus. I was really lucky in this matter.
Exams
- I didn’t really write any other exams other than IELTS specifically for the admission! I had to submit my tenth & twelfth mark cards. I do not exactly recall all the specific documents but if you have your passport in addition to that, it should suffice!
- I reckon the call I had with the admissions team was the only interview that I really gave. Also, I did go to agents but you don’t really need them. Later I applied myself with a tad bit of help from my uncle!
Fees
- Since I was working part-time, mainly eating home-cooked meals, and the rent was nil, I had the advantage of saving huge bucks.
- The total tuition fees approximated to ?50L and the travel per trip ranged anywhere from AUD$2.50 to $5.00. A snack or a meal ranged from $3 to $20 depending on what and where you ate!
- So there are busses or trains you could take to travel to and fro, which just stops right outside the university
Scholarship
- Absolutely! There are many scholarships available for Indian students. I scored one. There are some that let you take a double degree, which is four years in duration, and some are full-ride scholarships.
- You have to be diligent and research well beforehand! Works well if you start right after you receive an offer letter! Well, in my case, I hadn’t really done much research, or else maybe I would have been eligible for a higher scholarship!
