Student Residence

750€

Campus East, 5min from the beach and 15min by bus (free) from uni

Via university inscription

It is a nice place because it is very close to the ocean. I stayed in a 5-bedroom unit (mixed), with the catered option, which is a great extra. I highly recommend adding it to your booking, as you don’t have to worry about cooking or buying groceries yourself (breakfast and dinner are included, but not lunch). As a catered resident, you also meet a lot of people... far more than the non-catered ones. Other good points of the student residence Capus East include daily events where you can meet or hang out with friends (most of them are free), laundry facilities on campus for $2, and plenty of things you can borrow at reception (board games, pool, books, TV room or projector room, cleaning supplies, a scale to weigh your luggage, etc.). The only negative comment I have, aside from the high price, is that the units are not very clean. We struggled with some roommates to keep common areas in a livable condition.

This is a big downside of Australia: there is almost no nightlife at all. Every club closes around 1:30–2:00 a.m. For a chill night with good music, I recommend the North Gong Hotel. A lot of people go there for drinks and card games, and there’s a good DJ playing until 10 p.m. Another similar experience is the silent disco at the Illawarra Hotel, until 2am, it's a bit strange at first, but in the end a fun thing to experience, haha. Very typical of Australia.

I took these four courses: ECON260, INTS208, LAW243, and MGNT314. To be fair, there was a lot of work outside of class, so I would recommend choosing easier-level courses if you want to relax more. One good thing, however, was that I was able to stack all my classes on Monday and Wednesday, which meant I had five days off each week. Be careful though: since it’s a good university, there are some major projects and assessments that required a bit of work. In return, I only had one exam (online), which allowed me to go on a road trip right after classes ended.

The campus is very nice, it feels like you’re in the middle of the jungle. The library is a great place to work, as it has both a quiet area and collaborative spaces for group projects. There are also nice outdoor spots to work or relax. For athletes, you can’t join a sports team because they don’t accept students for only one semester, but a good alternative is the FreeSports sessions held once a week. Registration was easy.

Australia is a huge country, so there’s so much to see. Traveling was, without a doubt, the best part of my exchange, as Wollongong will start to feel a bit boring after a while—apart from the beach, of course. The good thing is that you're just 2 hours by train from Sydney (I recommend getting the Opal Card), and flights can be affordable with Jetstar. Sydney is a great place to start, as it’s so close. I recommend walking around the city center, taking the ferry to Manly (a nice little surfing town), and visiting Bondi Beach, which is the most popular beach. Jervis Bay is another well-known spot you should definitely check out. Near Sydney, a must-see is the Blue Mountains, which I didn’t get the chance to visit, but many people highly recommend it. I also had the chance to do a 21-day road trip along the East Coast, from Cairns to Sydney. It was an amazing experience, but I would suggest planning your trip efficiently! If you need any tips on road trip planning, feel free to add me on Instagram @margaux_lacoste and I can share more about my experience and itinerary. I also did the Great Ocean Road trip (5 days), and driving along the cliffs is an experience I highly recommend. The views are incredible, and you’ll see famous landmarks like the 12 Apostles, the Grotto, and the London Bridge. Of course you can also easily travel to New Zealand, Indonesia etc.

One good thing about Wollongong is the free bus from Campus East (the student residence) to the city center. However, to be fair, there isn’t much to do since it’s not a big city. The best activities are walking along the ocean, going to the lighthouse, and shopping at the mall. You should definitely try Yo-Chi (a famous Australian frozen yogurt), but be careful, you might become addicted faster than you think!

Enjoy your time in Australia, and if you have the opportunity to travel, don’t hesitate, it was the best part of my exchange!! Also, just in case you’re a sushi lover like me, I wanted to let you know that sushi hand rolls are a good and very cheap lunch option !!