For Indians looking to study at UNSW@ADFA (Canberra Campus)

Many Indian students aspire to study their post graduation abroad. Australia is one of their favorite destinations being an English speaking country and also having very good universities. Most students do a lot of research before selecting an university and once the admission process is through, its time for knowing about the living conditions during their stay.

No matter how much information you collect browsing the university websites, facebook pages and attend pre-departure sessions of educational consultancies, few practical things get missed out. These are useful tips that not many students who study at Australia have shared with aspiring students who are yet to reach Australia. Especially for those wanting to study at UNSW, Canberra as there is only a small Indian student community studying here.

Studying in a foreign country is a big deal for most of us. But with my experience, coming over to a new location and settling down is not as daunting as it looks. You just need the right information. There is ample content on the net for students to research on, but I wanted to give pointers as to where to look and what to look for. These are few tips especially to make your lives easy when you shift to Canberra for the first time. But this information may help students who go to other universities in other cities as well.

About UNSW@ADFA

UNSW@ADFA is a UNSW campus co-located with a military base. The university imparts technical education to the armed forces of Australia. Having good amount of funding, it also attracts postgraduate research students from across the world. Being a student here for some time now, I was really awed at the capabilities the university campus is equipped with. Look at https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au for more details.





Planning your trip
To reach Canberra you have to route through either Sydney or Melbourne where most of the international flights operate. Air India provides student offer for carrying an extra piece of luggage. Make best use of this and carry as much cloths, utensils and appliances as possible. Keep in mind that the maximum luggage limit is 60 kg for three pieces(each 20 kg). Its not like the US where each luggage can be up to 23 kg. Local flights to Canberra do not provide this baggage offer. So I suggest you to en route through Sydney and take a bus to Canberra. Extra luggage may cost you 10 to 20 AUD by bus.

The Australian power ratings are same as India and so you just have to buy a power plug converter from India. You can make use of your Indian appliances here.

Make sure you have enough money for a month (I suggest 2000 AUD as on the day of my post)  as your scholarship establishment money and pay may not reach you immediately. They pay you only in a fortnightly pay cycle. You need money to pay for your deposits when you book your accommodations.

Do not forget to bring your Indian driving licence. Get an international driving licence if possible.

Settling down
As per the university policy we were given 7 days of free accommodation before we find a place to settle down. This is where I want to help the most and where I did not get much help or I did not know how to get help.

Start searching for accommodation from day 1. Just like  the Sulekhas and the quikers they have websites like gumtree, allhomes, flatmates etc. Usually the university gives a list of these websites where you can look for accommodation. Use them to search for "sharehouse" accommodations. Send out as many emails as possible to the different advertisers or call them up directly if you find their number. The terminology used here for an entire house to be rented out is "unit" where in you talk to the brokers and sign a legal contract with an owner directly. But students who are single, mostly prefer "sharehouse". The area where ADFA is located is called Campbell. It is the best if you can find an affordable accommodation in Campbell. Any other place other than Campbell is a 40+ minutes bus ride( from your location to the City Center and then from City Center to ADFA). Getting an affordable living place at Campbell is not so easy. You should be lucky if you get an option at Campbell. Make a visit at the earliest and confirm the accommodation if you like. Most of the students in UNSW suggested me to take up accommodation only in North Canberra but do explore places in South Canberra which has bus routes that take you close to the ADFA campus. Have a look at ACTION (Government Bus) websites for the routes. Look for android apps that show the bus route maps.

Another option for accommodation is Unilodgers (they seem to be expensive). Then there is "University of Canberra Village" which is more affordable. All you have to do is to go to their websites and book a room. But you may have to lock yourself up for a long period of time if you want affordable weekly rent. Both these locations are at the University of Canberra Campus, a little far from the ADFA campus but is still a good option to start with. But I suggest you first search for shared house accommodation and then if you don't get one, go for these student accommodations. These are apartments which have usually 5 to 6 bedrooms and one kitchen and washroom. Also the internet package they provide is not so great.

I hear from my seniors that the accommodation search is not always difficult. Some people get accommodations easily. Make friends when you are put up in your temporary accommodation and try to search for accommodation together.  Speak to a lot of old students.

I hope this article might be useful to future students at ADFA.

Good luck!

 

Street view of the ADFA administrative buildings
https://www.instantstreetview.com/@-35.293368,149.165371,-97.53h,-3.66p,1.99z