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Australia
I am an American student who would like to go to an Australian university. I'm just wondering if anyone could recommend some. I would like to know how they would convert my GPA and grades into their grade standards and such .I would also like to know how the resident arrangement would work out because I am currently an American citizen. I have heard that some Australians dislike Americans and I was wondering if it will be a major issue if I do go and get accepted to a university there. Thank you for your time.
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Want to answer more questions in the Work & School category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Colleges & Universities?
Aussie uni student here, in Sydney. I'm a bit late, but maybe I can be of some help anyway.
I could recommend plenty depending on your criteria. Cost? Prestige? Location? Size? Some unis are better than others in certain areas and majors as well. That said, to generalise: the older unis in Sydney and Melbourne are widely considered the most prestigious. Not necessarily the *best*, but prestigious, definitely. In particular, the University of Sydney (which I attend) and the University of Melbourne. Other Aussies may disagree.
Some other well-respected ones:
- Australian National University (Canberra)
- Monash University
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
- University of NSW
- University of Queensland
- University of Technology, Sydney
- University of Western Australia
Of course, unis also have their strong points. Macquarie University, in Sydney, has the best ancient history dept in the country. Charles Sturt Uni, in rural NSW, is apparently great for journalism. Etc.
Check out Wikipedia's article for GPA in Australia. It's fairly accurate, though keep in mind the system varies slightly from uni to uni. A GPA of 4.0 over there is at least 7.0 here... A High Distinction average.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
You can find more details on uni websites regarding international admissions. Just Google the names. Also check out the Department of Immigration and Citizenship if you haven't already. However, you'll most likely be studying on a student visa.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Of course some Australians dislike Americans. I'm sure it works the other way around as well. =P You might get some *friendly* ribbing because of your nationality, but as long as you don't live up to the Ugly American Tourist stereotype, you'll be fine. It shouldn't be a major issue. Aussies in general will ultimately treat you depending more on your personality. They're also big on nicknames, so don't be surprised if out of affection you're called a 'septic tank' for instance (rhyming slang for 'yank').
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Hi,
What uni you go to sort of depends on how rich you are. If you were mega-rich, you would go to the most expensive university, because they probably have the best lecturers.
From what a quick google search tells me, not only are GPA and TER-tertiary entrance ranking- different, but the way your GPA is converted will change between universities.
TER works like this: 99.95 is the highest TER you can get. It means you're the top .05% of the country in educational point-scoring. TER is basically a % based on where you are in relation to the rest of the country.
Because you're an American Citizen, it's likely you would find it easy to take out Australian citizenship, although don't quote me. They might make you take a values/"Who wrote 'The Man from Snowy River'?"-type test.
Some Australians dislike Americans a lot. I don't think it would cause a lot of trouble though. It's mostly the accent which they dislike. Also, Americans who don't adopt Australian spellings, such as recogniSe, are often seen as ignorant or stupid, and trying to impose their language differences on Australia. There is a certain level of National pride which means people get pissed off if they feel like you are trying to 'Americanise' Australia. Don't ask any really stupid questions, ask for a "Corn dog" (they're called "Dagwood dogs" here :), or do anything generally obnoxious, and you'll be just fine.
You don't come from Texas, do you? x.x
Good luck :)
-K
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