I'm currently looking around at graduate schools in an attempt to forestall my grand entrance into "real" society (you should thank me), and I must admit, I'm highly interested in going to Australia. I know we have some Australian members here, so perhaps they (or anyone who's been there) could warn me if I'm being naive. I'd be going there for perhaps a year of university (probably studying computer science). What's the academic life like in Australia? Are students reasonably serious, or is university just an excuse to get drunk and depraved as it is in the US? In particular, I'm looking at ANU, U of Melbourne, and Adelaide (they have a nice website Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ). Any other recommendations? And what of the culture/people? I'm Canadian, and it's been suggested that Australia is about as Canadian as any country in the world. If this is the case, great, I should get along fine. And what about the cities - Canberra, Melbourne, and Adelaide? Nice? I must admit I'm not certain if I'm crazy to be considering this excursion. To me, Australia seems to occupy the same reality as Canada, only everything has been shuffled around somewhat. People have an accent, the language is slightly different, animals are strange, different landscape, etc. It's not the paradigm shift that going to US or Europe would be. Any other thoughts? Thanks, any input is appreciated. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
What kind of "contribution" do you (as a proxy for society) expect? I don't plan on killing my neighbor or wasting resources. But as to whether I can make a non-trivial contribution (something more than working in a rubber-boot factory or a software engineering firm/sweatshop) is largely up to circumstance and chance. Seriously, I think the greatest chance for me to contribute something valuable is to avoid "traditional" society (getting a job and being wired down with wife and child). As a liberated individual, I'll be free to genuinely contribute in the manner most befitting my interests and abilities. It's a shame that the only route to accomplish this is via structured & elitest academia. It's a shame my parents will never approve of me until I become a doctor (ie. never). It's a shame that I must waste the finest years of my life trying to justify my very existence. It's a shame I feel the need to justify my existence. It's all a shame. Now where's that morphine I ordered?
Each in our own individual ways make contributions. No one is truely wasted. For the most misguided, misaligned, and true hopeless there is always the example of what not to be. For those that strive there is always some contribution that is made. No matter how large or small, it is made because that individual existed and affected the world around him/her to some degree.
PROFIRY My advice if you want sanity Canberra and Adelaide are best avoided. Canberra may be the capital but it's only because Melbourne and Sydney couldn't stop bitching about which city should get the title....so they banged Canberra in dead center between the 2 cities. Its OK to visit...for a day (I have traveled there to work and stayed anywhere from 2-4 weeks) 1 week and you start going mad...very little to do, lights out by 10PM. I have friends from Adelaide and (only spent a couple of days at a time down there so can't really comment) but they all say it's too small and too quiet. I'm bias ofcourse I live in Brisbane (have lived in Sydney and Melb) and Brisbane is by far the best I've found. It's not a huge city or anything but it has great weather, good schools and close enough to north and south coasts to keep busy....also everyone here aproaches life like everyday is a holiday...so people (my experience) are easier going. The large universities should have courses which will meet your requirments i.e. All univiersities in the major cities. Students here I guess are the same as anywhere else but on a smaller scale...when I went to UNI drinking was a pass time (but thats a national past time here, so uni is no exception)
So you say you're looking for real people eh, Here are the best places I can think of (where real people live) Ghana in west africa excellent but you'll almost certainly starve. India - unfortunately its close to afghanistan. Morocco - almost all people there are genuine and its a utopia compared to here, but the only downsight is you dont speak the language. but if your looking for a utopia Japan is probably your best bet, although there are way too many people there already. They are down to earth, arent extremists. Very technologically advanced, hardworking, good values, I cant say enough good thing about them. Their religion - shinto and buddhism constitute your little desire for real people and they dont take it extremely seriously either. Look into japan, man.
Well, the reason that Australia is compelling (versus other suggestions) is that I have a credible reason to go there (grad school) beyond solely antisocial and escapist reasons. Rambler, thanks for the perspective. I hadn't even considered Brisbane, but I ended up looking and found a rather interesting information environment degree at UQ that looks to be unique. UQ looks like a nice place, and they fully fund all their research students.
UQ UQ is probably the best Uni in QLD, its the oldest and gets the most funding. QUT is has good technical degree's.....I went to QUT, alot of my friends went to UQ...you get a much fuller student experience at UQ. P.S. you considered Adelaide and skipped Brisbane??? AHHHHHH!!!!!!!! just joke's I guess.
Like I said, Adelaide has a really nice website -- and I'm a total sucker for good design. I buy books and music based on the quality of their cover design. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! QUT looks to be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill technical university. In fact, I'm not sure they even have a substantive CS department. UQ definitely looks better.
QUT is exactly what you said, if you consider Brisbane then UQ is the way to go...there's always Griffith Uni, both my sisters went there, not sure how good their CS courses are....I believe it is more respectable then it was when I was choosing a Uni. Seriously!!! avoid Adelaide, well I would go so far as avoid any city that isn't on the east coast. Also if you like it cold stay south, i.e. Melbourne (which is known for getting all 4 seasons in 1 day everyday.....)it rains ALL the damn time. Sydney is a little better but still crap compared to QLD.... unless of course you like rain and cold....
Beware of crocodiles! And other prehistoric creatures that has procreated there. Like crocodile-hunters... I really want to go to Australia, all I´ve heard about it seems good, nice and friendly, laid back sort of people. But warm! And many insects. But I could live with that. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Brisbane is wet also, is it not? Not that I mind (here in Vancouver, I've seen the sun 4 or 5 times in the last month). And, as Bebelina mentions, what of the insects? I freak out at the 1/2 inch silverfish here in Vancouver. Anything larger, and I'll probably be on the first flight home.
Brisbane isn't a wet city, it does rain and when it does it RAINS!!!! but that happens only a few times a year, southern cities (Melb in particular) get it daily....I guess my problem with the weather in the south is it's neither here nor there...If its going to be ccold it may as well snow.... One thing that people dislike about QLD weather is the humidity....I must admit mid summer ut gets pretty bad, but that's what the beach is for... Bugs are bugs, you freak out at first then you learn to ignore it....BTW the deadliest spider in Aus is the funnel web and it don't live in QLD, that is a southern bug.
Hi Porfiry, You could post this q in the Aussie forum. Get a more diverse response. <a href=http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/k2/stn/>http://www2b.abc.net.au/science/k2/stn/</a>
Hi Porfiry, <i>I'd be going there for perhaps a year of university (probably studying computer science). What's the academic life like in Australia? Are students reasonably serious, or is university just an excuse to get drunk and depraved as it is in the US? In particular, I'm looking at ANU, U of Melbourne, and Adelaide (they have a nice website Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ). Any other recommendations?</i> I'm a Melbournian and have 2 degrees from Melbourne Uni so I'm a little biased. Academic life is really what you make of it. There are plenty of opportunities to get drunk and depraved in Australia, as anywhere else. All of the universities you mention are good. Academic standards in Australia are in general very high. <i>And what of the culture/people? I'm Canadian, and it's been suggested that Australia is about as Canadian as any country in the world. If this is the case, great, I should get along fine. And what about the cities - Canberra, Melbourne, and Adelaide? Nice?</i> Australians and Canadians have a lot in common, I think, though I have never been to Canada so I am no expert. Sydney is Australia's biggest city. It has everything you'd want, but also includes lots of traffic and lots of people. Melbourne is next on the list. I think it has a better climate, and is a bit more relaxed than Sydney. I'd argue that Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia, so if you're into theatre, music etc. Melbourne is a great place. (Other Australians might well disagree with me - there is a well known Syndey-Melbourne friendly rivalry here.) Canberra is a relatively small place and so can be a bit quiet. ANU is a good university, though, and well funded. Adelaide is a bit bigger and has a bit more life than Canberra. Brisbane is probably 3rd in line after Melbourne and Sydney in terms of size. It is warmer (being further north), and probably also not a bad place to live (I don't know so much about it). Then there's Perth, Darwin and Hobart... <i>To me, Australia seems to occupy the same reality as Canada, only everything has been shuffled around somewhat. People have an accent, the language is slightly different, animals are strange, different landscape, etc. It's not the paradigm shift that going to US or Europe would be.</i> I don't know. I think you would find Australia to be quite a different place than Canada, even if there are some similarities. In some ways it is more removed from Canada than the US is, in my opinion. One of the great things about Australia, I think, is the multiculturalism. We have one of the most equal and toloerant societies in the world. <font size=-1>This message brought to you by the JR Australian tourism bureau Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!</font>
Studying in Australia Studying in Australia for a Canadian is a very sensible move; the social mores, language,political system, monetary system and educational system are similar, if not near-identical. I live in Adelaide, a city of 1.2 million, which is both cosmopolitan and cheap to live in. Don't bypass Adelaide, especially on the advice of people who don't live here. It is a fascinating city, safe, cheap and easy to find your way around. Temperatures are min 8C max 20C in Winter and about 25C/39C Summer. It is a Mediterranian climate; wine is our major export. Academic standards in Oz are very high, there are no 'soft' degrees. Social life is as hectic as you want to make it, but with Hotels and Restaurants and bars open 18 hrs Weekdays and 24 Hrs weekends, partying is no problem. Canadians and Americans are welcomed, and respected, and Adelaide is a Safe, Safe city. My Back door is latched, not bolted, and has been all my life. Email me if you wish. scaevola@bigpond.com Cheers!
Come on down! I'm throwing my hat in for Sydney. I can't give you any advice about the uni's, but I know that if you want to study, you can. If you want a social life, you can have that too. Or you can combine both. Why don't you take a few weeks holiday and have a look at the cities for comparison. Aussies are open to anyone coming over as long as they're not terrorists. We do like to have a laugh or two and we know how to laugh at ourselves. Not having been to any other state but Queensland I can't give an informed review. Queensland is sunny. Sydney is unpredictable at the moment. If you're a Billy Connolly fan, don't go anywhere near Canberra because that's where all the 'beige' people are (and he's right you know). All in all Oz is a colourful place and I think you'd probably enjoy yourself. I always get a kick out of hearing an American or Canadian accent; a lot of friendlies came over during the olympics and I found myself saying g'day and giving a smile. It's nice when you can give directions to someone who speaks English. So come on down and enjoy yourself!
i'm afraid i have to say that if weather is important to the things you enjoy give Melbourne a miss! It used to be notoriously unusual and interesting, but it's been getting less and less interesting and more and more bloody awful! whf
Porfiry Whatever you decide, STAY OUT OF THE USA. It is dangerous to foreigners.(I could be wrong, but by judging what began to occur in germany in 1933-4 I would heed my warning...)
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Well, unless South Park is a prophecy, I doubt the US will become hostile to Canadians any time soon! However, the point about the rising popularity of right-wing extremist views is certainly well taken.
I suggest Bridport, Tasmania. They'll have a golf course soon (Barnbougle Dunes) and wombat meat is really good smoked. Of course, grad school will be by correspondence.
