The best way to apply to Bond University is through an organization like top-medical-schools.com, which will help you with all the important application steps.
Pay tuition fees: The Study Abroad tuition fees were around € 8,100, plus a student activity fee of $ 87.50, i.e. around € 70 (this means that the gym, tennis and squash courts and swimming pool can be used for the entire semester without any additional fees Costs are used) and mandatory international health insurance of $ 181, i.e. around € 140.
Student visa request: Can be made quickly and easily via the website of the Australian Government (www.immi.gov.au/students/) and costs about 430 €. With the student visa you can work up to 20 hours a week during the semester.
Book a flight : Depending on what is planned after the semester, it may be advisable to initially only book the outward flight and, as soon as you have decided what and with whom you want to do after the semester, book the return flight. If you know exactly what you want, either back to Germany immediately after the semester or if you already know the flight route you want, it is probably cheaper to book a return flight in Germany.
Credit card (e.g. DKB) and sufficient credit line: The tuition fees have to be paid by credit card and the bank usually has to set up such a high credit line first.
Apartment: Your own apartment in Germany has to be terminated or a sub-tenant has to be found.
Studying at Bond University
Bond University is a very expensive university. A trimester here costs as much as a semester at other good Australian universities .
However, semesters at other universities in Australia start as early as June or July, while the final term at Bond doesn’t start until early September. I am studying law in Germany and since I still had to take my oral examination in July 2012, I only had Bond University (in Australia). The third trimester starts in September and ends in December. The other two trimesters start in January and May.
Bond University is Australia’s first private university. With around 5,000 students, it is a very small university, which almost creates a family atmosphere , because you really meet people who you know all the time . Bond is by no means anonymous, which I enjoyed a lot and which I miss a lot at my home university. There are a lot of international students (mostly Germans, Canadians and Chinese) studying at Bond. The courses are kept very small and the teachers and all university staff always try to help.
The workload is very high, but probably comparable to the requirements in many bachelor’s degree programs. Depending on the subject, homework, presentations, posters, group work, homework (research paper) and / or final exams must be completed. In addition, the materials for the individual lectures / seminars / tutorials must be prepared. The effort is great, but the requirements of most courses are not quite as high. The grading is different from what we know in Germany. The bond is divided into percentages and the grades High Distinction (100-85), Distinction (84-75), Credit (74-65), Pass (64-50) and Fail (49-0) are awarded.
Since I have finished the university part of my law studies in Germany, I was free to choose from the courses offered by Bond Uni and decided on Animal Law , International Environmental Law , Mining and Natural Resources Law and English as an intern. Language. Unfortunately, International Environmental Law was not taught this semester because apparently too few people were interested in this course, which I found a shame. The English course helped me a lot, as I was neither able to attend English lectures in my studies nor had to write English papers. Especially in the area of academic writing, I really enjoyed this course. If you decide to take an English course at Bond, there are different options and it might also be an advantage to talk to someone on site about which of the English courses is suitable to satisfy your own expectations.
Accommodation and costs
Robina, the place where Bond University is at home, is a suburb, i.e. a small town, if at all. If you want to study in a city, Bond University is probably not an option, although I would definitely not consider this to be a prerequisite for my choice of course.
Australia is a very expensive country compared to Germany. At least € 1500 should be available per month in order to make ends meet.
Accommodation
The accommodation on campus is ok, but rather not recommendable, as you have to buy the so-called meal plan here. That means you pay in advance for the whole semester and then you can eat on campus. One receives a student ID which contains the credit for the meal. If you decide to have a meal or a drink, the respective price will be deducted from the card. The food on campus isn’t exactly cheap either, so the money may not last until the end. In either case, you can cook for yourself cheaper. Friends who lived on campus were therefore always happy to come to us in the Shores to have a barbecue at the public BBQ place and to meet.
I lived in the Varsity Shores. Rent is billed weekly in Australia and rents in the Shores are between AUD 205 and AUD 230 per week. In the end, a cleaning fee of one week’s rent is due and you have to pay a deposit (bond) of four weeks’ rent and the rent for the first two weeks when you move in. Sometimes there can be problems with neighbors, as families also live there. The bedding must be bought yourself and, depending on the furnishings of the house, other utensils as well. Otherwise, I really enjoyed living in the Shores, as mostly students live there and Bond University is just a few minutes’ walk away. The bus stop is right across from the complex and a BBQ area, a lap pool and another pool with whirlpool are also available for free use. The above rental prices are the prices that apply if you rent your apartment directly through Varsity Shores Management. However, it is recommended to look for a room in advance from home or then on site, e.g. via www.easyroommate.com.au or www.gumtree.au.com, because there are also rooms in the shores offered by Can be rented privately and are therefore much cheaper.
Other accommodation options include The Cape, The Reserve, The Retreat, Varsity Towers or Varsity on Main.
Freetime activities
Campus: The students at Bond are really dedicated and organize a lot of different events during the semester . In addition, you can register for one or more different sports or other clubs on Club Sign Day and thus participate even more in the student life of Bond University.
There are several theme parks on the Australian Gold Coast such as Wet ‘n Wild water park, Sea World, Movie World and many others.
The Robina Town Center (15 minutes by bus) or the Pacific Fair Shopping Center are ideal for shopping.
The many beaches and the national parks in the area (e.g. Springbrook National Park or Tamborine Mountain National Park) are particularly beautiful.
Byron Bay, just an hour away, is also very beautiful, where you can go surfing or take a wonderful walk by the lighthouse. The lighthouse is located at the easternmost point of Australia and offers an incredible view).
The nightlife in Surfers Paradise or Broadbeach is ideal for partying, but you always have to bring your driver’s license or your new ID card with you, otherwise you won’t be able to go to the clubs.
Tips
References: If you can use an English language reference or something similar, ask your teachers here at Bond. You pay very high tuition fees, so you shouldn’t hesitate and ask if a letter of recommendation can be drawn up. I did that and got a really good reference.
Weather: When I arrived here at the end of August it was still winter and a few days later it was spring. The winter on the east coast of Australia is by no means comparable to the German winter, because during the day it can still be warm 20-24 degrees, but it is windier and, especially in the evening, still quite cold. You should definitely take a sweater or a thin jacket with you. But it also gets warmer every day. In mid-October it is usually 25 degrees or more during the day. However, the sun goes down quite early: around 6 pm-7pm it is completely dark.
The O-week package should definitely be bought as it is worth it. During the O-week there are many opportunities to get to know each other that shouldn’t be missed. Themed parties like the Jungle Party or the Tight ‘n’ Bright Party are a must during the orientation week. It doesn’t hurt to bring clothes that match these mottos.
Bus: You can buy a Go Card (concession) with your student ID, which is much cheaper to travel with.
The 2nd hand book sale will take place in week 1 after the O week. In the event that you have to buy books, it is a good idea to stop by the book sale – maybe there is one or the other book a little cheaper.
Groceries etc. should be done at Aldi if possible, as it is also the cheapest grocery store here. Aldi is difficult to get to by bus, but you can borrow a Bond Student Car for 1-2 hours and take it to Aldi. If you drive with several people, you can share the cost of the car.
If you’ve ever studied in another country at a university, then you definitely want to bring a T-shirt or sweater with the uniform or wear it on site. Bond University merchandise can be purchased from the university bookstore, but the items that are offered twice a week at the Bond University Student Philanthropy Council booth are much cheaper.
I had my international driving license issued in Germany, but I didn’t need it here. The German driving license is accepted without any problems (e.g. Hertz and Europcar), so that you can save the money for the international driving license.
With a prepaid card from Vodafone or Optus, for example, you can use your own telephone in Australia just as cheaply as in Germany. With my 30AUD plan, I was even able to use my free minutes in the German landline and mobile phone network.
Just don’t make the mistake of bringing your own (tennis) racket. I did that and I regretted it. The fitness studio offers equipment for hire. Even if this is not the best, it is better than lugging your racket with you when you travel.
With the student visa, you can stay and travel in Australia for another month after the semester has ended. I was able to make trips to Sydney and Melbourne during the semester. Afterwards we flew to Airlie Beach and took a three-day boat tour through the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef, where we could even go diving and snorkeling. Then we drove south along the east coast by car.
Conclusion
My semester abroad at Bond University in Australia was just wonderful . I made many new friends from different countries of the world, got to know a somewhat different, if not too different culture, was able to marvel at a beautiful natural and animal world, greatly expanded my English skills and, above all, took the experience with me in a foreign country to live and study. Bond University is a very expensive private university, but if you can raise the money, you get a lot on offer that I can only dream of at my home university. In fact, my semester abroad was the best of my studies, and that’s precisely because of the great offerings from Bond University, both academically and in most other areas. I really enjoyed my time here and I am incredibly happy that I took this step. It’s great that this experience was made possible for me.
