I am planning on finishing my second year at the university I am at now in America and I want to transfer to a university in Australia. I am just hoping to get input about this idea from people, whether you have experience doing so or know people who have. There’s no specific information I am looking for right now, but if you could help me gain some knowledge on the whole transferring to an Australian university as an international student, that would be great! Oh, and I am a marketing major. Thank you.
Are you American or from another country? Where do you plan to work after graduation?
@tomofboston I am an American, and I have no set ideas on a career after college. I do not see myself working an office job, but rather always being on my feet and being able to travel. I am currently in my first year of college, so I am pretty new to all of this and am still figuring out what I want to do.
Why do you want to transfer to an international university?
@whenhen I want to transfer to an international university because I want to experience life outside of the U.S. and because I currently feel stuck at the college I am at now. As of right now, I am looking forward to my post-college life, while most people are embracing every second they have now in college. Transferring for me is for the environmental change and I think it would increase my opportunities academically and in the workforce. I had thought about studying abroad for a very long time, but I just do not think that will suffice.
I went to high school in Sydney and I want to warn you that Australian universities are highly specialised and very vocation-oriented, which means you will hear phrases like “employability” from the first day you step into the campus.
Most schools are dominated by engineering and business majors and people laugh on those who pursue a liberal arts major like philosophy.
Also, most Australian universities(except a few like USyd, UMel) are not known outside of the country and thus you may find it hard to land a job in the states if you go to an Aussie school.
@Melody2015 do you currently attend an Australian university?
No, I’m a sophomore at Penn, but I have quite a lot of friends who attend an Australian universities and I went there in summer(it’s winter over there) to audit a few courses with my friends.
Sounds more like escapism. Once u graduate from a college overseas w only an undergrad degree, it is unlikely u will be able to work legally in that country in your field of study. Qualifying for a work visa typically requires years of relevant work experience and/or a graduate degree.
When u come back to the US as an American w an overseas degree from a college most people have never heard of, many employers will give u short shrift.
@GMTplus7 No that’s not true. Australian government just issued a new policy that all international college students will be granted a 2-year work visa upon graduation regardless of major(if my memory was correct). He would indeed be able to work at Australia if he wishes, but I doubt he may not really adjust well to it because the environment there is quite different from the states.
@Melody2015 @GMTplus7 I feel like my ideas of post-college work are very different from what you guys are thinking. I honestly don’t know what to expect for myself career wise, but I would hope I could gain life experience being in a different environment, therefore allowing me to figure out what I would want to pursue. As I mentioned before, I don’t envision working in a cubicle or anything of that sort. So something along the lines of entrepreneurship or working with someone/people rather than a huge company. I don’t know if this changes anything? Thank you in advance for all this input though.
@jeveuxvivremavie If you just want to gain life experience in a different environment, I would suggest you to consider study abroad in an Australian school rather than to transfer to one. Trust me, you get plenty of time to enjoy life and experience expatriate cultures there if you are in a one-year exchange program, but you may get bored if you stay there for two or three years.
Australia is quite a different place and people are super laid-back. Some would love it and some would hate it; I’m somewhere in the middle.
Also, as I said before, Aussie schools are very vocation-oriented, and by that I mean that people are super concerned with placement into huge companies and less concerned with intellectual curiosity and something along the line of that. Also, I don’t think entrepreneurship is hot in Australia; I’ve never heard people talking about wanting to start their own companies when I was there.
If you really want to transfer to an international university, I’d say try a British school.
@Melody2015 Thank you for your input, I was also thinking about Switzerland because they are big in business. I just needed to become more acquainted with this whole transferring internationally idea of mine. Thank you so much!
As a seasoned expatriate worker, I am having a hard time seeing why a company in Switzerland would want to hire an American 22 year old.
What’s wrong w a semester or a summer abroad?
@GMTplus7 I wasn’t saying I would search for a job in Switzerland, but because I am a business major, I feel like it could be a good learning experience to be in a country that is big in that area. I have been thinking about a semester and summer abroad and they are really good options, I just have so much wanderlust. I feel like once I am back in the states after a semester abroad, I will hate it. Then again, I am just thinking out loud, but all these comments are helping me see the ins and outs of the confused situation I am in. So, thank you honestly.