Preparing for Australia

This is just a short post about things you need to do before/at the start of your trip in Australia. Sorta like a checklist, please use this as an additional reminder list, but not a definitive one as new situations might result in different necessary steps.

IMPORTANT NOTE: UTS uses Microsoft Outlook as their main form of communication. Ensure you get familar with the program as soon as you are able to and download Outlook on your phone so you can be notified of emails.

1. Follow MIX's Next Steps Email

2. Get your classes approved by your respective departments

   1. To be classified as full-time at UHM (which is extremely important for financial aid-related matters), you must take at least 4 subjects at UTS. This is equivalent to 12 UHM credits or 24 UTS credits.

   2. I would highly advise you to get at least 3-4 additional subjects approved in case you are not able to get your ideal subjects when applying for your UTS subjects on a later date. During the period that I am writing this, it is especially important that you have backup options since they are continuing to cut staff and subjects.

   3. If you need approval from Shidler, I advise you to begin your process sooner than later. They will take a long time. While I can't speak on how other departments are like, the psychology department was much faster and easier.

   4. Warning: UTS does not allow exchange students to take psychology courses at their university, but you might be able to find other related courses in other departments at UTS that are equivalent to psychology courses at UHM, which you would need to get approved by the psychology department to get psychology credits. (ex. UTS 24202 Consumer Behaviour → UHM PSY 385 Consumer Behavior)

3. Medibank OSHC (Overseas Student Health Coverage)

   1. You need your UTS offer letter containing your student ID before you can apply.

4. Student Visa

   1. You need your Confirmation of Enrollment (CoE) from UTS and your Medibank OSHC before you can apply.

5. eSim Phone Plan

   1. Before you get any ol' eSim plan, make sure you will have an Australian phone number with the plan. Not only do a lot of businesses and programs ask for your Australian phone number, you are required to have one to activate your Medibank OSHC when you finally land in Australia.

   2. I waited until I got to Australia to get a Telestra eSim plan (because it wouldn't let me do it online) and it worked pretty well, albeit a bit expensive.

6. Apply for student ID

   1. You are only able to request your student ID after you arrive in Australia. After you request it, they will send you a text message when your ID is ready for pickup.

7. Pick your subjects (classes)

   1. Please notice how this item and the item below are different. This one, you just declare what subjects you are interested in within MyStudentAdmin (MSA). Confusingly, they split up the two processes, meaning that you don't need to stress about waking up and claiming your subject right as it opens.

   2. You are required to take 24 UTS credits (4 UTS subjects) to be classified as full-time at UHM. However, UTS has a maximum credit limit of 24. This means that if you have one subject that is worth more than 6 credits, you must get it petitioned for using an eRequest.

8. Pick your subject section

   1. This item is where you might want to claim your section as soon as you can. You can preview when sections are being held and plan accordingly using their Timetable Planner website. Using myTimetable (notice that it's different), you can select which section you want.

   2. Ensure that the previous item is completed before this step.

9. Find a place to live

   1. UTS does not guarantee a bed for exchange students. While I would still encourage you to apply to Yura Mudang (university dorm), they are very open about there being a 25% chance of getting accepted. It will be more expensive, but please start looking for off-campus accommodations as soon as possible.

10. Open an international-friendly credit card

    1. Providers such as Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted across the world like Australia. You will find that a lot of businesses are able to take card and, possibly, completely cashless.

    2. Find a credit card that doesn't have international transaction fees. These fees will add up with how much you use your card, especially with smaller transactions like with using it as a transportation card. While businesses have a credit card surcharge, I found that the better exchange rate provided by the credit card company can often outweigh this surcharge.

11. Convert some USD to AUD

    1. It's still important to have some cash on hand despite how card-centric Australia can be, but only convert a little. You can ask your local bank to convert some cash for you. Honestly, I didn't really use my cash until it was time to pay back my roommates before I left.