Application process
If you want to apply to the university through MicroEDU, you can’t really go wrong. At the beginning of my application, MicroEDU sent me a set of instructions they had prepared, in which everything was described very well. Basically, all communication went through MicroEDU – I just sent all of my submissions to MicroEDU. They then checked them again and then forwarded them to Swinburne University.
Every little detail is explained in detail in the instructions. There were even explanations of the individual items to be filled out to fill out the individual forms required. I was able to contact my advisor Sabine at any time about anything – even when I had minor problems with my BAföG application for a short time, Sabine was really at my side. I am very happy that I organized the semester abroad through MicroEDU. The entire application process was super structured and I never had the feeling that I was left alone with it.
Accommodation
I had sent my application to Swinburne relatively well in advance and had also planned to organize accommodation before I started my trip in order to avoid stress in Malaysia.
I came across “Riverine Resort” through Sabine on the one hand and through older experience reports and contacted the realtor Christina on Facebook. She gave me her approval for the period relatively quickly and I then secured a room. Basically, I was a little skeptical in advance whether everything would work like this on Facebook – but in the end everything worked great and Christina had me on my screen when I arrived. See more student reviews of universities in Asia on liuxers.
Most of the students who did a semester abroad at Swinburne were in the Riverine. Most of them were Swedish or Danish – but several Germans and Australians also lived there. I lived in a 4-person flat share with two Germans and one Australian and thought it was great – the balcony with a view of the river next door, pool, gym and security for less than € 200 was worth it every day to go to university in just under 15 minutes Ride a scooter. You can also throw a flat share party in the Riverine without hesitation.
Otherwise, other international students I have met have rented a house through a Joseph. Many students who study permanently at Swinburne also live very often directly on-campus. Here, however, you often even share a room with a roommate and the buildings are divided according to gender. I was glad that I didn’t live directly on campus, as I got a lot more of Kuching and was basically on the road all the time.
The Swinburne University of Technology
The campus is a very small and clear campus, on which you will know most of the faces at the end of the semester. It consists of several buildings in which teaching takes place, a large sports hall, a large parking garage and a cafeteria. For me, this was always the place to go when I wanted to drink an iced coffee or just chat with people. There are also several different stalls at lunchtime where you can get your food. Otherwise, the Swinburne is also surrounded by various food courts outside of the campus. In one of the buildings there is also the larger library, where I often met for group work. Otherwise, the Swinburne has several PC rooms, in which many students, who mainly live on-campus, not only learn
Basically, there are a lot of young people from different nationalities walking around on campus. Most of the students come from Malaysia, of course, but there are also very many people from Sri Lanka or Pakistan, for example, very strongly represented. Personally, I found that very cool – I got to know a lot of people from completely different cultures and had completely new experiences. I notice that even now back in Germany I look at some things from a completely different perspective and found that the exchange with all the international, non-western students was the best part of the whole semester abroad for me.
What I would not have liked very much about Swinburne in the long term was that I could not follow the lecturers properly in several courses, because some of their English skills were not particularly good and some of them also had a very strong Asian accent. which I found it very difficult to understand. However, this was not always the case. For two of the four courses I had lecturers who conveyed the content very well and where it was fun to listen. However, since I did not start the semester abroad with the main aim of further professional development, I was able to look beyond this very well and focused primarily on getting to know people from other cultures.
Compared to the learning units in Germany, I noticed that at Swinburne in many cases an attempt is made to get the individual students to communicate with one another within the lecture or especially in the tutorials, so that a very active one is created. Basically, I found the atmosphere at the university generally more relaxed and fun than what I was used to in Münster.
The university also offers a number of different clubs for those interested in joining. For example, I wanted to try something new and I joined the rowing club, which I highly recommend. But there are also completely different focuses such as dancing, tennis or debating.
Finally, what I can say about the university is that I was positively surprised by the infrastructure. I would certainly consider my university in Münster to be even better equipped – but in my opinion the Swinburne is also modern and I generally felt very comfortable on campus.
Leisure
In addition to university, I had a lot of free time, who only chose business courses. My roommates, who all took engineering courses, had to do quite a lot for the university during the semester – so it depends a little on what you choose.
Personally, I was totally fascinated by the city and especially the flair. It was my first time in Asia and the surrounding area of Kuching offers a lot of opportunities to enjoy your free time to the fullest. Like me, most of the foreign students have rented a scooter with which we have made several trips into the surrounding area. Kuching in itself is interesting for those who like to eat. If you can travel around the city flexibly with the scooter, there is a large selection of different food courts throughout the city, which are so cheap for us Western Europeans compared to what we pay here that I can’t do it during my entire semester abroad I once prepared a meal myself. Very often you can get an entire meal for just under € 2 and it tastes amazing. If you like pasta, you will feel very comfortable here! It is also important to say that Kuching is certainly not a party city – students should not come here with the intention of only going to party. Kuching is much more – great food, great people, great weather . In addition, after the semester you have the unique opportunity to gain further experience in other parts of Malaysia or in other Southeast Asian countries – for example, I spent two more months in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
I am very happy that I have decided to spend a semester abroad in Kuching. In advance, I basically had no idea what to expect – it was by far the best semester of my studies and when I think about my time in Kuching, I want to go back immediately.