A Semester Down Under

Madita Jeske

Autumn 2025 Study Abroad student from Fachhoschule Aachen

Aachen, Germany

G’day mate.

Life in Sydney

Coming to Australia was one of the best decisions and greatest experiences in my life. I fell in love with this country the second I landed in Sydney back in January. From minus degrees and snow to 40 degrees and getting sunburns every day! The people here are just so much nicer, happier, and friendlier. Always down to help or for a quick chat. This city has a lot of really good food spots. The ones nearby are mostly Asian, especially since the UTS is so close to Chinatown. (Make sure to also check out Spice Alley.)

My favourite beach is definitely Coogee Beach.

Favourite sunset spot: Mrs Macquaries Point

Favourite desert spot: Yo-Chi!!! (in Barangaroo)

Favourite activity: the free weekly backpacker boat parties

Favourite bar: Jimmy’s Rooftop

Favourite place: the Botanical Garden

Free museum: Anzac memorial

There are so many things to do, I wouldn’t even be able to list them all. It never gets boring and there are always new things for you to try. Take a hike through the Blue Mountains, visit the Glebe markets or play music bingo at the soda factory on Tuesdays with 1$ hotdogs!

Travelling in Australia

During my semester, I had plenty of time to travel. Me and my friends would go on trips every other weekend. One time we flew to Melbourne for a couple of days. Melbourne has so many great cafes with lovely cakes! During study vacation, I went on an east coast trip from Sydney to Brisbane with a friend in a campervan we booked. (You NEED to visit Byron Bay. It is the loveliest and cutest town around!!) But my top travel destination was definitely Jervis Bay, where we stayed multiple nights in an Airbnb. It had warm and clear water, white beaches and kangaroos in our front yard.

In the following weeks I will visit Whitsundays, K’gari Islands and Cairns as well as the Uluru and West Coast including Perth.

Studying at UTS

Studying here in Australia is way easier than I thought. It is more relaxed and chill, than back in Germany. I only had uni twice a week and the study methods here are more practical. During the semester, it can be a lot because you have many assignments and group projects to turn in, but at least I didn’t have any exams at the end, so I have more time to travel now. And it’s so much easier to make friends than you think. I met so many international people just by going to all the free activities from the UTS or joining the ActivateUTS trips (which are really worth it in my opinion).