I have the option of going to study abroad next fall and I’m considering Australia. My options are Sydney, Adelaide and Townsville. The thing is that i don’t know what the cities are like? Which is most fun? What is the climate like? And what is simply your recommendation?
Thanks for the help!
Oooh! I love a good study abroad! Sometimes I stalk the Townsville tag so I thought I’d try giving some extra info just in case it helps.
Going to hide it under a “read more” for those who don’t care about this kind of stuff.
Sydney and Adelaide are both capital cities so are considerably larger than Townsville and therefore have more theatres, museums, galleries etc. as well as a larger population usually meaning a better chance to find people who like the same things that you like, by joining clubs or sports or by word of mouth. Townsville is often referred to as more of a town and whilst it typically has a “major” of each thing (museum, gallery, stadium etc.) as well as a number of independents it is obviously not the same.
Townsville is also a lot farther from other cities than Sydney or Adelaide so if you want to spend travel time in major cities than Townsville is probably too far out of the way, but if it’s road trips, visits to the reef or rainforest exploration you’re after than it is definitely closer than the capital cities. Also Townsville doesn’t have surfing. We might be right by the sea but the islands and the reef keep any big waves at bay.
You say you’re coming in fall so that should be our Spring to summer period I’m guessing, the weather varies a lot between the cities. Up north, in Townsville it gets hot and humid although our “winter” can sometimes extend into spring, it’s really not noticeable for anyone who has lived somewhere with a genuine summer. Down south in Sydney and particularly in Adelaide it can get hot and dry so it doesn’t have the same humidity behind it.
Personally I think I’d go for Sydney, it has a lot of benefits, and outshines Adelaide even though I like that well enough (my family live there). Obviously Townsville isn’t a high priority for most people although we do get a lot of international/exchange students (particularly marine biology) here who like the chance at living in the tropics and they seem to really enjoy it. Considering that’s where I go to uni I do have a soft spot for it.
Other things to consider:
- Do one of the schools specialise in what you’re most interested in? Some have a lot better reputations for a particular course even if they sound average overall.
- Can you get put in touch with someone/a few someones from your school who have been to any of them before? This will also help with what to expect from classes and you might get introduced to people who study there ahead of time or get heads up about cool travel opportunities or maybe you could organise to buy a bunch of stuff off them if your stay overlaps by a week or two before they leave.
- In the end it’s still a little up to chance but I hope you have a great time.
I’ve probably forgotten a bunch of things but I hope that’s helpful.
