1. get to know your neighbours well, you never know when you’ll need their help π
2. take part in the orientation activities as much as possible. you’ll get to know lots of people, and have lots of fun =)
3. learn how to cook. you wouldn’t really want to eat at the mess hall.
4. remember to label your food stuff before you put them in the fridge. but then again, you never know which hungry ghost will steal them (depends on how lucky you are i guess, i’ve only got 2 eggs and some juice stolen through the year; some other pple had more stuff stolen from them).
5. hang your keys somewhere you will see on your way out, that way you’ll never lock yourself out (almost maintained my record of that not happening at all, but unfortunately it happened once when i was rushing out).
6. collect your laundry on time. you wouldnt want someone to throw them on the shelves where it’s dirty and have to wash them again.
7. DON’T throw your precious clothes into the dryer. unless you want them to shrink.
8. be prepared for noisy Thursday nights.
9. get a huge external hard disk. there’s lots to download from DC++.
10. be careful of your internet usage, it’s costly. alternatively, bring your laptop to uni to use the wireless. free 1GB per semester which we barely made use of this year. wasted.
i think i’ll add on to the first point. know your neighbours well, not cos u may need their help one day, but cos u should be a friendly singaporean and u should get to know people from different backgrounds and cultures. moreover, as a future doctor, its imperative that you are comfortable with talking to strangers, and hit it off with them with ease! Building rapport-building skills!!! Key to success. Again, don’t do it cos it will lead to success, cos u wont hit there. Do it because you’re sincere and nice.
aiyah, don’t stay in halls la. if halls was so good, all these people won’t be moving out like a bunch of lemmings. bottomline: don’t stay at halls!
benefits of staying in halls are many: u get DC++ content, which means, any movie, any drama serial (maybe except the chinese and jap ones), any notes, any music file, any MTV, etc. u even get access to the early pre-released exam timetable.
many of which, josh has gotten from us as well.
ALSO, u get the community. as long as ure friendly, ure bound to make lotsa new friends at halls, esp angmohs.
3rdly, the ORIENTATION programme at halls are fantastic. miss em, and ull not get to know 95% of ur hall mates. the 5 % are probably returning residents who dont give a damn, and u shdnt even bother to get to know em in the 1st place π
4thly, its pretty close to uni. i used to have 3hr breaks in sem 1, i walked back in 10min, took a 2hr nap, and walked back to uni for lessons. (of cos if u stayed at mannix it would be nearer and u have all the same benefits)
Well if u do not stay in halls, ur other options includes:
1) renting a house
2) staaying where Josh and Rebecca stayed.. Rusden House
3) Staying at where Pat stayed… Manix College
4) Stay homeless
Points to add
1) it’s the cheapest option, but many downsides: it’s difficult for you to get to know new people. Pray you got a good landlord. And last but not least, if u can settle renting a house before even stepping into Australia, You are either very desperate or very adventurous or dunno what you are doing…;p
2)Rusden: lvoe the place and furniture, teeny weeny bit closer to Monash Pizza, where we occasionally hang. teeny weeny bit further to campus. Downside: Cost! ask Josh if u want the breakdown.
3) Mannix. Well it looks nice. Get ur own sink in the room. Room not very big and you pay more than halls, but less than Rusden. There are even tutors there at their library to coach you. interesting service! and food is provided. which obliges uto go back for ur meals.
4) if u beg some of us, we may adopt u. But u will have to do the dishes, laundry and any other chores whatsoever put forth to u. wahahaha.
Ya kerf’s right. The cost is a pain in the ass. But come on, check out the size of the aparment?!
And I have enough couches for you guys to practise some Thomas’ tests and McMurray’s Tests.
Isn’t that awesome?
Oh my…. I’m planning to stay at rusden house next year. Is it really that bloody expensive? Worth it?
personally i dun think its worth it. haha. moreover, its not ur money ure spending, its ur parents hard earned money….
thats my guideline when i spend money in aust. and until i start earning, ill be a bloody miser. (of cos there are times to be generous, but can save then save. why not)
Hi erah,
It’s totally up to you to decide if it’s ‘worth it’ or not. Let me give you some examples:
1. You get your OWN PRIVATE TOILET! – sharing toilets with many people of obscure backgrounds doesn’t seem appealing does it? HPV and nisseria gonnorhea can be spread through sharing of toilet seats despite ‘wiping’ before every use.
2. Before i moved into Rusden, I told my parents that there were cheaper places around. They told me not to worry about all these 2nd grade housing facilities. You are on a mission to study and get your degree – allowing rowdy halls residents to disrupt your peace and quiet is just ONE form of distraction if you stay at halls.
3. That little bit of money saved is insignificant compared to the gains you stand to get from housing at Rusden. Nice peaceful apartment with your own lebensraum; what more can you ask for?
I think I would know best since I’ve been staying there. You can choose to ignore whatever comments I make; but know that they are way more valid than those made by outsiders.
haha.. thats sounds great.. i’ve actually stayed at rusden house before during my school rugby tour in melbourne during the commonwealth events.. i really like it there, still do.. anyways, are you staying in 1 or 2 room apartment? i’m really worried about the $$ as the rent doesn’t even include utility and internet bills.. do you mind telling me how much you have to pay in total (rent+bills) per month? π
Woah, rugger. Erm, total cost u’ll incur is about 900 AUD a month i guess. Including bills like electricity, water, net.
I stay in a 1 rm apt: the biggest one they have. It really is big and I love the amt of space I’ve been given. The whole point of my staying in Rusden is to get away from the rowdiness of the phlebian crowd so I wouldn’t recommend sharing an apartment. Ask becky about that, she’ll tell u horror stories. If there are no 1rm apartments available, then I guess that’s the 2nd best option.
Btw, I’m not antisocial. I just prefer to have my own space and peace when I need it. Drop me a mail or sth if you need more info.
Josh