Studying in another country is surely the ultimate combination of life-styles. The quintessential University experience of meeting fresh minds with fresh ideas and getting drunk with them at the university bar, plus seeing the sights of a whole new country. But how to make the most of it?

You don't want to miss the opportunity of being in another country by spending too much time cooped up in doors.

Sydney has several international level Universities that accept overseas students. It is also frequently near the top of the list of best cities to live in worldwide.

A combination of vibrant night life, great food, abundant art and culture, as well as the amazing beaches makes it a little too easy to skip a study session for some recreational activity with your new home. But in a new town it is easy to get a bit lost.

Fortunately, the major Universities are fairly centrally located. The University of Sydney main campus, UTS and Curtin University are just a few hundred metres from each other, on one of the main streets in Sydney, Broadway.

And both of these are a short walk from Central Station, the hub of the railway in Sydney, connecting all suburban networks as well as the rural trains. The countryside is not far away.

The University of New South Wales is on the Eastern side of the City, towards the beaches. It is a short bus ride to several of the major southern beaches of Sydney.

If you like the beach, if you really like the beach, then do yourself a favour, avoid Bondi! If you want over-priced and bad food, dull tourist traps, hawkers, and to be surrounded by other foreigners slowly turning pink under the sun AND a crowded beach, then by all means go to Bondi. World fame means everybody wants to go there, so maybe check it out once and then head down to Coogee, Clovelly or Bronte beach. Each of those provides a much calmer, cooler, and genuine Australian beach experience.

But if you're serious about beach action, then the Northern beaches are where it's at. I'll tell you about those next time.

Ben D.