4. October 2017 | Von Caroline, Kim und Denis  

Get an impression of our great journey

Arriving in Sydney has been a great experience. It is normal to be nervous taking a journey in a country that is quite distanced to your hometown. We all left with some doubts mixed with excitement to make new friends, meet a new culture and make some great memories here.

Get an impression of our great journey

Arriving in Sydney

However, arriving in Sydney quickly made us forget about those thoughts we first had. We knew we were going to live in an international big city and still, we were surprised of how diverse and huge Sydney and its surrounding are. While nearing the campus, our excitement continued to grow as we realized, that we would be spending the next three months in this great scenery. The university building with its historical and cultural significance, also known as the ‘’castle on the hill’’, offers a view over Manly that is absolutely stunning. This makes the campus a beloved location for events, which again makes the campus an agile and animated place. Besides many marriages and organized parties, there was for example also the 70th anniversary of the Ferrari Club Australia, that was held at ICMS. Especially, students living on campus can join some of these open events spontaneously.

Living on campus

Along other students from around 42 different countries, there are around 30 Macromedia students living on campus. The ICMS team really tries their best to offer you ‘’a home away from home’’, as they say. They aim on building a strong community within the students in order to simplify them living away from their everyday. People on the campus and in Australia / Sydney in general, are open-minded, helpful and like to take a chat with you. So far, we barely met people who have behaved in the opposite.

Here at ICMS, they have what they call the Residential Experience Team. The team is composed of Residential Leaders that live on campus and provide all students with support, advice and fun activities throughout the term. You will cross them regularly during the day or/and during eating hours. They are doing a great job so far and you can always contact them or the manager on duty, James, when needed. As he said, he will be your big brother during your time here; always there to watch, help and have a good laugh with. He efforts in keeping the campus a safe place and introduced us to the security regulations and policies of Australia. Did you know that after 1 am. there is no more alcohol served in bars and clubs? So make sure to start early 😛 However, stick to the rules, offense against the law turns out to be very expensive…

You don’t even need to leave the campus for having a great evening. In the CCC Club, which is a licensed bar in the university, you will have many fun parties going. You will get to know the bar during the orientation week.

Orientation Week

The orientation week is a week full of fun and activities organized for all new students in order to get to know each other a week before classes start. On our arrival, we received a timetable where all the scheduled activities for the week were listed so you could choose whether you were into joining or doing something different. From outdoor cinema to bike tours, surf session, sunset beach walks, shopping trips, bar hopping tours… there has been something enjoyable for everyone.

We all were especially looking forward to the famous Welcome Cocktail party and ceremony. This is one of ICMS’s major events that takes place at the beginning of every term. As you will see in the pictures, it is an evening filled with great memories and fun. During the official ceremony in the chapel, that is connected to the university building (and where Nicole Kidman has been married btw. J), all international students were welcomed by bringing in the flags of their home countries. Some members of the Board of Directors and Academic Boards, such as members of several different committees and ICMS teams held speeches filled with wisdom and some good advices for our academic and professional future. Also, we were shown how to dress properly for classes. (check out our upcoming Vlog in November 2017 for more information about the dress code here at ICMS). The ceremony was followed by a get together where live music was played by students, drinks and food were served. At this moment latest, you realized, that you are now a part of a great international community.

Also part of the orientation week was the campus day. Besides the attendance of companies such as Vodafone and travel agencies, where you could book discounted adventurous trips for your time in Australia, you’ve also had the opportunity to meet some of the ICMS teams. (example: ICMS Green team, ICMS Surf Club). A highlight of the day was probably the color run.

After this great first week, everyone had an overview of the campus and its facilities such as a tennis court, basketball and football area and the different communities you could join. We also were perfectly prepared for the upcoming classes and ready for our term abroad.

Classes at ICMS

ICMS is a university that is specialized in teaching management skills in the area of business, event, hospitality, tourism, sports and property to international students. Therefore, the classes at ICMS are mixed up with students from all over the world. This makes you part of a diverse, multicultural learning environment and can help you to add a global context to your educations such as getting in touch with new people. All classes are taking place in several rooms of the historical building, which are all provided with modern resources to maintain a convenient learning environment. To provide an optimal learning outcome and an individual learning experience the size of the classes are kept to a minimum. Typically, the structure of the different classes is divided in Lectures, where industry experts and professionals teaching you the subject matter, and Tutorials, where the learned topics are repeated for example by doing multiple choice questions or case studies. Part of the ICMS learning methods are also doing individual and group assignments in order to actively involve everyone in the learning process. If there is any help during the studies needed the Academic Learning Center or student volunteers will give you support.

Manly

The university isn’t the only place, where you can spend your time for studying and having a great experience. After a 10-minute walk, you enter the heart of Manly. Decide, if you want to go snorkeling at the Manly Beach, grab one of the free surfboards provided from the ICMS and rent a wet suit for discounted student prices. But if you want to shop, taste delicious burgers or brunch with an incredible sea-view, the lovely road of Corso would be the best stop for you. Students, who doesn’t live on campus, can purchase the groceries at Coles or Aldi for fair prices.

Thinking about partying and dancing through the night? The Shark Bar, the Ivanhoe or the Steinhotel are spots you need to visit! By the way, the nightlife-culture is different to what you are used to know. The bars and clubs open the gates much earlier. Therefore, the early closing could differ from your expectations. Nevertheless, get a taste of the typical Australian Ale-Beer-Culture.
As it has been said, that the Manly Beach is the place for surfing and of course some of you would prefer a less-wave area, don’t worry, the Shelly Beach is your place to be. It’s even nearer to the ICMS and people love this place for its beautiful location. Climb the hill up and you jump directly into a fascinating jungle! Go for a walk, hike through the North Head of Manly and enjoy this scenic green adventure.

Do you notice, that Sydney has not been even mentioned yet? Manly is an adventurous city, so don’t have always to go to Sydney to experience something. But if you want so, buy a ticket at the wharf and go by ferry to Sydney. Our hint for you: On Sunday, you just have to pay app. 2$, because the ferry isn’t really cheap on other days.

If there is something you want us to talk about in the Vlog just let us know by dropping us a short message.

Cheers from sunny Australia,

Your Ambassadors,

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