Housing:
Participants of the Brockport-Macquarie University Program may choose to live either in Dunmore Lang College or in Macquarie University Village during their semester in Sydney. The cost of accommodation during those periods when classes are in session (including the orientations) is included in the cost of the program.
Dunmore Lang College is a traditional dormitory located on the Macquarie University campus. All accommodation in Dunmore Lang College is in single study bedrooms equipped with telephones, voicemail facilities and data points. Each room contains a bed, a desk and ample closet space. Bathrooms are shared and there are many lounges and common rooms on each floor throughout the college.
Dunmore Lang College offers American students the opportunity to interact with their Australian colleagues at close range and also to participate fully in the collegiate life of the university. Among its many features is the availability of academic tutors in the event that a participant needs or wants tutoring in one of the courses in which he/she is enrolled.
Dunmore Lang College is catered accommodation (i.e., 21 meals per week are served [the cost of these meals is NOT included in the program fee - there is a $1,500 surcharge per semester], so you don't have to shop for or prepare your own meals but you do have to eat when they are being served)].
Towels, bedding and bed linen are provided and there is weekly maid service.
Additional information about Dunmore Lang College can be found on its website at http://www.dunmorelangcollege.nsw.edu.au/
Macquarie University Village offers apartment-style housing in a purpose-built complex also located on the campus of the University (it was originally built to house the athletes participating in the 2000 Olympic Games).
Each self-contained housing unit at Macquarie University Village (MUV) consists of five bedrooms (each with its own bathroom), a living room, lounge and kitchen on the ground floor. MUV houses about 378 students. Macquarie University Village is a self-catering housing facility; therefore, the cost of meals for those participants who elect this style of accommodation is NOT included in the program fees paid to Brockport.
For more information about Macquarie University Village (and some photos) visit their website at: http://www.muc.mq.edu.au/index.htm
The costs associated with living in either of these residential colleges at the Macquarie University that are NOT INCLUDED in the program fee paid to Brockport are:
Fees that are refundable directly to the participant [usually at the conclusion of the program (i.e., security deposits, key replacement fees, caution fund payments, etc., etc.)],
Club membership fees, and/or
Costs that vary by use by the individual (such as the cost of telephone service, cable TV, internet access, etc.), and
Meals (DLC is fully catered, so you don't have to do your own cooking, but there is a surcharge for this per semester).
Participants who - either because they do not file the appropriate housing forms in a timely manner or because these accommodations are fully booked - will with the assistance of Brockport's Resident Director obtain accommodations in Sydney in the area of Macquarie University either in:
A homestay
or
Private rental accommodation.
Students in this circumstance will be housed in temporary housing upon the completion of the Brockport Orientation (i.e., during the Macquarie University Orientation) that will have been secured for them prior to their arrival in Australia. During this Orientation, these students will (with the assistance of Brockport's resident director) seek and find their permanent housing for the semester.
Orientation
Participants in Brockport's direct enrollment programs in Australia receive two independent (but closely related) orientations:
The Brockport Orientation conducted by its Resident Director and
The host campus's Orientation for International Students.
The Brockport Orientation is specifically focused on the needs and requirements of students enrolled in Brockport's study abroad programs in Australia; the host campus's international students orientation is a more general orientation to study and life at that university. It is aimed at all of the study abroad students, the exchange students and the matriculated international students who are beginning study at that university during that semester. While these two orientations serve different functions both are a compulsory part of each semester's program and attendance at both orientations is mandatory for all participants beginning their study in Australia.
The Brockport Orientation:
Upon their arrival in Sydney, participants in the Brockport Macquarie University Program will be met by Brockport's Resident Director and will spend several days prior to the start of the university's international student orientation overcoming jetlag, exploring Sydney, becoming familiar with life in Australia -academic and otherwise - and generally enjoying themselves prior to the start of the semester. This orientation includes a program of field trips, activities and social events that are designed to provide participants with an opportunity to acclimatize socialize and prepare themselves to make the most of the semester ahead. The cost of orientation activities, events, housing (and some meals) during the Brockport Orientation is included in the program fees.
During the Brockport Orientation, participants in the Brockport Macquarie University Program will be housed in temporary housing. At its conclusion they will move into their permanent housing on the Macquarie Campus.
The Macquarie University International Students Orientation:
An orientation program specifically designed for Macquarie's study abroad and exchange students is conducted during the week prior to the commencement of classes in both semesters. Issues covered include settling in to life in Sydney, culture shock, accommodation, health insurance, clubs and societies, email access, study skills, weekend trips, and social events.
