Residential Colleges in Uni of Queensland (1 Viewer)

bubbrubb

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Hey i got into international house through waiting list ! :)

Btw pommy babe since you live in a college yourself, how do you get around the measly 400mb download quota a month? I download quite a lot at home and I doubt that download limit would even let me watch youtube. Does that mean noone downloads movies and music if they live on campus? :|
 

Pommy babe

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Hey i got into international house through waiting list ! :)

Btw pommy babe since you live in a college yourself, how do you get around the measly 400mb download quota a month? I download quite a lot at home and I doubt that download limit would even let me watch youtube. Does that mean noone downloads movies and music if they live on campus? :|
At the beginning of the year, UQconnect offer bulk download quota, usually it's something around $10 for 1 GB but if you get it as bulk you can pay $50 for 30GB which is pretty gd. That's what I get for YouTube and Facebook etc
And movies and music are free to download, they don't come out of your quota... when you get to IH just ask a 2nd/ 3rd yr for a little thing called DC ;) it'll be the best thing on your computer, trust me.
 

Pommy babe

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Btw, there are around 86 freshers for Cromwell in 2010 (not full confirmed yet) and about 200 people got turned down, so if you did, don't go thinking there was something particularly wrong with you. A lot of the places go to siblings first... plus I've heard the interview can be pretty hectic :S
 

bubbrubb

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At the beginning of the year, UQconnect offer bulk download quota, usually it's something around $10 for 1 GB but if you get it as bulk you can pay $50 for 30GB which is pretty gd. That's what I get for YouTube and Facebook etc
And movies and music are free to download, they don't come out of your quota... when you get to IH just ask a 2nd/ 3rd yr for a little thing called DC ;) it'll be the best thing on your computer, trust me.
thanks :) +1
 

iEdd

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Throughout the year, quota expires in 2 months, I think. The pricepoints are:
1GB - $10
2GB - $18
5GB - $40
Maybe there's a 3 or 4GB block, but I can't remember.

The quota specials at the start of each semester doesn't expire until the end of semester. They are something like:
5GB - $10
10GB - $15
[....others...]
30GB - $50

So make sure you think ahead and don't pay 1995 prices for internet.
 

wallst

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Hi, I know this thread hasnt been active for a while but i will be attending UQ in July 2010 and I was accepted by cromwell college - Campus lodge.

Is there a difference between Campus lodge (Self-catered) and cromwell itself?

I'm confused and I will be going over alone

btw, int student here ;)
 

starbaaa

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Yes, there's a huge difference between Cromwell and Campus Lodge. Campus Lodge is owned by the college, but the similarities stop there. It's self-catered and completely separate from Cromwell proper. I don't think people in Campus Lodge are considered to be college students.
 

Franklint

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Hey guys. New member here, signed up because I'm wanting to do a BA at UQ next year, and need some college advice. Also because it seems like a friendly forum :).

As I'm based in Hobart, I am incredibly excited by the idea of moving to a larger city and having to learn my way around from scratch. Getting into a college would make this experience all the more sweet.

Firstly, there's no way I want to go to an all-boys' college. I love women. In fact, I'd be up for going to an all-girls' college, but I don't think this option is available to me :p.

I am therefore left with the following options:
Cromwell College
Union College
International House
St John's College
Emmanuel College

You'll be pleased to know that I've read all 9 pages of this thread, so I'm aware of what people think about each of these. I would like some first-hand experience and objective discussion to help me choose a college, and to sort out some questions I have about them. Many thanks in advance, lovely people.

My initial attraction, upon skimming the brochures for the co-eds, and looking at the pictures, was to Cromwell. The rooms look nice, clean and modern, and the rest of the college seems to be up-to-date, with good facilities.

On the flipside, it seems to have a very Christian focus. While being raised a Christian, I am not particularly religious, and consider myself predominantly atheistic. The website says that all religions are respected, but I still feel as though I may get annoyed, if the level of Christian focus is too intense. Past residents, how much do you think Christianity is part of the college's atmosphere? Do the Christian backgrounds of many students affect their ability to party, drink and have a good time? (I'm going for the whole American Pie experience :p )

Additionally, according to this thread, it seems as though the college is very elitist and difficult to get into. My academic results are nothing to write home about (expecting a TER of about 85), and it seems as though this would let me down. I am pretty well-rounded in other areas (performing arts, running, good reading & writing, etc.), but it seems to me that my lack of academic performance would severely impair the likelihood of me getting in, even if I did apply super-early (as in, June/July).

Considering that, perhaps it would be a better idea for me to give Cromwell a miss and apply directly to one of the less competitive colleges. Although I have heard (in this thread) that Cromwell forwards details of failed applicants onto their next preferences, that would probably not happen until very close to the end of the year, reducing my chances of getting into my second or third choice via this route.

I'm really not sure about my second choice at this stage. While several of you seem very positive about International House, the rest seem to think that it is the worst of the worst. I'd like to hear some more evidence from both sides, because I don't want to be stuck in a bad college, but I would quite like mixing with international students.

My main disinclination to apply to St John's is that, as it has only recently become co-educational, there are apparently many more males in attendance than females. Does anyone have any evidence about this, maybe admission numbers from recent years? I don't mind having more men than women, as long as it is not too unbalanced, if I would stand a better chance of getting in.

I think it was Union that was apparently very similar to a prison (I'm not going back a second time to check :p ). This also wouldn't worry me too much if my chances of getting in were higher.

Could someone provide a bit of insight as to how the colleges rank in terms of competition? I'd like to know the ones that would provide me a higher chance of getting in, considering my relatively weak TER. Is it even worth considering Cromwell with a score of 85?

Thanks all, I look forward to your input!

All the best,
Franklint
 

iEdd

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Seriously, all the colleges make it seem like it's really hard to get in. Pure bullshit, considering the amount of trash that gets through. Trust me, if you present well, you will be fine, and should get into any college. 85 TER is not bad at all either - don't go putting yourself down.

I highly recommend you go to open day this year and do all the college tours (with the exception of the sausage huts, which you said you weren't interested in).

Yes Union is the one that looks like a prison, but it's not like you are locked in or your friends locked out - main gates are only locked after hours. The good points about Union are the lack of hazing/orientation, no religious affiliation, and no compulsory formal dinners. (I think St John's/Cromwell have 4 mandatory [religious?] formal dinners a week, and while it's nice to dress up every now and then, my friends' perspectives seem to be that it becomes a major pain in the arse after awhile.)

International House is also more laid back in the same sense as Union with regards to compulsory activities and hazing. I have no idea what St John's do to freshers, but Cromwell/Emmanuel's O'week is generally pretty intense (read: lolworthy as an observer).

I can pretty much guarantee that no matter what college you go to, you will make plenty of friends and have a good time though. Good luck!
 
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grace93

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Hi All,
I'm in year 12 this year and I too have been rifling through this thread trying to search for the best UQ college to apply for.

I'm a social girl and therefore would absolutely NOT want to live in in an all-girls college! I have family friends in Cromwell who all say it's the way to go though I've been told it's especially hard to get into?

Can anyone give me an idea about the best Co-ed colleges in terms of social life and facilities? I'm not too bothered about religion but I wouldn't want it to be too OTT either.

Cheers!
 

Franklint

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iEdd said:
Seriously, all the colleges make it seem like it's really hard to get in. Pure bullshit, considering the amount of trash that gets through. Trust me, if you present well, you will be fine, and should get into any college. 85 TER is not bad at all either - don't go putting yourself down.
Thanks man, that's encouraging. I'd like to think that I'll be prepared for the interview, so I hope I can present well enough. I'm also not sure what to put in my college application (I've decided to try for Cromwell) to make it stand out from the rest, in the "why do you want to come to Cromwell?" section. Any tips?

Also good to hear about the TER. My parents have often told me what a terrible score it is, which has often confused me because I don't think it's that bad :).

iEdd said:
I highly recommend you go to open day this year and do all the college tours (with the exception of the sausage huts, which you said you weren't interested in).
I've been tossing up whether to go to the open day. It will be a significant expense, but may end up being worth it. However, like you say, I'm sure I would have fun at any college, and so it may be more worth my while to instead (considering airfares, both may not be possible) go up for a face-to-face college interview, rather than doing it over the phone, pending acceptance of my application. I hate telephone calls. Additionally, I would still probably go to an all-guys college on second preference, if I got in. So maybe I could check them out.

iEdd said:
Yes Union is the one that looks like a prison, but it's not like you are locked in or your friends locked out - main gates are only locked after hours. The good points about Union are the lack of hazing/orientation, no religious affiliation, and no compulsory formal dinners. (I think St John's/Cromwell have 4 mandatory [religious?] formal dinners a week, and while it's nice to dress up every now and then, my friends' perspectives seem to be that it becomes a major pain in the arse after awhile.)
Oh, OK. After-hours lockups is kind of lame, but certainly tolerable. As per formal religious dinners, I can see how they would get annoying for less-than-intense-Christians.

iEdd said:
International House is also more laid back in the same sense as Union with regards to compulsory activities and hazing. I have no idea what St John's do to freshers, but Cromwell/Emmanuel's O'week is generally pretty intense (read: lolworthy as an observer).

I can pretty much guarantee that no matter what college you go to, you will make plenty of friends and have a good time though. Good luck!
I'm heaps keen for an eventful O-Week :). You're making these all sound so good, it's hard to choose!

I've been incredibly excited about going to college, so I'm glad to have input from someone else about what a great experience it is. Thanks for the good luck, I may well need it! Are you still studying? Perhaps I'll see you there.

I think I have settled on Cromwell, although I'm still very very unsure. I'll have to look around more and come to a calculated decision. grace93, good luck to you in your choices!

Does anyone have statistics on the number of annual places available in each co-ed college?

Cheers,
Franklint
 
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Pommy babe

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Thanks man, that's encouraging. I'd like to think that I'll be prepared for the interview, so I hope I can present well enough. I'm also not sure what to put in my college application (I've decided to try for Cromwell) to make it stand out from the rest, in the "why do you want to come to Cromwell?" section. Any tips?

Also good to hear about the TER. My parents have often told me what a terrible score it is, which has often confused me because I don't think it's that bad :).



I've been tossing up whether to go to the open day. It will be a significant expense, but may end up being worth it. However, like you say, I'm sure I would have fun at any college, and so it may be more worth my while to instead (considering airfares, both may not be possible) go up for a face-to-face college interview, rather than doing it over the phone, pending acceptance of my application. I hate telephone calls. Additionally, I would still probably go to an all-guys college on second preference, if I got in. So maybe I could check them out.



Oh, OK. After-hours lockups is kind of lame, but certainly tolerable. As per formal religious dinners, I can see how they would get annoying for less-than-intense-Christians.



I'm heaps keen for an eventful O-Week :). You're making these all sound so good, it's hard to choose!

I've been incredibly excited about going to college, so I'm glad to have input from someone else about what a great experience it is. Thanks for the good luck, I may well need it! Are you still studying? Perhaps I'll see you there.

I think I have settled on Cromwell, although I'm still very very unsure. I'll have to look around more and come to a calculated decision. grace93, good luck to you in your choices!

Does anyone have statistics on the number of annual places available in each co-ed college?

Cheers,
Franklint
Ok... so i have NO religious affiliation whatsoever, I'm at Cromwell, and trust me, they DO NOT push it on you at all, we drink and party, in fact we have an 8 day bender coming up including a strippers night and finishing off with our famous bunker. Cromwell is where it is at. O-week will kepp you busy the WHOLE time, it's crazy fun and yeah there is a lot of competition to get in, just make sure that you ATTEND the interview, don't have a telephone interview, AND your gpa is fine, we're not like Johns were everyone has an OP1 or 2, we like to have fun and party.:rolleyes:
 

grace93

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Does anyone know if it is possible to stay in any of the UQ colleges if going to QUT rather than UQ?

I don't really want to go to QUT but as I want to do law which needs an OP 3, QUT (op 5) is my second preference.
 

iEdd

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Yes, but UQ students get first preference, and some colleges won't allow QUT at all.
 

erob

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My mother went to Duchesne. Apparently it's quite nice.
 

bianca94

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I highly recommend applying to a college as early as possible. I'm in Year 12 and I applied to Women’s back in June and given an interview on the 24th of August. Only a few days later I received an email from the college saying that I had secured a place at the college required that I accept a UQ or QUT offer!
(I quickly rearanged my preferences so that if all goes wrong OP wise I would go to UQ Ipswich for my first year arts which is like OP 16 and there is a shuttle bus that could take me from women’s to ipswitch)
Don’t get me wrong I’m not extremely academic or anything (my OP prediction is 10 - 13) and I'm not sporting or can even play an Instrument! I just am involved in my community and I am a youth leader (haha and I go to a public school with like the worst rep ever!)
 

JWE21

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Hey all,

I read this entire thread through so first thanks for all the helpful info! So I'm a student in the United States studying at UQ for Sem 1 2012 only and I'm looking at the different colleges. Clearly, college seems much better than no college. I am against the whole single-gender college idea so im looking at Cromwell, Emmanuel, International, and Union (St. John's sounds too intense, academically and otherwise). From what I've heard it sounds like Crommie is the way to go if you can get in, with Emmanuel as a good option cause it is easier to get into. Union looks great from their website, but it sounds pretty bad from what you all have said, so I'm thinking IH is my third choice.

Would i be at a big disadvantage applying to Cromwell as an international student for a semester? Also, it seems a bit late to apply now, so will that hurt me as well? I plan on choosing either Cromwell or Emmanuel as my first choice and sending my application to IH if I don't get in. I DEFINITELY want to be in college though, it sounds so fun and it seems like a great way to meet people. Do you think I should just choose Emmanuel first or do I have a shot at getting into Cromwell?

If it makes a difference, my grades are high (comparable to OP1) and I'm very involved here with sport and clubs and leadership. Would that matter as an international student? Actually, for that matter, do these colleges (outside of IH, obviously) even take international students?

Also, I will be in the middle of year 2 during sem 1 2012 (we have our semesters backwards over here) if that affects anything.

I think everything's due in 2 days so any advice before then (or after, I guess) would be great!
 

Elizaa

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Hey all,

Sorry to reopen this thread again! Have read all 10 pages though - amazingly helpful information, thank you so much everyone!!

I really want to apply for Cromwell for next year, does anyone know how early you are allowed to apply?
Secondly, on the application, how many referees are you allowed? On the site it simply says, attach "a written reference this year from your School Principle (or their delegate)", but I saw that someone said they attached three references?

Other than the 100word statement, details of academic/sporting/cultural/etc interests/achievements, passport photo and written reference, is there anything else you can/may include??

Is everyone at Cromwell really young? I will have had 2 years off between Year 12 and Uni, and am not sure if I will be way older than everyone? I guess it doesn't really matter anyway :)
And finally, I will be overseas from around mid July until December, do they do early interviews??

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!!
 
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Hey all,

Sorry to reopen this thread again! Have read all 10 pages though - amazingly helpful information, thank you so much everyone!!

I really want to apply for Cromwell for next year, does anyone know how early you are allowed to apply?
Secondly, on the application, how many referees are you allowed? On the site it simply says, attach "a written reference this year from your School Principle (or their delegate)", but I saw that someone said they attached three references?

Other than the 100word statement, details of academic/sporting/cultural/etc interests/achievements, passport photo and written reference, is there anything else you can/may include??

Is everyone at Cromwell really young? I will have had 2 years off between Year 12 and Uni, and am not sure if I will be way older than everyone? I guess it doesn't really matter anyway :)
And finally, I will be overseas from around mid July until December, do they do early interviews??

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!!
Hi Elizaa,

I know how useful some of the information can be when you are interested in applying for college, I definitely looked closely at every post. Any bit of information is useful! I'm a second year at St John's this year and absolutely loving it!

In answer to your Q, If you are going overseas probably want to get in their fairly soon, it's never to early to apply, August is probably prime time though. If the application form says 'attach a written reference' I'd say attach four written references, all strong and positively enforcing why you should be chosen for a spot in college. Never go with what the form says, more is always better. It's not as if the administration will throw out your other references because you are only allowed one. Also, make it a 200 word personal statement if you are serious about getting in again they wont not read it and they will see you are really putting in effort.

Include everything! I had anything and everything in a quite a large envelope to apply to college, just because it says to restrict your application size/contents....Dont. Everyone else applying will and that is why you will get a place over them. It doesn't matter too much that you've had a couple of years off. There is a new f.resher this year who is 21. Are you from NSW? because another thing is that most of the first years are all underage when you arrive as they graduate from year 12 when they are 17, it's something that I didn't even consider. Finding time to do an interview will be difficult if you are going overseas. July is just a little early for the colleges to be looking at next years intake however phone interviews are easily arranged and if you fill you app choc a block it may place less emphasis on your interview. December is too late, all places will be taken before the end of November, get in early. Im sure Crommy will be more than accommodating if you contact them directly.

Good luck, send me a message if you need anything else. Always keen to get some more NSW kids into UQ.
 

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