cdn2004:
I set up my apartment when i found out that i got in but honestly,i don't remember when it was. probably october or something. I have friends that set up a home-stay (you stay with a family) for a few weeks and found a place on the fly. They were a bit more limited in places they found though. You might end up getting a place that is more expensive or not where you want because many places are filled up. I think in the previous post I mentioned that you can get temporary housing at International House while you are waiting to find a place. You can also do this at Women's College (which I presume applies only to women). Other colleges (student residency areas on campus are called "colleges") may also have this service available. There are also some places to stay such as Wesley College which is directly across from the lecture halls (as is Women's College) and are large faternity house type places (co-ed I think). Definite party spot I hear but people into that scene love it. To get an idea of where most of your classes will be on a school map, Bosch and Blackburn are the two main lecture buildings.
You can work part-time, particulary during your first year. I was quite suprised by this but people do it quite well. I can see how it would not be too difficult, seeing that we have a lot of extra time. I personally choose not to. I don't know of any americans or canadians that are either. Maybe it is our mindset but I don't plan on working at any point during med school but it can be done. There are some visa restrictions but otherwise you can work about 15 hours or so (according to the visa).
I really don't know how many people commute but it is not a rare thing. You just have to be down with the idea of commuting. Some of my friends love living at the beach and don't mind the commute. It can definitely be done but not for me. I am anti-commute. I like walking to class in 8-10 minutes. You just have to be able to handle getting you work done. I have friends who do this by staying on campus and reading in the library until 5 or 6, then going home where they know they won't get as much done. Cost of living isn't quite bad but that is relative to what I am used to which is quite high. You can find places to stay with other people around AU$140 a week. Living by yourself close to school can cost AU$233 (International House and Sydney University Village- both happened to be furnished) to around AU$300 a week for some nicer apartments. Divide these by about 1.6 to get an idea of how many US dollars. All rent here is quoted per week, by the way. Bus and train fare to most places is AU$1.50 to AU$6 (if you live way out there, possibly for the beach commutes) each way. I find food to be pretty similar in price to the US. Nothing about cost of living has suprised me except for phone calls. Calling from home, you have to pay for everything. Calling locally, you have to pay. Calling cell phones, you have to pay a LOT. And EVERYONE here has a cell phone. I am not kidding about this either. This is much worse than the US. EV-ER-Y-ONE has a cell. You will have one too. Promise. It is hell to even find a pay phone here. Mark my words. Ironically, calling the US and Canada is cheaper than making local calls here. You get a phone card and make calls around 2.5-3 US cents per minute to call back home. Go figure.
About living near the hospital thing, many people do this during the 3rd and 4th years. You don't need to worry about that now. That should not be a concern yet because you are only there 1 day per week. At first, it is up to you where you live. Close to school is my choice but many others do otherwise. For example, many people live a short bus ride away. Many people also live in Newtown or Glebe which is walkable depending on what part of each neighborhood you are in. If you are looking to move in with other, random students, you could probably get away with setting up a place to stay for a few weeks and finding somewhere when you get here. If you want to be more choosy like me (I wanted to have my own place and VERY close to campus), I would do it before you get here.
As to residency, I will definitely be coming back to America. That is really the only place I really would want to do it. Maybe because I love America and the hospital system is the way I want to learn for when I am practicing. Also, my friends and family are there. Furthermore, I am not doing an internship here just to have to do another internship year in the US (very likely). Call me crazy but I am anxious to get to residency. PLUS, the US is my home
. Having said that, some people may choose to do an internship year here. You do get paid the same as Aussies. One reason to do this is that it is incredible money (so I here). My understanding is that you can make AU$80,000 or so dollars for a 60-80 hr work week because they pay the interns time and a half for overtime here. Some people do this year just to make some quick cash before going back. This is just what I hear though. I would confirm this before you bank on it. As for me, time is more important than money. I figure, I will get out of residency one year earlier and blow that figure out of the water. But if you need quick cash, go for it.
Good luck to all!