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Hello, yes i just saw the thread below but it really didn't answer my questions what a how ironic...anyways I currently live in New York city i go to high school there and my dad just recently got a job in Sydney and i will be going to high school there. I have no idea what high school is like there, i have no idea how they are too foreigners. I am a Christian and i went to a Christian high school in NYC but i can tell you no one was a Christian, the students did drugs, did things at each other houses, did lots of alcohol and at school dances i felt like it was just a big orgy with everyone grinding listening to all the rap music, anyways i really hope high school isn't like that in Australia, i really felt disgusting every day after being there, also is there lots of diversity, i am a mixed student(Asian and latino) i hope there are a lot of ethnics in Sydney as there were at my high school which was Asian, latino, Arabic and Black. Also how are the school lunches there, the school lunches here are terrible they tried to start this organic lunch thing here and the prices like doubled, another thing is how are teachers and how would they treat me since I'm American?
Oh and one more thing i am really excited about moving to Australia but how do people act there, here there are cliqupes of the stoners, the geeks, the hippies or hipsters, the ghetto people, the popular girls who moms gives them condoms, the jocks, the trash and people like me who are the nice crowd?
Ostentatious displays of religion are frowned upon in Australia. You'll do better if you keep your religion private.
There are not the cliques in Australian schools like Americans have. People have groups of friends but the stoner/geek etc labels aren't there and differences between groups is very small. You'll have the cool kids and the uncool kids, but we honestly think the cliques in the movies are exaggerated for fiction. I don't know why, maybe it's the smaller size of our schools, the uniforms or something else.
School lunch is not school lunch. if you don't take a sandwich you'll take money to school and buy your lunch at the tuck shop/canteen. Things like sandwiches, rolls, pies, pasties and sausage rolls, like a cross between dunkin donuts and subway and a gas station, with Australian savoury pastry culture thrown in. You'll eat it outside. You'll also have recess during the morning, where you have a snack and 20 minutes outside, and lunch at 1pm where you get an hour outside. School's from 8:30-9 until 3:30pm. Most sports have practice once a week and game once a week, so you can do tons of extracurriculars. University entrance is by barrier exam ( HSC in NSW), so you'll be very stressed if you'll be in year 12. There aren't many clubs at all, because we don't need them for uni entrance.
Prepare for your marks and grades to plummet. 50% of the class will get a C, 5% an A. You'll rarely get above 80% for anything, they intentionally want to differentiate between good and excellent students. No such thing as extra credit.
Diversity will depend where you live, but Sydney's like any big city. No latinos in Australia, but lots of asian and middle eastern people.
Last edited by Wild Colonial Girl; 10-15-2013 at 07:36 PM..
Hello, yes i just saw the thread below but it really didn't answer my questions what a how ironic...anyways I currently live in New York city i go to high school there and my dad just recently got a job in Sydney and i will be going to high school there. I have no idea what high school is like there, i have no idea how they are too foreigners. I am a Christian and i went to a Christian high school in NYC but i can tell you no one was a Christian, the students did drugs, did things at each other houses, did lots of alcohol and at school dances i felt like it was just a big orgy with everyone grinding listening to all the rap music, anyways i really hope high school isn't like that in Australia, i really felt disgusting every day after being there, also is there lots of diversity, i am a mixed student(Asian and latino) i hope there are a lot of ethnics in Sydney as there were at my high school which was Asian, latino, Arabic and Black. Also how are the school lunches there, the school lunches here are terrible they tried to start this organic lunch thing here and the prices like doubled, another thing is how are teachers and how would they treat me since I'm American?
I've just finished Year 12 last year so hopefully I can help you out a bit here.
I must admit I find it a tad odd that a Christian high school in America wasn't religious, given the stereotypes we have of Americans with regards to religion. Nevertheless, how you fit in here in this respect will depend a lot on what area within Sydney you are moving to and what school you will be going to in that area. I went to a private Catholic high school in Melbourne which was not particularly racially diverse (there were a couple of Indians, Sri Lankans and Vietnamese, but most students had Irish or Italian sounding last names), and obviously everyone had the same religion as far as I know. Every school is different racially and religiously, especially in Sydney, so if you let us know the type of school you'll be going to and the general area in Sydney you'll be moving to then I can give you a better answer.
Like the above poster mentioned, cliques here are not as exaggerated as you will have found in America. You'll probably find that you tend to hang out most with people who share similar interests to you. At my school I was mates with cricket players because I was on the cricket team, and with basketball players because I was on the basketball team. If you're into sports, you'll want to talk about sports with other people who like sports. If you're into computers or video games or whatever there's bound to be other people who share your interests that you can hang out with. You'll find though that generally you'll be able to get along with most people.
The legal drinking age here is 18, so most people by the end of high school are drinking alcohol (some even before that). It's not a bad thing really as long as you stick with the right people who aren't going to get themselves (or you) into trouble. Drugs weren't an issue at my school, though I wouldn't be surprised if lots of kids were taking them at other schools.
Ostentatious displays of religion are frowned upon in Australia. You'll do better if you keep your religion private.
There are not the cliques in Australian schools like Americans have. People have groups of friends but the stoner/geek etc labels aren't there and differences between groups is very small. You'll have the cool kids and the uncool kids, but we honestly think the cliques in the movies are exaggerated for fiction. I don't know why, maybe it's the smaller size of our schools, the uniforms or something else.
School lunch is not school lunch. if you don't take a sandwich you'll take money to school and buy your lunch at the tuck shop/canteen. Things like sandwiches, rolls, pies, pasties and sausage rolls, like a cross between dunkin donuts and subway and a gas station, with Australian savoury pastry culture thrown in. You'll eat it outside. You'll also have recess during the morning, where you have a snack and 20 minutes outside, and lunch at 1pm where you get an hour outside. School's from 8:30-9 until 3:30pm. Most sports have practice once a week and game once a week, so you can do tons of extracurriculars. University entrance is by barrier exam ( HSC in NSW), so you'll be very stressed if you'll be in year 12. There aren't many clubs at all, because we don't need them for uni entrance.
Prepare for your marks and grades to plummet. 50% of the class will get a C, 5% an A. You'll rarely get above 80% for anything, they intentionally want to differentiate between good and excellent students. No such thing as extra credit.
Diversity will depend where you live, but Sydney's like any big city. No latinos in Australia, but lots of asian and middle eastern people.
There are Latinos in Australia and I am friends with a guy from Brazil. There are many Brazilians in Sydney now. In addition I am friends with a guy from Chile that lives in Sydney. Plus there are a few Latin American people I work with as well. I met some Columbians and people from Peru too and most of them have been living in Australia for a very long time. Yet the number of Latinos is small compared to America. Some schools are more diverse than others. Sometimes when I see school children head to a school most of them are not white.
Oh and one more thing i am really excited about moving to Australia but how do people act there, here there are cliqupes of the stoners, the geeks, the hippies or hipsters, the ghetto people, the popular girls who moms gives them condoms, the jocks, the trash and people like me who are the nice crowd?
Hi there younger brother in Christ! I live in Perth, however I did live in Sydney years ago. We are living, I believe in the last days that the Bible talks about. So things may not be a great deal different to what they are in New York, just maybe on a lesser scale. The weather here is beautiful, particularly this time of the year. I would really pray and ask the Lord to guide you about schools. He will take care of His own. I know that as truth! And yes, I believe that a lot of wealthy teens here have access to drugs on a large scale because of the availability of ready finances. Watch out for funnel web spiders. They are native to Sydney and very poisonous. Like your trapdoor. I believe they are related! Just be careful about wandering outdoors without shoes on etc. Check all your washing when you bring it in off the line. You know that sort of thing. Youll be ok. Make sure you wear 30+ sunscreen as the summers get quite hot. Can you and your dad sit down and go on the net and check out Christian schools in the area youre going to? Pray about it together and I believe the Holy Spirit will guide you to the right one! I believe you will enjoy Australia. Its quite laid back. Welcome in advance! I will pray for you and may God bless you and your family.
There are Latinos in Australia and I am friends with a guy from Brazil. There are many Brazilians in Sydney now. In addition I am friends with a guy from Chile that lives in Sydney. Plus there are a few Latin American people I work with as well. I met some Columbians and people from Peru too and most of them have been living in Australia for a very long time. Yet the number of Latinos is small compared to America. Some schools are more diverse than others. Sometimes when I see school children head to a school most of them are not white.
That's great. It's amazing how things are changing isn't it?
Ostentatious displays of religion are frowned upon in Australia. You'll do better if you keep your religion private.
There are not the cliques in Australian schools like Americans have. People have groups of friends but the stoner/geek etc labels aren't there and differences between groups is very small. You'll have the cool kids and the uncool kids, but we honestly think the cliques in the movies are exaggerated for fiction. I don't know why, maybe it's the smaller size of our schools, the uniforms or something else.
School lunch is not school lunch. if you don't take a sandwich you'll take money to school and buy your lunch at the tuck shop/canteen. Things like sandwiches, rolls, pies, pasties and sausage rolls, like a cross between dunkin donuts and subway and a gas station, with Australian savoury pastry culture thrown in. You'll eat it outside. You'll also have recess during the morning, where you have a snack and 20 minutes outside, and lunch at 1pm where you get an hour outside. School's from 8:30-9 until 3:30pm. Most sports have practice once a week and game once a week, so you can do tons of extracurriculars. University entrance is by barrier exam ( HSC in NSW), so you'll be very stressed if you'll be in year 12. There aren't many clubs at all, because we don't need them for uni entrance.
Prepare for your marks and grades to plummet. 50% of the class will get a C, 5% an A. You'll rarely get above 80% for anything, they intentionally want to differentiate between good and excellent students. No such thing as extra credit.
Diversity will depend where you live, but Sydney's like any big city. No latinos in Australia, but lots of asian and middle eastern people.
There are Latinos in Australia, here and there. But not as many as Asians and Middle Eastern people. What do you mean by clubs? Because there are a lot of clubs in Australia.
What do you mean by clubs? Because there are a lot of clubs in Australia.
Unless things have changed a lot since I was at school, Australian schools don't have clubs in the same way that American ones do, eg chess club, computer club, glee club. Bear in mind that all I know about American schools is from TV/movies and occasionally talking to Americans.
Some differences you will encounter:
You will wear a uniform.
The school year is the calendar year, ie January to December. It is divided into 4 terms, with 2 weeks break between. The summer holiday typically goes for about 6 weeks from mid-December to the end of January. Dates here
High school in NSW covers Years 7 to 12. We don't use terms like freshman etc. Year is used interchangeably with Grade.
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