Mentor Program

Commencing students are invited to join The University of Notre Dame Mentor Program. This initiative aims to make your transition to university in Australia more enjoyable by linking small groups of new students with an Australian student mentor.

Benefits of the Program

Starting at a new university is an exciting, challenging and sometimes stressful time. Your mentor can help you:

• make sense of how the University works
• find your way around campus
• locate banking and other services you need in Fremantle
• connect to other students, staff, clubs and programs

This program is an initiative of the Student Life Office.

Volunteering/Community Service

Volunteering provides an excellent opportunity for students to engage with Australians outside of the University, and to make connections within the local Fremantle community. Students who volunteer in the community have a very positive experience
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Opportunities are available to volunteer in the community of Fremantle and in Western Australia and examples of volunteer organisations are the Melville Volunteers, Curtin Volunteers, St Vincent De Paul and Edmund Rice Centre, etc.

We encourage you to consider this opportunity and make it an integral part of your study abroad experience. Further information on volunteering opportunities will be given to you in Orientation Week.
                  
Field Trips

As study abroad students at Notre Dame, you will have the opportunity to take some exceptional courses that are especially designed to enhance your study abroad experience.

AL375 Australian History and Society

If you are enrolled in AL375 Australian History and Society you will travel to Broome in the Western Australian Kimberley region, an environment steeped in Aboriginal culture and European pioneering history, where you will visit traditional Aboriginal communities and experience the Australian Outback first hand.

Some institutions provide part or full subsidy for the cost of this fieldtrip. Again, check with your home Study Abroad Office for the specific details of your program. It is essential that you have selected this unit/subject prior to leaving for Australia, so that numbers are known. The University will ensure that the most competitive price is available for group bookings.

BS307 Business in Asia

In semester two, business students accepted into the unit BS307 Business in Asia may take the associated field trip to an Asian city (subject to Australian Government Travel Advisories) where they experience Asian business first hand, as well as receive briefings from government agencies, industrial and construction firms. Places are limited.

SE206 Environmental Ecology and History of the South Coast

Study Abroad students enrolling in SE206 in the Summer Term have the opportunity to sail 10 days aboard the tall ship STS Leewin, down the south coast of Western Australia. Students enjoy a range of presentations from our environmental specialists, soak in the experience on deck as sail along the magnificent coastline, where pristine white sandy beaches are interspersed with rocky granite outcrops and remote islands provide homes for a diverse range of animal and plant life.

Some other subjects, especially those in the environmental sciences, may also include fieldtrips of a shorter duration. A modest cost is usually associated with these fieldtrips, payable to The University of Notre Dame Australia.

Essay Preparation week (Mid Semester break)

Please note that the Essay Preparation week is a non-teaching week and students are advised to use this time as a study week and not as a holiday. The students taking AL375 may be going on field trips during this week so do not make any arrangements until the field trips are finalised (usually in week 3 of the semester).

Travel outside of Semester

For those students who wish to undertake independent travel outside of the semester some popular destinations around Australia include Exmouth (surfing, swimming with whale sharks, snorkelling and diving), Cairns (scuba-diving), Tasmania (hiking), Darwin (national parks) and Sydney and Melbourne. If you intend to travel within Australia, it is recommended that you consult your US travel agent who will advise you about Air Passes and purchase them before arrival.  For travel within Western Australia, the following website may be useful www.westernaustralia.com. Students often choose to travel south to Albany, Margaret River and Esperance, or north to Kalbarri and Exmouth (Ningaloo Reef). We do encourage you to see as much of Western Australia as you can.

Students intending to travel overseas should consult current security warnings regarding proposed destinations. US State Department travel advisories are available at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/warnings.html. 

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also issues travel advisories, which are available at: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au.

Your home institution may require that you have their approval for such travel and please check with them before departure.
An Itinerary Form must be lodged with your Residential Supervisor for any travel.