What Students Talk About Before Landing in Australia And Why Universities Should Listen

1. Housing and Accommodation: The Universal Concern 

Across nearly every student community, housing dominates the conversation, and understandably so. For international students, finding a place to live isn’t just a logistical task; it’s central to their sense of security, comfort, and confidence before arrival. 

The most common concerns include: 

• Where to live: “Student accommodation near campus” 
• Affordability and budgeting: “Multiple conversations around pricing and affordable options” 
• Roommate coordination: “Students looking for roommates to share accommodations” 
• Commute logistics: “Suburbs near campuses and transport options” 

Students are comparing suburbs for affordability and commute, sharing prices, lease transfers, and roommate requests. Travel plans often tie into housing, with many coordinating move-ins or airport pickups.

What becomes clear is this: students don’t want to navigate housing alone. 

In Goin’ communities, students use features like dedicated Housing/Interest groups, friend matchmaking, and discovery modules where universities can share tailored housing content. These solutions create space for shared insights, personal recommendations, and support long before arrival. Many students step onto campus already knowing where, and with whom, they’ll be living.

For institutions, this presents a key opportunity. By using Goin’, universities can proactively surface housing conversations, enable student-driven advice, and curate trusted information hubs all helping to ease one of the biggest pain points of the pre-arrival experience.

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2. Visa and Uncertainty that comes with it

The visa process is one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the international student journey, and the Goin’ community shows just how prevalent this stress is. Visa timelines, requirements, and anxieties dominate group discussions, often surfacing across multiple stages and chat themes.

But what’s interesting isn’t just the type of information students are seeking,  it’s who they want to hear it from.

Students want to know:

• “How long did your visa take to come?”
• “What bank did you use for your loan?”
• “How much savings did you show?”
• “What health provider did you pick?”

Students frequently share personal experiences with delays, concerns about government turnaround times, and peer advice on how to manage everything from medical checks to financial documents. 

And beneath it all lies a shared feeling: “I’m anxious and don’t want to do this alone.”

When students connect early (via their offer-holder timeline), they have time to ask questions, share tips, and crowdsource answers, long before deadlines close in. For universities, this is powerful. It shifts pressure off admin teams, reduces repetitive inquiries, and builds a more informed, confident incoming class, simply by letting students help each other.

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3. Travel and Exploration: From Flights to Friendships

For many students, the journey to Australia is also their first major solo international move. This shows up clearly in community conversations. From coordinating flights to dreaming up weekend trips, students are eager to share plans, compare routes, and find someone to make the journey with.

Examples of what students are asking:

• “What date is everyone flying to Melbourne?”
• “Anyone else taking the Singapore Airlines flight from Delhi?”
• “Looking for a travel buddy for my trip to Sydney!”

What begins as logistical planning often turns into social bonding. Travel groups naturally evolve into new friend circles, where students not only land in the same city but arrive already connected.

On Goin’, dedicated groups like “Travel Buddies” or destination-specific chats help students find common itineraries, align arrival dates, and coordinate airport pickups. These conversations often continue after arrival, turning into planned road trips, hiking meetups, or plans to explore Australia together.

For institutions,  it’s strategic to know that students who feel like they’re “going together” are more excited, less anxious, and more likely to commit. Goin’ provides the early social spark, and the students do the rest.

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4. Student Life Hacks: Peer Tips That Make All the Difference

Every student arriving in a new country is looking for one thing: a shortcut to confidence. Whether it’s their first time abroad or not, the desire to settle in quickly, spend smartly, and avoid rookie mistakes is real.

Across Goin’ groups, we see students proactively sharing:

• How to land a part-time job (“What platform did you use?” “How do I get x?”)
  
  
• Where to get the best student discounts (“Bus fares are cheaper with the student card, don’t forget to apply!”)
  
  
• Simple hacks to save money or make commuting easier (“Download goin’, it’s a lifesaver”)
  
  

What’s striking is how much trust these conversations carry. Unlike formal guides, these life hacks are grounded in real-life experiences, often shared by students just a few months ahead of the curve. That relatability makes all the difference.

Themed groups help turn scattered advice into searchable, structured wisdom. And thanks to Goin’s gamified structure, many students naturally evolve into Champions, motivated to give back and support others. In fact, 65% of students say they want to become a Champion after going through the journey themselves.

5. Anxiety & Emotional Wellbeing: More Than Just Support

If housing and visas are the visible struggles, emotional well-being is the one often hiding in plain sight.

Even before students land, there’s a flood of uncertainty:

• “What if I don’t make friends?”
  
  
• “What if I feel out of place?”
  
  
• “Am I making the right decision?”
  
  

In Goin’ chats, these questions don’t stay bottled up, they get aired, supported, and soothed. Students voice fears about fitting in, finding their crowd, or navigating social anxiety. And almost always, someone replies with a simple truth: “I feel the same, but we’ve got this.”

This kind of mutual reassurance is powerful. It’s what transforms a platform from just another app into a space of belonging.

By creating student-led communities with real-time conversations and opt-in interest groups, Goin’ normalizes vulnerability and replaces isolation with connection. Our survey data shows the impact: Over 75% of students say the platform helped reduce their anxiety in Australia, long before they step on campus.

6. Cultural Inclusion: Where Diversity Isn’t Just Seen—It’s Shared

Australia is one of the most culturally diverse study destinations, and students feel that as soon as they join the conversation.

From language quirks to local norms, cultural identity is part of the student experience and students want spaces where it can be expressed freely. In communities like “Indians in Canberra” or “Filipinos at RMIT,” students open up about shared customs, dietary needs, local hangouts, or even upcoming cultural events.

Many students jump between culturally specific groups and more open ones. That fluidity creates a community where identity is appreciated. Through focus groups, country-specific chats, and AI-powered matchmaking, students find other students who “get” them. 

Final Thoughts

When we zoom out and look at the thousands of conversations happening in Goin’ communities across Australia, what we’re really seeing is something much bigger than student chit-chat. Instead of relying solely on post-arrival surveys or assumptions, institutions can now tap into what students are already talking about: their worries about visas, the excitement of finding a roommate, the pressure to find the right health insurance, and even which beaches to visit once they land. These aren’t just interesting talking points but they’re indicators of intent, need, and student sentiment.

For recruitment and engagement teams, this means smarter strategies. You can tailor your onboarding to the actual challenges students face. You can reduce administrative pressure by encouraging peer answers in Goin’. You can improve marketing messaging by reflecting the real language students use. And perhaps most importantly, you can start building trust before day one by simply enabling your students to support one another in a space built for them.

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To Learn More About Your Students Goin’ To Australia

At Goin’, we help institutions not only foster these spaces but also make sense of what’s happening within them. Our AI-driven analysis gives universities a clear picture of the themes that matter most so you can proactively respond, optimize student experiences, and drive long-term success.

If you want to better understand your students heading to Australia or anywhere around the world, schedule a meeting with us or Watch a Demo for exclusive insights. Because the better you understand your students, the better you can support them.

Reach out to learn more about how student insights can improve recruitment, engagement, and well-being.